There is no way Gov. Jim Justice can force West Virginians to wear face masks. Those who balk at the idea of the government telling us how to live our lives are right about that. The governor, in issuing a face-mask order this week but adding there will be no penalty for disobedience, ...

Most West Virginians probably don’t know the name John Kenna, but they will soon if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gets her way. The statue of Kenna that represents the Mountain State on Capitol Hill is among the 11 she wants to figuratively topple because of Confederate ties. Never mind that ...

Moundsville City Manager Rick Healy was the Moundsville Lions Club’s speaker Tuesday, and he presented an update of the city’s operation during the past 18 months, along with future plans. An issue he addressed was COVID-19, pointing out that financially, the city was looking good midway ...

Whitmer Elected Governor After Moving to W.Va. Imagine that headline showing up in the paper sometime in the future. For many Mountain State residents this Independence Day weekend, it isn’t a pleasant thought. After seeing how Gretchen Whitmer has handled her duties as governor of ...

Talking with someone of a different race about bigotry is difficult. I’ve done it, though not as many times as I should have, so I know. It’s a whole lot tougher than, say, demanding that your state remove from the capitol building a bust of a Confederate general. It’s more ...

Gov. Jim Justice and West Virginia legislators will have an ace up their collective sleeve when the new fiscal year begins Wednesday. My guess is the card will be worth $105 million to $140 million. State personal income tax collections for the first five months of 2019 totaled about $932 ...

Everyone knows the important role that West Virginia coal has had on our daily lives and the overall health of our state. The coal industry has always accounted for an abundance of good paying jobs, a reliable revenue stream and funding source that supports a myriad of education and ...

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Marshall County Gold Star Family Monument will take place at 11 a.m. Monday at the Veterans Plaza on the northwest corner of the county courthouse. It was some 15 months ago that Marshall County resident Delbert Chrislip was challenged by Hershel “Woody” ...

In the flash of an eye, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of American life. Among the most dramatic upheavals has been in the way students learn in schools and colleges at every level. In higher education, the traditional model of classroom-based, face-to-face instruction ...

About 70 unarmed people are shot to death each year by U.S. law enforcement officers, deputies, troopers and agents, to judge by a Washington Post database. It would not surprise me if officers here in Wheeling have saved that many lives during the past few years. Digest that for a ...

As we celebrate our state’s birthday this weekend, West Virginians can take some pleasure in how well we’ve handled the COVID-19 epidemic. Though it has been bad here in several respects, we have escaped the horror experienced by many of our fellow Americans. Too bad we can’t say the ...

In times of trouble and uncertainty, humanity has always turned to the natural world for solace. In West Virginia, this is no different. West Virginia is a place encompassed by beautiful landscapes, sprawling mountain ranges and endless outdoor recreation opportunities for both residents and ...

This year is a unique year for me. For those of you who have read my Father’s Day articles over the past 20 years plus, you know that I say that almost every year. One year it was unique because my father and my grandfather died, making me the oldest male in my immediate family. Then ...

Play ball! Baseball and softball teams in Moundsville will be permitted to begin their seasons, although the actual first pitches will depend on the different league officials. One thing which is certain is that the 13 playing fields are in readiness. The Moundsville Recreation ...

Now seems as good a time as any to talk about the most deadly racial disparity in America. It’s disease, not how racial minorities are treated by law enforcement personnel. Early in the COVID-19 epidemic, it became clear the coronavirus was hitting black Americans significantly harder ...

“I think people are ready to try something different,” Glenn Elliott said in May 2016, just after winning office as mayor of Wheeling. Many city residents don’t appear to have been quite ready for the kind of “different” Elliott had in mind. Last week’s municipal election was ...

The murder of George Floyd has ignited a surge of activism and outrage across the United States and dozens of other countries. For many, Floyd’s brutal murder was an alarming point of clarity about the current state of racial injustice. Most American cities are still highly segregated, and in ...

Sunday is Flag Day and if you would like to see a giant flag, the place to go is Benwood, where an American Flag flies on a daily basis. The flag is on a poll which is 50 feet in height, and the flag itself is 45 feet by 60 feet. Another attraction in the same general location is a new ...

New developments have surfaced that have major implications regarding the PTT Global Chemical/Daelim Chemical ethane cracker plant proposed for Belmont County. An eye-opening new report released by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) indicates that the ...

Perceptions are everything to us. Reality doesn’t matter as much as what we believe it to be. That’s a key to race relations. Another factor we seem to be overlooking right now is that the problem with many black Americans’ mistrust of law enforcement personnel starts with traffic ...