If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then this beholder finds the Davis & Elkins College campus exceptionally beautiful. Whether feasting one’s eyes on the mountains surrounding the campus, or the close encounter with nature resulting from the woods, trees and plantings throughout ...

Political scientists devote their lives to using scholarly studies to develop formulas predicting how people will vote. Campaign consultants rake in six-figure fees by assuring candidates they can do that. Pollsters insist they’ve got it down to a science. With all that in mind, who’s ...

Last Friday morning Jim Jackson was host and tour guide for 21 Elkins Middle School students in our STREAM mentoring program when they visited Elkins Fordland. It was a wonderful opportunity for the students to see a local business man who really cares about kids. Mr. Jackson also serves as ...

President Donald Trump’s sacking of Kirstjen Nielsen as Secretary of Homeland Security along with her staff once more proves an ominous point. When he gets frustrated, he plays a nativist card. So devoid of visions, Trump goes back to what he convinces himself as his touchstone issue. It is ...

Hello from Barbour County! Some of us were surprised earlier this week to see winter make an entrance once again. Snow flurries and cold temperatures stormed in, but then by the end of the week, it was spring once again. We were able to get some much-needed yard work done, as well as ...

While a friend of mine and his wife were eating dinner at a local restaurant the other evening, her cellphone rang. She’s a school teacher. One of her students was calling.He and his siblings were hungry, he told her. Aware of his family situation, she knew the children needed some help. So ...

April is always a busy time at Kump Education Center. Our STREAM program students from North Elementary had their field trip at the new water plant and Kump Education Center last week, and the Elkins Middle School visited Elkins Fordland and Randolph Technical Center this week. On Wednesday, ...

It seems providential that in its presidential election, Ukrainians chose a comic, at least in the first round. Petro Poroshenko, the confectionery king, limped in at a poor second place. Quite appropriate for a government placed in power after a comic-opera coup in 2014. At least, Volodymyr ...

What happens if the West Virginia Legislature, during the special session planned for the next couple of months, enacts a bill requiring big changes in public schools? You’ll have to ask members of the state Board of Education about that. They, not legislators, have the final say — ...

April is here and that means it's time for our students in the STREAM mentoring program to go on field trips. This year Jeanne Johnson and I decided to take her 21 students at North Elementary School to see the new Elkins Water Plant at the top of High Street. It's just about as high up as ...

Hello from Barbour County! There are some mornings that I still have a little frost on my windshield, but I've seen lots of flowers popping up, and have even heard some “spring peepers”! On Sunday, April 7, there will be a Vera Bradley/Pampered Chef bingo fundraiser at the Urban Studio ...

Well, there he goes again. Donald Trump, fresh off what he thinks is a vindication, promptly shot himself in the political foot. With the highly partisan William Barr summary giving the president some breathing room, he blasted Obamacare and once more revives the ridiculous border issue. As ...

The much-balleyhooed Mueller report proved to be a dud. It represents the biggest attempt by foreign policy hardliners to present any reapproachment with the Russian federation. For two years, the tax dollars flowed and the moralists thundered, not to mention the remarks questioning Donald ...

Julia Elbon and I made a trip to Charleston this week to meet with the staff of First Lady Cathy Justice at the Governor’s Mansion because education is the issue that Ms. Justice has selected as her main focus while her husband is Governor because she was a teacher herself. We invited the ...

These days, quite a few politicians seem to believe the key to success is pandering to one’s so-called “core constituency.” It appears most Democrats consider that to be the 20-30 percent of the people with very liberal views, while most Republicans appeal to the 20-30 percent with very ...

Perhaps the best advice for West Virginia legislators preparing for a special session on public school improvement is this: Just let the teachers teach. After the fiasco over Senate Bill 451, the “omnibus education bill” this winter, Gov. Jim Justice called for a special legislative ...

“Restorative Justice” is a concept that is revolutionizing student discipline in American schools. This new approach to behavior management empowers students to take responsibility for their own actions and for the culture in their school communities. These newer ideas are not widely used ...

Framers of United States foreign policy frequently re-examine the essential goals behind diplomatic and military necessity. Recently the neo-Conservative wing led by Max Boot and Robert Kagan have tried to distance themselves from hard-liners such as John Bolton and Mike Pompeo. It is not an ...

Hello from Barbour County! Congratulations to Belington mayor Matt Ryan. The race for mayor was a close one this year, so a recount was requested to be sure of the votes. As a result of the recount, a tie was announced, so numbers were drawn, and Mayor Ryan will continue to serve for ...

“When I was a student, Davis & Elkins College became my second family.” This phrase, or a variation thereof, is one I have heard hundreds of times from alumni during my travels on behalf of the College. As was true in the past, today’s students continue to experience the family ...