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History in the Hills: What’s in a name?

I come from a long line of men in my family called Paul. My name is Paul, my father and his father, too. My wife and I made it a point to name our son Paul as well, extending the tradition well past the 100-year mark. Maybe if he is blessed with a son at some point in the future, he will continue the tradition, but there is no pressure. Who knows what the future will bring? I enjoy looking back through family history, not only mine but others, too, and seeing how names change with popularity. The year I was born in the 1980s, the most popular boy’s name was Michael, and the ...

A second chance to make the grade?

I’ve occasionally talked in this space about being a college dropout. In the past I used to qualify that statement as being a “proud” college dropout, though as I prepare to turn 43 on Friday, I’m not sure how proud of that I am anymore. I went to St. Marys Elementary School, Pleasants County Middle School, St. Marys High School and graduated from North Pleasants Christian School in 2000. I took a year off to decide my higher education options. I had thought about going to Marshall University at Huntington, but I just wasn’t ready to stray too far from St. Marys. So ...

Honoring those who go above and beyond

If you checked out our front page this weekend, you will have seen that tickets for the Weirton Hall of Fame induction ceremony are now on sale. Organized by the City of Weirton, the Hall of Fame seeks to recognize current and former residents who have made significant contributions to the community or who have distinguished themselves within a specific field or career. This year’s ceremony will be held Aug. 16, with a class of eight set to be inducted. They include Daniel L. McCune in the category of philanthopy; Gabriel “Gabe” Arlia for public service; Dr. Jasbir Makar and ...

First six months of the Mountain State comeback

When I addressed my fellow West Virginians upon taking the oath of office, I said it was the dawn of a new era. A time to set our sights on something truly great: a future where West Virginia thrives as that shining state in the mountains. We pledged to move the needle on the things that matter: lifting our standard of living, driving educational attainment, and growing our workforce, all while defending and advancing West Virginia conservative values. Promises made, promises kept. We’ve proven that West Virginia can rise. We will rise. And not only that, we are ready to lead. We ...

Musk’s American Party could be interesting

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is about to form a new third party after announcing his plan on the social media platform X, which he owns. It is registered with the Federal Election Commission and is expected to focus on two or three U.S. Senate races and about eight or 10 House seats in the 2026 election cycle. Heading up DOGE and wielding a chainsaw as he slashed one government program after another, Musk, before his fallout with President Trump, was dubbed the first buddy after pouring millions into Trump’s campaign war chest. In the previous elections, he had supported ...

Hope Scholarship participation set to double in size

With the Hope Scholarship application period underway, we at the Treasurer’s Office expect the number of participating students to increase this fall. Currently, we have about 10,500 students enrolled within the program and expect that number to nearly double for the 2025-2026 school year. That means about 7% of school-aged children in West Virginia will be participating in the program. Nearly 15,000 applied for full funding of the scholarship for the 2025-2026 school year. For those who support options in education, this is huge news. But numbers alone can’t tell the whole story. It ...