Letters to the Editor

Brown Needs Time To Rebuild

Editor, News-Register: “With an 11-11 overall record and 7-10 Big 12 record — he was inexplicably gifted an extension that kept him under contract through 2026. The new six-year deal is worth approximately $23.85 million. “Neal Brown Buyout: For unknown reasons, (West Virginia University President Gordon) Gee and former athletics director Shane Lyons gave Brown a contract extension in April 2021. The new deal includes a buyout equal to 100% of the remaining contract if fired before Dec. 31, 2024, which is approximately $12 million if fired after the 2023 ...

Providing Access to Fast Internet

Editor, News-Register: It’s funny to think that 25 or so years ago, America Online was not much more than a pricey toy. With a subscription to AOL and a telephone line we could “dial up” to a local number and access the Internet. It was amazing, wonderful, and so incredibly fast! You could download a picture in about two or three minutes. It only took two to five minutes to load a new webpage. There were emails, newsgroups, chatrooms; and AOL was the gateway to the Internet using AOL’s browser or Internet Explorer or Netscape (and there were a few others, I think). It wasn’t ...

Providing a Lifeline to Families

Editor, News-Register: As West Virginians continue to face economic hardships from ongoing inflation and high food prices, SNAP remains one of the most effective ways to reach kids with the food they need. It’s especially important for the one in seven kids in West Virginia experiencing food insecurity today. But recently, the rhetoric around SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, has become rooted in myths and misconceptions. In reality, SNAP is one of our nation’s most powerful tools to end hunger, and Congress has the opportunity to protect and strengthen it ...

Explaining College Loan Farce

Editor, News-Register: Tell me again, why should the taxpayer pay for the general college student’s education? Is there supposed to be some kind of benefit to the United States that it provides over that which the non-student doesn’t? You could make a case for the opposite being true! Or is it just “An act of kindness of some kind”? Which, if that’s the case, what kindness to the non student is there? Discrimination? Votes? John Capobianco Cambridge

Time for W.Va. to Fight Tobacco

Editor, News-Register: Big Tobacco costs West Virginia families too much. It is past time we take a stand for the 4,300 West Virginians tobacco will take from us this year. It is up to all of us, including our lawmakers, to help those who want to quit and help protect our kids from Big Tobacco. We can and must do better now. How do we do that? We call on our state lawmakers to increase the state’s cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack with a parallel tax on all other tobacco products. A portion of the new revenue, $16.5 million, should be dedicated to critical tobacco control programs. ...

No on Issue 1 Protects Freedoms

Editor, News-Register: Voting No on Issue 1 protects our freedoms and majority rule. For more than a century, Ohio citizens have been able to pass an amendment to the state Constitution with a simple majority of votes. Issue 1 threatens majority rule and allows only 40% of voters to stop proposals that are supported by 60%. The Constitution belongs to the people of Ohio, and we have a right to amend it with a popular majority. We must all do our civic duty. Working families in this state deserve the ability to have a say in what our Constitution says and who gets to amend it. ...