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‘Raylee’s Law’ Must Return Next Year

While “Raylee’s Law” ­— which protects children from abuse ­—shamefully died on the West Virginia House of Delegates floor on the last night of session, it’s good to see some local legislators vowing that it won’t be the last the bill is heard of in Charleston. The bill stops children suspected of being abused at home from being removed from public school and homeschooled. By the time the House took up the bill and passed it, the state Senate had already adjourned for the year. That led to some fiery responses from Northern Panhandle legislators, namely Del. Shawn ...

Fix Economic Insecurity

Buckeye State residents don’t have to be reminded, but research from the Urban Institute might help elected officials and policymakers remember a significant number of their constituents are struggling with economic insecurity. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the institute updated its 2023 research with help from U.S. Census Bureau data to look at “income fragility,” and other factors here. For example, the cost of average rent, groceries and daycare for two in Ohio is more than $55,000 per year. That means even those who aren’t sitting at or below the ...

Form Energy Still Keeping Promises

Remember when there were detractors in high places of Form Energy’s Factory 1 in Weirton? Remember when there was a movement in the West Virginia Legislature in 2023 — one that ultimately failed — to claw back $105 million in appropriations for the factory in that year’s state budget? What do they think now, that Form Energy just signed its first international agreement? Fittingly on St. Patrick’s Day, Form announced it has signed an agreement with FuturEnergy Ireland to deploy a 10-megawatt, 1,000-megawatt-hour iron-air battery system in the northwest of Ireland. The ...

It’s Time to Identify, Craft Wheeling’s Future

For too long, conversations about Wheeling’s future have been overshadowed by what once was. The echoes of a proud commercial and industrial past have, at times, overshadowed the possibilities of what could be. But today, something is different — unmistakably different. There is momentum in Wheeling again. Not just talk or another plan from a consultant that ends up on a shelf gathering dust but tangible, visible progress. Consider: the nearly completed Downtown Streetscape project is perhaps the most obvious symbol of this change. Long-awaited improvements are reshaping the ...

Some Signs Of The Times

Folks driving down Wheeling’s Main Street the last couple of days may have looked wistfully at the old Kaufman’s building, noting that the blue metal panels and sign that made that building a unique aspect of that street were coming down. High winds blew out some of the panels earlier in the week, and crews were there mid-week removing more. Plenty of people remember walking through those doors over Kaufman’s 80 years in business in that spot. Before it closed in 2010, it was part of Wheeling’s retail fabric. Students and parents bought prom dresses and other clothing there. ...

Don’t Forget To Pay Personal Property Tax

It’s that time of year again in West Virginia: personal property tax season. If you own vehicles and pay for a tax to the state for that privilege, take note: you only have slightly more than a week in which to pay those taxes to qualify for a credit on your 2026 taxes that you’ll pay next year. To qualify for the credit, taxes for the second half of 2025 (yes, it’s confusing)must be paid to your county sheriff’s tax office by April 1. This only pertains to individuals who paid their first-half taxes for 2026 by Oct. 1. If you paid the full year back in the fall, you’ve ...