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John McCabe: Residents Deserve Answers On National Road Issue

I’ve been wondering something in recent months, an issue that moved front-and-center again last week: How many times must the same stretch of National Road in Wheeling break open before someone decides the people living along it — and those who use it for their daily commute, to get to Wheeling Park or Wheeling Park High School — deserve more than another patch? For residents along National Road near Wheeling Park, that question — and an answer — is long overdue. More than a half-dozen major waterline breaks over the past few years have turned an ordinary expectation — ...

Hoppy Kercheval: Help Needed For West Virginia’s Working Poor

I wrote about West Virginia’s poverty level in last week’s commentary, based on U.S. Census figures. However, those numbers do tell only part of the story of the financial challenges in our state. The United Way’s ALICE report is more revealing. ALICE stands for asset limited, income constrained and employed. It’s a measure of those living above the federal poverty level but still struggling to make ends meet. ALICE is a more real-life view of poverty because it presents a comprehensive look at the cost of household basics—housing, childcare, food, transportation, health ...

Vivek Ramaswamy: East Palestine Deserves The Truth — I’ll Fight To Bring It To Light

It’s been over three years since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, and officials burned vinyl chloride in plumes over a village of fewer than 5,000 people. In February 2023, this community on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border was the subject of international news and thrust to the center of American politics. Media and political figures arrived when the spotlight was on. When the cameras left, the town learned what happens when no one is watching. In 2024, class-action attorneys negotiated a $600 million settlement with Norfolk Southern that required residents to waive ...

Susie Nelson: The Best Tribute To Dolly Parton Is To Give To Others Like She Did

When news broke that Dolly Parton had died in August, the tributes poured in fast. Social media and news reports shared clips of “9 to 5,” memories of “Jolene,” and photos from Dollywood. While I was a fan of her music and entertainment, I was even more enamored by her philanthropy. That’s the real measure of Parton’s life. She wrote some of the most iconic songs in American music, but she may have done just as much good with her checkbook as she did with her guitar. The way she gave, not just how much, is a model for the rest of us. In 1995, Parton launched the Imagination ...

Reporter’s Notebook: Under Review

Once upon a time, the Legislative Auditor's Office used to release many reports under the leadership of former Legislative Auditor/Legislative Manager Aaron Allred. The office enjoyed decades of independence during Allred's tenure under both Democratic and Republican majority leadership. But in 2024, the Republican supermajority leadership largely clipped the wings of the legislative auditor's independent authority. Sometimes it is easy to forget that the Performance Evaluation and Research Division and the Post Audit Division still exist, because their work product has slowed. But ...

W.Va Sen. Randy Smith: Common-Sense Regulation Can Strengthen W.Va. Manufacturing

From the industrial history of the Kanawha Valley to the advanced manufacturing facilities operating across our state today, West Virginia has long played an important role in American manufacturing. Our skilled workers make many of the materials and products that keep our economy and supply chains moving. To keep West Virginia competitive, protect good-paying jobs, and encourage new investment and technology, federal regulations need to keep up with the real world. We can protect public health and the environment while also supporting American manufacturing and economic growth. Most ...