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SMART529 Helps West Virginia Students

With all the talk about the huge sums of money that were invested into political campaigns in West Virginia in an attempt to affect the primary and now the general election here, it was easy to miss another announcement. According to the state treasurer’s office, West Virginia-based account holders have surpassed $1 billion in total assets in the SMART529 program, in an attempt to greatly improve our children’s futures. “This achievement means West Virginians realize the benefit and value of investing in our state’s SMART529 plan to save for their child’s education,” said ...

Vacationing Locally

State officials celebrated Tourism Day at the Ohio Statehouse earlier this week. As they did so, they highlighted many of the destinations and experiences that make the Buckeye State the heart of it all. Surely, there are Ohio destinations that are known all over the country — maybe even around the world — such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland or Cedar Point in Sandusky. But our lesser known gems are what really makes Ohio worth the trip. “Summer in Ohio means county fairs, lake trips, family road trips, baseball games, ...

It’s Time For A New Approach For West Virginia

Gov. Patrick Morrisey invested into getting some of his candidates nominated in last week’s primary election. Let us hope the governor takes that same passion into a much more meaningful project for our state’s future — turning around decades of population decline. On Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau released its latest population figures for cities and towns, based on July 1, 2025 estimates. As expected, only a few cities in West Virginia have seen population increases since the official 2020 Census (Morgantown and Martinsburg are the only two among the cities with 10,000 ...

Low Voter Turnout A Worrying Sign For Northern Panhandle

The turnout numbers from Tuesday’s primary election here in West Virginia should concern anyone who truly cares about our representative government. Across the six counties in our region — Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Brooke and Hancock — average turnout in this year’s primary was just 24.4%. That means fewer than one in four registered voters took part in choosing the candidates that will shape our communities, our schools, our courts and our future. That figure is part of a troubling trend. The average turnout for comparable off-presidential year primaries over the past ...

Bishop Mark Brennan Oversaw Diocese’s Restoration

Mark E. Brennan’s resignation earlier this month as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston marks the close of a chapter defined not by style, but instead substance. When Brennan arrived as the diocese’s ninth bishop in 2019, he inherited a church in turmoil. The fallout from the tenure of former bishop Michael J. Bransfield had shaken confidence among parishioners and the broader community alike. The assignment before Brennan, then 72, was clear — and daunting: restore trust. He approached that in a way that now seems almost understated, but was exactly ...

Incoming Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala Brings Spirit of Service to Role

The appointment of the Most Rev. Evelio Menjivar-Ayala as the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is a moment of significance not only for West Virginia Catholics, but for the broader communities the diocese serves. Menjivar, 56, comes to West Virginia after serving as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington. His installation Mass is set for July 2 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling. Born in El Salvador, he immigrated to the United States in 1990 and became the nation’s first Salvadoran bishop when appointed in Washington. What stood out in his ...