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Getting an early feel of the Christmas season

Editorials

A look at the calendar might show us that Christmas is still more than two months away, but that won’t keep Follansbee Municipal Park from coming alive with the spirit of the holiday season this weekend. And it’s all thanks to the annual Christmas in the Park festival. Scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, the park will be adorned with Christmas lights and other holiday decorations, and Christmas music from various eras will fill the air. There will be dozens of vendors and numerous drawings. Hood’s Pharmacy will be offering flu shots on ...

Small improvements are being made

Editorials

Despite the myriad challenges they have faced over the past few years and perpetual meddling from state and federal government, West Virginia public schools have managed to improve a little in key educational and operational areas, according to the state Department of Education’s annual report on county approval status and accreditation. When Deputy Superintendent of School Sonya White spoke to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability this week, she said 29 county school districts were listed this year as needing assistance for not meeting one or more ...

Talk to your doctors, get your vaccines

Editorials

Despite a delay while unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., argued over messaging and content, the West Virginia Department of Health has finally been able to release its annual respiratory vaccine guidelines for health care providers and patients. That is a relief to health care professionals who had been worried about having the guidance they needed to properly advise patients about how to stay healthier and safer. “We have had so much different messaging given to us, much different information. People saying this. People saying that. We didn’t have a set group of ...

Keeping the government open shouldn’t be a partisan fight

Local Columns

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 see Washington once again stumble into a completely avoidable government shutdown — this time because Senate Democrats have refused to join Republicans in supporting a commonsense, short-term measure that would keep the government open. Let’s be clear about what this measure — known as a ...

Don’t let cold weather stop you

Editorials

Though the weather is still warm enough to make us forget, cooler temperatures are on their way. As the cold gray of winter appears on the horizon, it’s a good time for those who love the outdoors to remember: There’s no such thing as bad weather, only poor clothing choices. The Mountaineer Mile has been a tool to help West Virginians stay healthier for months now. But representatives of Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s office took the chance this week to visit a couple of parks in Pleasants and Wetzel counties to remind us there are walkable opportunities outdoors in the Mountain State ...

The important work continues

Editorials

State and regional law enforcement agencies continue to fight diligently against one of West Virginia’s most dangerous foes: the flow of fentanyl and other drugs that continues to endanger and kill Mountain States residents still falling victim to the substance abuse epidemic. On Sept. 10, the West Virginia State Police, the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force and the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area worked together on what has been billed as one of the largest fentanyl busts in state history, in Mercer County. It yielded 54 pounds of suspected ...