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Sales Tax Holiday Coming

Need a budget break on back-to-school shopping? West Virginia’s Tax Division has one built in Friday through Aug. 3, with a sales tax holiday that should help. During those days, clothing priced $125 or less, laptops and tablets priced at $500 or less, school instructional materials priced at $20 or less, school supplies priced at $50 or less and sports equipment priced at $150 or less will be exempt from sales tax. The total purchase is not limited, only the amount for each individual item. There are restrictions, of course. Find explanations such as “’School instructional ...

Blue Envelope Program An Important Addition To West Virginia

Last week, amid all the disasters that warranted his attention, Gov. Patrick Morrisey also launched the state’s Blue Envelope Program, an important effort that should help law enforcement officers better interact with drivers who have autism spectrum disorder, dementia or intellectual or developmental disabilities. Family and friends of those people know the anxiety that comes with worrying an interaction with law enforcement could go wrong because of difficulties with communication. But the program gives participating drivers a blue envelope where they can put their driver’s ...

TCI Building Thankfully Coming Down

There are plenty of older buildings in Wheeling that would do best with some TLC to keep them viable and usable. The TCI building in Elm Grove is not one of them. That building has stood empty at the corner of National Road and Junior Avenue for decades, rotting away and becoming more dangerous and more of an eyesore to the neighborhood with each passing day. The Wheeling City Council on Monday put it on a faster track to coming down. Council met Monday specifically to hold a second reading and vote to spend $130,000 with Reclaim Company LLC for asbestos abatement and demolition of the ...

It’s Good To See Democrats, Republicans Working Together

In what has become such a politically charged climate throughout the United States, it’s always good to see Democrats and Republicans reach across the aisle to work toward a common cause. That current cause is building a better roster of poll workers in Ohio County, and the leaders of both the county Democratic and Republican Executive Committees ­— Democratic Chair Anthony Edmond and Republican Chair Michael Borsuk — have joined forces to make that happen. And, in the meantime, it’s also a lesson on how the two sides can put differences aside for the sake of the ...

Haswells’ Gift Helps YMCA Continue Its Evolution

Jason Haswell’s love for his late wife has created a wonderful new asset for every child served by the Wheeling YMCA. The Y recently announced a $100,000 donation to create the Haswell Family Technology and Learning Center at the newly renovated building in Elm Grove. Jason Haswell and his kids, 10-year-old Lena and 7-year-old Jace, made the donation in memory of their late wife and mother Amy. “When my wife passed four years ago, I wanted to do something in her name for my kids,” Jason Haswell said. “This was the most appropriate thing I could think of because Amy was very ...

Congratulations, Stifel Award Winners

The photos started appearing on social media over the past couple of weeks, students from multiple grades in Ohio County Schools displaying the certificate showing they were among this year’s George E. Stifel Award winners. The award was the brainchild of Stifel, a successful department store owner and a member of the inaugural class of the Wheeling Hall of Fame. He felt it important to reward students in grades 5-12 for their outstanding work in the classroom. Collectively this year, around 200 Ohio County Schools students received more than $200,000 in prize money checks for ...