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Don Elbaum was boxing royalty

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor, The famed Steubenville and Weirton fight promoter and matchmaker Don Elbaum passed away on July 27 at the age of 94. He brought the squared circle to local venues, touching the lives of local fighters and fans, including mine. The New York Times bled ink bout his death, recalling his time mentoring Don King after his release from the Mansfield penitentiary, the man who went on to promote the flying fists with young Donald Trump. Elbaum was the kid who truly ran off and joined the circus. His humble beginning included a June 4, 1960, fight card at the Steubenville Armory ...

History in the Hills: Digging in the past

Local Columns

Here in our area, we have been known for many different industries over the centuries. Some of the earliest industries we have been noted for are agriculture, woolen products, glass, pottery, oil and iron products, among others. Industries that thrived here have had their day of prominence in our history, such as the woolen industry, as an example. There were so many woolen factories in Steubenville at one time, they called the city Jeans Town because of all the clothes being made here. This industry was big in the first half of the 19th century, and by the Civil War, only a few ...

Be what West Virginia needs

Editorials

After what appears to have been a long process, the West Virginia Department of Health Facilities seems to have found success in selling some of its long-term care facilities for seniors. New York-based Marx Development Group plans to buy Hopemont Hospital in Preston County, Jackie Withrow Hospital in Raleigh County, John Manchin Sr. Health Care Center in Marion County, and Lakin Hospital in Mason County. Though the planned purchase price of $60 million may sound a bit low for four long-term care facilities, the cost savings to the state is expected to more than make up for it. ...

Being proactive on workers’ compensation

Editorials

West Virginia employers may be getting a little good news for next year, as the National Council on Compensation Insurance has filed a proposed workers’ compensation loss cost decrease of 13.5%, to begin Jan. 1. The change, pitched by the state’s rating and statistical agent, would mean another possible $20 million kept in the coffers of Mountain State employers. In fact, it would mean 21 years in a row of decreases since the state workers’ comp program was privatized. That’s more than half a billion dollars in savings to employers compared with workers’ comp levels before ...

Using our money wisely, properly

Editorials

The story is becoming too familiar. Lawmakers who support spending cuts, then call for their reversal. Lawmakers who want to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse, just not in the program that is politically beneficial to them. U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., has joined several Senate colleagues in a letter that seeks the disbursement of already-approved Community Development Financial Institutions funds. To be fair, some of the federal actions seem designed to force elected officials to beg for the help they pledged to their constituents. In this case, $324 million from the fund was ...

Considering future of public schools

Editorials

It’s August, which means it’s back-to-school season. As the new school year nears (remember to slow down and watch for students getting on those big yellow buses with the stop sign sticking out the side), it’s worthwhile to consider the future of our public schools — particularly as West Virginia’s workforce ages and we continue to struggle to compete against our neighboring states. Consider these enrollment trends from the West Virginia Department of Education: In the 2017-18 school year, West Virginia enrolled 270,613 public school students. For the 2024-25 school year, ...