Editorials

Energy Ideas Needed

As the most obvious economic development in Ohio is data centers and server farms — necessary, but not exactly providing a lot of jobs while they place a greater burden on our energy infrastructure — lawmakers are looking for new ways to make sure those hungry facilities get all the electricity they need. The growing demand is creating the possibility of energy shortages, prompting lawmakers to come up with energy efficiency and energy generation ideas. “Until we get new baseload built, there is still not enough energy,” state Rep. Roy Klopfenstein, R-Haviland, told the ...

Foxfire Film Festival a Fantastic Addition

One of the beauties of Wheeling is that, even in a small city, its people like to think big. The latest example of that is the new Foxfire Film Festival, to run Sept. 11-14 at Towngate Theatre. Kristin Seibert, who co-founded the documentary film festival with Molly Hughes, said they wanted to provide the Friendly City with a window into what’s going on around the globe. “We want to bring the world to Wheeling,” Seibert said. “We want people to open up their minds and be challenged in what they think.” The lineup, which includes documentaries from Oscar-nominated and ...

Listen to Constituents

As results of the annual WV MetroNews West Virginia Poll by Research America continue to be unpacked, lawmakers who held their ground on vaccine requirements last winter learned their stance reflected the will of the majority of registered voters who were polled. Nearly three-quarters of those respondents said they were in favor of strong vaccine requirements for school-aged children. In answer to the question “Should states require children in grades K-12 to be vaccinated against highly contagious disease before entering school,” 71% said yes, and 12% said they were not sure. ...

Suspension Bridge Key to Downtown

The new look of downtown Wheeling truly is coming into focus. All new streets and sidewalks, those odd (yet functional when it actually rains) bioswales that now are less weeds and more plants, and new and planned construction throughout Main and Market streets are leading to a level of optimism not felt in years. Yet one piece remains missing. The downtown Wheeling wants — no, in fact, the downtown Wheeling needs — must include a reopened Wheeling Suspension Bridge. The 176-year-old span stands as more than a historic engineering marvel — it is woven into the very fabric of ...

Finding Creative Uses for Opioid Settlement Funds

Here’s a potential new and “innovative” use of West Virginia’s opioid settlement funds: a license plate reader for the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department. That would pair well with the side-by-side utility vehicles and “covert cameras” provided to the Wheeling Police Department last year — also through grant funding. Sheriff Nelson Croft this past week informed Ohio County commissioners that his agency is applying for grant funds through the West Virginia First Foundation — the group tasked with distributing the state’s $1 billion-plus opioid settlement — to outfit ...

Consider Signing Up To Be a Poll Worker

One of the most important jobs we as American citizens have is letting our voices be heard at the ballot box. In order for us to do that, we rely on the poll workers who help make each of those polling places operate without a hitch. Yet elections officials around the Ohio Valley are searching for more people to fill that crucial role. Eberle Ferrell, director of the Belmont County Board of Elections, recently said she is looking for more poll workers in her county, especially Democrats, as each polling place needs bipartisan representation among its workforce. The need is ...