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Pats on the Back

Editorials

- To everyone involved with the VEX Robotics Gateway to the West tournament that filled the Highlands Sports Complex this weekend. In a short period of time, this has turned into one of the marquee robotics events in the region, if not the nation. It’s a wonderful showcase of what Ohio County can do. - To all the city, county and state employees who have spent days clearing the roads around the Ohio Valley after last weekend’s storm dumped inches of snow on us and left sub-zero temperatures in its wake. Thank you for all that you do. - To all the WVU Medicine nurses who were ...

Stop Silly Debates and Get to Work

Editorials

This weekend puts the West Virginia Legislature nearly three weeks into its 2026 session. Both the House of Delegates and Senate have brought several bills to the floor of their respective chambers. The House has already passed multiple bills in the “Jobs First — Opportunity Everywhere” platform it touted before the session even began. One updated the state’s financial support for industrial access roads, doubling it from $3 million to $6 million. Another increased the caps on microgrants for the West Virginia Business Ready Sites program. Were those earth-shaking advances? ...

We All Need To Figure Out How To Disagree Better

Local Columns

Over 225 years ago, in 1800, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” I find myself thinking about that quote often lately, especially as we approach America’s 250th anniversary and look honestly at how we talk to each other today. At 22 years old, my experience of national events has almost entirely come through a phone screen. “Doomscrolling” became a common phrase during the once-in-a-lifetime pandemic my generation lived through. I watched an attempted ...

Fixing Hancock County Schools Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Local Columns

By now nearly everyone has most likely seen the dire financial situation that the Hancock County school system currently finds itself in. Years of inadequate personnel management, overspending, and a lack of thorough financial oversight finally caught up with them when it was recently announced that the school system is facing a budget shortfall of approximately $8 million. All of this occurred over the stretch of multiple superintendents and numerous county board members, and was finally brought to light this past fall when then-superintendent Dan Enich notified the West Virginia ...

Helping Ohio State Parks

Editorials

Ohioans know full well our parks and public lands are national treasures in need of a little polishing. The list of repairs and deferred maintenance is only growing. And, though workers and administrators do their best, time and the elements do take their toll. It makes sense, then, that U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, joined Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Steve Daines, R-Mont., in supporting the America the Beautiful Act to boost and reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund that could help address those challenges. But the backlog stretches far beyond Ohio. According to Husted’s ...

Buying Local Helps All of Us

Editorials

Been stuck in the house for a while? Made one last run at the big box store before the snow, ice and frigid temperatures hit and haven’t spent an extra dime since? One day, we will be through this arctic spell. We’ll need to venture out and do a little shopping. Maybe we’ll just be ready to eat at a restaurant after having gone through everything in the pantry at home. When that time comes, consider spending your money with a smaller, locally owned establishment. Those who have either been forced to close or have seen VERY little traffic because of this weather may be in ...