Breaking News

Local Columns

Trump administration calls for rate cuts as part of plan

Watching and listening to the interview on Sunday, April 6, 2025, with NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called it a “false narrative” that people close to retiring may be reluctant after their retirement savings dropped last week because of the stock market downturn. Once again, the elite fail to understand how the wage workers’ 401k retirement plans work. When a retired employee separates from the employer who does not have a Defined Benefit Pension, which more than 90% of private sector workers do not have, the 401K is used to create an income ...

A defining moment for college sports and West Virginia’s youth

The recent $2.8 billion settlement in House v. NCAA is more than a headline—it’s a seismic shift in the landscape of college athletics. This case, which directly confronts decades of inequity in student-athlete compensation, is the latest in a series of defining moments forcing us to rethink how we value the young people who power billion-dollar sports industries. The settlement compensates former athletes for lost opportunities dating back to 2016 and introduces a groundbreaking model that allows schools to pay athletes directly starting in 2025. But while the college world is ...

History in the Hills: Woven history

This month at Historic Fort Steuben, we are hosting our annual Spring Quilt show. We are in our 15th year for the show at the Fort and it is always one of my favorite events. This year, we have 45 quilts on display ranging from small lap quilts to large king-sized pieces. My colleague, Mary Snyder, does an incredible job organizing the event every year, and this year is no exception. I am always amazed at the craftsmanship of these unique objects. I grew up around quilts and quilting so, I know just a little bit of the process of creating these works of art. My grandmother was a ...

Legislators entering the final countdown

Finally, we’ve come to the final six days of the 60-day legislative session. At midnight on Saturday, April 12, the lawmakers will complete their work and adjourn sine die. The budget bill is in the process of being worked on, with the House of Delegates passing its budget Friday and the state Senate set to insert its version of the budget bill this week. The budget can be somewhat of a game, even though it’s literally the only bill required to be done. It also must be balanced in compliance with the state Constitution. But by game, I mean it’s the job of the House to defend ...

Build economic freedom for every West Virginian

As a business owner, common sense conservative, and lifelong West Virginia Republican, I have witnessed a remarkable transformation as Republicans achieved supermajority control of our state legislature over the past decade. When my father, former Congressman David B. McKinley, served in a Democrat-dominated legislature in the 1980s and early 1990s, Republicans barely had a voice — with as few as one or two senators out of 34 and as few as eight or nine delegates out of 100. Today, Republicans hold supermajority control over both houses of the Legislature and all statewide ...

The importance of business guidance

This past week, around 80 juniors from area high schools gathered at the Holiday Inn Weirton-Steubenville and Undo’s to receive a few lessons in the hope it would better prepare them for their future. Each year, the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee organizes the Dr. Barbara A. Matey High School Business Symposium, bringing together students from West Virginia, Ohio, and (sometimes) Pennsylvania for a full-day workshop. During the day, they hear directly from members of the local business community who speak with them about proper ways to prepare for a job ...