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Elizabeth Romanek a Genuine Role Model For Mountain State

In a world where public images are often carefully curated and every message is meticulously crafted, authenticity can be difficult to find. That is one of the reasons why Wheeling native Elizabeth Romanek’s message resonated so strongly Saturday evening in Martinsburg as she was crowned Miss West Virginia 2026. For decades, the Miss West Virginia Competition has celebrated intelligence, talent, poise and a commitment to service. Yet Romanek demonstrated that one quality may matter more than any other in today’s world: genuineness. Romanek impressed judges and audiences ...

Leave Ohio County Schools’ Start Time Alone — For Now

The Ohio County Board of Education, at its meeting set for today, could vote on whether to move its school start times a half-hour later for each school, elementary through high school, in the county. That shouldn’t happen — for a number of reasons. Before we even get into pros and cons of the schedule adjustments, let’s talk about the first reason that vote shouldn’t happen — the timing. This vote comes in the final meeting of this school board. When they meet again in July, the board will be different. Molly Aderholt, the board member who has rightly championed the ...

West Virginia: Our Home Among the Rugged Hills

We West Virginians are a freedom-loving people. Our state motto — “Montani Semper Liberi” — “Mountaineers Are Always Free” — is more than a slogan. It reflects the values that have defined our state since its founding in 1863. Today, we celebrate our state’s 163rd birthday with pride in our past and optimism for our future. We also take special pride in our newspaper’s unique role in creating West Virginia. Archibald Campbell, editor of what was then the “Daily Intelligencer,” was a leading voice for statehood. Our newspaper was the only one in what was then ...

Happy Birthday, West Virginia!

Editor’s note: West Virginia turns 163 years old this weekend. To mark the occasion, we are republishing the front page editorial from the Daily Intelligencer of Wheeling’s June 20, 1863 edition, the day West Virginia officially entered the Union as the 35th state. *** This day ushers into being the new state of West Virginia, and adds the 35th star to the constellation of the American Union. Today is the beginning of a new order of things with us here. The old government goes out and the new one comes in. Today, Governor Pierpont bids us a formal farewell as our chief ...

Donating Blood Is As Important As Ever

There’s a lot to be cheerful about, as the end of the school year, warmer weather and the arrival of the travel/vacation season have most people in more chipper moods. But for some, summertime coincides with the “100 deadliest days,” the period from approximately Memorial Day to Labor Day during which there is a dramatic increase in serious incidents such as car accidents, ATV crashes, sports-related injuries and other summertime activities. Sharon Kesselring, executive director of the American Red Cross of the Ohio Valley called it “trauma season.” Meanwhile, Kesselring ...

One Year After The Ohio County Floods, We Remember

On June 14, 2025, lives changed forever in Triadelphia, Valley Grove and throughout our region. In a matter of minutes late that Saturday evening, a catastrophic flash flood tore through neighborhoods, swept away homes and vehicles, and left devastation unlike anything that community ever had experienced. When the water finally receded, nine people were gone. Dozens of families faced the heartbreaking task of rebuilding not only their homes, but their lives. A year later, that pain remains. There are empty seats at family gatherings. There are birthdays that arrive without a ...