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DeWine Taking a Stance

There are 27 states in which the death penalty is still legal. Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine would like to make it 26. Last week he said he believed the death penalty should be abolished in the Buckeye State. His position is that the death penalty is no longer a deterrent to violent crime. “I do not believe that argument today can be successfully made, nor do I believe that there’s any chance in the future the facts that I’ve cited to support that belief will change,” he said. “Therefore, I believe Ohio should abolish the death penalty.” DeWine’s position is no surprise. He ...

Flooding Issues in Elm Grove Need Addressed

For too many residents and businesses in Elm Grovea, heavy rainfall no longer means simply worrying about a trickle of water seeping into the basement. Instead, it now means grabbing the sand bags to divert water rushing down the hill away from your home or business in the hopes your basement will be spared from flooding. It means watching the water rise as the city’s storm sewer system is overwhelmed. Yes, the rainfall we had Monday was intense, and it lasted most of the day. But should it have led to vehicles being trapped in the late afternoon as Kruger Street flooded? Should it ...

Elizabeth Romanek a Genuine Role Model For Mountain State

In a world where public images are often carefully curated and every message is meticulously crafted, authenticity can be difficult to find. That is one of the reasons why Wheeling native Elizabeth Romanek’s message resonated so strongly Saturday evening in Martinsburg as she was crowned Miss West Virginia 2026. For decades, the Miss West Virginia Competition has celebrated intelligence, talent, poise and a commitment to service. Yet Romanek demonstrated that one quality may matter more than any other in today’s world: genuineness. Romanek impressed judges and audiences ...

Leave Ohio County Schools’ Start Time Alone — For Now

The Ohio County Board of Education, at its meeting set for today, could vote on whether to move its school start times a half-hour later for each school, elementary through high school, in the county. That shouldn’t happen — for a number of reasons. Before we even get into pros and cons of the schedule adjustments, let’s talk about the first reason that vote shouldn’t happen — the timing. This vote comes in the final meeting of this school board. When they meet again in July, the board will be different. Molly Aderholt, the board member who has rightly championed the ...

West Virginia: Our Home Among the Rugged Hills

We West Virginians are a freedom-loving people. Our state motto — “Montani Semper Liberi” — “Mountaineers Are Always Free” — is more than a slogan. It reflects the values that have defined our state since its founding in 1863. Today, we celebrate our state’s 163rd birthday with pride in our past and optimism for our future. We also take special pride in our newspaper’s unique role in creating West Virginia. Archibald Campbell, editor of what was then the “Daily Intelligencer,” was a leading voice for statehood. Our newspaper was the only one in what was then ...

Happy Birthday, West Virginia!

Editor’s note: West Virginia turns 163 years old this weekend. To mark the occasion, we are republishing the front page editorial from the Daily Intelligencer of Wheeling’s June 20, 1863 edition, the day West Virginia officially entered the Union as the 35th state. *** This day ushers into being the new state of West Virginia, and adds the 35th star to the constellation of the American Union. Today is the beginning of a new order of things with us here. The old government goes out and the new one comes in. Today, Governor Pierpont bids us a formal farewell as our chief ...