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Eliminating a Nasty Pest

Editorials

Those insects you see hopping around ... well ... everywhere you walk in the Ohio Valley these days? Those spotted lantern flies aren’t just a nuisance you need to step over. In fact, you should be stepping on them. The lantern fly has worked its way into both sides of the Ohio Valley. They’re found throughout the Northern Panhandle in West Virginia and have been both confirmed and established in Belmont and Jefferson counties. They like to feed on the sap of fruit trees and vines like apple, cherry and grape, and the liquid they secrete invites sooty, black mold that can choke ...

Happy Anniversary to Augusta Levy

Editorials

The Augusta Levy Learning Center recently honored its past and its future with a 20th anniversary celebration —and the announcement of a new name. It will now be called Augusta Levy Behavioral Services, a reflection on the expanded menu of services the organization now provides. “Our services at the center remain true — we’re serving children with autism, but now we can serve adults with behavioral needs, we can provide vocational services and independent living services,” said Angie Wood, Augusta Levy executive director. “We get to help children with severe emotional and ...

Rural Health Needs All Available Help

Editorials

“The program tackles the root causes of rural health care failure. It gives states the tools to design solutions that last, not Band-Aids that fail.” That was Dr. Mehmet Oz, on the speedily unrolled Rural Health Transformation Program that will make available $50 billion — a possible $10 billion per year to states — each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030. Four years of potential federal funding, half of which is to be distributed evenly to all 50 states IF they apply for it; and half to be distributed based on health care metrics. Federal officials have given states until ...

Ohio State Parks a Jewel

Editorials

When you hear Ohioans brag about the state’s natural beauty and recreational opportunities, it might sound like hyperbole to hear we are “the best.” But an award from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association backs us up. Ohio won the 2025 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Ohio’s 76 state parks are available with no entry fee, but have 9,300 campsites, 1,200 miles of trails, ten lodges and more than 7,100 educational programs each year. All that doesn’t happen ...

Awaiting Confirmation

Local Columns

West Virginians awaiting U.S. Senate confirmations will have to wait a little bit longer. Due to Senate Democrats dragging out votes on President Donald Trump’s appointees, the Republican majority has begun approving appointees in large batches. On Thursday, the Senate approved 48 Trump appointees. The next big block of appointees (hat tip Frank Thorp V at NBC News) will likely occur at the beginning of October, assuming the nation is not dealing with a government shutdown. The next block consists of 59 names, including three West Virginians. State Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, ...

Celebrating 135 Years of Service

Editorials

We truly are in the “information age.” Never before has so much information been exchanged by so many, so quickly. But long before most people used the term “information technology,” we at the Wheeling News-Register were experts in using it. Today is our 135th birthday. We at the newspaper celebrate it not just because of our long history of service, but also for what our track record says about the future. On Sept. 22, 1890, when the News-Register began publication, founder H.C. Ogden insisted that service to readers and communities would be our guiding light. Back ...