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Local Columns

Guest Opinion: In West Virginia, we check on each other

This past week was Mental Illness Awareness Week, and World Mental Health Day was Wednesday. It’s a helpful reminder, but the truth is West Virginians don’t wait for a calendar to do the right thing. We check on our neighbors. We bring a casserole and we bring a phone number. We don’t ...

It’s “perfect”ly fine to just be good enough …

We all strive to make every situation perfect, don’t we? We try so hard to make our life the best that it can be. But we have to realize that nothing is perfect, and “good enough” is good enough. When we are born, our parents immediately begin to instill in us all types of ...

History in the Hills: Looking at our stuff

This past week was fall clean-up in Weirton, and my family certainly took advantage of that opportunity. I really hate to get rid of good things that still could be used. We tried our best to donate as much as possible, but sometimes, things just wear out, break and outlive their useful life. I ...

Keeping the government open shouldn’t be a partisan fight

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, one of my primary responsibilities is ensuring that our government is responsibly funded so it remains open and working for the people we represent, including the hardworking West Virginians. That’s why I’m deeply disappointed to ...

Reporter’s Notebook: Reading comprehension a necessity

Much like a lot of things these days, a speech given last week by West Virginia Board of Education President Paul Hardesty has become a Rorschach test depending on where you stand on the issue of public education versus “school choice.” During the state Board of Education’s regular ...

Making government more accessible

In my mind probably the only thing worse than having to attend/cover/participate in a meeting at 8 a.m. on a Saturday would be having to do so for a meeting at 7:30 a.m. on a Monday. Some of you may remember my frustration in January 2024 when Weirton Council decided to hold a work session ...