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Hot Temps, Hot Tempers

They say that heat makes people cranky, and it sure seems like tempers and egos are clashing all over the place within West Virginia state government. Take the recent drama over the Legislative Economic Development Assistance grant program, the reincarnation of the former Budget Digest, where lawmakers used to put earmarks for projects in their legislative districts. Instead of lawmakers putting earmarks in the general revenue budget, past legislatures and governors came to an agreement where the Legislature appropriates money into a line item within the Governor’s Civil ...

AI Is Upending the Job Market, But This Industry Is Hiring

Today’s college graduates face a startling reality: many of the jobs they were hoping for are rapidly disappearing because of AI. As Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” fame recently observed, “We’ve been telling kids for 15 years to learn to code. Well, AI is coming for the coders.” ...

Marshall Memo: Events at the Library; Shrimp Boil; and the Strand

There will be several program offerings next week at the Moundsville-Marshall County Public Library. At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, the library is teaming with Marshall County Schools to promote the importance of literacy and a love of reading as part of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Day. Shelby Haines, superintendent of Marshall County Schools, is the guest reader. She will share the Book “Corduroy,” by Don Freeman. At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, is Book Club — “Jefferson’s Sons” — by Kimberly Brubaker. On Thursday, Aug. 7 there is a book talk with Jacob ...

West Virginia’s Health Care Guardrails: Ensuring Quality, Access

The health and well-being of West Virginia citizens is everyone’s business. Hospitals, local clinics, physicians, and so many others work together to provide quality care at the most affordable price possible for health and wellness throughout our state. West Virginia’s Certificate of Need process helps to ensure quality of care, good accessibility to providers, and, importantly, allows our hospitals to provide the best quality of care in as many locations as possible throughout West Virginia. The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce is a private, voluntary membership organization ...

Laws, Not Men

I have no blood connection with John Adams, one of our nation’s founding fathers and the second president of the United States. But I’ve read enough of his letters to find a real kinship with the underappreciated man. One of his famous quotes is often paraphrased, but below is a direct quote from an Adams letter to fellow Continental Congress delegate John Penn. “…The true Idea of a Republic, is ‘An Empire of Laws and not of Men’: and therefore as a Republic is the best of Governments so, that particular Combination of Power, which is best contrived for a faithfull ...

Working To Advance West Liberty University’s Mission

Two years ago, my wife Susanne and I arrived on the West Liberty University Hilltop, excited about the opportunity to become part of this community. We felt genuinely at home right away because of the warm welcome we received. Since then, I have enjoyed working with the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners to transform the lives of our students while strengthening our community and region. In a time when higher education faces significant challenges, West Liberty is stepping up with programs that build economic mobility, foster community partnerships, and ...