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Marshall Memo: Knights of the Golden Horseshoe; Chamber Events; and Speakers

Four Marshall County students from Sherrard Middle School— James Lopez, Brady Barnhart, Kabe Blake, and Drew Marling—were knighted into the West Virginia Golden Horseshoe Society last Tuesday in Charleston during Golden Horseshoe Day. While in the capital, they enjoyed a special outing to a home game of Charleston’s minor league baseball team, The Dirty Birds. There, the students met West Virginia author and Rocket Boy, Homer Hickam, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Best known for his memoir “Rocket Boys,” which inspired the film October Sky, Mr. Hickam posed for ...

By Appointment Only

Continuing on from last week’s column on the certificate of need repeal drum beats, Gov. Patrick Morrisey added new appointees to a board that makes decisions regarding certificate of need applications submitted by current and potential health care providers for new services. Last Tuesday, Morrisey appointed former lawmaker Heather Glasko-Tully, former West Virginia Republican Party chairman Doug McKinney, and former Attorney General staffer Robert Cheren to the state Health Care Authority. According to State Code, the Health Care Authority — created by the Legislature in 1983 ...

W.Va. Lawmakers Should Back Medicare Advantage

I have spent my career in the professions of insurance and law. These days, part of my efforts include helping seniors select their appropriate Medicare coverages. Healthcare access and affordability are critical for West Virginia retirees and seniors, which makes programs like Medicare Advantage indispensable. More than half of West Virginians who are eligible for Medicare choose to enroll in a Medicare Advantage program, mirroring national trends. Keeping this program strong and on steady financial ground is critical to protecting the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of ...

Marshall Memo: Community Nights; Busy Summer At Libraries; and School Honors

Monarch Stadium Community Nights are expanding to include every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday in June and July from 6-9 p.m. The public invited to walk, run, kick field goals or enjoy the facility. --- The Marshall County libraries located in Benwood, Cameron and Moundsville will have several programs for students throughout the summer. Signups for the summer reading program began on June 3rd for children ages birth to sixth grade. For children aged birth to 3rd grade, a prize, book, coupon, or raffle ticket is earned for every 10 picture books completed. For older kids in grades 3 ...

AI Isn’t the End of Work. It’s the Start of Better Work

Twenty years ago, we dismissed social media as a distraction. Today, we dismiss artificial intelligence as a threat. We were wrong then. Let’s not be wrong now. The fact of the matter is those who leaned into the social media movement back then built personal brands, community engagement and revenue streams that redefined entire industries. The same hesitation and anxiety are now surfacing around artificial intelligence. Once again, we are being asked to make a choice — resist change or rise with it. Artificial intelligence is not something to fear. It is not a gimmick or a ...

Heard This Before?

Here we go again, the merry-go-round that simply will not end. If it seems like I’ve written a whole column on the efforts by some to eliminate West Virginia’s certificate of need law, I did back in March. Remember, I got to shoehorn in a Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan reference. But supporters and detractors of CON repeal were back at it last week. Once again, many health care services are required to apply for a certificate of need from the state, which can approve or reject it based on many factors, such as the availability of similar services in the region. Gov. Patrick ...