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Make Sure To Move Over

Editorials

There are plenty of designated days, weeks and months meant to raise awareness and perhaps steer conversations toward finding solutions to some of our biggest challenges. For example, the third Saturday in October is National Move Over Day, according to a representative of AAA, who spoke with WCHS earlier this week. Lori Weaver Hawkins told the news station “That gives us an added way to really educate the public and bring awareness to this issue.” Ignoring the rules continues to prove deadly in West Virginia and everywhere, as Beau Evans with the Governor’s Highway Safety ...

MEC A Wonderful Wheeling Partner

Editorials

As the Mountain East Conference held its preseason men’s and women’s basketball press conference at WesBanco Arena — the home of the MEC Basketball Tournament since 2019 ­— Commissioner Reid Amos discussed why the conference decided to extend its deal with the city of Wheeling for another three years. “(T)he outstanding support we’ve received from The Health Plan and CEO Jeff Knight and Dave Flatley who coordinates an organizing committee, the support we’ve received from the City of Wheeling and we’ve worked with the current mayor, Denny Magruder, when he ran WesBanco ...

Student Loan Issues Not Good for W.Va.

Editorials

Among the concerns for some of those worried about their finances amid a federal government shutdown, continued increasing inflation, high interest rates and an unsteady jobs market, is the burden of student loan repayment. In West Virginia, that burden is especially heavy. According to personal finance company WalletHub, West Virginia carries the eighth most student debt in the country. The Mountain State is 25th for average student debt, but third for the proportion of students with debt and fourth for student debt as a percentage of income. Meanwhile, the state is 15th for the ...

Driving Safe at Any Age

Editorials

Every once in a while, politicians will float the question of whether drivers should have to retake their tests as a requirement for license renewal after a certain age. With age comes the possibility of reduced vision, perhaps hearing loss, reduced reflexes and other changes we all laugh about as a fact of life until someone mentions them in the context of affecting a person’s ability to drive safely. Then pride kicks in. Well, pride and a little stubbornness as most of us bristle at the idea of the government telling us it’s possible we are less able to do something we’ve done ...

A Sad Farewell to Viennese Ball

Editorials

It was disappointing to hear the news last week that, after 44 years, the Viennese Ball would be ending. It had been a wonderful feature of Wheeling social life for so long. Yet, given the reasons, it’s understandable. The ball, a fundraiser for the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, had just become to expensive to put on and still serve its mission of supporting the WSO. “After last year, we knew things either had to change or we couldn’t go forward,” Ball Committee Chair Paula McClure said. “And it’s the rising cost of just about everything — whether it’s flowers or ...

Making Progress in West Virginia Education

Editorials

Despite the myriad challenges they have faced over the past few years and perpetual meddling from state and federal government, West Virginia public schools have managed to improve a little in key educational and operational areas, according to the state Department of Education’s annual report on county approval status and accreditation. When Deputy Superintendent of School Sonya White spoke to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability this week, she said 29 county school districts were listed this year as needing assistance for not meeting one or more ...