Local Columns

Why Stability in Health Care Policy Is Critical

As West Virginia Hospital Day at the Legislature was held February 12, hospitals are navigating a period of unprecedented federal uncertainty and rapid policy change. In this environment, we value the efforts of West Virginia policymakers to prioritize stability in state healthcare policy. WVHA’s focus is clear: protecting access to care, containing costs, strengthening our workforce, and ensuring hospitals remain essential economic pillars in communities across West Virginia. West Virginia hospitals have a shared goal with Governor Morrisey and the Legislature of advancing economic ...

America Beat Winter Storm Not on Hope, But Natural Gas

Winter Storm Fern reinforced a basic reality of the electric grid: when temperatures drop and demand spikes, reliable, dispatchable energy matters. During one of the coldest January spells in decades, natural gas met and exceeded that test, helping ensure families could keep their homes warm and their lights on. As Fern pushed energy systems across most of the continental United States to their limits, natural gas output increased by roughly 14 percent in a single week. While other energy sources struggled to perform due to weather conditions, natural gas continued to provide heat and ...

Going on two years with new city administration, what is the face of Wheeling?

Editor's note: This opinion piece from Wheeling resident J. Arnold Roxby appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 10 print edition of The Intelligencer. What is the face of Wheeling this year? The triumphant new Fire or Police headquarters? The collapsed Washington Avenue bridge or the crumbling stretch of National Road at McColloch’s Leap? Or is it the ground-level Market Street parking garage storefront — an $11 million public investment sitting empty, symbolizing both our development ambition and fragility? A year has passed since the last State of the City address, when I acknowledged the ...

Primary Colors

When it comes to contesting statewide and legislative races, the West Virginia Democratic Party should be commended for its candidate recruitment efforts heading into the 2026 elections. I don’t say that because I have a specific bias one way or another. But I do believe that a healthy two-party system is important to making our democratic republic work, because the political parties hold each other accountable. According to the state Democratic Party, there are 22 Democratic candidates seeking nomination to 17 of 19 state Senate seats on the ballot for the May primary, some of ...

A 10% Tax Cut That Puts West Virginians First

West Virginia is proving something powerful right now: when you focus on the basics, tighten the budget, and let the free market work, good things happen. That progress puts us in a position to do what the government too often forgets to do: return money to the people who earned it. That’s why I am calling on the State Legislature to pass a 10 percent across-the-board income tax cut. Over the past year, my administration has made difficult but necessary choices. We tightened spending, restructured government, reduced costs, and focused relentlessly on fixing our state budget. Those ...

Child Care Is Vitally Important To Economic Development

Childcare sits at the crossroads of economic growth, community stability, early childhood education, and family well‑being. Reliable and available daycare is not a convenience for many working parents. And affordable daycare in all 55 counties has become a major issue that affects economic and community development throughout the state. When families cannot access affordable, quality childcare, businesses lose workers, communities lose productivity, and children lose crucial early‑development opportunities. West Virginia, like much of the nation, faces profound childcare ...