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Editorials

New Rule

Up and down the Ohio River Valley, communities have gotten used to seeing what comes out of the many industrial facilities that help support the economy. (And, to be clear, some of that is just water vapor.) We have also gotten used to the increased number of medical conditions some experts say are caused by those emissions. There are entire swaths of West Virginia where the residents refer to themselves as living in “Cancer Alley.” Poor, rural and minority communities have for centuries shouldered a heavier burden when it comes to the consequences of living near the economic ...

Boos & Applause

Applause to the many volunteers, and the hundreds of attendees, who all made Tuesday’s third annual CommUnity Table event on Davis Avenue in downtown Elkins a huge success. The event was free to the public and featured soup made by local restaurants and organizations. Tables were placed together down the center of Davis Avenue, forming one large table where those taking part could enjoy their meal. This year’s event drew the biggest crowd yet, and organizers are hoping the event continues to grow year after year. Applause to a local bank that is bringing financial literacy education ...

Intolerance

Anti-Catholic sentiment has been present in what is now the United States since the first Europeans made their way to the continent. Once the U.S. was established, it continued to rear its ugly head in waves, often brewing in the minds of those who think of themselves as nativists, nationalists and patriots. It became a rallying point for hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. As with so many other disgraceful hatreds that have become more visible with the help of social media and our political atmosphere, this one is peeking out from behind the curtain again, too. A recent incident ...

Teachable Moment

Many of the county school systems across West Virginia let students out of school early Monday — or canceled the whole day’s classes — due to the total solar eclipse set to take place in the afternoon. Several local private schools, however, took advantage of the rare event to teach their students about science and nature, allowing the kids to experience the eclipse together. At Highland Adventist School in Randolph County, teacher Stacy Blancy helped students construct pinhole cameras to use for viewing. The students were also provided approved eclipse safety glasses. In ...

Tragic Trend

A tragic trend is emerging at West Virginia’s roadwork sites. Rather than paying more attention as we approach work zones, we seem to be paying less — with deadly consequences. Last week, the West Virginia Department of Transportation said a woman was killed while working as a flagger for the construction company working on the U.S. 340 widening project in Jefferson County. According to a news release from the DOT, the flagger had stopped traffic when a car sped into the work zone, swerved to miss the traffic and instead hit her. Though bystanders reportedly were able to lift ...

Postal Service

Most West Virginians have a pretty good idea what the federal government and its partner agencies think of us. (We also know that SOME of our reputation is earned.) But while we were busy bracing for reported tornadoes, derechos, heavy rain and flooding that has demanded our full attention for days, the U.S. Postal Service made an insulting and damaging move. On April 2, the U.S. Postal Service went ahead with its decision to convert the Charleston Processing and Distribution Center into a Local Processing Center. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., let loose with his frustration, ...