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MSFF reflections of 20th Century

Forest Festival is a time of beautiful autumn memories. This year with Sterling Anne Kump becoming Queen Silvia LXXXVII, it is truly a new time to “Embrace Nature’s Charm” and remember that our local traditions are creatively inspired by a desire for excellence. The name Sterling means excellent and valuable like the British pound sterling. It stands for both honest government and reliable currency. Our tour through the Kump House with Sterling Kump featured family photos and the Forest Festival dresses that her relatives wore in the last century. There is a lovely pink velvet ...

Risk vs. returns

You would think that the Jimmy Kimmel affair might have given President Donald Trump pause about his “retribution” campaign. After being cocky in the week when Kimmel was off the air, MAGA operatives were surprised when he returned to late-night television. Furthermore, his ratings were higher than ever, so high that Sinclair and NEXSTAR instructed their affiliates to rescind their ban on Kimmel‘s show. But the lessons were not learned. Trump then turned his fury on James Comey, former FBI Director. He was indicted on vague and thin charges, with a rookie prosecutor handling the ...

Employee performance: Better to prevent than intervene

I read an article on performance improvement plans (PIPs). It got me thinking about how companies can better approach employee performance. When a person in a workplace is not achieving outcomes, they are placed on a performance improvement plan. The PIP includes details on performance shortfalls and actions the person is expected to improve. It ensures that the supervisor is documenting issues and that the person is aware of the outcomes needed if they’re to stay on the job.   Being placed on a PIP can be seen as a last resort. Some people resign. Others go on to achieve ...

Shutdown looming

With a looming government shutdown, President Donald Trump needs to reassess his approach to congressional Democrats. He might avert it altogether, depending on whether Mike Johnson in the House of Representatives and GOP stalwarts in the Senate approve a continuing resolution. But he may be better advised to correct some of his earlier decisions. In the first month of his administration, Trump made an error by depending on DOGE and the mercurial Elon Musk. Add on project 2025, championed by Russell Vought, whose mechanical approach to politics is tone-deaf to MAGA. Tax cuts ...

Republicans vs. Republicans

We are more than three months away from the candidate filing period for the 2026 midterm elections. All 100 members of the House of Delegates and 17 members of the 34-member state Senate will be up for election next year. Unfortunately for the West Virginia Democratic Party, most if not all — of those elections will be settled during the party primaries on May 12 and the early voting period that proceeds that. Republicans control supermajorities in both bodies, with 91 Republicans in the House and 32 Republicans in the Senate. That’s the peak of GOP legislative control at the ...

Can Americans right this listing ship?

There are few things the old me liked more than a meaty discussion about the American Founding. The history was interesting for its own sake but also essential guidance for the present and future. Or so I believed for decades. The other day, a podcast in my feed addressed these matters and I had to turn it off. Reflections on the Founders no longer feel energizing. Instead, it now feels to me as if we’re seeing the end of the story. Perhaps we will right the ship, but that’s by no means clear, and at this moment of crisis, it’s impossible to think about the Founding without ...