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Rabbi Lief A Great Choice To Lead Wheeling Homelessness Task Force

In choosing the inaugural chairperson for his homelessness task force, Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder needed to find someone who is a proven unifier, someone with compassion for their fellow man and someone who can guide a diverse group of people to seek solutions to a very difficult subject. In Rabbi Joshua Lief of Wheeling’s Temple Shalom, he found someone who checked all of those boxes. The city announced earlier this week that Lief would be the chair of the city’s homelessness task force, a group whose roster will be led by members of the clergy in the city and include members ...

Finding Pockets of Success in W.Va.

While the narrative tends to focus on the rapid rate at which West Virginia’s population is shrinking, there are some spots in the state where population is actually growing. It’s worth taking a look at why. WorldAtlas compiled a list of the communities bucking the trend here, noting something that should be common sense, but seems to have escaped many policy makers: “Jobs and housing explain why these towns add residents while the rest of the state loses them.” So which communities are growing? Martinsburg, Charles Town and Ranson, in the Eastern Panhandle, which has ...

An Inspiration For All West Virginia

Sometimes it is the legislation that seems smaller — perhaps grabs fewer headlines — that can make the biggest difference for individuals. That is the case for state House Bill 4089, which recently became law in West Virginia after legislators finally supported it during this winter’s legislative session. Also called Jessica Huffman’s Law, the effort was inspired by Huffman’s own experience while receiving chemotherapy treatments a couple of years ago, according to Wrap Up, the West Virginia Legislature’s official blog. Though Huffman was unprepared by the loss of her ...

Letter: Is Dog Racing In Its Final Lap in Wheeling?

I've been going to the Wheeling Island dog track since it first opened in the 1970s and know it's only a matter of time until enough politicians will figure out a way to get rid of the sport. Sooner or later the right amount of campaign donations will make it happen. The owners of the two casinos don't want it, and I'm pretty sure those involved in the sport know it's inevitable. When was the last time anyone saw an advertisement in the media or even something on billboards while driving on the interstate? To research and argue the financial issues of dog racing is useless at this ...

Facts Matter — So Does Communication

The conversation this past week on a proposed data center project at the former Centre Foundry site on River Road in Warwood has been dominated by something other than facts — primarily, speculation. Since Saturday, rumors on the potential project spread very quickly. Information found online about data centers amplified concerns. An impromptu town hall even took place at the Warwood Vets on Tuesday, with a state senator and state delegate in attendance. Both admitted they knew absolutely nothing about the proposed development yet offered their thoughts anyway. In the absence of ...

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito: Holding Broadband Providers Accountable

Rural America is a special and unique place, filled by a collection of small towns united by their desire for freedom and determination to take care of one another. No state in our union displays this better than my state of West Virginia, which I am honored to serve and fight for in the U.S. Senate. West Virginia is the only state in America entirely encompassed by Appalachia and is recognized around the world for the kindness of our people, the strength of our communities, the trust we place in one another, and the beauty of our mountains. Our natural landscape and features have even ...