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Craig Howell: Remembering a life of public service

Local Columns

While I knew his health had not been good in recent months, it was still a shock when I learned Tuesday afternoon about the passing of George Ash Sr. George died June 3 at the age of 75. He was probably one of, if not the, longest serving members of Weirton City Council, having a combined 30 years in office. He first took office in 1991, representing the residents of Ward 4 until 2024, with the exception of one term in the early 2000s. George and I didn't always get along. In fact, we had our share of conflicts, especially early on in my journalism career. We butted heads on a ...

Julie Gomez: Checking In on the Men Who Always Show Up

Local Columns

Every community has them. They are the men who show up. They coach the little league team after work. They help a neighbor with a home repair. They volunteer at their church. They work long hours to provide for their families. They care for aging parents. They support their children through challenges. They lead businesses, organizations and communities. They are fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, veterans, first responders, teachers, miners, construction workers, healthcare professionals and caregivers. They are often the people others turn to when something goes wrong, but how often ...

Weirton zoning case establishing a precedent

Local Columns

When my email pinged Wednesday afternoon, and I saw something from the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals pop up in my inbox, I didn't think much of it initially. I regularly receive notifications from the courts with a list of a handful of rulings. Most of the time, they involve cases in the southern areas of our state. Occasionally, there will be something from Wheeling. So, it was a surprise to see not only that the email contained an announcement on only one case for that day, but also that it involved Weirton. In its ruling, the Supreme Court sided with the City of Weirton ...

Craig Howell: Weirton zoning case establishing a precedent

Local Columns

When my email pinged Wednesday afternoon, and I saw something from the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals pop up in my inbox, I didn't think much of it initially. I regularly receive notifications from the courts with a list of a handful of rulings. Most of the time, they involve cases in the southern areas of our state. Occasionally, there will be something from Wheeling. So, it was a surprise to see not only that the email contained an announcement on only one case for that day, but also that it involved Weirton. In its ruling, the Supreme Court sided with the City of Weirton ...

Get out and enjoy some local live entertainment

Local Columns

The summer season is unofficially here, as far as most people are concerned, following Memorial Day weekend. The public swimming pools are open, warmer temperatures are (mostly) here, and a variety of seasonal activities and events are being announced, or already underway. That includes some of our local summer concert series. Weirton's series of Friday night concerts was supposed to have kicked off last weekend with a performance by the Fantasy's, but had to be postponed because of consistent rainfall that afternoon. So, the series launched this week instead with Lights Out Presents ...

The 2026 primary election, by the numbers

Local Columns

The primary election is all but finished in West Virginia as we head into the weekend. All that's left is for the counties to canvass their results and send them to Charleston for their official certification next week. Let's start out by looking at some of the numbers from Tuesday night. According to the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office, 21 percent of West Virginia's registered voters took part in our state's primary election. It was the state's first election where voters were required to present a photo ID in order to cast their ballot. I would debate officials who say 21 ...