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Make Public Schools A Top-Line Choice

Editorials

We can argue about funding and vouchers, transportation and transparency, but West Virginia Board of Education President Paul Hardesty is right. There is no going backward from school choice in the Mountain State. His message last week to public school systems in the state was blunt. “You might not like what I have to say, but I don’t really care. School choice is here to stay,” Hardesty said. “Our 55 county superintendents and boards need to understand that. We are one of the school choice options. We need to make our option more accommodating to parents and ...

Politicizing Our Healthcare Hurts

Editorials

Politicizing healthcare — from vaccines to research and safety net funding — has led to some dangerous changes in public health in this country. Among them is the surge in measles and whooping cough cases. Vaccine hesitancy fueled by intentional misinformation and disingenuous religious freedoms outrage has resulted in significant increases in the two potentially deadly illnesses. Across the country, there have been 1,983 measles cases in the first half of this year, according to an Ohio Capital Journal report that used U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The ...

Building Trust And Sustaining It On W.Va.’s Highways

Local Columns

The State of West Virginia’s transportation system is funded not only by tax dollars, but by trust. Every mile of paved roadway, every bridge rehabilitated, every slip or slide repaired, and every safety improvement delivered is made possible because taxpayers believe those investments will be used wisely, efficiently, and transparently. For those of us in the construction industry, that trust is not assumed—it is earned on every project, every day. That responsibility has taken on even greater importance as conversations around future transportation funding continue to evolve. ...

As The Primary Showed, Every Vote Matters

Local Columns

Every vote matters. We have all heard that phrase countless times, and the 2026 Primary Election proved it once again. Three races for the House of Delegates were decided by six votes or less, and countless others by just a few dozen votes. This proves that you, the voter, taking the affirmative step to cast your ballot can impact the direction of our state. One entity, however, that did not seem to remember that every voter matters was the West Virginia Republican State Executive Committee. A slight majority of the committee made the decision to undo forty years of precedent and ...

John McCabe: On Road Signs, Golf Carts and a Vision

Local Columns

Every time I drive Interstate 70 from Columbus to Wheeling, I find myself paying attention to the green highway signs. Not the ones telling me where to exit for Zanesville or Cambridge. I’m talking about the other ones. At various points around Columbus — the ones I really wonder over are in the city’s neighborhoods, leading to on-ramps to I-70 east — there it is: “Wheeling.” A name on a sign. A destination somewhere off in the distance. And I often ponder, what do the people living in those neighborhoods think when they see it? What image comes to mind? Do they ...

Rebecca McPhail: West Virginia Can Power America's Future

Local Columns

West Virginia is home to world-class natural gas resources that support industries across our region and provide livelihoods for tens of thousands of West Virginians. At the same time, the electric transmission system that delivers power across our state is aging and under increasing strain. This is not just a technical concern. It is an issue that touches every part of our economy and our daily lives. The natural gas and oil industry and the electric grid are closely connected. Compressor stations, processing facilities, and critical safety systems all rely on dependable electricity. ...