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Honor The Fallen This Patriot Day

Editorials

Though the sense of urgency associated with observing the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the U.S. has faded a bit in recent years, we have still observed Patriot Day every September 11 as a national day of prayer and remembrance for the victims. For some, it has become a day of service to their communities to honor the lives of the 2,977 who were lost. For most, the day still stirs up memories of streets lined with U.S. flags and a country united as patriots — determined to stand strong in the face of those who loathed what we said we stood for nearly a ...

Barnes A Deserving Winner

Editorials

Tiffany Barnes may have said she was “dumbfounded” after she heard her name announced as the West Virginia Teacher of the Year, but with her story, it’s no surprise. Barnes is an example of what hard work and a love of teaching children can do. An Iraq War veteran, Barnes began her career in Ohio County Schools as a substitute aide and cook. She earned her teaching and autism certifications and now is a full-time special education teacher at Wheeling Middle School. After her win, she talked about studying through the night for her degrees and certifications, as well as the ...

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late for FEMA

Editorials

As of today, there is less than two weeks left for those who suffered damage in the June Ohio County floods to apply for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The deadline to apply is Sept. 22. So far, many have taken advantage of that aid to the tune of millions of dollars. At a recent Ohio County Commission meeting, Ohio County EMA Director Lou Vargo said 519 Ohio County residents have applied and FEMA has awarded more than $5.9 million from those claims. Yet there may still be some out there who haven’t yet taken advantage of those services. Maybe they don’t ...

Employment Rates Still Rough

Editorials

Employment rates continue to struggle all over the country. The approximately 7.2 million people in the U.S. unemployed during the last week of August pushed the nationwide average up 3.5% week-over-week heading into the Labor Day weekend. That added to the trend of a small overall increase in unemployment nationwide, over the past year, according to WalletHub. So, the personal finance company dug deeper and took a look at weekly claims on the state level. West Virginia was among those where unemployment claims were higher than they’d been in the previous week. Change in ...

Energy Ideas Needed

Editorials

As the most obvious economic development in Ohio is data centers and server farms — necessary, but not exactly providing a lot of jobs while they place a greater burden on our energy infrastructure — lawmakers are looking for new ways to make sure those hungry facilities get all the electricity they need. The growing demand is creating the possibility of energy shortages, prompting lawmakers to come up with energy efficiency and energy generation ideas. “Until we get new baseload built, there is still not enough energy,” state Rep. Roy Klopfenstein, R-Haviland, told the ...

Please Do Your Part To Help Fight Hunger

Editorials

September is the start of many things: football season, the school year for some, spooky season if you ask the right people … But this is also Hunger Action Month. Note the difference between this “month” designation and many others. This is not just about awareness; this is about action to “provide nutritious food to neighbors facing hunger,” as Feeding America puts it. The idea is to come together with food banks and volunteers in communities “to build a nation where everyone has the food and support they need.” But that doesn’t happen if YOU don’t take ...