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History in the Hills: Opening of the Fort

Local Columns

This past Thursday was Take Your Child to Work Day. My twins were in school, but I was able to take my daughter, Stella, and son, Paulie, to work with me. We had a blast. We spent the morning doing office work at the visitor’s center, then spent time out in the Fort, opening up and getting ready for the day. My son has become quite the guide and was able to take me around a few buildings, explaining all of the history he could remember. I am looking forward to his help when we get busy with tours in the summer. I am sure he will volunteer! I am proud he can remember all the facts about ...

Small business the lifeblood of communities

Local Columns

The WV Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Annual Conference is coming up on Tuesday, April 29th. This year’s Conference is being held at the Butcher Center at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virgina. This daylong Conference is full of networking and learning opportunities for entrepreneurs and small business owners from throughout the state. The Conference features an incredible Exhibitor Showcase for entrepreneurs to engage and learn about the resources and insights that foster a thriving entrepreneurial environment in West Virginia. I am honored to attend the Conference this ...

Dispose of unused prescriptions

Editorials

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration calls our country’s substance abuse epidemic “a clear and present public health, public safety and national security threat.” No one needs to tell those living in our region that. We see it every day. And most of us wonder whether there is anything WE can do about it. There is. Among the ways we can combat the problem is taking advantage of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to remove unneeded medications from our homes, preventing the possibility they might fall into someone else’s hands. The DEA calls it a “measure of ...

Child safety must come first

Editorials

Remember back in June 2022, when West Virginia lawmakers contracted with McChrystal Group for a thorough assessment of what was then the state Department of Health and Human Resources? The group was supposed to come up with a strategic plan for the agency, and was paid $1.08 million to do so. But then, the legislature didn’t like what McChrystal presented as a plan of action for DHHR. “Our recommendation steers towards keeping a single DHHR with a sub-structure, with the goal being — at the lowest cost and quickest efficiency — getting good results for the citizens of West ...

Legislature did little to improve state

Editorials

When it comes to the recently completed 60-day legislative session, if the only goal was to potentially bring data centers to West Virginia that are powered by microgrids, then perhaps lawmakers should get an A. Other than that — and let’s be clear, data centers and microgrids might create property tax revenue but they do nothing for jobs — the Legislature has little to show from this session that will help Gov. Patrick Morrisey in his quest to win an economic backyard brawl with West Virginia’s neighboring states. At best, they get a D. Morrisey this past week did tout that ...

We all can do something to save the planet

Editorials

Today is an important day for our planet — it’s Earth Day. The theme of this year’s recognition is “Our Power, Our Plant,” with a focus on uniting around the efforts to grow renewable energy and the goal of tripling the amount of electricity generated by renewable sources by 2030, according to Earthday.org. The Washington, D.C.-based organization notes that, in 2023, the U.S. produced more solar power than ever before, led by projects in California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona. Texas, the organization reports, leads the nation in wind energy ...