Opinion

The High Cost Of Healthcare In W.Va.

Editorials

It’s hard to know where to start when it comes to tackling the many challenges that are holding back West Virginians. There’s a new metric, a new study nearly every day that shows us how very far we have to go. But it’s important to use that information to help us change things — to show us where “the way things have always been” has gotten us. Among the more recent studies was WalletHub’s “States Where People Spend the Most and Least on Health Care.” Mountain State residents who already know we are among the most unhealthy in the country can guess where we wind up ...

Ohio County Literacy Gains Fantastic News

Editorials

A recent study lauded West Virginia as a state making major gains in early childhood literacy ­—and pointed out Ohio County as one of the school districts that has led the charge. Upswing Labs, a research organization that studies how states are improving literacy, listed West Virginia among four states ­— joining South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana —that have improved third-grade proficiency rates by 3-4% over the last three years. Further into that study, the organization points out nine West Virginia counties that have seen the best gains among third-grade students ...

Ohio Births Dropping

Editorials

As Ohio’s elected officials continue to hope for economic growth, there’s a factor some may not have considered. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the Buckeye State’s fertility rates are dropping — standing at 56.2 births per 1,000 women in 2023. That’s an 8.9% decrease from the state’s average of 61.9 per 1,000 between 2011 and 2020. Interestingly, births to mothers younger than 20 and ages 20 to 24 both fell dramatically compared with 2007 data. Nationwide, the problem is serious enough that members of the Trump administration have considered ...

Celebrating Culture in the Ohio Valley

Editorials

This week will be a big one for Ohio Valley residents to celebrate two of the region’s bedrock cultures, as the Italian and Greek communities present their marquee events of the year. The 2025 Grecian Fest will run from Wednesday through Friday at St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church in Center Wheeling. From Friday through Sunday, Wheeling’s Heritage Port will be host to the 42nd annual Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival. Both festivals are community favorites, featuring food, music and live performances. And both festivals offer a window in the cultures of those ...

Political Hack Job?

Local Columns

We have another alleged case of hacking of a lawmaker. Last Monday, Del. Charles Sheedy, R-Marshall, posted on the Marshall County WV Republican Club Facebook page that he sent a letter to Gov. Patrick Morrisey and the state congressional delegation regarding the lack of a federal disaster declaration for Ohio and Marion counties. The following is taken directly from that letter as he (allegedly) wrote it: “Constituents in District 7 are asking why President Trump has not issued a FEMA Disaster Declaration for Ohio and Marion Counties? My constituents are also yours and they ...

Keeping the State Clean

Editorials

As the weather makes it easier for many of us to get out and about to explore our beautiful state, it may shine even brighter thanks to the work of West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection workers and volunteers. In fact, more than 6,000 of those volunteers took part this spring in cleaning more than 140 tons of litter from roads, streams, public lands and trails. All that work was made possible through the Make It Shine and Adopt-A-Highway programs. “Protecting our environment starts at the community level, and this year’s cleanup efforts show just how deeply West ...