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Assignments

West Virginians have become accustomed to having strong representation in the U.S. Senate, by elected officials who have earned influential positions on important committees. It seems as though that influence is set to be extended — perhaps even strengthened — as U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Sen.-elect Jim Justice, R-W.Va., have been given their committee assignments for the coming year. Capito will be chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. She was already chosen by her caucus to be chairwoman of the Republican Policy Committee, making ...

Christmas Light

Just a few short days ago, the winter solstice marked the longest night of the year. Darkness blanketed the hemisphere for longer than it will again until Dec. 21 next year. And so now, we turn toward the light. On Christmas Day we celebrate the arrival of a Light who prompted the announcing of “glad tidings of great joy.” A baby born to grow into a man who would ask us to understand we are loved and to love one another just the same. Wise men and visionary women sought him, tyrants feared him, and even then, there was the giving of gifts. Though this Christmas may see few ...

Holiday Travel

“Over the river and through the woods” gets taken to another level in West Virginia during the holidays. No matter where they live now, the Mountain State is still “home” to thousands upon thousands of people who will be making the journey to be in the place they belong for Christmas and maybe even New Year’s Day. According to the state Parkways Authority, an estimated 1.48 million transactions is expected on the West Virginia Turnpike between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2. Of course, not all of those vehicles full of people will wind up stopping here. But plenty will. And forget ...

Technology

For many young people this Christmas, the gifts under the tree will include a tech gadget or two — maybe a new phone, maybe a new video game system. Some of them may rush up to their rooms and immediately get connected to the internet, social media or others playing the same video game half a world away. Parents and guardians must prepare them for how to make those connections safely, as the virtual world contains many more real dangers than they will encounter in a school library or public restroom. In the virtual world, there lurk individuals such as the 34-year-old Benwood, ...

Troubling

Disagreement persists inside and outside of the political arena over what books school children should be permitted to read, tied to classroom work, and over what books should be banned from their eyesight. Censorship always will be a volatile discussion issue in what is touted as a free country. For many adults, including parents and politicians, what education professionals think — including education professionals who have spent decades helping to educate children without others second-guessing — now doesn’t matter. Some people prefer to form their changes-need-to-be-made ...

Red Tape

Politicians in Washington, D.C., certainly love their red tape. Despite the damage such bureaucratic bungling does to their constituents, they just can’t give it up. It should not have come as a surprise, then, when they jettisoned much-needed permitting reform late Monday. “It’s a shame that our country is losing this monumental opportunity to advance the commonsense, bipartisan permitting reform bill that has strong support in the United States Senate,” said Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va. “Unfortunately, this is just another example of politics getting in the way of doing ...