Opinion

A Credit Card Conundrum

Editorials

When it comes to economic indicators, the big national metrics don’t always reflect what is happening in ordinary households. But families certainly understand what it means for them if they are forced to rely more on credit cards to get by. According to WalletHub’s “States with Largest and Smallest Credit Card Debt Increases,” released this month, Ohio has the eighth-largest credit card debt increase in the country in the second quarter. In the Buckeye State, the average credit card debt increased by $858,373 from Q1. The average household in the state owes $9,352 in credit ...

Reynolds’ Growth Is a Boon for the Ohio Valley

Editorials

WVU Medicine’s growth in the Ohio Valley has jumped in recent years, a prime example being WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital’s previous and future expansions. Last week, WVU Medicine Reynolds Hospital President and CEO Tony Martinelli went down that long list at Marshall County Chamber of Commerce breakfast. On top of $23 million in renovations completed earlier this year that included five operating rooms and two procedural suites, the Reynolds Rapid Care facility will soon move to a new space in the plaza beside Aldi. And that’s just phase one. Phase two includes a new ...

West Virginia Corrections Staffing Issues Must Be Remedied

Editorials

West Virginia’s Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation continues to face a challenge experienced by many private employers: staffing shortages and pay rates that haven’t been able to keep up with inflation. David Kelly, commissioner of the DCR, reported to lawmakers this week that as of July there were still 410 vacancies of uniformed and non-uniformed personnel, with 223 vacancies of correctional officers across all facilities. The difference between most employers in the state and the DCR is that staffing shortages don’t result in a legitimate state of emergency or ...

Be Cautious This Deer Season

Editorials

Southeast Ohio is facing the largest outbreak in the region’s confirmed cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in deer. An Ohio Division of Wildlife deer biologist told The Columbus Dispatch this year’s outbreak is the largest he has seen in his career, and that hundreds of dead or sick deer have been reported in Athens, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble and Washington counties. Mid-Ohio Valley counties in West Virginia have been affected, too. That will mean deer hunters will have to think a little differently about their trips. Preseason scouts in West Virginia have reported seeing ...

Here’s to Your Health Care

Local Columns

Last week marked the first legislative interim meetings since the end of June, with lawmakers getting a two-month summer break. Well, some lawmakers. Much of Republican legislative leadership spent their summer in planning meetings for a possible special session that did not happen. At one point, there was a hard date set for a special session in July. But then that was moved back to September coinciding with last week’s interims. It should be obvious that a special session — which was to be focused on the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) — did not occur. While ...

Pats on the Back

Editorials

- To Rabbi Joshua Lief of Temple Shalom and everyone who participated in the 9/11 Service of Remembrance at Heritage Port. It is crucial that we remember the lives lost and the spirit of togetherness that came following that tragedy, and this ceremony always brings that perspective to the forefront. - To the team at the new Foxfire Film Festival. The inaugural event kicked off in grand fashion Thursday with a red carpet premiere and will offer a fantastic slate of documentaries from award-winning filmmakers throughout the weekend.