A battle won for marriage equality

December 1, 2022

Marriage equality advocates — and Americans who want to get married — won a huge battle Tuesday when the Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act. (It must be concurred by the House before it becomes law.) But they haven’t won the war. The Respect for Marriage Act, which we’ll abbreviate as RMA, does two big things: It repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states; and the RMA mandates all states recognize a marriage ...

W.Va. needs more police academies

November 30, 2022

The shortage of police officers is a nationwide issue, but in West Virginia, it’s not necessarily a lack of people interested in becoming cops. In fact, Westover Police Department swore in three new officers Tuesday, on top of the two it added in August. Morgantown Police welcomed around nine recruits over the summer. However, there is one obstacle to filling vacancies that every department across the state faces: West Virginia has one — and only one — police training academy. In order for a cop or sheriff’s deputy to be able to perform their full duties, they must ...

Love languages can help you find the perfect gift

November 29, 2022

If you read the newspaper Thanksgiving morning, you may have seen the article, courtesy of WVU Today, about people’s gift-giving habits: “Research shows holiday shoppers often don’t buy what recipients want.” The research by Julian Givi, an assistant professor of marketing at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, records some interesting trends, including that there’s often a disconnect between what gift-givers think their friends and family want and what the gift-receiver actually wants. On the giver’s side, Givi noted a reluctance to purchase items ...

Shop local for holidays

November 26, 2022

The hustle of Black Friday and the more subdued bustle of Small Business Saturday are already behind us, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to shop local. For the many of us who don’t complete our Christmas to-do list by the end of Thanksgiving weekend, there are still 27 shopping days left (28, if you’re one of those daredevils who hits the stores on Christmas Eve). And with nearly a month left to shop, there’s no reason you can’t find the perfect something while supporting a small business. While it may be easier to shop a big box store or order from a large online ...

What The DP staff are thankful for

November 23, 2022

Dave Raese, publisher: I am thankful that we are still putting out a community newspaper; I am thankful that I am a member of The Rotary Club of Morgantown; I am thankful for my family for not driving me into an early grave; I am thankful for all of you who under difficult circumstances do a ...

Finding the best gas prices while you’re traveling for Thanksgiving

November 22, 2022

If you’ve been to the gas station this week — or just driven past one — you likely noticed that gas prices are inching up. That’s to be expected: No matter the global situation or the cost of oil, the price at the pump always jumps during high-travel periods like holidays. Since today through Sunday are considered prime driving days, that’s about how long you can expect gas prices to be inflated; they’ll likely come down again next week. Unfortunately, knowing why gas prices are higher doesn’t lessen the strain on your wallet. While we sadly don’t have a magic wand to ...