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A slow news week in the state capital

Last week was a slow news week when it comes to my specific beat of West Virginia state government news. Reporters who cover the same beat had similar opinions when I talked to them. There are weeks when it is not uncommon for me to write as many as 15 stories per week or sometimes four stories in one day. I certainly don’t mind a busy week, but last week was mostly quiet. Sure, there was the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia’s summer meeting at the Greenbrier Resort at the beginning of last week, which saw many state elected officials address the group and talk about West ...

Guest column: Celebrating those who help keep elections safe, secure, and fair

West Virginia is a place where people know their neighbors, and that’s exactly what makes local elections work. When voters walk into a polling place and see a familiar face, a teacher, a pastor, a coach, a neighbor, a parent, it builds trust in the system. It reminds folks that elections aren’t run by distant bureaucrats; they’re managed by people right here in our own communities. We West Virginians pride ourselves on being a state full of hard-working, community-minded people. From the southern coal fields to the beautiful river views of the northern panhandle, Mountaineers ...

More growth for our recreation trails?

It’s only been a few months since the paving was completed on the West Virginia portion of the Panhandle Trail; a project which truly has been years in the making. Now, it looks as if additional improvements are in the works for the trail, which travels between Weirton and Carnegie, Pa. As we reported in our Thursday edition, the City of Weirton – with work from the Weirton Board of Parks and Recreation and the city’s Planning and Development Department – is planning to apply for a Transportation Alternatives Program grant through the West Virginia Department of ...

Guest column: State missing the energy and tech opportunity, again

West Virginia stands at a critical crossroads when it comes to combining energy production and technological innovation. Our access to abundant natural gas reserves as well as a skilled work force allows our state to stand ready to meet America’s energy needs, further artificial intelligence (AI) development, and help future technological advancements. What we cannot let happen is watch as our neighbors, Ohio and Pennsylvania, harness these opportunities as we stand idly by. Seeing these states announce multiple, lifechanging, investments should serve as a wake-up call to seize our ...

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 ...