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Executive authority has its privilege

I praised Gov. Patrick Morrisey in a recent column for his candidness regarding future issues with the general revenue budget. I once again have to praise Morrisey for laying more of his cards out on the table. Morrisey held a press conference Thursday providing an update on the general revenue budget for fiscal year 2026 beginning in July. That’s the budget Morrisey will present to lawmakers on Feb. 12. According to Morrisey’s new revenue team, they are projecting a $400 million hole in the FY26 budget as of Morrisey’s first day in office last Monday – around $100 million ...

Politics shouldn’t affect disaster recovery

Our nation has faced numerous natural disasters in the last couple of years. From tornadoes, to floods, to hurrianes, to wildfires, there isn’t much of the country that hasn’t been touched in one way or another, with millions of Americans affected as a result. One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is the capability of the American people to typically come together in our times of need. In 2023, four fires burned more than 17,000 acres of the island of Maui in Hawaii. More than 100 people lost their lives, and hundreds more lost their homes or their businesses. In ...

The problem with profanity in scholastic sports

Today, we have a serious problem in all high school sports. And that growing predicament is athlete profanity. Who is responsible for such inappropriate behavior? That’s easy — every adult who is involved directly or indirectly with sports — the parents. the coaches, the officials, the event organizers and even the school administrators. After watching people play the new blame game on various news media topics, I think I have a pretty good handle on what is a contributing factor regarding the profanity problem. Today, if something happens that doesn’t go one’s way, it is ...

Law enforcement officers should be exempt from income taxes

West Virginia has good law enforcement officers. We need more of them. Their pursuit of justice and peace serves the most vulnerable members of our community, forming an indispensable part of our shared project: that our people of West Virginia might flourish as the happiest in the union. Law enforcement officers routinely confront danger in order to guard their neighbors from the violence and injustice of wicked men. They have received, as their thankless task, a society suffering the breakdown — and even erasure — of its traditional forms of peacekeeping: strong families, active ...

Maybe it’s just me, but … I wish I would’ve …

Maybe it’s just me, but I wish I would have traveled and seen the world. Or at least certain parts of it. But I ended up staying in my hometown ... the very place I was born. I think the farthest I have moved was across town to the other end of the Gem City several years ago before I had my third son. Somehow, I ended up back at the end of the block from the house where I was born. Funny how that happens, although it isn’t really comical. How does life pass us by so quickly? Before we realize it, more than half or most of our time is in the rear view mirror of life. And ...

History in the Hills: Snowy and frozen

We have had some cold weather here lately. I am not sure how it stacks up with cold weather here in the past, but it certainly gets your attention if you have to be out in it. We have had many cold days recently. At the Visitor Center in Steubenville over Christmas, this past season was especially cold, and on some of those nights, not many folks were out. So far, this new year, the weather has not quite let up just yet, either. I can deal with the cold, but the snow is another thing all together. As long as I don’t need to drive or go out in it, I am OK. Snow can be fun, too. The ...