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Valley Sports Legends Remind Us To Dream

In the Ohio Valley, sports heroes of the past are not just names that used to regularly appear in the newspaper. Even after they move on they remain neighbors, classmates, and hometown legends whose stories become woven into the region’s identity. In recent weeks, the Upper Ohio Valley has lost three of its most impactful sports figures — men who carried the grit and humility of this region to the highest levels of their sports: Bill Mazeroski, Bobby Douglas and Lou Holtz. Their careers and sports were different, but their Upper Ohio Valley roots — and the values they carried ...

Help Rotary Clubs ‘Rise Against Hunger’

Anyone looking to do some good for the greater community on March 14 should head down to the “Rise Against Hunger” meal-packing event. to run from 9 a.m. to noon that day at St. Jude’s Church Hall, 826 Jefferson Ave., Glen Dale. Sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Moundsville, New Martinsville and Wheeling, the groups are expecting to pack at least 30,000 meals that day and are targeting a goal of 40,000 meals. These meals will be sent across the globe, including some areas of the United States, to help feed those who are in distress from natural disasters, war and famine. Last ...

Improving Teens’ Mental Health

When the governor declared this Teen Mental Health Awareness Week in West Virginia, he expanded on the events of World Teen Mental Wellness Day — March 2, which was meant to increase awareness about the emotional and mental wellbeing of our state’s young people. Teenagers are facing assaults on their mental health earlier generations may have a difficult time understanding. (They may also have a difficult time recognizing what some of those same challenges are doing to them). Julie Gomez, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in West Virginia, said “Teen ...

Observe Outdoor Burning Rules

When we skip ahead an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, that spring forward on the clocks will not be the only reminder we are moving toward brighter, warmer (Soon? We hope? Please?) weather. Forestry officials across our region are reminding us we have also entered the spring fire ban season. From March 1 through May 31 in both West Virginia and Ohio, there are prohibitions on outdoor burning. Ohio’s Division of Forestry says the ban is between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. In West Virginia, the restriction is between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. No, not even in a proper burn barrel. There are other ...

Helping Workforce Training

Disappointing as much of it is, there is some work being done in Washington, D.C., that will actually make a difference for the rest of us. Ohioans, in fact, can point to the Employer-Directed Skills Act, introduced by U.S. Sens. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La. U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, says he has joined the effort, which would help employees get the training they need for in-demand skills that meet workforce needs. There is also a component that would help employers find potential employees based on their participation in training programs. Efforts to cut through ...

Data Center Is Reason for Some Optimism

Washington, D.C.-based Penzance Management has unveiled plans that could mark one of the largest private investments in West Virginia history — a proposed $4 billion data center campus spanning 1.9 million square feet on 548 acres in Falling Waters. Gov. Patrick Morrisey rightly described the announcement as historic. A project of this size would represent a significant vote of confidence in the state’s broader economic trajectory. With competition for technology infrastructure fierce, simply being in the conversation speaks to the progress West Virginia has made in strengthening ...