Breaking News

Local Columns

Finding some light within the darkness

As I’m sitting down to write this week’s column, Friday morning, I remain awaiting word of power being restored to my neighborhood. I was hopeful when awaking Thursday, as the FirstEnergy Storm Center reported the potential of restoration by 11 p.m. that day, then an update of 8 p.m., then back to 11 p.m. Both moments came and went without a flicker, for me to go to sleep and greet Friday with a notice that there was then no specific estimate. I noticed two crew trucks passing the house as I left for work, with an update of possible restoration by 6 p.m. Friday greeting me late ...

Dedicated officials keep you safe

I believe most people think of rate cases and ratemaking when they think of the Public Service Commission of West Virginia. However, the Commission staff and duties involve much more than rates. Among the myriad of other natters in which we are involved, I want you to remember we are on the front line when it comes to the safety of commercial vehicles, what you call semis or tractor-trailers, and the like. We also inspect buses, taxis and any number of other commercial vehicles, but I want to talk with you about our primary highway safety duties. We have a dedicated force of ...

More than enough—Why mental health access must be a West Virginia priority

In West Virginia, we pride ourselves on resilience. We rally for our neighbors, we lift up our communities and we carry our burdens with grit and grace. But when it comes to mental health, resilience alone isn’t enough. Access to care, support and hope must be part of the story, too. This May, as we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, NAMI is proud to launch the “More Than Enough” campaign, a message of hope, inclusion and empowerment. It’s a simple but powerful idea: no matter where you are on your mental health journey, no matter what you look like or what you’re going ...

Please, remember your mother next Sunday

This week, I would like to use this small section of your Sunday paper to remind you that next week will be Mother’s Day. We blinked. And now, it is already mid-May. The month in which we are supposed to pay tribute to the woman whose every breath has been dedicated to our well being. She is given one day of the year to be recognized and appreciated for the millions of little things and hundreds of big things she has done for you since that moment you took your very first breath. So, what do you give someone like that? Has there ever been a gift designed that could equal what ...

Learning some new tools of the trade

I had the great pleasure to go to the Media Innovation Center at West Virginia University last week and attend an enlightening presentation on the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in new reporting. You hear a lot today about artificial intelligence, or AI. Just about every digital product or electronic device advertises some AI feature. There are AI-generated news stories now, AI-generated images, videos, and even podcasts. AI has the same problem that many different phrases have in that it has become an empty bag one can put whatever they want into it. Ask five people what AI is ...

Spreading the green around the valley

Growing up in the Ohio Valley, I don’t recall much of an emphasis placed on the idea of Earth Day in my youth. Perhaps it was because the observation was still in its own infancy, having been created in the 1970s and, at the time, those involved were focused primarily on governmental policies, such as the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of various environmental laws, such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Myself a child of 1979 and raised in the 1980s and 1990s, I don’t remember too many instances of school or community activities ...