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Guest column: It’s time for West Virginia’s youth to sit at the table when discussing mental health

Local Columns

There’s a quiet crisis unfolding across West Virginia. Our young people are hurting and far too often, they’re navigating it alone. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for West Virginians ages 10 to 24. More than 60% of youth with major depression receive no treatment, and 26 counties across our state don’t have a single practicing child or adolescent psychiatrist. These are not just statistics—they’re warning signs for all of us to listen more deeply. The truth is, we can’t talk about the youth mental health crisis in 2025 without acknowledging the shadow ...

Guest column: Early signs matter: What looks like aging in loved ones could be Alzheimer’s

Local Columns

When Zelda Hill was in college, he began noticing subtle changes in his father. The man who had always been precise began forgetting current events, mixing up dates and times, and getting lost in familiar places. Zelda had seen memory loss in his grandparents before, and like many people, assumed it was a normal part of aging. With his father, though, he was more attuned to the changes in behavior, and the family sought medical advice. First came a diagnosis of dementia, then Alzheimer’s disease. Zelda’s father was only in his 50s. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of ...

Guest column: State missing the energy and tech opportunity, again

Local Columns

West Virginia stands at a critical crossroads when it comes to combining energy production and technological innovation. Our access to abundant natural gas reserves as well as a skilled work force allows our state to stand ready to meet America’s energy needs, further artificial intelligence (AI) development, and help future technological advancements. What we cannot let happen is watch as our neighbors, Ohio and Pennsylvania, harness these opportunities as we stand idly by. Seeing these states announce multiple, lifechanging, investments should serve as a wake-up call to seize our ...

Once in a while, it’s nice for those little things

Local Columns

Is it just me or does anyone else ever feel as though life sometimes hands them more than they can cope with? I’m sure most of you have heard the saying of how God doesn’t give us more than we are able to handle. I am not sure exactly who started this saying, but if they are correct, then I honestly don’t know why God thinks that some of us are so strong. As I mentioned last week, being an adult is hard. Perhaps it is the hardest thing we will ever have to do. There are some days when the only thing I want is to stay in bed and pull the covers up over my head so that ...

25-Year Club picnic a success

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor, The Weirton Steel 25-Year Club held its annual picnic on July 12. Thanks to hard work, it was a success. We would like to thank our sponsors who made it happen: First Choice America Community Federal Credit Union; Tudor’s Biscuit World; Hancock County Savings Bank; USW Local 2911; Brooke-Hancock Central AFL-CIO; Randy Skiles; Hauser’s Furniture; R.S. Saxon Jeweler; Steel and Wolfe Funeral Home; Mario’s Restaurant; Total Equipment; Follansbee McDonald’s; Holiday Inn; Wash-Rite Car Wash; Wine and Beverage Merchants of West Virginia; Gus’s Goodies; James White ...

Poised for digital comeback

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor, From steel to silicon, the Northern Panhandle is once again at a crossroads. With the Trump administration’s Digital Assets Report setting the tone for national crypto and AI policy, West Virginia’s energy-rich regions have a historic chance to lead. Here in the Ohio River Valley, we’ve got the raw materials for a digital comeback: Underutilized substations, legacy industrial zones and a workforce built on resilience. As the federal government signals support for blockchain, Bitcoin mining and decentralized infrastructure, we must act — not later, but ...