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Ohio County Literacy Gains Fantastic News

A recent study lauded West Virginia as a state making major gains in early childhood literacy ­—and pointed out Ohio County as one of the school districts that has led the charge. Upswing Labs, a research organization that studies how states are improving literacy, listed West Virginia among four states ­— joining South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana —that have improved third-grade proficiency rates by 3-4% over the last three years. Further into that study, the organization points out nine West Virginia counties that have seen the best gains among third-grade students ...

Ohio Births Dropping

As Ohio’s elected officials continue to hope for economic growth, there’s a factor some may not have considered. According to a report by the Ohio Capital Journal, the Buckeye State’s fertility rates are dropping — standing at 56.2 births per 1,000 women in 2023. That’s an 8.9% decrease from the state’s average of 61.9 per 1,000 between 2011 and 2020. Interestingly, births to mothers younger than 20 and ages 20 to 24 both fell dramatically compared with 2007 data. Nationwide, the problem is serious enough that members of the Trump administration have considered ...

Celebrating Culture in the Ohio Valley

This week will be a big one for Ohio Valley residents to celebrate two of the region’s bedrock cultures, as the Italian and Greek communities present their marquee events of the year. The 2025 Grecian Fest will run from Wednesday through Friday at St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church in Center Wheeling. From Friday through Sunday, Wheeling’s Heritage Port will be host to the 42nd annual Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival. Both festivals are community favorites, featuring food, music and live performances. And both festivals offer a window in the cultures of those ...

Keeping the State Clean

As the weather makes it easier for many of us to get out and about to explore our beautiful state, it may shine even brighter thanks to the work of West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection workers and volunteers. In fact, more than 6,000 of those volunteers took part this spring in cleaning more than 140 tons of litter from roads, streams, public lands and trails. All that work was made possible through the Make It Shine and Adopt-A-Highway programs. “Protecting our environment starts at the community level, and this year’s cleanup efforts show just how deeply West ...

Business-Friendly Approach Needed

It came as no surprise Monday when, following more than an hour of discussion, presentation of graphics, traffic counts and more, Wheeling Planning Commission members again refused to move forward a plan to site a car wash on a properly zoned piece of property in the city. What made the refusal even more concerning this time around is that city staff, studying the same information provided to commission members — including information indicating there would be no adverse stormwater issues — had recommended approval of a preliminary site plan for Wash Rite Express Car Wash. The ...

Time To Issue Declaration

This weekend marks five weeks since lives in the Valley Grove and Triadelphia communities changed forever following flash flooding that killed nine of our friends, neighbors and family members. Mr. President, it’s time to sign the major disaster declaration that opens up funding and assistance from FEMA. Let us hope that happens early this week, as Sen. Shelley Moore Capito on Thursday predicted would take place. There’s no time to waste for those still trying to figure out how to replace furnaces, air conditioning units, washers, dryers and more. Mr. President, sign the ...