Local Columns

Marshall Memo: Holiday Music, Activities and More

The John Marshall High School Music Department is pleased to invite the public to celebrate the holiday season at a combined Christmas concert. The seventh annual Monarch Tidings is on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. in the JMHS Center for Performing Arts. The student-produced, one day only event will feature selections from a combination of ensembles including concert band, steel band, concert choir, Monarch Choir, women’s ensemble, chamber orchestra, string orchestra and symphony orchestra. Morgan Carlin and Ash Roth will serve as hosts of the show. Some of the festive tunes ...

An Educated Guess

The next legislative session is going to have several issues to tackle, including whatever Governor-Elect Patrick Morrisey’s agenda will be, any possible messes left behind by outgoing Gov. Jim Justice, a likely hole to fill in the upcoming fiscal year 2026 general revenue budget, etc. But expect education to take a spotlight. With the number of traditional public school consolidations increasing and parents becoming angry at the closure of community schools, longer bus rides for their children, and other issues that come from shrinking county populations, some lawmakers are ...

Marshall Memo: A Busy Start to December

The Benwood-McMechen Public Library will have the following free activities in December. Chess Club with Joshua Phillips on Thursday, Dec. 5 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Christmas at the Library on Dec. 10 from 6-6:45 p.m. This will be a fun filled evening with singing, dancing, and a visit with Santa and treats to follow. Stop in early for independent craft time and letter writing to Santa. There will be a free movie titled “How the Grinch Stole Christmas’’ at 4 p.m on Dec. 18. If you are interested in more information, follow the Facebook page or call the library for further for ...

Are Today’s Scholastic Sports Watered Down?

I can think of no state high school athletic association that has only one division in sports anymore. The most common rationale is more athletes in smaller schools are given the opportunity to compete against schools their enrollment size at the state championships. But I believe many states have gone too far with the number of divisions they have incorporated in their sports programs. In team sports, I do not feel that any school that has a losing record should qualify for post-season competitions. They didn’t earn such an honor and often get blown away in the first game. ...

Pressed for Information

As we get closer to the end of the administration of Gov. Jim Justice and transition to the incoming administration of Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey, I’m looking forward to a change in how state government communicates with the public and press. For example, once again the West Virginia Department of Human Services decided to take something that should not have been all that controversial and make matters worse all because of their dislike of media scrutiny. On Tuesday, DoHS announced the closure of the West Virginia Children’s Home in Elkins effective Dec. 31 due to issues ...

Changes Are Coming

Last week, Gov.-elect Patrick Morrisey provided the press and public a sneak peak of sorts on his transition plans for the next two months as he prepares to move into the Governor’s Mansion on Kanawha Boulevard East in Charleston. That’s an interesting sentence to read again: a governor who is actually going to reside in Charleston as constitutionally required and live in the Governor’s Mansion. What a thought! Morrisey spoke to media at an open, in-person press conference — again, it’s amazing to write that — announcing his seven-person transition team, two consultants ...