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An educated guess on legislative goals

The next legislative session is going to have several issues to tackle, including whatever Governor-Elect Patrick Morrisey’s agenda will be, any possible messes left behind by outgoing Gov. Jim Justice, a likely hole to fill in the upcoming fiscal year 2026 general revenue budget, etc. But expect education to take a spotlight. With the number of traditional public school consolidations increasing and parents becoming angry at the closure of community schools, longer bus rides for their children, and other issues that come from shrinking county populations, some lawmakers are ...

Remembering the spirit of the holidays

We are in the midst of the opening days of the official Christmas shopping season, with the “observance” of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday filling our eyes and ears in our often-consumer-driven society. Don’t get me wrong, I believe fully in supporting business, especially our local businesses whenever possible. It’s great to go out into our local shops and purchase directly from those who are a part of our community...even better when they are owned and operated by our neighbors. But, understandably, that hustle and bustle and emphasis on spending so ...

December is here but at least we have music

Well, I blinked. And now, it is somehow December already. How does that happen? I am seriously still working on September at the moment. December is the one month that I am never ready for, even though I have 11 months in advance to prepare. Yet, somehow it still always sneaks up on you whether you are ready for it or not. I hate that. I mean, the month of December expects a lot out of us. It requires you to have motivation … so you can do your all of your holiday decorating. It requires you to have money … so you can buy presents that cost too much, are items which nobody even ...

Pressed for information in state government

As we get closer to the end of the administration of Gov. Jim Justice and transition to the incoming administration of Governor-Elect Patrick Morrisey, I’m looking forward to a change in how state government communicates with the public and press. For example, once again the West Virginia Department of Human Services decided to take something that should not have been all that controversial and make matters worse all because of their dislike of media scrutiny. On Tuesday, DoHS announced the closure of the West Virginia Children’s Home in Elkins effective Dec. 31 due to issues ...

Christmas is starting in the Ohio Valley

The gatherings of family and friends, with plates of food, often surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday are only a few short days away, but as musical group Big Bad Voodoo Daddy sing, “Christmas is starting now.” Of course, if you look at many of the national retail outlets, it started around mid October, but why nitpick? No, for our area, Christmas is officially under way. Last week, Weirton officials held a private tree lighting ceremony in the city’s north end, seeing a long-held tradition return once again. Down in Wheeling, the Fantasy in Lights Parade was held Friday ...

An historic moment for West Virginia broadband

For years, government leaders and internet providers have worked to close West Virginia’s digital divide and bring affordable high-speed internet service to every home in our state. Last month, a landmark Broadband Summit in Charleston aimed to chart a path to finish the job. The timing couldn’t be better as the state prepares to receive over $1.2 billion in federal broadband investments, courtesy of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law championed by Senators Capito and Manchin. And with more than a quarter of West Virginians still lacking any options for high-speed service, the ...