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All gave some, but some gave all

Editorials

This weekend has become what is considered to be the start of the summer vacation season. The kids are out of or about to get out of school. The days are getting longer. The grills are out in full force. But this weekend in general, and Monday in particular, also must be a time to pause and consider those freedoms we enjoy as Americans - the things we too often take for granted, like living in a place where we can travel as we choose, read the newspapers and publications we want to, watch the movies and television shows that we prefer and enjoy picnics and good weather as harbingers ...

Guest Column: State senators worked hard for personal injury lawyer money

Local Columns

CHARLESTON – For more than 80 years, liberals controlled the West Virginia Legislature. Wealthy personal injury lawyers called the shots for most of the second half of this one-party reign, which drove West Virginia to last in nearly every economic category compared to other American states. During this era, these trial lawyers built lucrative empires off of a legal system rigged in their favor, pushing policies that scared off small businesses and increased costs for all West Virginians. A decade ago, conservatives took control of the West Virginia statehouse and worked to pass ...

Sundays are no longer what they used to be

Local Columns

Remember watching “The Andy Griffith” show? There would be certain episodes centered around days just spent sitting around on the front porch. And during these episodes, some weeks we would encounter moments where Andy was playing his guitar. Then once in a while, there was talk of ...

Gee leaves a mark on West Virginia

Editorials

Imagine a career in which you personally celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of more than 335,000 young (and some older) men and women. That’s the mark retiring West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee set Sunday when he conferred degrees to graduates of WVU’s final three colleges — the College of Applied Human Sciences, the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Sciences and the Eberly Colleges of Arts and Sciences —during ceremonies at the Coliseum. Gee offered graduates words of wisdom accumulated over 43 years as a college president at ...

Celebrate successes, don’t stop fighting

Editorials

West Virginia’s deadly substance abuse epidemic has become significantly less so lately. According to the National Center for Health Statistics through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a 43.5% decrease in overdose deaths in the state over the past year. “That’s great news and it’s really unprecedented,” Dr. Matthew Christiansen, chief medical officer for Valley Health and a former state public health officer, told WV MetroNews. It is wonderful news, yes, but it begs the questions: What has changed? And are use rates as high as they ever ...

Brownfield funding has been beneficial

Editorials

It is good news, indeed, to hear more brownfield assessment funding will be making its way to our region. Officials with the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission announced Monday that the Brooke-Hancock Region IX Regional Planning and Development Council has been awarded a $1.2 million assessment grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The funds, which are eligible for use in Hancock and Brooke counties in West Virginia, and Jefferson County in Ohio, will assist with the costs of conducting an analysis of targeted properties – in this case, ...