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Lawmakers Must Learn From Ascend West Virginia

Mountain State policymakers know they can’t stick with the way things have always been if they want to reverse significant population loss and move forward. Step one, of course, is to stop perpetually looking backward. But step two is to look for innovative ideas such as Ascend West Virginia. NPR examined it and other similar programs across the country and noted the pandemic-born program has been effective enough that many individuals and families have chosen to stay long past their initial required tenure. That despite many employers believing THEY need to move backward and ...

New Wheeling Hotel To Be A Game Changer

In this past week’s announcement of the new JC Lando hotel to be built in downtown Wheeling, the spirit of old Wheeling could be felt. Barry Allen of nonprofit Vol for Life stood before dozens of Wheeling dignitaries and West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey to talk about the new hotel, which is predicted to bring hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in spending and tax revenue to the Friendly City. In describing why he decided to take on this project, the reason was simple. Allen wants to make Wheeling a better place for everyone. “This project began as a simple passion ...

Congratulations To Retiring Educators

When the Ohio County Board of Education honored its retiring educators this past week, it offered a staggering statistic. The combined experience of the retirees being honored totaled 477 years. “You have been that shoulder for them to put their head on, you were that person that gave them that special pat on the back, you are the person that taught them math,” Ohio County Schools Superintendent Kim Miller said. “You are all in this room and I can’t thank you enough. ... We could not do the things we do in this great county without the work that you have done over the ...

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 ...