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A Plan To Build a Better Future for West Virginia

When I was 10 1/2 years old, I told my dad I wanted a pair of Air Jordan tennis shoes. When he found out they cost $125 he told me to get a job. So, I got a paper route. And I’ve been working ever since. I labored on a farm, cut grass, washed cars, then worked in our family’s business. Through hard work, I was able to grow our two businesses into 26 different enterprises. We now employ more than 600 people in five states. The lesson here is that the “secret sauce” to anything is hard work. And ladies and gentlemen, there is a lot of hard work that is needed in our state ...

W.Va. Republicans Split Over Who Is ‘More Right’

I frequently write about the divides I see within the Republican supermajority in the West Virginia Legislature. With no real Democratic opposition to make into adversaries, Republicans have taken to going after each other. This divide became increasingly noticeable since 2020, especially after the 2022 elections. But expect 2024 to really bring out the divides between what would have been considered the traditional conservatives versus those choosing to align with the populist right. The biggest fight likely will be in the West Virginia Senate. The House of Delegates is almost ...

It’s Our Duty To Preserve and Protect West Virginia

We live in a great country that has a noble history. The strengths of our nation have always outweighed our weaknesses. We have met threats from within and from without. With extraordinary determination, courage, and sacrifice, we have defended the very best things: our families, our children, our neighborhoods, our main streets, our land, our history and our sacred bond to those unchanging truths that built Western civilization. These are now under attack from the rapid spread of a radical ideology. This emergent ideology is a diabolic development that has few comparable analogies in ...

Marshall Memo: Everyone Loves a Parade; Recycling; and Fall Festival

The 53rd annual Marshall County Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade is right around the corner on Saturday, Nov. 18. That means it is time for the yearly Marshall County student Christmas Parade naming contest. This year’s entries are to be submitted by September 25th to chamber@marshallcountychamber.com. Students can enter individually or as a class. Last year a student from Hilltop Elementary was the winner. The winner this year will receive $100, and can be in the parade. --- The Marshall County Fall Clean-up will take place in mid-October. Dumpster will be at the following ...

It’s Realtor Safety Month; Tips To Safely List Your Home

The National Association of Realtors designates September as Realtor Safety Month. This rings a bell for every Real Estate agent across the country on the importance of being safe while marketing your property. Not only is this important to evaluate our safety practices as realtors, it is also equally important to point the safety practices out to our home buyers and sellers. Safety in real estate begins at home, especially when you are listing your property for sale. Social media has dominated the home marketing industry over the last five years and your house becomes a target for ...

Where’s the Public Concern About WVU?

I wouldn’t call myself a public higher education reporter specifically. My beat is state government, so I tend to cover higher education policy in the state from that mindset. Public colleges, universities, and community/technical colleges are very strange bodies for me to cover. In a way, they are public/private hybrids. Direct state funding only makes up a small portion of their budgets, which rely mostly on tuition from students. But taxpayers are more involved with the state’s public higher education system than they might realize. Nearly all are regulated by the state ...