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It’s all downhill from here in Charleston

Local Columns

Last Thursday marked day 30, the halfway mark of the 60-day annual legislative session. It’s all downhill from now to midnight on Saturday, March 14, when the regular session adjourns sine die. At the beginning of the session, I had a hard time predicting whether this session would be a flurry of action or be slow, but it appears slow and steady wins the race. That’s not terribly surprising given that this is a midterm election year. Lawmakers want to do enough to look like they’re doing something, while also not doing things to avoid rocking the boat. The House of Delegates ...

A Valentine’s Day that we all can celebrate

Local Columns

I somehow found myself standing in the greeting card aisle the other day. I was surrounded by an ongoing display of crimson envelopes and plush teddy bears holding satin hearts and I love you notes. It was such a stark contrast between those vibrant red inks and the gray, winter sky that was peering through the storefront windows. The calendar has flipped to February. Yet even before then, it seemed as if the world had suddenly gone from discounts on leftover Christmas merchandise to a very specific, aggressive shade of pink. Yes, it is that time of year again. The time when ...

Unfairness in Mountaineer Gas rate increase

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor, Mountaineer gas has asked for a rate increase of over 10 percent for residential customers. Notably the rate increase for commercial customers is just over 4 percent. Large commercial and industrial customers is just over 1 percent. The rate for what they resell to other gas suppliers is just over 1 percent. If the rate increases are necessary then they should be born by all customers equally, not top loaded so residential customers pay the most. Please contact West Virginia PSC and make your opinion known Alvin Rudder Weirton

Me and Phil

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor, So Ground Hog Day has passed. Six more weeks of this lovely weather. Now I came up with this idea that I to go talk to Phil. Yes, the groundhog that sees his shadow every year. As I set off on my journey, my wife says I am crazy. I nodded my head, and obliged to her accusations. As she proceeded to go shopping with her sisters, I headed off to my journey. Being that it was a Saturday morning, I knew traffic would be light. Pennsylvania Avenue, Route 22, the Parkway…which we all love. Onward to find Pennsylvania Route 219 North. North to Indiana. Once I arrived in ...

The office is bigger than the person who serves

Editorials

Monday is Presidents Day, and it should be a chance to reflect, to honor and to give thanks. It should be an opportunity to remember that while our president changes every four or eight years, our democracy continues to set a standard that is the envy of the rest of the world. The office itself always has served as testament to the peaceful transfer of power, even when that concept has been met with extraordinary challenges, and to the symbol of leadership that resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. The holiday is the combination of days that originally had been set ...

History in the Hills: Historic objects

Local Columns

Here at Historic Fort Steuben, our museum collections are important. The historical stuff we have really makes the museum special and it can make the past feel alive to our visitors. To me, the fort itself is an artifact, even though it is a reconstruction. These buildings invite us to appreciate what life was like for the First American Regiment and the team of surveyors working to map the Northwest Territory while they were here in the winter of 1786 and 1787. With the recent cold weather and snow on the ground, I feel more connected to them than ever as the winter the soldiers were ...