Opinion

Ohio County Schools Remains Top Notch

Editorials

A recent report from the West Virginia Department of Education showed that Ohio County Schools finds itself in very exclusive company, a club of just two. The WVDE this past week provided state legislators an update on all 55 county school districts and how they’re faring both academically and operationally. The report looked at four categories. The first was county operational effectiveness, whether a county school district needed assistance from the state in achieving its goals. The other three were based on the Balanced Scorecard and whether a school district had failed to meet ...

Getting the Right Health Information

Editorials

Despite a delay while unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., argued over messaging and content, the West Virginia Department of Health has finally been able to release its annual respiratory vaccine guidelines for health care providers and patients. That is a relief to health care professionals who had been worried about having the guidance they needed to properly advise patients about how to stay healthier and safer. But there is still time for patients to get the vaccines they need. The 2025-26 guidance, according to the West Virginia Department of Health, is for seasonal flu ...

Caring for West Virginia Children

Editorials

Slow progress is being made toward improving circumstances for state Child Protective Services workers and those they serve. Last week, state Department of Human Service Secretary Alex Mayer announced decreases in child welfare vacancies, which sit at a rate of 8.5% as of Sept. 1, compared to 27.3% in 2023. Mayer focused on CPS vacancies in Doddridge, Pleasants, Upshur, Lewis and Ritchie counties, about which concerns had rightly been raised by Third Judiciary Circuit Court Judge Tim Sweeney. Mayer had been among those DHS and Bureau of Social Services officials ordered by Sweeney to ...

Women of All Ages Must Focus on Health

Editorials

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is this month, an annual reminder for women of all ages to be vigilant about their health. This year, one organization wants younger women to be especially careful. Quilt for the Cure, an awareness group through Neighborhood Ford Store, made it a point last week to tell younger women, those under 40, to pay attention. Nancy Lewis of Neighborhood Ford Store was spurred to speak when she saw statistics that women under 40 are more likely to have aggressive forms of the disease, that metastatic breast cancer rates in women under 40 have risen 3.5% each ...

Get Out and Walk the Mountaineer Mile

Editorials

Though the weather is still warm enough to make us forget, cooler temperatures are on their way. As the cold gray of winter appears on the horizon, it’s a good time for those who love the outdoors to remember: There’s no such thing as bad weather, only poor clothing choices. The Mountaineer Mile has been a tool to help West Virginians stay healthier for months now. But representatives of Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s office took the chance this week to visit a couple of parks in Pleasants and Wetzel counties to remind us there are walkable opportunities outdoors in the Mountain State ...