Opinion

Finding Joy In Life’s Small Acts of Kindness

Letters to the Editor

Editor, News-Register: Tears in her eyes, the Crying Girl in “Mean Girls” once wished she could “bake a cake made out of rainbows and smiles and we’d all eat and be happy.” While her classmates laughed, I have always admired the sincerity behind her words. After more than a decade of participating in GISH, a global scavenger hunt that raised money for various charities through creative and quirky challenges, and now the Rogue Hunt, a similar event that supports nonprofit causes, I truly believe she was onto something. Small, sincere acts of kindness and joy really ...

Protecting Our Children

Editorials

Earlier this week, the Jackson Township (Ohio) Police Department conducted “Operation Unsportsmanlike Conduct,” in which it targeted predators traveling in an attempt to solicit sex from children, over a multi-day operation. According to a report by WOIO, the operation resulted in the arrests of seven men who were allegedly trying to engage in sexual activity with girls they believed to be under the ages of 13, 14 and 15. Stark County court records showed those girls were actually undercover police officers being contacted through cell phones, thank goodness. But think about that ...

Welcoming Bernie Sanders to Wheeling

Local Columns

The Wheeling Academy of Law and Science carries on the tremendous local legacies of Walter Reuther, Augustus Pollack, Everett Lee, Mother Jones and all advocates for Labor, the Environment, and the Common Good. That’s why we’re supporting Bernie Sanders coming to Wheeling; because like ...

Take Advantage of All Flood Benefits

Editorials

Ohio County flood victims are now seeing exactly what a federal disaster declaration provides. On Monday, it was announced that those affected by the deadly June 14 floods can now apply for disaster unemployment assistance benefits, as well as a one-time $300 payment for cleaning and sanitation supplies. That’s on top of the benefits already available to those folks, including emergency repairs to homes and private roads and bridges, personal property losses and medical services, just to name a few. There are so many avenues for help for flood-affected residents. Those people ...

Spend Our State Dollars Correctly

Editorials

In announcing that it turns out there WILL be a larger-than-predicted surplus to start fiscal year 2026 in West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said “We’re saving money, we’re running government more efficiently, and we’re making decisions to say when we’re going to spend money, let’s make sure we spend it on the things that really matter and drive economic growth.” So what really matters? A few studies released recently might give us some clues. West Virginia is 46th in the country for state health care systems, according to WalletHub — ranking 49th for cancer rate, ...

Hot Temps, Hot Tempers

Local Columns

They say that heat makes people cranky, and it sure seems like tempers and egos are clashing all over the place within West Virginia state government. Take the recent drama over the Legislative Economic Development Assistance grant program, the reincarnation of the former Budget Digest, where lawmakers used to put earmarks for projects in their legislative districts. Instead of lawmakers putting earmarks in the general revenue budget, past legislatures and governors came to an agreement where the Legislature appropriates money into a line item within the Governor’s Civil ...