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Reporter's Notebook: Stepping On Rakes

Local Columns

A clip from Aaron Sorkin's "The West Wing" came to mind last week. C.J. Cregg, the press secretary for fictional President Josiah Bartlet, confronts reporter Danny Concannon, who is writing a story after obtaining a document laying out the president's first-term fails. Cregg is not happy about this, but Concannon defends the piece, arguing that just because it's bad news for the Bartlet White House doesn't mean it's not news. “None of this is our fault. … You guys are stuck in the mud around here, and none of it is the fault of the press,” Concannon shouts at Cregg. As ...

School Attendance Policy A Good Step

Editorials

One of the biggest roadblocks to a good education is the student not showing up to school in the first place. Ohio County Schools is trying to cut down on the number of students who miss too much school. At the last Ohio County Board of Education meeting, Ohio County Schools Attendance Director Raquel McLeod informed the board on the changes the district is making to its attendance policy to cut down on “chronic absenteeism,” defined as missing more than 10% of the days in an average school year — 18 days based on the West Virginia public school calendar. A statistic McLeod ...

Kris Warner: When It Comes to Secure And Fair Elections, Trust Matters

Local Columns

As technology continues to evolve, so do the ways Americans seek information. Increasingly, people turn to social media artificial intelligence tools to answer everyday questions. From what started as a new type of search engine for planning a vacation or researching a school assignment, some AI users are now using these same tools to obtain information about voting and elections. While these technologies offer tremendous potential, voters should exercise extreme caution when relying on AI-generated responses for election information. A recent study cited by The Hill found that ...

John McCabe: Our Region’s Future Is Dependent on Action Now

Local Columns

Every time I feel optimistic about the Upper Ohio Valley’s future, something reminds me of just how much work remains if we do, indeed, seek a better tomorrow. This past week, that reminder came during a drive north along Ohio 7 from Wheeling toward Warren, Ohio. During that drive, I passed several remnants of our industrial past that no longer exist. And it made me realize the level of urgency our region needs — and now. First, driving through Belmont and Jefferson counties toward Steubenville, there were the shuttered steel plants that not too many years ago supported ...

Job Growth Needs A Boost

Editorials

A new analysis shows that while Ohio officials have a little reason to be proud of relatively low unemployment rates, the bigger picture is disturbing. Job growth is slowing to a crawl. Policy Matters Ohio reports one reason for slowed job growth alongside low unemployment is that employers are more cautious about hiring. Nationwide, there is stronger than expected hiring, but Policy Matters researcher Molly Bryden told the Ohio Capital Journal that signals more a recovery from an earlier slowdown than a continued upward trend. And here in the Buckeye State, the number of people ...

Low Voter Turnout Is No Good For America

Editorials

Considering sitting out this November’s General Election? There are plenty of people who feel either so fed up or so helpless and hopeless that they think the best option is to not vote. Nothing could be further from the truth. Low voter turnout tends to lead to more extreme results; and a whole lot of people who remain unsatisfied AND had no say in the matter. The solution isn’t to sit out. It’s to do your research and determine which candidates align most closely with the representation you want in local, state and federal government. It doesn’t mean you’re going to find ...