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Guest Column: The health of our state is the future of our state

Local Columns

West Virginia is a state defined by its strength. We know how to show up for one another. We know how to fight for what matters. And right now, nothing matters more than the health of our people. We are at a crossroads. Chronic disease rates remain among the highest in the nation. Mental health challenges are growing, especially among our youth. Rural communities are losing access to providers, and we are facing a wave of retirements in the very professions we depend on to care for our communities. Behind these statistics are families, neighbors, coworkers and caregivers facing ...

History in the Hills: Remembering V-E Day

Local Columns

This past Thursday, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. V-E stands for Victory in Europe and was officially recognized historically on May 8, 1945. On that day, World War II in Europe ended with the surrender of the German forces. The war itself didn’t end with V-E Day, but rather, after Japan surrendered in August of that year. My wife and I have always been interested in this period of history and have been reading a lot lately on the subject. I finally found time to read Tom Brokaw’s book “The Greatest Generation,” describing the life and times of folks who were ...

It’s officially time to write the next chapter

Local Columns

We often get quarterly financial reports from companies with some ties to our area, even if they don’t necessarily have a physical presence in the Ohio Valley, so I was expecting to see a release from Cleveland-Cliffs appear in my inbox sometime this week. What I wasn’t expecting in the email, which was sent out just after 5 p.m., Wednesday (just in time for a significant percentage of people to have left work for the day) was the one sentence blurb located at the bottom of a list of operational changes being made by the company: “In addition, the Company will no longer be ...

Remember, cherish mothers

Editorials

While honoring mom today — and you should be if you have a mother or other significant nurturing woman in your life — it’s also a time to consider the work mothers do. It can be measured in monetary terms — one survey pegged the work of a stay-at-home mom as worth $185,000 a year in cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, housework, taxi-driving and everything else that is asked of them. But there is more to the value of the work of mother that goes beyond pay. It’s a priceless gem to society when it’s done well. The true value of a mother is found in the children they rear, ...

Broadband commitment must be met

Editorials

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Kelly Workman, director of West Virginia’s Office of Broadband, are right to keep up the pressure on federal officials over the pace of their review of grant funding for high-speed broadband. “As we have discussed, I am concerned that West Virginia may be told to move back from the 1-yard line to the 40-yard line after the review concludes,” Capito wrote in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “I urge you to expedite not only the review and release of updated guidance but the program as a whole.” The ...

The Real ID deadline is here

Editorials

Real ID officially went into effect Wednesday, and, while some federal officials appeared to indicate they would offer a minimal grace period before heavy enforcement, we would encourage residents to make sure they have these forms of identification in hand sooner than later. Of particular concern is for those of us who travel frequently, as a Real ID – indicated by a star on the driver’s license of other identification card – will be the document most of us will be using to board an airplane from here on out. The other is your passport. Beyond that, some federal buildings also ...