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Go Get Educated, Get Out And Vote

Editorials

Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day. Wednesday was Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. In other words, it is a week during which Americans are asked to think a little harder about what our founders had in mind when they were signing the Constitution back in 1787, and whether we are holding up our end of the bargain. In 2004, the late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., (hard not to wonder what he’d have to say about the state of things these days, isn’t it?) tacked on an amendment to the omnibus spending bill that modified the law so that during the federal observance of ...

The Correct View on Maps

Editorials

Though the results of Ohio’s latest redistricting attempt have yet to be seen, state House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, should be commended for one thing: He says he will not give in to pressure from the White House to draw maps that meet the approval of President Donald Trump. “I’m most interested in what residents of the state of Ohio have to say,” Huffman said when asked about Trump and national influence, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. “Of course, the President of the United States is an important person too, but there are 11 million+ people in the state of ...

Treatment Courts Deserve Funding

Editorials

State lawmakers created the Family Treatment Courts program in West Virginia back in 2019. Two years later, they were pleased enough with the program to make it permanent — under the state Supreme Court of Appeals’ supervision. For a while, this important program — 14 Family Treatment Courts in 18 counties, working to provide resources for parents overcoming substance use disorders while moving toward the safe reunification of families — was funded by federal grants and McKesson Corporation settlement funds through the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy. This year, ...

A Credit Card Conundrum

Editorials

When it comes to economic indicators, the big national metrics don’t always reflect what is happening in ordinary households. But families certainly understand what it means for them if they are forced to rely more on credit cards to get by. According to WalletHub’s “States with Largest and Smallest Credit Card Debt Increases,” released this month, Ohio has the eighth-largest credit card debt increase in the country in the second quarter. In the Buckeye State, the average credit card debt increased by $858,373 from Q1. The average household in the state owes $9,352 in credit ...

Reynolds’ Growth Is a Boon for the Ohio Valley

Editorials

WVU Medicine’s growth in the Ohio Valley has jumped in recent years, a prime example being WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital’s previous and future expansions. Last week, WVU Medicine Reynolds Hospital President and CEO Tony Martinelli went down that long list at Marshall County Chamber of Commerce breakfast. On top of $23 million in renovations completed earlier this year that included five operating rooms and two procedural suites, the Reynolds Rapid Care facility will soon move to a new space in the plaza beside Aldi. And that’s just phase one. Phase two includes a new ...

West Virginia Corrections Staffing Issues Must Be Remedied

Editorials

West Virginia’s Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation continues to face a challenge experienced by many private employers: staffing shortages and pay rates that haven’t been able to keep up with inflation. David Kelly, commissioner of the DCR, reported to lawmakers this week that as of July there were still 410 vacancies of uniformed and non-uniformed personnel, with 223 vacancies of correctional officers across all facilities. The difference between most employers in the state and the DCR is that staffing shortages don’t result in a legitimate state of emergency or ...