Local Columns

Manchin Plays Presidential Ping-Pong

The evening of July 21 when national media outlets were reporting that sources close to U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin said he was considering switching back to being a registered Democrat to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination for president, I knew to wait a day. Earlier that day, Manchin, I-W.Va., had hit the Sunday morning talk shows to urge President Joe Biden to suspend his candidacy for president, calling on Biden to “pass the torch.” By that afternoon, succumbing to weeks of pressure from actual Democratic leaders following a disastrous debate with ...

Marshall Memo: Money Matters, Street Paving and Back to School

Moundsville City Manager Rick Healy attended a meeting of the Moundsville Lions Club this past week in which he discussed “Great Things in the City.’’ He spent time discussing the overall general condition of the city and also some exciting endeavors upcoming. It was pointed out that the city had just completed its fiscal year on June 30, with the City Manager happy to report that the revenues continue to be strong, finishing at $11.17 million, which was over its budgeted amount. “Our Business and Occupation continues to be our largest revenue source, coming in at just over ...

Don’t Squander Opportunity With Opioid Settlement Funds

With Hillbilly Elegy author and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, being selected as Donald Trump’s running mate, the topic of opioid abuse in Appalachia is once again front and center. So how are we doing as a state in our handling of the opioid epidemic? The good news is that West Virginia has sizable reserves to spend on drug treatment and addiction prevention. As a result of a lawsuit initiated by state attorneys general, the state received more than $1 billion from a legal settlement with the drug wholesalers and manufacturers—some of whom referred to their victims as ...

Made in America Must Include ‘Mined in America’

Mineral supply chains are reshaping how we think about energy security. Supplies of lithium, graphite, copper, and rare earths—among many other essential metals—are already dictating the speed of energy technology deployment and creating new global centers of industrial strength. Conversely, the race to secure access to these minerals has exposed glaring supply chain vulnerabilities—none more acute than those here in the United States. As the world begins the pivot toward fully electrified economies, U.S. oil production has reached an all-time high. But our production of many of ...

The View From 42

Today’s column is going to be a hodgepodge of things, because I turned 42 on Thursday and my mind has been in reminiscing mode. I was 22 in the summer of 2004. I was a college dropout from Ohio Valley University for more than a year at that point. I was living on the campus of Parkersburg Bible College with my friend (and now Rev. Stephen Kuntzman, who officiated my wedding in 2016). I attended church at Spreading Truth Ministries and played bass guitar and sang in the worship band. At that point, I assumed the likelihood of a journalism career was quite remote. I was donating ...

We Must Learn To Disagree Without Being Disagreeable

This past week I was invited to speak and give the benediction at the OVAC Evening with the Stars Dinner at the White Palace in Wheeling. This is the time when the All-Star Football players from the state of Ohio play against the All-Star Football players of West Virginia. They also include the All-Star Cheerleaders of each state and the Queen of Queens from each state. I am not sure, but I thought one of our sons played or was asked to play years ago. I know one of our daughters was an All-Star Cheerleader and another one of our daughters was a part of the Queen of Queens ...