Letters to the Editor

Vosvick Pillar of Our Community

Editor, News-Register: Milan Vosvick Jr. was a true pillar of the community in Elm Grove. He served for decades as the Scoutmaster for Troop 29 at Elm Grove United Methodist Church, and worked hard to make sure that anyone who wanted to participate in the troop’s activities, including summer trips through neighboring states, was able to do so regardless of their financial situation. I was fortunate enough to be a scout in that troop for several years from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, and was always impressed by his passion for the role. I still remember him driving that old ...

Sound and Fury in Morgantown

Editor, News-Register: “Apple and Oranges.” “Generalities, generalities, generalities.” Put those two together and what do they describe? Basically, the arguments put forth in comparing WVU schedules of different times in sports (basketball and football in the main) and leaving out all of the variables of the times compared! Both sports have many variables that influence the results in their time periods! The current time period, which started a couple of years ago and has too little data at this point in time to allow any serious judgments as to its relativity to ...

Time for a Solution on Bridge

Editor, News-Register: I am quite curious to learn if any decision has been, or soon will be, made and implemented regarding the future of the Aetnaville Bridge, also known as the Georgia Street Bridge, which has connected Aetnaville, Ohio, with Wheeling Island, West Virginia, since its opening in 1891 and until its closure to vehicular traffic in 1988. The historic structure did however, remain open for pedestrian traffic crossing the Ohio River at that point until January 2016, when it was closed for safety concerns, as the structure had incurred significant structural ...

Passing Savings on to Patients

Editor, News-Register: I think we can all agree insurance coverage should not act as a barrier to care, and that the very last thing insurers should be doing is gaming the healthcare system to shift costs back onto patients.  Unfortunately, over the last several years that is exactly what has been happening. While few realized this until recently, pharmaceutical manufacturers more often than not issue big rebates and discounts for prescription drugs in order to help drive down costs for patients at the pharmacy. However, these rebates and discounts are rarely, if ever, ...

Stronger Air Standards Needed

Editor, News-Register: As a cardiothoracic surgeon I see how air pollution affects my patients every day. The EPA is currently taking comments on its proposal to update its standards for particle pollution in more than 10 years. Also known as soot, PM2.5 refers to a mix of tiny solid and liquid particles that are in the air we breathe and comes from many sources. Here in Wheeling, residents are at risk from power plants, factories, diesel engines and downwind pollution from our neighbors in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Children and adolescents are more susceptible to the of air ...

Don’t Believe Trump Machine

Editor, News-Register: Since trump announced, erroneously, that he would be indicted a few weeks back, news media have been speculating breathlessly. Newsflash: Trump thrives on media attention. As long a people talk about him and think about him, he has influence. When the media report on what he says, on what he posts on his blog, and speculates on what he may or may not say, on what he may or may not do, trump gets attention that empowers his influence. National media attention fuels a trumpster fire that few can resist looking at. Responsible reporters and pundits ...