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Ruby Sets Standard for West Virginia

During June’s legislative interim meetings, lawmakers got a glimpse at the drive — and success — of Chelsea Ruby, who was reappointed as cabinet secretary for the Department of Tourism by Gov. Patrick Morrisey after having already served in that capacity for eight years under Gov. Jim Justice. During those years, Ruby has guided the department through changes in the tourism industry and state government’s approach to it as a priority. “I will say that the mission of the Department of Tourism has changed over the years,” Ruby said. “You’ve seen over the last eight ...

Give — And, If You Can, Give Some More

Repeated reminders of our need to take care of one another have often come with pleas from vital non-profits for support over the past few years. Charitable giving is a priority for many who are able to make it part of their budget — and the number of people who share that priority appears to be growing. According to the recent “Giving USA” report, charities received approximately $592.5 billion in donations in 2024 — a 3.3% increase over 2023. The donations data used for this report came before the layoff of tens of thousands of workers for non-profits for 2025 due to ...

State Stepping Forward To Assist Communities

There’s no question Gov. Patrick Morrisey has gone all in when it comes to helping Ohio County residents recover from the June 14 flooding. The governor on Wednesday traveled to Ohio County to meet with flooding victims and update the public on several important matters — his fourth such visit in the first 11 days following the flooding. The governor has shown strong leadership in this tragedy — recall, nine lives lost, dozens of home destroyed, and millions of dollars in property damage. Morrisey made his first visit to the flood-impacted area about 15 hours after the tragedy ...

Our Area Needs a Break

The torrential rain and resulting flooding Thursday evening in several Ohio County and Marshall County communities showed just how tenuous our situation is right now. Homes in Wheeling that haven’t seen water in basements for two decades were flooded. The Elm Terrace Shopping Center turned into a muddy mess. Sections of 29th Street in Wheeling — not far from Mount Zion Cemetery, which itself was damaged last year by heavy rainfall — were impassable Thursday evening. It’s been hard not to notice over the past few years that when we have rainfall, it often turns into a damaging ...

Be Prudent With West Virginia’s Finances

Mirroring the landscape of the state itself, monthly tax collection figures can be a matter of ups and downs in West Virginia. The trick is for state officials not to go overboard when there are ups and not to be surprised when there are downs. Last month, we got an “April surprise” in the form of tax collections 26.8% above estimates. May’s numbers, however, came in shy of projections — $154,000 below what revenue officials had expected. (While some segments continued to be up, May personal income tax collections were 6.5% below the estimate for the month). An overall ...

Keeping Elections Secure

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has been working to provide guidance meant to increase security for our elections. He has so far provided six security directives to county boards of elections. Most recently was a set of requirements to configure networks, firewalls, vulnerability assessment tools and equipment with the most recent approved security updates; complete monthly cybersecurity checklists to ensure protection from malicious threats; conduct a county-specific security audit led by his office’s chief information security officer and cybersecurity team; and comply with ...