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Reporter’s Notebook: A Government Of The People …

Happy belated Independence Day. I hope your celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence was meaningful and memorable. Communities all across West Virginia celebrated in different ways, but much of the focus – and in some cases vitriol – was focused on the Capitol City Celebration that took place Thursday through Sunday at the same time as the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta was going on. As I have reported since May, Gov. Patrick Morrisey budgeted $2 million for the Capitol City Celebration, coming from the Governor’s Civil Contingency ...

John McCabe: Wheeling’s Place in Our Nation’s Story

I was perusing some files the other day (codeword for I was cleaning out my desk) when I came across the Wheeling 250th anniversary section we produced in 2019. I recalled the time and effort we put into that work, and the pride from our entire staff with the finished product. Those thoughts quickly shifted to pondering Wheeling’s impact — yes, Wheeling, which explorer Meriwether Lewis, during his visit here on Sept. 7, 1803, termed “a pretty considerable village” — on America as this great nation of ours this weekend celebrates its own semiquincentennial. Here in Wheeling, ...

Hoppy Kerchavel: Is It Good To Be The King?

The kingdom was preparing to celebrate its birthday. Grand celebrations were planned. However, inside the castle, the king was unsettled. He shifted uneasily on his newly acquired throne. The gold-leafed, jewel-encrusted gift had arrived only days earlier after the king’s family secured lucrative investments in the donor’s kingdom. For the king, it was just another successful deal. But there were grumblings among a growing number of his subjects. They frowned upon his personal enrichment that went beyond any previous kings. They were angry about higher prices for everyday goods, ...

State Treasurer Larry Pack: Universal Education Freedom Arrives In Mountain State

We have now passed the June 15 deadline marking the end of the application period for 100% funding of the Hope Scholarship program for the 2026-2027 school year. This year’s application closure is distinct from the rest because it is the first year of universal eligibility, meaning that every school-aged child is eligible to apply for the program. Access for all students was an intentional final step of the program’s implementation, providing ample time for developing a structure that would best serve nearly 30,000 students. It’s proven to be good foresight by lawmakers who ...

John McCabe: Is Downtown Wheeling Finally Finding Its Rhythm?

For most of this past Saturday, downtown Wheeling just felt different. A trip through the central business district and parts of Center Wheeling Saturday afternoon and evening showed the sidewalks full. Restaurants and bars buzzed with conversation. People wandered from one venue to another, laughing, greeting friends, discovering new businesses and enjoying a day filled with live music. Families celebrating West Virginia Day at West Virginia Independence Hall mixed with others making their way through downtown streets. Most importantly, people stayed throughout the afternoon and ...

Hoppy Kerchavel: Congress Must Act On Social Security

Washington’s policy-making debate is often a tangle of jargon, hyperbole, shape-shifting rhetoric and outright lies. All that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the average concerned citizen to understand what is going on. And that makes the most recent report on the financial status of Social Security refreshing … and deeply disturbing. The annual report by the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Trust Funds issued earlier this month is a fact-based finding and easy-to-follow explanation that should concern all ...