Opinion

It’s All Downhill From Here

Local Columns

Thursday marked day 30, the halfway mark of the 60-day annual legislative session. It’s all downhill from now to midnight on Saturday, March 14, when the regular session adjourns sine die. At the beginning of the session, I had a hard time predicting whether this session would be a flurry of action or be slow, but it appears slow and steady wins the race. That’s not terribly surprising given that this is a midterm election year. Lawmakers want to do enough to look like they’re doing something, while also not doing things to avoid rocking the boat. The House of Delegates has ...

Why Stability in Health Care Policy Is Critical

Local Columns

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

Local Columns

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 ...

Pats on the Back

Editorials

- To St. Mary’s Central School eighth-grader Adeline Jackson, who, took home first place at the Times Leader Belmont County Regional Spelling Bee at the ECO Center on Thursday night. - To Chalmer Moffett, the former assistant principal at Triadelphia Middle School who was named this week as the new principal at Woodsdale Elementary School. - To West Liberty University, which recently cut the ribbon on the new Hilltop Center for Biomedical Research on its campus. - To Moundsville city employees, who logged more than 250 overtime hours to make sure the city’s roads and sidewalks ...

State of the City Is Powered by People

Editorials

Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder hit the nail on the head when, in his State of the City Address this past week, he said that it was the people of the Friendly City that power the engine of its success. At the end of his speech, Magruder reviewed the many investments that have been made in the Friendly City. “These investments matter,” he said, “but they are not our greatest asset. That distinction belongs to the people of Wheeling — resilient, hard-working and deeply committed to this community.” Much of Magruder’s speech was focused on triumphs of the last year and ...

Suspension Bridge Still Has a Bright Future

Letters to the Editor

Editor, News-Register: Although I must admit that I am a bit disappointed that the historically iconic Wheeling Suspension Bridge will remain permanently closed to vehicular traffic, it will nonetheless continue as a pedestrian bridge, as recently announced by the West Virginia Division of Highways. However, it does appear quite evident that every effort was made to attempt to make the suspension bridge open once again to vehicular traffic, as a reported $17.9 million was spent to rehabilitate the bridge. But after completion, in spite of all the excellent work performed to ...