Breaking News

Local Columns

Marshall Memo: Education, and More Education; Reunion; and Meet Daisy

As kids are preparing to return to the classroom, so can adults. Reservations are being taken for the upcoming Marshall County Schools Adult Education classes. Classes are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and class size is limited. No refunds will be given after the first class. Registration is complete only after payment of tuition and/or fees. There must be sufficient enrollment in order to have a class. Classes being offered include Welding, Intro to 3-D printing, and preparation for high school equivalency test. To register please call ...

Electricity’s Shocking Truth

A dear friend of mine is fond of telling the story about the day he learned about electricity. Lots of us are curious, perhaps overly so, of this mysteriously powerful force that flows through wires and then lights and heats and cools our homes, cooks our food, and powers so many things we rely on. My friend thought sneaking up on a smiley-faced outlet in his home and poking a fork into it would be a smashing idea. And so it proved. He was blown — literally — back and I like to imagine his hair curled with little wisps of smoke. All of us here at the Public Service Commission ...

The Republican Party Is Becoming the Party of Labor

President Trump invited the leader of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to speak at the 2024 Republican National Convention. As a party, Republicans should fully support President Trump’s endorsement of organized labor unions. Three years ago, I created the West Virginia Republican Labor Caucus and was rebuked by some fellow members of my party. Now, we are all witnessing a realignment of American politics after events at the 2024 RNC, with an emphasis on organized labor unions. The Republican Party, an organization historically supportive of the corporate elite, is now ...

Manchin Plays Presidential Ping-Pong

The evening of July 21 when national media outlets were reporting that sources close to U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin said he was considering switching back to being a registered Democrat to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination for president, I knew to wait a day. Earlier that day, Manchin, I-W.Va., had hit the Sunday morning talk shows to urge President Joe Biden to suspend his candidacy for president, calling on Biden to “pass the torch.” By that afternoon, succumbing to weeks of pressure from actual Democratic leaders following a disastrous debate with ...

Marshall Memo: Money Matters, Street Paving and Back to School

Moundsville City Manager Rick Healy attended a meeting of the Moundsville Lions Club this past week in which he discussed “Great Things in the City.’’ He spent time discussing the overall general condition of the city and also some exciting endeavors upcoming. It was pointed out that the city had just completed its fiscal year on June 30, with the City Manager happy to report that the revenues continue to be strong, finishing at $11.17 million, which was over its budgeted amount. “Our Business and Occupation continues to be our largest revenue source, coming in at just over ...

Don’t Squander Opportunity With Opioid Settlement Funds

With Hillbilly Elegy author and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, being selected as Donald Trump’s running mate, the topic of opioid abuse in Appalachia is once again front and center. So how are we doing as a state in our handling of the opioid epidemic? The good news is that West Virginia has sizable reserves to spend on drug treatment and addiction prevention. As a result of a lawsuit initiated by state attorneys general, the state received more than $1 billion from a legal settlement with the drug wholesalers and manufacturers—some of whom referred to their victims as ...