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Freedom Is Key to Independence

Today, we Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence. Our focus is what the document meant — creation of a new nation, a new set of ideals to form a more perfect union. But what the document itself says about the Founders and about what they intended for us is just as important, in many ways. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ...” That single sentence is familiar to many Americans, as well as ...

Celebrating an Exceptional Nation

As most Americans observe Independence Day, a few among us insist July 4 is nothing to celebrate. The United States of American is flawed deeply, they insist. We should forget the Declaration of Independence, repeal the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and start anew, some cynics of our current system maintain. That would ignore a quarter-millennium of evidence, not just here but throughout the world, that the nation’s founders were right. Critics of our form of government — and even our people as a nation — insist the very wording of the Declaration of Independence is so ...

Have a Safe And Happy July 4th

Given all this area has seen over the past few weeks, we need something to celebrate. But let’s make sure we do it safely — and legally. Fireworks are as much a part of summer celebrations as food, parades and pool parties. Of course, as we approach the Fourth of July, there will be fireworks aplenty — many set off as part of private celebrations, rather than the big community shows. Here in West Virginia, it is important to know the rules where you live. State law makes the use of consumer fireworks legal, but that does not mean every municipality agrees. For example, Wheeling ...

Hospital Plans Could Impact City’s Future

The first words of a new chapter landed on the page of Martins Ferry’s story last week when it was announced that East Ohio Regional Hospital had been acquired by 360 Healthcare Inc. — and that company President Harold Ramsey has launched efforts to reopen the facility this fall. The announcement was received by many as good news, though some people responded with skepticism about the facility’s future. Its history in recent years provides good reason for some doubt that Ramsey will have an easy road to reviving its operations. EORH most recently closed in March, when it was ...

Understand Health Impact

It took long enough, but federal officials will now study the possible health outcomes after the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The National Institutes of Health is launching a $10 million research initiative. In announcing the effort, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. thanked Vice President JD Vance for continuing to press the matter. “You helped drive the first large-scale, coordinated, multi-year federal study dedicated to the long-term health effects of the East Palestine, Ohio disaster,” Kennedy said. “The people of ...

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 ...