The answer to gun violence isn’t to turn schools into prisons

June 21, 2022

In the last couple weeks, local schools have been testing their new weapons detectors, and area high schools plan to have them up and running for daily use come fall. Take a moment to digest that. Guns and extremist rhetoric have become easily accessible nationwide. Now, the scourge of school shootings that once seemed improbable — something that happened to other people in other places — has become very possible here. So possible that our schools are bracing for what now feels like an inevitability. How did we get here? To weapons detectors at school doors? To ...

How to celebrate Juneteenth

June 18, 2022

Today is an odd confluence of holidays: The beloved perennial Father’s Day and the new-ish (at least to the official registry of national holidays) Juneteenth. We, of course, wish all fathers and father-figures a happy Father’s Day. As for Juneteeth, this is only its second year being recognized, both federally and statewide. Juneteenth commemorates the day Gen. Gordan Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, technically freeing the last of the slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation had been signed two years before, but the lack of Union soldiers’ presence had made Texas a ...

Slew of hate crimes show we need Pride

June 15, 2022

Even in the face of a litany of atrocities, it is still hard to fathom how people can hold so much hate in their hearts. Last month, it was the Buffalo shooter who put his racist screed into action when he targeted Black shoppers at a grocery store, killing 10 of them. This month, it’s the various attacks on Pride events and LGBTQ+ individuals. On Saturday, a Good Samaritan informed police of what looked like a “little army” loading into the back of a U-Haul in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Police acted on the tip and pulled the van over not far from its intended destination: a ...

How to save EMSs

June 14, 2022

The lack of emergency medical services (EMS) — and strain on those remaining — is a national crisis, but we feel it keenly in our area. Between 2019 and 2021, West Virginia lost nearly 30% of its certified EMS providers: approximately 1,643 emergency medical technicians and 258 paramedics. Recently, Star City Volunteer Fire Department announced it’s suspending emergency medical services, and Preston County has lost two EMS operations. Forest Weyen, Mon EMS executive director, spoke before the Joint Committee on Volunteer Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services in May ...

Economic reality check

June 11, 2022

This past Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice scoffed at a WalletHub ranking that put West Virginia’s economy last overall in the nation. Specifically, he called it “political garbage” from a “bunch of liberal fruitcakes.” While Justice likes to brag about the state’s surpluses (which he never puts to good use), the situation on the ground doesn’t look so rosy. WalletHub’s ranking for West Virginia in its three main categories were 49th in economic activity, 42nd for economic health and 51st (including the District of Columbia) for innovation potential. These three main ...

An alternative to a gas tax holiday

June 10, 2022

At his press conference Wednesday, (we can no longer call them “COVID briefings” in good faith) Gov. Justice once again shot down the idea of a gas tax holiday, largely due to Republican legislators’ opposition. At the time, though, Justice said he was open to ideas. So we’d like ...