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Barbour County is ready for fall football season

Columnists

It’s football season. Good luck to all the many players this season. Stay safe and do your best. Congratulations to Miss Barbour County 2025, Aubrey D’Angelo. Best wishes and have fun on your reign. There will be a Ladies Night Out on Sept. 9 from 6-9 pm at Battlers Knob. There will be live entertainment, a Photo Booth, wine tasting, door prizes, food, and more. Tickets can be purchased at People’s Bank, BC Bank, or any Freedom Bank location. Also on Sept. 9, from 4:30-6 p.m., Philippi Public Library will be hosting Family Game Night. Try a new game or play an old ...

No more happy talk

Columnists

Activists within the Democratic party have shown energy, staging demonstrations such as “no kings” to “workers over billionaires.” Moreover, California Governor Gavin Newsom has pushed back against the Texas redistricting scheme and President Donald Trump’s attempt to take over American municipalities. Also, Democrats won a special election in Iowa for the state senate. You could say they have enjoyed a good summer. As Lee Corso says, “Not so fast, my friend.” Despite the activist energy and successes, the Democratic National Committee has managed to impede any sense ...

Reader: Gambling isn’t glamorous

Letters to the Editor

Admittedly, I watch a lot of television; probably too much. Lately, I have been astounded at the sheer volume and nature of advertising promoting online gambling. Beautiful people decked to the nines placing bets, laughing and celebrating their endless good fortune. Celebrites and models normalizing what used to be considered a vice. Financial incentives to get you to place that first bet. The most absurd and manipulative ad, in my opinion, features a beautiful woman taking a bubble bath on the 50-yard line of some football stadium while expounding on the virtues of sports ...

Letting the volunteer lights shine

Columnists

When the leaves begin turning yellow, orange, and red, we see Forest Festival volunteers working all over the Elkins community. On Friday we saw the red t-shirts for United Way Day of Action, This week we celebrated volunteers who let their lights shine to help Kump Education Center create a brighter future. Our volunteers helped me remember our shared history and think about the ways we can teach the next generation what we learned from the generations before us about honesty, kindness, and responsibility. Volunteering is an affirmation of our shared humanity. It is the essence of ...

How much would data center cost?

Letters to the Editor

As Tucker County faces the prospect of hosting a massive gas-powered data center complex, one question remains unanswered: how much will this cost us? The Ridgeline facility, backed by out-of-state interests and fast-tracked under HB 2014, could reshape our economy and our landscape. Developers like Fundamental data LLC tout jobs and investment but refuse to guarantee even one local job. We don’t know what we are going to get. And the bigger question is what we stand to lose—especially in local tax revenue. Under HB 2014 rules, property taxes that would normally support Tucker ...

Companies thrive when leaders know what’s expected of them

Columnists

Clarity is key in building and sustaining a high-performing culture. For leaders, this means making sure messages are clear and understood — not ambiguous or confusing — and that everyone knows what they’re supposed to do and how it contributes to the organization’s objectives. Clarity is vital in each part of the organization, and it applies to everyone.  (Here, I am talking about clarity as it relates to the workplace. However, the principles certainly apply to life in general.) Peter Drucker (1909-2005), whom many consider the “father of modern management,” and ...