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Guest column: Early signs matter: What looks like aging in loved ones could be Alzheimer’s

When Zelda Hill was in college, he began noticing subtle changes in his father. The man who had always been precise began forgetting current events, mixing up dates and times, and getting lost in familiar places. Zelda had seen memory loss in his grandparents before, and like many people, assumed it was a normal part of aging. With his father, though, he was more attuned to the changes in behavior, and the family sought medical advice. First came a diagnosis of dementia, then Alzheimer’s disease. Zelda’s father was only in his 50s. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of ...

Guest column: It’s time for West Virginia’s youth to sit at the table when discussing mental health

There’s a quiet crisis unfolding across West Virginia. Our young people are hurting and far too often, they’re navigating it alone. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for West Virginians ages 10 to 24. More than 60% of youth with major depression receive no treatment, and 26 counties across our state don’t have a single practicing child or adolescent psychiatrist. These are not just statistics—they’re warning signs for all of us to listen more deeply. The truth is, we can’t talk about the youth mental health crisis in 2025 without acknowledging the shadow ...

Once in a while, it’s nice for those little things

Is it just me or does anyone else ever feel as though life sometimes hands them more than they can cope with? I’m sure most of you have heard the saying of how God doesn’t give us more than we are able to handle. I am not sure exactly who started this saying, but if they are correct, then I honestly don’t know why God thinks that some of us are so strong. As I mentioned last week, being an adult is hard. Perhaps it is the hardest thing we will ever have to do. There are some days when the only thing I want is to stay in bed and pull the covers up over my head so that ...

Hot temperatures and hotter tempers

They say that heat makes people cranky, and it sure seems like tempers and egos are clashing all over the place within West Virginia state government. Take the recent drama over the Legislative Economic Development Assistance grant program, the reincarnation of the former Budget Digest, where lawmakers used to put earmarks for projects in their legislative districts. Instead of lawmakers putting earmarks in the general revenue budget, past legislatures and governors came to an agreement where the Legislature appropriates money into a line item within the Governor’s Civil ...

The 2026 election has already arrived

I know we’re only seven months into the terms for most of our elected officials, and a lot of us probably would still like a breather after the 2024 election, but the campaigns for 2026 already are beginning – for better or worse. Personally, I’d like to not have to think too much about political campaigns for another four or five months, but we received a press release this week from Toby Heaney, a Republican from Fairview, West Virginia, announcing his plans to seek a seat in the West Virginia Senate representing the Second District. The seat currently is held by Charles ...

West Virginia must finalize NIL for high school athletes

On August 8, 2025, West Virginia will finally step into the present when the Board of Education approves Item I (WVSSAC, Series 2), allowing high school athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness. This change isn’t just overdue, it’s essential. For years I’ve spoken publicly and privately about the need to give our student-athletes the same opportunities already available to their peers across the country. When my colleague and I started lobbying for this shift in February, only 30 states and the District of Columbia had NIL policies in place for high school students. ...