Opinion

A Deserving Teacher of the Year Winner

Editorials

Wheeling Middle School special education teacher Tiffany Barnes recently received a big check, literally and figuratively, for her triumph as West Virginia Teacher of the Year. The Horace Mann Education Corp. came to her school right before holiday break with an oversized check in the amount of $5,000. (She got a smaller, actual check, too.) And what was she planning to do with that new found financial boost? As always, Barnes was thinking about her students. That money was going to a sensory room Barnes is designing for her students. It’s another way that Barnes is looking out ...

Trade Jobs Are a Great Option for Youth

Editorials

Those who have the opportunity to spend time with younger family members over this holiday break may be tempted to ask questions such as “What do you want to be when you grow up?” or “What are you studying in college?” A growing number of employers are hoping the answer to that question is plumber, carpenter or even conveyor belt repairperson. There are so few people entering (or staying in) the skilled trades that consulting firm McKinsey predicts an estimated imbalance of 20 job openings for every one net new employee between 2022 and 2032. Employers such as Walmart and ...

Caring for Our Seniors

Editorials

Elected officials and policymakers in Ohio have plenty to work on in the coming years. We talk a lot about the loss of population, but there’s a follow-up to that: The Buckeye State’s population is shrinking AND aging. Data projections show that by 2040, the percentage of residents 65 or older will rise to 25%, while the percentage of those 85 and older will make an even more significant leap. This is not just an Ohio problem, of course. That will be an unprecedented challenge to our social infrastructure — Medicaid, housing, transportation, long-term care — all while ...

Pats on the Back

Editorials

- To everyone who rang bells this holiday season for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign. Your time and efforts will help a lot of people in need throughout the Ohio Valley. - To Wheeling Park High School football player Brennan Wack, who won his unprecedented second Curt Warner Award as West Virginia’s top prep running back. It was the capper to an amazing high school career. - To the anonymous benefactor who donated $225,000 toward building a new sale and show arena at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. That is no small gift, and will benefit everyone who uses those ...

It Is Now Time To Power Up West Virginia’s Future

Local Columns

Nearly a century ago, our grandparents built the transmission lines that lit up West Virginia’s farms, homes, and towns. Their grit and vision pulled us out of the dark and gave us the foundation for a thriving state. Today, we face a new challenge: those same transmission lines are aging, overloaded, and breaking down. They simply weren’t built for the demands of modern life. The result? More outages, higher costs, and missed opportunities for West Virginia families and businesses. If we don’t act, things will only get worse. But if we step up, just as our grandparents did, we ...

Show Kindness in the New Year

Editorials

As the calendar pushes past Christmas Day and toward the New Year, it gives us time to reflect on the Ohio Valley’s 2025. And what a year it was. During the last 12 months, we saw plenty of tough times. But through those times, we saw shining examples of kindness and community. That was no more evident than in the devastating flash floods in Ohio County. Nine lives were lost, along with dozens of homes. Families were forced to rebuild almost, if not entirely, from scratch. And many of those families struggled to find the means to do so. Yet, in the days, weeks and months that ...