Local Columns

W.Va.’s Coal-Fired Generation Industry Poised To Meet Future

There is a sudden, unexpected and massive rise in electricity demand occurring across the country due to a variety of factors converging before us. Large power-gobbling data centers necessary to support our nation’s ever-increasing digital activities and the evolution of artificial intelligence technologies are a primary factor. Our growing economy, the rise in remote work, personal technology reliance, and electric vehicle usage are also contributing to this demand. This is great news for states like West Virginia, which generate more electricity than it consumes and has the ...

Wheeling Health Right Growing Entering 40th Year

As we enter the season of gratitude and giving, we at Wheeling Health Right want to thank those who have helped us fulfill our mission for nearly 40 years. For those unfamiliar with us, Wheeling Health Right opened its doors in 1985, and since then we have been dedicated to delivering top-quality health care to the working poor of the Upper Ohio Valley. We could not have persevered this long without incredible support from generous health care providers, families, businesses and the state of West Virginia. We are beyond grateful for the countless doctors, nurses and other ...

Marshall Memo: Strings Alumni To Gather; Holiday Drawings Honored; and Christmas on the Avenue

The Marshall County Strings Program will present its annual alumni concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15 at the John Marshall High School Center for Performing Arts. The concert will feature the chamber orchestra and alumni orchestra of more than 30 string program graduates. Festive holiday favorites will fill the air with sounds the season. --- Moundsville Middle School 8th grader Jessie Nguyen was one of the eight middle school students in the Ohio Valley recognized by Main Street Bank for her artistic talents. Nguyen’s Christmas-themed drawing has been made into a billboard, which ...

A Look Back at Christmas Eve 1933 as We Head Into Season

In the era of President-Elect Donald P. Trump, many remain anxious about the coming new year. The nation’s capital is seen from the heartland like a 21st century Sodom and Gomorrah. But a step back in time captured in the 1971 TV Christmas Special “The Homecoming” set in the Great Depression on Christmas Eve 1933 introduced viewers to a family called the Waltons with a brood including John Boy, who aspired to be a newspaper writer; a younger son who wore knickers and shared a story about squeezing a little duck; and a family that gathered to listen to the radio — carrying comedy ...

The Special Session That Wasn’t

Either as a reporter or a staff member, I have been under the golden dome of the State Capitol Building for going on 15 years in January. I have seen many things, but I have never seen the confusion that was caused last week for one day over how to call a special session in December following the November election but prior to the start of the new legislative session. It seems simple in concept: The governor has the authority to call lawmakers into special session (called an extraordinary session in the state Constitution, because it is outside the traditional 60-day regular ...

America’s Game: Army Honors 101st Airborne at Bastogne

When Army takes the field against Navy on December 14, West Point players will proudly display “Bastogne” logos on their chest. The logo honors the heroics by the 101st Airborne Division, the “Screaming Eagles,” during the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. In June 1944, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower issued the order to destroy the German war machine and eliminate Nazi tyranny in Europe. Eisenhower chose the 101st Airborne Division as a lead assault element and visited the 101st before they jumped into Normandy on June 6, 1944. For the next six months, the Division took ...