Local Columns

Biden’s Progressive Vehicle Standards Wrong

Recently, I’ve been asked by a lot of people what exactly I mean when I talk about “federal overreach.” While I can point to an untold number of examples that illustrate my point, perhaps none more perfectly does so than President Biden’s recent attempts to force Americans into buying electric vehicles (EVs) through regulations that seem to stop just short of banning gasoline-powered vehicles. By doing so, President Biden is once again showing he is out-of-touch with the average American consumer. Through this outrageous use of the federal government — and taxpayer dollars ...

Marshall Memo: Public Libraries; ‘Conversation with Council;’ and an Update

This year’s National Library Week will be observed beginning Sunday and continuing through Saturday. The Marshall County Public Libraries—Benwood-McMechen, Cameron and Moundsville — will be celebrating several special activities. The NLW theme is “There’s More to the Story.’’ The Marshall County Commissioners have signed a proclamation to announce the county’s observance of National Library Week, and to call attention to the vital role libraries play in the county. The celebration actually started early this month in Marshall County, as the Benwood-McMechen ...

West Virginia’s Cities Can’t Waste This Unique Opportunity

When one thinks of West Virginia, many things are likely to come to mind: natural beauty, John Denver, coal, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, poverty, opioids, state pride, and so on. What isn’t likely to make a top 10 list is cities, or perhaps more accurately, towns. West Virginia is the third most rural state in the country, with over half of its population residing in rural areas (just behind Vermont and Maine). West Virginia’s largest city, Charleston, is the second smallest such city in the United States. It is only larger than Vermont’s largest city, Burlington, by less ...

Poll Explores a Possible Mooney-Justice Primary

The U.S. Senate campaign of 2nd District Congressman Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., released some internal polling last week setting the table for a possible challenge from Gov. Jim Justice.Before I get into their results, always remember to take internal polling released by campaigns with copious amounts of salt. Campaigns very rarely share the full poll results, the toplines, the questions asked, etc.It’s why I don’t really like to use internal polls for stories, but for a weekly political column my rules are a little more lax. Also, it should be noted that in hindsight, Mooney’s internal ...

We Must Be Willing To Listen — and To Learn

George Bernard Shaw once said, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” And yet we live in an era where it seems everyone’s mind is made up about everything. If our politics seems broken, it is not because we have stopped speaking; rather, that we have stopped listening. New ideas have always faced skepticism, but the resistance they meet today can be unyielding. It is not the story of America we have told ourselves. Both of us are old enough to remember a time when smoking was practically encouraged ...

Marshall Memo: Pride & Progress; Lifeguards; Animal Shelter; and Bus Drivers

The Marshall County Schools Pride & Progress committee concluded its meetings for the current school year on Tuesday. Fourteen members of the committee were in attendance at which Superintendent Dr. Shelby Haines outlined a number undertakings some of which have recently completed, while others remain in progress. Among these being: -Construction updates. - Awards and Recognitions which included Athletics, Music, Robotics and Teacher Counselor State Level winners. - Summer Programing. - Upcoming Calendar of Events. - The 2023-24 Calendar. --- The Marshall County Board ...