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Bishop Darrell Cummings: It Takes a True Man to Be a Dad

Local Columns

The last 12 months have been something unique and special. In the last number of years certain things have been shaping my life. I found out what it is to be an orphan. In South Africa, where I am blessed to minister, anyone whose parents are deceased is considered an orphan. It does not matter the age of the child, if they are 5 years old, or 50 years old. If both of their parents are deceased, they are an orphan. In American culture we limit it to being an adolescent, or young age of 18 years old or younger. My mother died when I was 16 and my father died when I was 46. The world is ...

Donating Blood Is As Important As Ever

Editorials

There’s a lot to be cheerful about, as the end of the school year, warmer weather and the arrival of the travel/vacation season have most people in more chipper moods. But for some, summertime coincides with the “100 deadliest days,” the period from approximately Memorial Day to Labor Day during which there is a dramatic increase in serious incidents such as car accidents, ATV crashes, sports-related injuries and other summertime activities. Sharon Kesselring, executive director of the American Red Cross of the Ohio Valley called it “trauma season.” Meanwhile, Kesselring ...

David H. McKinley: W.Va. 2026 Primary Was A Warning Worth Heeding

Local Columns

The 2026 West Virginia primary didn't go the way pro-jobs conservatives hoped. Millions of dollars flooded in from out-of-state groups running negative campaigns against candidates focused on jobs and economic growth. When the votes were counted, the State Senate was unchanged, the House barely shifted, and Republicans lost control of the judiciary for the first time in a decade. That last one stings. But a draw is not a defeat, and the fight is far from over. Here's what actually happened. Outside ideological organizations, working alongside local trial lawyers with little interest in ...

John McCabe: With Ohio County Schools' Start Time Discussion, The Proposal Is Wrong, But The Objective Is Right

Local Columns

Three things became clear during this past Monday’s Ohio County Board of Education meeting, where possible changes to school start times appeared on the agenda following a proposal from the district’s school start time committee. First, the proposal presented to the board of education truly is not a workable solution. Simply moving all the schools back 30 minutes doesn’t benefit anyone, particularly parents of elementary school-aged children. Asking working families — many of whom may not have family support — to figure out how to get their children to school for a 9:40 a.m. ...

One Year After The Ohio County Floods, We Remember

Editorials

On June 14, 2025, lives changed forever in Triadelphia, Valley Grove and throughout our region. In a matter of minutes late that Saturday evening, a catastrophic flash flood tore through neighborhoods, swept away homes and vehicles, and left devastation unlike anything that community ever had experienced. When the water finally receded, nine people were gone. Dozens of families faced the heartbreaking task of rebuilding not only their homes, but their lives. A year later, that pain remains. There are empty seats at family gatherings. There are birthdays that arrive without a ...

WVU Baseball A Hit Thanks To Support

Editorials

On Friday, the West Virginia University baseball team will clear a new horizon ­— the Mountaineers will play its first College World Series game in program history. To understand the importance of this moment is to understand from where this program came. In 2012, disbanding that program was an option legitimately on the table. Hawley Field, the Mountaineers’ former playing grounds, was nothing worthy of a power-conference baseball team, much less one that would play in the Big 12. Scholarship allotments were rarely at their maximum. WVU had a baseball team, but it was debatable ...