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W.Va Takes Care of Business at Summit

Attending the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting and Business Summit is always an interesting place to be leading up to a major election. The event always brings out candidates and current office holders for statewide and legislative seats, either trying to drum up more money for their campaigns, potential endorsements, or just being seen and networking. The summit puts lawmakers and officials face-to-face with industry leaders From all accounts, this year’s Chamber summit was the biggest crowd yet, or at least the biggest crowd post-COVID. There seemed to be a ...

U.S. Leading by Values at Home and Abroad

We just returned from a bipartisan and bicameral Congressional Delegation comprised of all-women members to the Indo-Pacific, with stops specifically in Australia and New Zealand. The trip had a dual mission. The first: to discuss national and global security and energy in the Indo-Pacific region. The second: to explore issues related to the empowerment of women and girls, the status of women in sports and building on current momentum in that space. To do both in a week is certainly a tall order, as the two are seemingly disconnected. But we would argue these goals are very much ...

Marshall Memo: WWII Weekend; Looking Out for Kids; and a Departure

The second annual World War II Weekend will take place at John Marshall High School on Sept. 9-10. There will be a number of events to see and do. Those attending will be able to check out the World War II Camp to learn from re-enactors what a soldier would have experienced during the war. There will be re-enactors showing armored tank division, parachutes, infantry regiments, and the signal corp. Attendees will also be able to visit with Cat Gardiner to lean about what people that stayed on the home from did to support the war effort. Visitors can step into her recreated 1940s house ...

It’s Time To Embrace Buckeye State’s Energy Future

In a time of grinding inflation, increasing energy costs and continuing global instability, Ohioans are lucky to live on top of the Utica Shale oil and gas basin. Stretching across Appalachian Ohio and into our neighboring states, the Utica Shale is a vast, underground reserve of energy containing an estimated 38 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 940 million barrels of oil and 208 million barrels of natural gas liquids. While it would traditionally be impossible to access these energy deposits buried deep underground, new technologies like horizontal drilling and hydraulic ...

Looking at Justice’s $45M for Marshall University

Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill giving $45 million in surplus tax dollars to Marshall University for its Institute for Cyber Security and the new facility being built in downtown Huntington to house it. The same week the Legislature voted to give Marshall the funding, demolition began on the location. Much has been made of this given the fact that West Virginia University is trying to fill a $45 million hole with staff/faculty cuts and the elimination/shrinkage of various degree programs. At one point, the three Democratic delegates representing the Morgantown area tried to amend ...

A Revolutionary Trip to the Movies With My Wife

I am not the biggest of movie goers. I will go, but very rarely have time to sit for two to three hours watching a movie. It is just easier to wait for it to come out on other media outlets where I can see it on my own time. There is a movie that I want to see as soon as possible. It might surprise you of my choice. It is not, “Oppenheimer.” I hope to see it eventually. The one I want to see immediately is the movie, “Barbie.” It’s not for the reason you might think. It is more about the co-founder of Mattel toys that made the Barbie doll. Ben Cohen, the writer of the ...