Local Columns

A Good Man

West Virginia is a small state, and state government is not large, so the longer you cover certain politicians, the more chances you have to see the human side of the people you cover and even become friends. That’s the way it was with Tim Armstead, the late justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and the former minority leader who rose to become the first Republican speaker of the House of Delegates in nearly 83 years. I attended the visitation for Armstead last Tuesday in the chambers of the House of Delegates, not as a news reporter but as a friend. I have a ...

The School Choice Option Nobody Talks About

In The Hunt Institute’s April 2025 article, “School Choice in the 2024 Election: Pros, Cons, and What Voters Want,” a key point was bulleted at the beginning of the article: Choice for some should not come at the expense of others. I just started my 23rd year of teaching, and I’ve been fortunate enough to teach every grade level from Pre-K through college. I had a brief stint in a private non-parochial school, and the rest public school. I’ve been to schools that are urban, rural, large, small, decently funded, and funded by the grace of Title I. I’ve found that my ...

We Cannot Lose Another West Virginian to Suicide

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and here in West Virginia, the urgency couldn’t be higher. Our state is no stranger to hardship, but the current mental health crisis demands clear-eyed attention and bold action. In 2023, West Virginia’s age-adjusted suicide rate stood at 18.6 per 100,000 people, among the highest in the nation and significantly above the national average. That is 349 West Virginians we have lost in one year alone. Though this is slightly less than 2022, West Virginians deserve more. The numbers are more than data — they are human lives. In the ...

Avoiding The Malaise

Herbert Hoover was well-liked in his day, praised for his engineering prowess which he used to tackle major worldwide problems following World War I. He was a natural choice for president in 1928. But then the 1929 stock market crash happened, followed by the Great Depression. None of these things were exclusively the fault of Hoover, and frankly most of what his successor — Franklin Roosevelt — did to end the Great Depression worked until World War II broke out and we flexed our production muscles. But Roosevelt is remembered for ending the Great Depression and Hoover is ...

Your Voice, Your Vote: Get Registered To Vote Now

In September, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the WV Secretary of State’s Office celebrates National Voter Registration Month. Since National Voter Registration Month was started in 2002, we use every September as a timely reminder that the foundation of our democracy rests not just on the right to vote - but on the responsibility to be ready to exercise that right. In every election, whether local, state, or national, the power of the vote is the most direct way citizens shape the future of their communities and country. But that power begins with one simple ...

Carbon Capture Can Be an Economic Accelerator for Ohio

I recently became aware of a series of community workshops held in Cadiz and Wintersville by Tenaska. The topic was carbon capture and storage and the truths about the technology and impacts to communities. These sessions were well attended by inquiring local citizens as well as some folks not from Jefferson or Harrison counties. And so why would some fella from Houston care? I graduated from Wintersville High in 1973 and was raised on Meadowbrook Drive in the village, went to Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh and have spent the last 45-plus years in the energy ...