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West Virginia’s elections are up for debate

I’m writing this on Friday, but by the time you read this I will be on vacation at Disney World with my wife, mother-in-law, my best friend, his wife and their three young daughters. This will be my friend’s family’s first time at Disney, so I’m looking forward to being part of those memories. Let’s get to the column then. •••••• Don’t expect a debate between Republican Gov. Jim Justice and Democratic former Wheeling mayor Glenn Elliott for their U.S. Senate race. My friend and colleague Brad McElhinny with WV MetroNews posed the question about the ...

Mayoral forum an informative showing

For two hours Wednesday evening, an estimated 60 to 70 residents gathered in the Weirton Room of the Millsop Community Center to hear from those individuals hoping to be Weirton’s next mayor. All four candidates were invited to the forum, organized by the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce, with three taking part. A decision to livestream the event through the Chamber’s Facebook page was made and arranged the day of the event, so those unable to make it have a chance to watch for themselves, listening to the questions submitted as well as the answers provided. As mentioned, all ...

Meet the Transportation Division

The Public Service Commission’s Transportation Division is staffed by state-certified police officers, experienced railroad inspectors, and other transportation professionals. Our officers patrol the highways for unsafe semi-trucks, buses, and coal trucks. The majority of big trucks on the road are safe, but when they are not, our officers try to find them. The Transportation Division is run by former State Trooper Jeff Schoolcraft. Transportation Safety Enforcement’s 48 officers patrolled the state’s 36,000 miles of highways last year. We even have four officers who are ...

To cut or not to cut, that is the question

We now have nearly two weeks until lawmakers gather for the Sept. 30 special session to pass Gov. Jim Justice’s 5% cut in personal income tax rates, and at this point I’m just not sure it can pass. That doesn’t mean it won’t pass. There is certainly time for the governor’s advisors (Chief of Staff Brian Abraham and Department of Revenue Secretary Larry Pack) and legislative leaders to come to some form of agreement on bill language to make such a cut happen. The hang up on the state Senate side appears to be how to pay for the 5% personal income tax cut, which would return ...

Honoring our history, looking to the future

My head is pretty much swimming after many of the events of the last week. Between a series of threats at several of our local schools and against dozens of our students, attending various government meetings, press conferences, the annual Blue Mass at St. Joseph the Worker Church and attempting to attend to some personal needs, I’m hoping to have some time to relax and rest this weekend. With several days of difficult news, though, there tend to always be at least a couple of bright spots to, hopefully, provide some balance. This week, one of those positive moments was the ...

China is weaponizing its minerals monopoly

For more than a decade, Washington has talked a big game about breaking China’s grip on the world’s mineral supplies. And both presidents Trump and Biden have labeled America’s mineral vulnerability—along with China’s mineral dominance—an unacceptable and urgent risk. The alarming reality is this: China’s grip on the world’s mineral supply chains is growing tighter. And America’s reliance on Chinese minerals is growing deeper. This is a crisis that demands to be an important election issue. Now, China is all but goading candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to ...