We made it through the first full week of the session, several bills have already been passed and sent to the next chamber, and the two major pet projects of legislative leaders — broadband expansion and workforce development — will be up for votes soon. I won’t rehash a lot of that, as ...
At or near the start of every school year, I used to get calls and notes from parents demanding a waiver in order to get their children into kindergarten early, even though the children were too young to meet the age cut off. Grandparents often add their weight to the parents’ request to ...
There is no greater responsibility of state government than to provide a thorough education for our children. Thomas Jefferson felt so strongly about the importance of public education that he wrote the following: “I think by far the most important bill in our whole code is that for the ...
In 2006, the Moundsville Lions Club was contacted about sponsoring an American Red Cross Blood Drive, with member Eugene Lough agreeing to chair the event. This past Thursday was the club’s 14th year being a part of this community service. While Lough remains the chairman, there have been ...
This past summer, my wife and I were blessed to visit Atlanta, Georgia. There are many great sights to see in that metropolitan city. It was our goal to see the sights referring to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We were blessed to go to his birth house where we heard stories of how he did not ...
No member of Congress in his or her right mind is going to allow 20 million people covered by Medicaid to lose their health insurance. And each and every one of the lawmakers can visualize the attack ads that would result from a wave of insurance company rejections of coverage applications ...
They still make fun of me, sometimes. However I have to admit my husband and older sisters have learned to accept the fact that I can’t stand pickles. They actually come to my aid if a pickle ends up on my plate when we go out to dinner. They’re quick to remind the wait staff that ‘she ...
The first week of the 2019 legislative session ended with many lawmakers still scratching theirs heads after hearing Gov. Jim Justice’s State of the State address Wednesday night. In one way, it was a remarkable speech. There were no props, no big stunts, and mostly no real craziness ...
Despite serious concerns expressed by many in the health care and law enforcement communities, some members of the West Virginia Legislature seem determined to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Why not just permit sale of tetrahydrocannabinol — THC, as it’s referred to commonly — ...
On Wednesday, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice gave his State of the State Address. Hours earlier, children across West Virginia were returning home from their classrooms, in schools that are severely under-funded and under-staffed to meet their mental health needs. Many of our children ...
When you get to be my age, smart investments made decades ago start to pay off. Much like our personal finances, the state must make wise investments to ensure future generations can avoid tough budgetary decisions. We must avoid intertwining the budget with the success of certain ...
Nick White, facility engineer at the MarkWest Energy’s Majorsville Complex in Marshall County, has been named the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce “Employee of the Month.” He was nominated by plant manager Bob Shough. White runs many construction projects at one of the largest ...
On Wednesday, lawmakers, staffers, lobbyists, reporters, and members of the public will descend upon Charleston to exchange germs for 60 days as the first session of the 84th Legislature begins. It sounds like most expect this year’s legislative session to be calm. After last year’s ...
William “Bill” Harris has been a member of the American Legion for 72 years and during that period he has been commander of Cameron Post. No. 18 for 20 years. The first time he was post commander was in 1969 and it so happened it was the 50th anniversary of the posts in West ...
State Senator Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson) is set to become the Chairwoman of the West Virginia State Senate Education Committee in January of 2019. Under Senator Rucker’s leadership, I expect our state’s education system to make giant strides in a new and positive direction. I applaud ...
Two days after Christmas, many of us probably were still examining some of the gifts we received. Perhaps we were exchanging some at stores. Members of the Ohio General Assembly were in Columbus on Dec. 27, giving themselves a late Christmas present. Late last year, Buckeye State ...
So many West Virginians have given up on our state that we are one of the few actually losing population. Numbers from the 2020 census are expected to be so bad that we lose one member of the U.S. House of Representatives. That would take us down to two, making us even weaker politically in ...
I don’t make new year’ resolutions although I have had a few successes already in 2019. They are minor achievements toward ridding my life of clutter. My hubby already tackled the junk drawer in the kitchen. He proudly showed off his handiwork to me when I got home from work one day ...
C. J. Plogger is a native of Colorado who answered a call from the Church of God in Moundsville, W.Va., and later “moonlighted” as a tour guide at the old West Virginia Penitentiary there. Davis Grubb is one of the state’s more famous writers, having written, e.g. “Night of the ...
A project to honor persons who had significantly contributed to the John Marshall High School community was initiated in 2005 following approval by the Marshall County Board of Education. It became known as the “John Marshall Wall of Fame.” For the first 15 years the plaques were housed ...