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Reporter's Notebook: Gov. Morrisey Needs To Break Out The White Board Again

Local Columns

If Gov. Patrick Morrisey is wanting to fix his relationship with fellow Republicans in the West Virginia Legislature, his handling of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program is going a long way to souring that relationship even further with possible electoral repercussions. Last week, the Department of Human Services announced that after only being open a week, the application window was closed for the back-to-school clothing voucher program funded through the TANF program due to running out of money. Families still had 20 days left to apply before the program was ...

New Wheeling Hotel To Be A Game Changer

Editorials

In this past week’s announcement of the new JC Lando hotel to be built in downtown Wheeling, the spirit of old Wheeling could be felt. Barry Allen of nonprofit Vol for Life stood before dozens of Wheeling dignitaries and West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey to talk about the new hotel, which is predicted to bring hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in spending and tax revenue to the Friendly City. In describing why he decided to take on this project, the reason was simple. Allen wants to make Wheeling a better place for everyone. “This project began as a simple passion ...

John McCabe: The Waterfront’s Next Great Chapter Is Here

Local Columns

This past Tuesday, as about 100 people gathered on the porch at WesBanco Arena to hear details of the planned JC Lando Hotel on Water Street moving into its next phase, I took a few minutes to marvel over just how much the downtown’s waterfront has changed since the late 1990s. I still recall one of my earliest stories for these newspapers — a local downtown businessman and property owner who objected to the Wharf parking garage being removed. Water Street then was primarily a mix of commercial businesses. The Wharf garage, which sat on the western end of Water Street, may have ...

Congratulations To Retiring Educators

Editorials

When the Ohio County Board of Education honored its retiring educators this past week, it offered a staggering statistic. The combined experience of the retirees being honored totaled 477 years. “You have been that shoulder for them to put their head on, you were that person that gave them that special pat on the back, you are the person that taught them math,” Ohio County Schools Superintendent Kim Miller said. “You are all in this room and I can’t thank you enough. ... We could not do the things we do in this great county without the work that you have done over the ...

Sales Tax Holiday Coming

Editorials

Need a budget break on back-to-school shopping? West Virginia’s Tax Division has one built in Friday through Aug. 3, with a sales tax holiday that should help. During those days, clothing priced $125 or less, laptops and tablets priced at $500 or less, school instructional materials priced at $20 or less, school supplies priced at $50 or less and sports equipment priced at $150 or less will be exempt from sales tax. The total purchase is not limited, only the amount for each individual item. There are restrictions, of course. Find explanations such as “’School instructional ...

Blue Envelope Program An Important Addition To West Virginia

Editorials

Last week, amid all the disasters that warranted his attention, Gov. Patrick Morrisey also launched the state’s Blue Envelope Program, an important effort that should help law enforcement officers better interact with drivers who have autism spectrum disorder, dementia or intellectual or developmental disabilities. Family and friends of those people know the anxiety that comes with worrying an interaction with law enforcement could go wrong because of difficulties with communication. But the program gives participating drivers a blue envelope where they can put their driver’s ...