Breaking News

Opinion

The bedrock of our nation

Editorials

Some 238 years ago, a contingent representing the states of the newly independent United States of America gathered in Philadelphia. There to reform the Articles of Confederation, they came up with this familiar grouping of words, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” That carefully worded ...

Bootcamp series to help grow businesses

Editorials

Have you ever considered opening your own business, but not known where to start? The Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with the City of Weirton, the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle, and First Microloan of West Virginia to offer an educational series to help those new entrepreneurs, as well as long-time business owners who may be looking to grow their operations. The “Business Bootcamp” educational series kicks off this Thursday with “Where Do I Start? Licensing Requirements for Weirton and West Virginia.” As part of the session, ...

Celebrate homecoming safely

Editorials

Homecoming celebrations for area high schools have begun. The festivities give students the opportunity to get out and enjoy themselves during this time of year, joining friends, family and alumni as they cheer on their team hopefully to victory, getting dressed up and dancing the night away. But they also should remember to do all of these things as safely as possible. There is certain to be lots of fanfare surrounding all of these events, but precautions must be taken. As during any time when students are out on their own, they must make certain to be careful if they are driving. ...

Here’s to your healthcare, West Virginia

Local Columns

Last week marked the first legislative interim meetings since the end of June, with lawmakers getting a two-month summer break. Well, some lawmakers. Much of Republican legislative leadership spent their summer in planning meetings for a possible special session that did not happen. At one point, there was a hard date set for a special session in July. But then that was moved back to September coinciding with last week’s interims. It should be obvious that a special session – which was to be focused on the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) – did not occur. While ...

History in the Hills: Happy birthday, baron

Local Columns

As a historian, I enjoy commemorating the past. Events such as anniversaries, birthdays, dates of battles and the like, always have grabbed my attention and have been of particular interest to me. These events give us a good excuse to bring to mind our past. I am sure if one tried hard enough, every day could be a day that has some special historical significance. The very first commemoration one celebrates, is none other than a birthday. This month, we celebrate a very important birthday of an American hero and the namesake of the city of Steubenville, Friedrich Wilhelm August ...

School attendance matters — much more than you may think

Local Columns

There is no “secret sauce” when it comes to performing well in school, but a good place to start is the data that tells us students who show up tend to do better. An increased focus on school attendance in West Virginia would likely have positive results, as we work toward the further development of economic diversity in the state. We have many contributing factors to low educational performance, but we need a solid starting point. With the new school year here, a focus on attendance could be the momentum we need to address those other issues. Attendance is a particularly ...