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Hoppy Kercheval: 9/11: The Test Of a Generation Carries On

Has it really been 25 years since the September 11 attacks? Consider this: Nearly half the U.S. population was either not yet born or too young to remember when the World Trade Center towers burned and collapsed, when a hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon, and when Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville. Perhaps for them, 9/11 will be what Pearl Harbor was for older Americans. Growing up, I knew well the significance of Dec. 7, and the immortal words of President Roosevelt declaring that the date would “live in infamy.” But the event was not burned into my consciousness as it ...

John McCabe: West Virginia’s History Deserved More Than a Ferris Wheel

I traveled to Marietta, Ohio, about two weeks ago for a girls soccer game between Wheeling Park High School and Marietta High School. (Really good game, by the way. It ended in a 0-0 draw.) I’ve always enjoyed Marietta and appreciated its place in our nation’s history as the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory. Outside of Wheeling, it probably has as much historical significance as any city in our wider region. The residents there understand that history — and, more importantly, they celebrate it. Knowing that, and knowing how well Ohio has promoted ...

Doing Due Diligence Not The Same As Rejecting Facts

Those who fear backlash against data centers misinterpret evidence-based skepticism for bad faith and replace transparency and action with respectability politics. The Sunday News-Register's Aug. 29 editorial (“Data Center Debate Demands Good Faith”) gets one thing right: Wheeling residents deserve concrete answers about Silicon Foundation’s proposed data center in Warwood. How much electricity will it use? How much water? How loud will it be? How many permanent jobs will it create? Will safeguards protect nearby residents? And what — beyond financial penalties routinely ...

Josh Sword: West Virginia Workers Have Earned This Labor Day

Circulating on social media is a screenshot of texts between a representative of The Beverage Market, which refuses to fairly negotiate with union workers in West Virginia, and one of the local businesses they serve. “Just wanting to check in and see if you were wanting to start ordering again,” The Beverage Market rep said. The customer said no, not until the strike ends. “When my union driver comes back, I will order.” That is music to our ears. The bedrock of the labor movement is solidarity. From the very start, it’s been the worker’s willingness to stand with ...

Dave Cantrell: Protecting Our West Virginia Workers

This Labor Day, as we reflect on the history of this day and West Virginia’s own labor history, it’s never been more important for us to think about the future of work and the impact major technological advancements are already having, and will have, on working class people. For decades, communities across our state, and especially those in the Northern Panhandle, have faced job loss due to the development of new technologies. This is nothing new. Centuries of advancements have led us to where blue collar jobs are today. But because this is so, our leaders should be better equipped ...

Reporter’s Notebook: GOP Family Feud

I guess I should have waited a week to write my column about the possibility of U.S. Sen. Jim Justice getting into the 2028 Republican primary to challenge Gov. Patrick Morrisey, because now the cold war between the two I wrote about last week has become a hot one. Last week, the West Virginia Lottery Commission voted unanimously to approve the Greenbrier Resort's financing transaction between the Justice family and Kennedy Lewis Investment Management and change ownership and control in the associated board, which places KLIM in majority control of the hotel and casino. Mere moments ...