From Steel to Code: Region’s Next Innovation Frontier

The Northern Panhandle has always demonstrated resilience. From steel mills to manufacturing, this region has reinvented itself time and again. Today, the next economic frontier is digital — blockchain, decentralized networks, and digital assets are no longer abstract technologies. They are ...

Misleading Approach From RFK Jr. on mRNA Vaccines

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made numerous misleading statements about the efficacy and safety of mRNA COVID vaccines and mRNA technology in general. His comments have stirred unease among many and reduced trust in mRNA vaccines. He has alleged that the COVID vaccines were not adequately tested prior to marketing and that long term adverse effects have not been determined. Moreover, adverse effects caused by the vaccine additives were not communicated to the public. In truth, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines were tested on 33,000 and 44,000 volunteers, respectively. One half of ...

Column: Bethany, West Liberty Students Deserve Praise for Demonstrating

This week, several outstanding college students are not just learning, but putting into action an essential component of a complete, well-rounded, quality education — peaceful assembly and advocacy. Students at West Liberty and Bethany, both whose student bodies are nearly half ...

Here’s to Your Health Care

Last week marked the first legislative interim meetings since the end of June, with lawmakers getting a two-month summer break. Well, some lawmakers. Much of Republican legislative leadership spent their summer in planning meetings for a possible special session that did not happen. At one point, there was a hard date set for a special session in July. But then that was moved back to September coinciding with last week’s interims. It should be obvious that a special session — which was to be focused on the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) — did not occur. While ...

Great Literature Still Matters in Our Shared Experience

Do stories matter? Does our collective human experience matter? Does the power to inspire, to love, and to feel sorrow matter? Think of what great literature has given us: “Moby Dick,” “The Scarlet Letter,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Huckleberry Finn.” Tales which, although they may depict worlds in which we have never lived, touch upon universal human themes and experiences and which resonate in our souls long after the final page is turned. English and literature departments are shrinking in colleges and universities across the country, and the ...

President’s Policies Prove Crime Easily Solved

On Aug. 11, 2025, President Trump took decisive action by deploying the National Guard to Washington D.C. For years, our nation’s capital has been plagued by out-of-control crime, with more than 91% of residents calling it a major problem. President Trump campaigned on a promise to crack down on crime in major cities, and he has shown he is unafraid to take bold action to keep that promise. Time and again he has proven that leadership requires courage and the ability to stand firm when America’s safety and prosperity are on the line. In just a few weeks, more than 1,900 criminals ...