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Paying for the decisions of our forefathers

Last August, this newspaper published an editorial, under the “Our Opinion” banner, titled “The water bill will come due, eventually.” Well, it’s looking as if that time is approaching. At the time, the Weirton Area Water Board was working with Thrasher Engineering to develop a plan for the replacement of 147,500 linear feet of cast iron and galvanized water lines within the distribution system. It’s all part of the order given last summer by the West Virginia Public Service Commission following last winter’s water woes, with an initial focus on some of the worst ...

A Valentine’s Day that we all can celebrate

I somehow found myself standing in the greeting card aisle the other day. I was surrounded by an ongoing display of crimson envelopes and plush teddy bears holding satin hearts and I love you notes. It was such a stark contrast between those vibrant red inks and the gray, winter sky that was peering through the storefront windows. The calendar has flipped to February. Yet even before then, it seemed as if the world had suddenly gone from discounts on leftover Christmas merchandise to a very specific, aggressive shade of pink. Yes, it is that time of year again. The time when ...

History in the Hills: Historic objects

Here at Historic Fort Steuben, our museum collections are important. The historical stuff we have really makes the museum special and it can make the past feel alive to our visitors. To me, the fort itself is an artifact, even though it is a reconstruction. These buildings invite us to appreciate what life was like for the First American Regiment and the team of surveyors working to map the Northwest Territory while they were here in the winter of 1786 and 1787. With the recent cold weather and snow on the ground, I feel more connected to them than ever as the winter the soldiers were ...

A big splash of those primary colors

When it comes to contesting statewide and legislative races, the West Virginia Democratic Party should be commended for its candidate recruitment efforts heading into the 2026 elections. I don’t say that because I have a specific bias one way or another. But I do believe that a healthy two-party system is important to making our democratic republic work, because the political parties hold each other accountable. According to the state Democratic Party, there are 22 Democratic candidates seeking nomination to 17 of 19 state Senate seats on the ballot for the May primary, some of ...

A few surprises and interesting matchups

There were quite a few surprises in the last few days before the registration deadline. In the higher level offices, we had Jeff Kessler, the former state senator announce his intentions of seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in an attempt to unseat current U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. Kessler joins a field of four other Democrats heading toward the May primary election, while Capito faces challenges from five other Republicans. There are now three Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for U.S. House of Representatives in West Virginia’s Second ...

Guest Column: A tax cut that puts West Virginians first

West Virginia is proving something powerful right now: when you focus on the basics, tighten the budget, and let the free market work, good things happen. That progress puts us in a position to do what the government too often forgets to do: return money to the people who earned it. That’s why I am calling on the State Legislature to pass a 10 percent across-the-board income tax cut. Over the past year, my administration has made difficult but necessary choices. We tightened spending, restructured government, reduced costs, and focused relentlessly on fixing our state budget. Those ...