Local Columns

Marshall Memo: Health Department Breaks Ground in Moundsville

When you put things away and then years later decide to review them, you might be surprised what you find. That happened to me just a few weeks ago. In my case it was some newspaper clippings pertaining to the Moundview Health Care Center. The clippings consisted of four pages along with the front page of “The Call.” There were photographs of the three owners of the new center and three additional pages describing the facility. This was Aug.14, 1978. The actual opening of the city’s first health care center had recently taken place. The cost of the center in 1978 was $2 ...

Biden Has Ignored East Palestine’s Pleas for Help

We all remember the harrowing image of a mushroom cloud over East Palestine. An explosive train derailment destroyed a small Ohio town and captured the nation’s attention. It is difficult to fathom how a singular event could upend the daily lives of thousands of our fellow Americans. Hundreds of tons of toxic chemicals polluted the ground they walked, the water they drank, and the air they breathed. The disaster created new uncertainties for everyone nearby. Do I have to find a new home? Is my small businesses going to survive? Will I suffer long-term health effects? Residents ...

Our Veterans Are Struggling. West Virginians Can Help

The 988 suicide crisis hotline marked a one year anniversary recently. Reporting shows it received 5 million contacts in its first year, further evidence of America’s complicated mental health challenge that the U.S. Surgeon General recently identified as a crisis. A driving force is often disconnection from friends and family, and that isolation is commonly felt by military veterans, which have a storied history and major presence in the Mountain State. Data shows that two-thirds of veterans who die by suicide have had no contact with support services such as the Department of ...

Wacky Weekend at the Capitol

Well, last week’s special session might be the most unusual special session I’ve seen in 13 years of being beneath the golden dome of the State Capitol Building. I’ve never seen a special session proclamation released giving lawmakers a mere 30 minutes to gavel in. Sure, lawmakers were already in Charleston for August legislative interim meetings, but certainly not all of them. There were only four interim committee meetings scheduled Sunday, so many lawmakers were going to wait to come to Charleston Sunday evening or first thing Monday morning. I’ve even heard tell of ...

Marshall Memo: Activity Passes; School’s Back; and a Personal Note

If you happen to be one of the Marshall County citizens who missed the deadline for a free Activity Pass, I’ve got good news for you. There will be two more opportunities; one will be Aug. 23, and the other Aug. 30, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on both dates at the school board office. All Marshall County citizens are eligible for the free Activity Pass. Marshall County School employee IDs and high school/middle school school-issued IDs may be used for free admission. The Activity Passes provide entrance to every Marshall County school-sponsored event, including musicals and plays, ...

Federal Asset Tax Would Penalize Americans for Investments

President Joe Biden, still intent on destroying the value of a dollar you earn, has proposed a new tax that would initially fall on both the income and unrealized asset gains of upper-income taxpayers but ultimately pass through to your families as a rise in the cost of goods. It’s a terrible plan that would close many small businesses, further compromise supply, inflate product price, and discourage new or expansive private-sector investment. Long championed by left-wing denizens of the Beltway swamp, a tax on assets (something they call a wealth tax) exemplifies their failure to ...