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Defeating Loneliness, One Precious Day at a Time

Local Columns

Several times in our life my wife and I had a beautiful experience of being foster parents. The first couple of times was to a beautiful 9-year-old girl. Then the next time it was a family of five. Then last time a family of two children. I did not know how old I had gotten until I tried to stay up with the kids. Our kids are in their 40s down to their 20s. Our youngest daughter and her husband are expecting our next grandchild now. I have gotten comfortable with grandparent duties, a few fun hours, then turn them back over to the real parents. I had forgotten the 24-hour care from ...

Doing Kids a Disservice With School Calendar

Letters to the Editor

Editor, News-Register: The Republican Super Majority in the West Virginia Legislature makes no sense on education. Last year they made a heartfelt best effort by passing the third-grade success act, which would require additional instruction time for reading students struggling in the classroom. Now, Senate Bill 890 passed without a single nay vote and only two no votes in the House of Delegates, sending the bill to Gov. Patrick Morrisey for his signature. The problem is that the new law will change the school calendar from its current 180 days of instruction to 900 hours of ...

Some Signs Of The Times

Editorials

Folks driving down Wheeling’s Main Street the last couple of days may have looked wistfully at the old Kaufman’s building, noting that the blue metal panels and sign that made that building a unique aspect of that street were coming down. High winds blew out some of the panels earlier in the week, and crews were there mid-week removing more. Plenty of people remember walking through those doors over Kaufman’s 80 years in business in that spot. Before it closed in 2010, it was part of Wheeling’s retail fabric. Students and parents bought prom dresses and other clothing there. ...

Don’t Forget Childcare

Editorials

Advocacy groups noticed a gap in Gov. Mike DeWine’s State of the State speech last week, as they worry about his failure to mention accessible, affordable child care as a priority for the year. To be fair, if the governor had mentioned everything he wanted to get done as his tenure wraps, we might still be listening to him speak. Still, it is important for DeWine and lawmakers not to drop the ball on an issue that is immensely important to many Ohio families. “Tell me how you can be pro-growth, and pro-business, and pro-Ohio when you are telling parents you should stay home ...

W.Va. Vaccinations Keeping Us Safe

Editorials

There have been no reported cases of measles so far this year in the state of West Virginia, and local health officials are saying that the people of West Virignia have a lot to do with that. Ohio County Health Administrator Howard Gamble said that high vaccination rates in the Mountain State are much of the reason for not seeing any reported cases so far. “Some of the difference can be attributed to the fact that we have a high rate of vaccination for measles. Most of that is attributed to state law, which requires all pupils entering school to be vaccinated or have an ...

Remembering Those Lost

Editorials

Though it happened decades ago, the United Mine Workers of America Local 1304 won’t let the memories fade — nor should they. In 1940, Belmont County saw a devastating explosion at the Willow Grove Mine, where 72 miners were killed. “They left the house in the morning to go to the job site. They kissed their wives goodbye, and within a blink of an eye, they became the widows, and they left their children,” UMWA Local 1304 Financial Secretary Mel Woods said. Since then, the UMWA local has transformed the site to a fitting memorial for those miners. A memorial stone and ...