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‘Raylee’s Law’ No Place for Games

Editorials

A group of lawmakers who repeatedly try to earn cheap political points by talking about how precious to them are West Virginia children showed their true colors Saturday in ugly fashion. Legislators had a chance to pass House Bill 5537 — Raylee’s Law, which would have prohibited county boards of education from approving a request for home school instruction for an enrolled public school if there is a pending child abuse or neglect investigation against that child’s parent or guardian. There is already proof the law is necessary. Raylee Browning died in 2018 as a result of child ...

Help West Virginia Highways

Editorials

Did warmer weather have you flinging open your windows and getting a jump-start on spring cleaning recently? If you’ve already started planning for that annual home reset, it’s time to start planning for how to help West Virginia’s highways get a clean start to the spring/summer travel season, too. Registration is open for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s annual Adopt-A-Highway Spring Statewide Cleanup, which will be April 25. No, you don’t have to tackle a stretch of highway by yourself. This is an opportunity for individuals, yes, but also ...

WPHS Speech Team Keeps Streak Rolling

Editorials

Here’s a statement that should astound you: the Wheeling Park High Speech and Debate team this past weekend won its 46th consecutive state championship. Forty-six. Since 1980, only one team in the Mountain State has come home with that trophy, and that team calls the school atop the hill at Wheeling Park its home. It’s a testament to each team’s talent, hard work and dedication to their craft. So how does one team establish that level of dominance over more than four-and-a-half decades? Everyone involved understands the legacy they’re part of. To understand that legacy, ...

Beware The Ides Of March

Local Columns

William Shakespeare gave us one of the great lines with the warning to Julius Caesar to "beware the ides of March." But that warning should have been given to the House of Delegates a few hours earlier Saturday on the final day of the 2026 legislative session. I'm referring to the trainwreck of parliamentary procedure and calendar management regarding House Bill 5537, the bill that became the vehicle for this year's version of Raylee's Law to help protect children when they're parents or guardians try to pull them from public school while under CPS investigation. The state ...

Ballouz Epitomized Best of Wheeling

Letters to the Editor

Editor, News-Register: I have known Charlie Ballouz for many, many years. We have taken a number of trips together in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. During those travels, Charlie always talked about how much he loved Wheeling. He actually taught me about the history of the “Friendly City.” Charlie was caring and loved to be around people. He never had a bad word to say about anyone. Charlie Ballouz was truly a man of integrity and was highly respected by those who knew him. Forever smiling, Charlie was always there to help anyone who needed to hear some words of ...

Let's Power Up West Virginia Manufacturers

Local Columns

Walk into any home in West Virginia, and you will find something locally made, from kitchen cabinets to car parts to cat litter, and lots more. These products are part of everyday life, just like the paychecks earned in the making of these products. All these products and jobs face a challenge: Having adequate, reliable and affordable electric power to run our manufacturing plants in the near future. Regardless of size, it is a real concern for companies that make products that we use every day, ship around the world, and contribute to the Mountain State’s economy. There is a lot ...