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Figaretti’s Is a True ‘America’s Classic’

There’s a reason the classics are called the classics. They stand the test of time, becoming community pillars. That’s exactly what happened with Figaretti’s Restaurant. The staple of Ohio Valley cuisine recently was honored by the James Beard Foundation with an America’s Classics Award. Presented by the Beard Foundation since 1998, the award celebrates, according to its website, “independently owned restaurants with timeless appeal. These institutions reflect local character and cultural traditions and serve as an enduring anchor for their communities by serving delicious ...

Teaching Public Safety

Martins Ferry Police Officer Jon Young doesn’t want the kids in his community to feel afraid of law enforcement. “When I am in a store, sometimes a parent will point to me and say to their child, ‘If you’re not good, he will arrest you.’ And they learn to be afraid of us,” Young said. “We don’t want kids to be afraid of us. We want them to know that cops are here to help.” So Young has put together a great program to help children learn not just about the police department, but other public safety organizations as well. He has established the Martins Ferry Junior ...

Kudos for Funding West Virginia EMS Workers

There is good reason House Bill 5168 passed out of the House of Delegates without a single vote against on Monday. It is one of the very few, genuine no-brainers to come before lawmakers in recent years. HB 5168 would establish a permanent funding stream for EMS workers across the state — $12 million annually from lottery net profits. According to House Finance Committee Chairman Vernon Criss, R-Wood, it brings EMS funding in line with a formula used to support fire departments. The bill mandates the first $1 million of the $6 million Salary Enhancement, Crisis Response, and Mental ...

Railway Safety Act Must Gather Steam

More than three years after a disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Congress has continued to sit on its hands rather than upset its friends in the railroad industry by implementing desperately needed rail safety reform. Well, most of Congress, anyway. A few have repeatedly tried to push change. Most recently, a bipartisan group that includes U.S. Sens. Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno, both, R-Ohio, has introduced the Railway Safety Act of 2026. Buckeye State residents are more concerned about whether he and Moreno can help this bill finally gain the momentum the effort ...

Governor’s Tax Cut Won’t Move Needle

It’s a story common for regions of West Virginia that border Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky. A recent college graduate of West Virginia University lands their first job in Pennsylvania. When it comes to deciding which state is more appealing on the income tax front, the choice is clear: Pennsylvania. The same goes for Ohio and Kentucky. How many professionals work in Wheeling, Parkersburg or Huntington, yet live in Ohio or Kentucky because of a lower personal income tax burden? And now, instead of proposing a meaningful plan to make West Virginia more competitive with its ...

Douglas’ Legacy Will Still Live On

There are so many ways to describe what Bobby Douglas meant to the world of amateur wrestling. Legend. Icon. Pioneer. Champion. All are true. So it’s important to understand just what the amateur wrestling world and the Ohio Valley lost with Douglas passing at the age of 83. Here’s a person who hitchhiked to West Liberty for classes and slept in a dorm attic because he couldn’t afford room and board, who became an NAIA national champion and NCAA national runner-up before becoming the first Black Olympic wrestler, an Olympic team captain, a collegiate coach who won an NCAA ...