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Taking action against hunger

Editorials

September is the start of many things: football season, the school year for some, spooky season if you ask the right people … But this is also Hunger Action Month. Note the difference between this “month” designation and many others. This is not just about awareness; this is about action to “provide nutritious food to neighbors facing hunger,” as Feeding America puts it. The idea is to come together with food banks and volunteers in communities “to build a nation where everyone has the food and support they need.” But that doesn’t happen if YOU don’t take ...

Guest Opinion: The executive secretary’s office

Local Columns

I can think of few things that pass through the Public Service Commission, coming in or going out, that aren’t touched by the executive secretary’s office. This office handles all of our mail, whether coming in or going out. If a utility files a case with the Commission, that must be made through the executive secretary and must be addressed to the executive secretary. Those filing documents are processed in her office. From that office, new cases are disbursed through the building. In fact, a case cannot get started without the executive secretary giving it a formal tracking ...

Guest Opinion: Some information about carbon capture

Local Columns

I’ve lived in the Ohio River Valley for 70 years, in Jefferson and Harrison counties. For decades, the residents of the Ohio Valley have been paying for the aftermath of extractive industries. That “beautiful clean coal” Presidnet Donald Trump refers to took lives, and left a legacy of mine shafts and acid mine run-off. Taxpayers continue to foot the bills to plug orphan oil and gas wells and clean-up un-reclaimed strip mined lands. Recently, the Ohio River Valley was targeted to become a carbon capture and sequestration hub. This hub will consist of a series of pipelines and ...

Guest Opinion: We cannot lose another one

Local Columns

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and here in West Virginia, the urgency couldn’t be higher. Our state is no stranger to hardship, but the current mental health crisis demands clear-eyed attention and bold action. In 2023, West Virginia’s age-adjusted suicide rate stood at 18.6 per 100,000 people, among the highest in the nation and significantly above the national average. That is 349 West Virginians we have lost in one year alone. Though this is slightly less than 2022, West Virginians deserve more. The numbers are more than data — they are human lives. In the ...

Taking a stand on childhood vaccines

Editorials

As results of the annual WV MetroNews West Virginia Poll by Research America continue to be unpacked, lawmakers who held their ground on vaccine requirements last winter learned their stance reflected the will of the majority of registered voters who were polled. Nearly three-quarters of those respondents said they were in favor of strong vaccine requirements for school-aged children. In answer to the question “Should states require children in grades K-12 to be vaccinated against highly contagious disease before entering school,” 71% said yes, and 12% said they were not sure. ...

Addressing what the state really needs

Editorials

Data from the most recent WV MetroNews West Virginia poll, presented during this year’s state Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Business Summit, contained “a warning sign … for political leadership in the state.” Despite the incessant dive by too many elected officials for the cheapest possible political points, most West Virginians (73% of those registered voters who were polled) are more worried about economic development and jobs than social issues. “By a clear majority, nearly three-fourths … said the Legislature should be focusing on economic development issues ...