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Reporter’s Notebook: Thoughts and prayers

I have covered many legislative committee meetings in my time under the golden dome, but I have never seen a worse outing for a new cabinet secretary than I did last week for Carl Ayers, the new secretary of the Department of Human Services. Ayers is only 23 days in, with his first day the same day as the start of the delayed School Clothing Allowance program on July 20. I have to wonder if he would have taken the job knowing he would be walking into a mess created by Gov. Patrick Morrisey His first real brush with lawmakers came Tuesday when he testified before the Legislative ...

John McCabe: Wheeling Can’t Afford To Automatically Say No

There’s still plenty we don’t know about Silicon Foundation’s proposed data center and energy technology campus at the former Centre Foundry property in Warwood. And there are plenty of legitimate questions that need to keep being asked. But after Tuesday night’s Wheeling City ...

Bishop Darrell Cummings: Barbie, Redemption and Chasing the American Dream

I am not the biggest of movie goers. I will go, but very rarely have I had time to sit for two to three hours watching a movie. When we do go with the family it is an enjoyable experience. There is a movie that I want to see again as soon as possible. It might surprise you of my choice. It ...

John McCabe: A Wakeup Call We Can’t Afford To Miss

Here’s a figure that should concern every single person that cares about children and their futures: for the 2026 school year, 84.5% of all West Virginia public school students are classified as “needy” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s an alarming statistic. And it doesn’t get any better when viewed in the context of our local region. Consider: Ohio County has 85% of its students identified as “needy,” Marshall County has 83%, Brooke County is at 85%, Tyler County stands at 88%, Hancock County reaches 74%, and Wetzel County sits at an astonishing 100%. Taken ...

Johnny Haught: ‘Independent’ Is No Longer A Bad Word In Politics

Independent is no longer a bad word. Sit back and I'll tell you a tale of a perfect candidate for the House of Delegates in West Virginia trying to overcome the establishment on both sides of the political aisle working against him. A family man, a union leader, an understanding ear in a political world that seems detached from the cares and concerns of the actual electorate, and a true son of Appalachia. Dave Cantrell is running for House District 3 in the Northern Panhandle of our great state. While those of us that live in the Northern Panhandle know this all too well, as Cantrell ...