Editorials

Don’t Let Session Be Waste of Time

It’s a shame it took until the 55th day of West Virginia’s 2025 regular legislative session — which lasts for 60 days — for a lawmaker to publicly acknowledge what many Mountaineers have been thinking this year: Exactly why are lawmakers focusing on issues that will do little to nothing to move the state forward? State Sen. Vince Deeds, R-Greenbrier, took to the Senate floor Monday to address lawmakers on the session: “We’re in the 11th hour of this session, and this time next week, we’ll be home doing our regular duties as citizens of West Virginia,” Deeds said. ...

Their Hard Work Paid Off Very Well

Congratulations are in order for three local high school students — Luke Tiu from Wheeling Central Catholic High School, Grace Robertson-Villamagna from Wheeling Park High School and Ava Gorrell from Tyler Consolidated High School — who on Monday were named as being among 20 West Virginia high school students who can call themselves Bucklew Scholars. The honor averages out to a $60,000 award, $15,000 annually for four years, and also puts each in the running for the Foundation Scholarship, WVU’s highest honor valued at more than $100,000 over four years. The scholarships set ...

Liv’s Law Now on Books

Today in Ohio the penalties for operating a vehicle while under the influence have gotten harsher. Liv’s Law (House Bill 37) is now in effect. It was born of tragedy, when Olivia Wright was killed by a drunk driver, and her father acted. “A constituent, Bryan Wright, brought this issue to my desk after losing his daughter, Olivia, to a drunk driver,” said state Rep. Mark Johnson, R-Chillicothe. “He pointed out to me how weak Ohio’s laws are compared to other states in the nation, and that is what inspired me to work on this legislation in an attempt to try and deter any ...

A Less-Than-Friendly Approach Downtown

Never forget government’s most fundamental role — finding ways to separate you from the money in your wallet. Consider action recently from Wheeling City Council. What appeared at first to be a more visitor-friendly approach downtown with the removal of parking meters — an issue leaders at the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce have advocated the city do for years — has now turned into a blatant push to raise city revenue. With the aid of two new electric vehicles and technology that digitally tracks where vehicles are parked and for how long, the city’s two-hour parking ...

Feeding Ohio’s Youth

Ohio lawmakers are going to have to start making difficult decisions about where they want to gain political points and where they want to do better for Ohioans. The two goals are not always reached by the same path. Continued economic uncertainty, rising food insecurity and changes at the federal level mean hundreds of thousands of students could be at even greater risk of being hungry throughout their school day (and beyond). But a bill proposed by state Sens. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Twp., and Kent Smith, D-Euclid, aims to do something about that. It would make school breakfast ...

Weirton Addressing Problem Buildings

Many of our communities have an ongoing battle with abandoned and dilapidated properties. Houses and businesses left to decay, with no care, become a nuisance, creating health concerns, attracting rodents and other animals, and, often, becoming an issue of safety as they fall apart or become homes for drug use or other activities. These structures negatively impact neighborhoods. Those communities who are able to set aside funding each year, but as expenses increase, those dollars can only be stretched so far, and, as a result, fewer properties can be addressed. The city of ...