Editorials

Time To Decide Future of Suspension Bridge

The Wheeling Suspension Bridge’s fate has quite literally hung in the balance for the past six years. Now, as the most significant renovation of downtown in decades draws to a close, it’s time for the bridge’s future to be revealed. Leaders in Charleston must make a clear, final determination about how this historic span will fit into the city’s skyline — either as a traffic artery or an historic walking span. The installation of removable bollards at each end of the 176-year-old bridge has reignited discussion about its future. Those obstructions —meant to impede vehicles ...

Prioritize Infrastructure

For years, city officials have lamented the deteriorating condition of the sidewalks along Wheeling Hill, where crumbling concrete have made the stretch along National Road unsafe for pedestrians. The problem is not new — it’s been studied, debated, and deferred for more than 20 years. But while proposals have come and gone, the reality remains: The city’s failure to prioritize infrastructure spending there has left one of its main thoroughfares — a link between downtown and Fulton — in embarrassing disrepair. City leaders now find themselves exploring, once again, whether the ...

Ignore Cheap Shots Over GM Job Cuts

The Detroit News reported Wednesday that General Motors has laid off thousands of workers from manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Michigan. Though it is tempting to suggest the reason is purely a matter of GM’s overeagerness to catch up to the electric vehicle push, the reality is a bit more complicated. At the company’s Ultium Cells battery cell plant in Warren, Ohio, there are expected to be approximately 550 cuts and 850 temporary layoffs, according to a report by CNBC. There will also be approximately 700 layoffs at the Ultium Cells plant in Tennessee. Those gleefully ...

Charity Hoops Game in Wheeling is a Slam Dunk Event

There are several important traditions in the Ohio Valley for the holiday season. Among them are the Thanksgiving and Christmas giveaways sponsored each year by Bethlehem Apostolic Temple. Those events help those in need have joyous holiday seasons by receiving food, clothing and toys free of cost. Bishop Darrell Cummings, lead pastor of the church, has been the leading force behind those giveaways every year. This year will be no different. What could be different, he said this week, is how many people could be in need due to the federal government shutdown and the pause in SNAP ...

Shining Light Into the Dark

October marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but the truth is this crisis does not disappear when the calendar turns. As St. Clairsville Mayor Kathryn Thalman noted in her proclamation, the fight to end domestic violence must be year-round. Few understand this more than Sheila Abbott. Abbott founded Leah’s Wing in 2024 after her daughter, Leah Hines, was murdered in her sleep by an abusive partner. In sharing Leah’s story, Abbott has turned her pain into a mission to help others. Her message is simple but urgent: no one should suffer abuse in silence or feel they have no way ...

Aquatic Conservation Center a Great Addition at West Liberty University

West Liberty University has put itself in exclusive company with its latest addition. The university last week cut the ribbon on its new Appalachian Aquatic Conservation Center. That center is now just one of four at universities across the United States. You’d have to travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, and Virginia Tech to find the next closest. With the new facility, West Liberty University hopes to be the nation’s top university in the conservation of crayfish and spotted turtles. According to Zachary Loughman, chairman of organismal biology, ecology and zoo science departments at ...