Breaking News

Editorials

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 ...

Donating Blood Is As Important As Ever

There’s a lot to be cheerful about, as the end of the school year, warmer weather and the arrival of the travel/vacation season have most people in more chipper moods. But for some, summertime coincides with the “100 deadliest days,” the period from approximately Memorial Day to Labor Day during which there is a dramatic increase in serious incidents such as car accidents, ATV crashes, sports-related injuries and other summertime activities. Sharon Kesselring, executive director of the American Red Cross of the Ohio Valley called it “trauma season.” Meanwhile, Kesselring ...

One Year After The Ohio County Floods, We Remember

On June 14, 2025, lives changed forever in Triadelphia, Valley Grove and throughout our region. In a matter of minutes late that Saturday evening, a catastrophic flash flood tore through neighborhoods, swept away homes and vehicles, and left devastation unlike anything that community ever had experienced. When the water finally receded, nine people were gone. Dozens of families faced the heartbreaking task of rebuilding not only their homes, but their lives. A year later, that pain remains. There are empty seats at family gatherings. There are birthdays that arrive without a ...

WVU Baseball A Hit Thanks To Support

On Friday, the West Virginia University baseball team will clear a new horizon ­— the Mountaineers will play its first College World Series game in program history. To understand the importance of this moment is to understand from where this program came. In 2012, disbanding that program was an option legitimately on the table. Hawley Field, the Mountaineers’ former playing grounds, was nothing worthy of a power-conference baseball team, much less one that would play in the Big 12. Scholarship allotments were rarely at their maximum. WVU had a baseball team, but it was debatable ...

Make Public Schools A Top-Line Choice

We can argue about funding and vouchers, transportation and transparency, but West Virginia Board of Education President Paul Hardesty is right. There is no going backward from school choice in the Mountain State. His message last week to public school systems in the state was blunt. “You might not like what I have to say, but I don’t really care. School choice is here to stay,” Hardesty said. “Our 55 county superintendents and boards need to understand that. We are one of the school choice options. We need to make our option more accommodating to parents and ...