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Steven Allen Adams: It’s Time to Get Involved

After the recent primary election period, I think we could all use a break from politics for a bit. This is when I traditionally re-publish a Memorial Day column with some minor changes from year to year to keep the column relevant. In that piece, I write about the Memorial Day parade in my hometown of St. Marys, W.Va. "It starts with a parade downtown, led by a color guard represented by almost all the branches of the armed forces — Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard," I wrote. " Traditionally, they lead the parade to what remains of the Hi Carpenter Bridge … Once the ...

Marble King’s Beri Fox: Natural Gas Essential To W.Va. Manufacturing

West Virginia’s economy has always been built on making the most of what we have. Our natural resources have powered industries, built up local economies, and sustained communities for generations. That is still true today and cannot be taken for granted. Manufacturing in America is under pressure. Companies are facing rising costs, supply chain uncertainty, and increasing competition from overseas. Founded in 1949, Marble King has proudly been producing glass marbles in West Virginia for generations. Today, we are the last remaining marble manufacturer in the United States. Rooted ...

Youngstown State’s Bill Johnson: We’re Here to Stay In The Valley

The patriots who built America were known for their strong statements, such as Virginia House of Burgesses delegate Patrick Henry’s declaration, “Give me liberty or give me death.” 250 years later, with the future of Ohio’s higher education system caught up in our state’s gubernatorial campaign, let me make an equally emphatic statement: Youngstown State University isn’t going anywhere! In fact, it’s not even in the conversation. I’m glad to see our community show its Penguin Pride and rally to YSU’s defense, but we’re uniquely suited for being part of the solution, ...

Hoppy Kerchavel: Preposterous Meets Reality With Trump Taxes

In the 1998 action movie Armageddon, the Bruce Willis character tells the federal government what his team members want in return for taking on a dangerous mission to destroy an asteroid before it strikes earth. “None of them want to pay taxes again… ever.” It’s a funny bit because it borders on the absurd. Fast forward to today and the preposterous meets reality. President Trump has cut a deal with the Justice Department in his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service whereby the IRS is “forever barred and precluded from prosecuting or pursuing” tax claims against ...

Reporter’s Notebook: Keeping Score And Learning Lessons

When it comes to elections, there are winners and there are losers. But I can't help feeling like no one really won after last Tuesday's Republican primary elections. Sure, individual candidates won and lost. But otherwise, the two factions within the West Virginia Republican Party — the dark red caucus led by Gov. Patrick Morrisey and like-minded affiliates, and the light red faction led by many of the GOP lawmakers who helped secure the Republican legislative majorities back in 2015, such as state Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha — remain at loggerheads. More than $5 million was ...

The Calm Before The Tuesday Storm

We're now in the calm before the Tuesday storm, and I've never wanted an election to be over more than this one. Seriously, this primary election cycle has been pure obnoxiousness, but I fear this may be how future GOP primaries are from here on out: A combination of conservative-on-conservative infighting and out-of-state interests dropping Brinks trucks of cash to test messaging on issues conservatives see differently. I am not one of those who cries about the amount of money in politics. As I've said frequently, elections cost money: Mailers, ads, commercials, billboards, signs, ...