Breaking News

Local Columns

Manchin’s Declaration of Independence

I’m a news reporter, which means that rumors make me uncomfortable. I don’t usually report rumors. I like to have hard information in the form of documents and multiple sources, including sources willing to go on the record. This is why I have largely avoided the recent rumors being spread over the last couple of weeks about an alleged plan by some moderate Republicans and Democrats in West Virginia to pressure Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, the Democratic candidate for governor, to drop out of the race and be replaced by none other than outgoing U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin. In ...

Marshall Memo: Events at the Strand, and Summer Adventures

Some 21 events will be taking place during the remainder of the year involving the Historic Moundsville Strand Theatre. During the month of June the activities include: - June 8 — A Shrimp Boil to be held at the St. Jude Park in Glen Dale with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the first dump at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $30. Entertainment will be by Mark Palmer. - June 17-22 — The Missoula Children’s Theatre Company is making another visit to Moundsville, returning with a free acting workshop for children who have completed kindergarten through age 18 and also senior citizens. ...

The Steel Needed To Build 40,000 Golden Gate Bridges

U.S. energy exports have become a critical economic driver for stability worldwide. U.S. natural gas, oil and coal have helped defang the power of dictators, proven essential to allies in replacing Russian and Iranian energy, and have become a jobs and tax revenue boon to states nationwide. One of the best success stories is the metallurgical coal used for steel making. While U.S. metallurgical coal — or “met” — is used for domestic steel production, much goes to exports, helping build tomorrow’s cities and infrastructure. When Americans think of coal, they think of ...

March for Freedom Is Not Forgotten This Memorial Day

Sometimes on one of those late spring days when Memorial Day comes, you can almost see them, marching, marching onward, the legion of the forgotten dead. In the soft stillness and solitude of a country graveyard in the evening hush, occasionally you can hear the muffled beat of a drum as the endless ranks of that forgotten legion slip by, file after file, in ghostly procession never ending. They materialize, these war dead whom we honor Memorial Day, somehow, when the eye wanders idly across old grave markers to halt at a small obelisk with worn carvings making the words almost ...

Honoring the Fallen This Day

As a career Naval Officer and West Virginia Congressional candidate, when I think of Memorial Day, I’m reminded of a line from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.” We seem to lose sight of this concept quickly, America. It’s easy enough to post a meme about honoring “those who gave all,” reminding folks about the history of the day, and to ruminate on the sacrifices made by generations of uniformed personnel. Even easier is leaning into our ...

To Your Health

I usually publish my annual Memorial Day column around this time, but with all the action in Charleston last week, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about some of that. If you’re looking at the number of bills Gov. Jim Justice introduced for last week’s special session and the number of bills that passed, it could be said the special session was a success. We won’t go through all 15 bills that passed. Frankly, it was the drama around one bill that caused the most issues and nearly caused the special session to end without returning more than $188 million to two state ...