Opinion

Problems With System Must Be Addressed

Editorials

As the investigation unfolds into the attack on two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last month, Americans are getting a glimpse into some cracks in the system that must be addressed. Among them is the need to explore better mental health and community support programs for veterans and refugees. Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been described as a person who was radicalized after he came to the U.S. A volunteer who worked with him and other Afghan refugees said they believed that Lakanwal suffered a mental health crisis after years of likely suffering from ...

Keep Supporting Small Businesses

Editorials

If the opening hours of Small Business Saturday in Wheeling were any indication, Ohio Valley shoppers and Ohio Valley shops ended the day quite happy. The stores were filled with folks perusing clothing racks and eying furniture, antiques, art and other items for that perfect holiday gift. The city of Wheeling did its part to enhance the experience, offering free skating on a synthetic rink at Heritage Port, as well as shuttles between some of the bigger shopping areas. And those local businesses made sure to roll out the red carpet that day, offering specials, discounts and little ...

Justice Can’t Be Derailed

Editorials

Despite Norfolk Southern’s assertions that it would make things right in East Palestine — after a derailment back in February 2023, the company appears to continue to resist doing so. Most recently, it filed motions in federal court seeking to exclude expert testimony presented by the state of Ohio and the United States as part of ongoing litigation. The proposed $315 million federal settlement between Norfolk Southern and the U.S. Department of Justice is still pending. Among the challenged witnesses are three medical doctors who support Ohio’s effort for a long-term medical ...

Give What You Can Today

Editorials

You’ve made it through Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Artists Sunday and Cyber Monday. It’s a long series of days on which businesses big and small and even some individuals are hoping you’ll be spending some (or all) of your holiday shopping budget with them. Now we have reached Giving Tuesday, a day organizers say “unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world.” Sure, there’s a financial component to this, too. Those who have the resources should, indeed, take advantage of today to give what they are able to nonprofits that support the most ...

Wheeling Park High School Students Preserving History

Editorials

One great way to get young people interested in Wheeling history is to make them an active participant in preserving it. Wheeling Park High School’s machine tool technology class is currently refurbishing the “OVGH” letters that hung on the old Ohio Valley General Hospital/Ohio Valley Medical Center building for decades. Those letters were taken down and preserved as the old OVMC was torn down to make room for the upcoming WVU Cancer Institute St. Joseph Regional Cancer Complex. The WPHS students are making those letters look the best they can, as they will be displayed ...

Department of Education Fails in What It Calls ‘Professional’

Editorials

U.S. Department of Education officials missed the mark badly when they decided, purportedly in a revision that is part of the Big Beautiful Bill, to eliminate nursing, physical therapy, public health and other fields from those graduate study fields in which students are able to borrow loans up to the cost of their degree. Those programs are not, in the opinion of bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., “professional.” In fact, only the following fields are now defined as professional programs, according to the Education Department: pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, ...