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David H. McKinley: The Cost Of W.Va.’s Jobs Problem. Here Are The Numbers

West Virginia's labor force participation rate is 54.5%, last among the fifty states and 8.5 points behind the nation. Here is the part that ought to disarm the partisanship: we have sat at or near the very bottom every year since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the series in 1976. Through 50 years of Democratic and Republican legislatures and governors, through coal booms and busts, the number has barely moved. A long-term, bipartisan commitment to raising it may be the highest return investment this state could make. Almost nobody has bothered to quantify the ...

Dr. William Welker: Where Are The Kids? Not At The Local Playgrounds

In case you haven’t noticed, today’s playgrounds, baseball fields and basketball courts are void of children during the spring, summer and early fall months. When my kids were growing up, they were outside on swings, playing baseball, and shooting hoops from dawn until the streetlights came on. You could also see them riding their bikes for miles across the city. Of course, I still see many contemporary youngsters riding bicycles. But they’re motorized! Can you believe it! They’re not even getting any exercise with bikes nowadays. Some authorities have blamed Covid on this ...

Craig Howell: Some odds and ends from the week that was

Work on the Veterans Memorial Bridge continues, with crews on the span for several days in recent weeks. We made it through the first inspection closure planned as part of the work, which had been announced earlier this year as being focused on repairs and replacements to one of the suspension cables on the span. Now, we have learned there are plans for eight more closures for the project. While the initial closures were limited to four hours each night, and set for weekends after midnight to cause less of a disruption, these next closures won't be as friendly to cross-state ...

Registration Error Shows Why Election Safeguards Matter

Recent news out of New Jersey should serve as a warning for election officials across the country. A software error involving the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission resulted in as many as 6,600 people being registered to vote despite indicating they were not U.S. citizens. The mistake underscores a basic reality of election administration: errors can happen, and states need safeguards in place to prevent them when possible and catch them when they do. Ohio has done a good job of building those checks into its election system. It starts with registration. Ohio uses an opt-in system ...

CUMMINGS: Political candidates all need our prayers

Earlham College, on the outskirts of Richmond, Ind., is run by the Society of Friends (Quakers), who are famous for their sometimes silent worship services. Years ago, however, some of the Earlham students held the exact opposite of the traditional Quaker silent meeting. Faced with examinations and attendant academic pressures they felt the need of a tension reliever. So, at 9:30 p.m. on a Friday, about 100 students met on mid-campus to hold their first “All-College Scream.” After screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs for about 15 minutes, most of the students said they ...

FROM THE PULPIT: Wisdom in Purpose

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” “Vanity of vanities!” “Futility of futilities!” “Vapor of vapors!” Depending on which translation of the Bible you read, one of these phrases will likely confront you promptly in the book of Ecclesiastes. Some form of the Hebrew word hevel (לֶבֶה) shows up dozens of times in this book. Elsewhere in Scripture it is commonly used to describe idols. In this book we get not only hevel but “hevel havalim” - “vapor of vapors!” If I say a king is “King of Kings,” it means of all kings this one is the greatest King. If I ...