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Celebrating Our West Virginia Heritage

It was 162 years ago today when a young nation first learned that “Mountaineers are Always Free.” Since then, we West Virginians have worked hard to make our mark on bettering not only ourselves and our beloved Mountain State but also this great land in which we are so privileged to live. June 20, 1863 saw West Virginia born from the Civil War as the 35th state. Since then, our natural resources — coal, natural gas and timber — have helped to power a growing nation. Our natural beauty and wild and wonderful landscape are a playground for many seeking to connect with the ...

Find Ways to Help Families Impacted

As the rain kept coming down over the weekend, West Virginians and others across the nation watched in horror while the number of deaths ticked up and damage mounted because of flash flooding in the northern part of the state. At this writing, six people are dead; others are missing. Buildings have collapsed; thousands are without power; homes, businesses and cars have been washed away — the devastation is painful to witness primarily in Ohio and Marion counties. Gov. Patrick Morrisey wasted no time declaring a state of emergency to get what resources are available to where they are ...

Promises Falling Short

Most of us know to brace ourselves when we read an anticipated response that begins with “after careful consideration.” That was certainly necessary for Licking County residents after Microsoft followed those words with “we will not be moving forward at this time with our plans to build data centers at the Licking County sites.” Microsoft has decided against the development, proving Licking County Commission President Tim Bubb wise to have told WCMH nearly two years ago, “We’ll believe it when we see it.” To be fair, Microsoft said it will take “appropriate steps” to ...

School Bus Safety Important

House Bill 3 made its way to the Ohio Senate after having encountered no naysayers during the House of Representatives vote June 11. It seems unlikely there will be much resistance in the state Senate, either, as the School Bus Safety Act includes some important ways to keep students and drivers safer. Most drivers know the rules regarding driving safely when school buses are on the road. Too many ignore them anyway. According to the National Safety Council, between 2013 and 2022 there were 1,082 fatalities and approximately 132,000 injuries as a result of school-bus related ...

Making Ohio and West Virginia Competitive

Public officials in our region have said for years that one of their priorities is attracting and retaining new and exciting industries — and the kinds of individuals (and their families) who work for such companies. According to WalletHub’s “Most and Least Innovative States (2025),” neither Ohio nor West Virginia has picked up the pace on making that happen. In the list of most innovative states, Ohio ranks 42nd and West Virginia is 49th. Louisiana and Mississippi continue to cushion the Mountain State from hitting rock bottom. Ohio ranks 38th for both human capital ...

First Responders Are Area’s True Heroes

The call can come at any time. A house fire. A vehicle accident. Or, as we witnessed late Saturday evening into Sunday, a devastating flash flood. The flooding that swept through Triadelphia, Valley Grove and elsewhere in Ohio County late Saturday evening claimed at least seven lives. The tragedy is unthinkable. Yet without the heroic efforts of local first responders from the Wheeling police and fire departments, the Triadelphia and Valley Grove volunteer fire departments, state Division of Natural Resources employees and so many others, the toll could have been much worse. Consider: ...