You’ve heard of “the butterfly effect.” If not, the Cliff’s Notes version is that the most minuscule action on our plant can spread and, like ripples in a pond, grow until it has gargantuan effects. Well, the butterfly may turn out to be a lightweight, compared to the COVID-19 virus. ...

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I published this column last Memorial Day. This coming Memorial Day will be quite different, with most events and parades canceled. Even Alumni Weekend in St. Marys is canceled, where I would have celebrated the 20th anniversary as a member of the Class of 2000. The ...

It’s been a tough couple of months as our nation-and the entire world-deal with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Many of us know someone who has been infected by the virus and some of us have lost loved ones as a result. We’ve become accustomed to the new norm of social distancing, ...

On the radio or television these days we usually hear a speaker blaming someone for Covid-19, or for the ways it has been mishandled in the U.S.A. Then the next commentator shames those who disrespect elected individuals who are doing what little they can to limit the problems that come with ...

ELKINS — Building a vibrant community is hard work! Why? Because change is hard. It is always easier to continue along the same path — to not make waves. Plus, our new, electronic age creates an atmosphere where call to change is loud, quick, and imitating. Providing positive leadership to ...

Education Alliance sponsored an Ed Talk Webinar on Broadband Access in West Virginia last Tuesday. Thanks to Randolph County Educational Technology Director Hilary Ramsey, I was able to hear four speakers talk on what government can do to help kids get connected. We are a long way from ...

Deciding to HAVE a Vibrant Community and taking action to CREATE a Vibrant Community are two different activities. Imagine two frogs sitting on a lily pad. One frog decides to jump off. How many frogs are left? Two! Deciding to jump is not actually jumping. To have a Vibrant Community, we ...

Albert Einstein once said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited and imagination encircles the world.” Some imaginative school systems across the country are helping kids get online by using in-vehicle networks to expand the reach of internet. Technology ...

My calendar has commencement weekend beginning tomorrow. Yet, the Davis & Elkins College campus is empty. Like each of our graduating students, I have struggled to find peace with this dissonance. Recently we invited our graduates to vote on two options for a rescheduled commencement ...

In these unprecedented times, people need certainty in the information that they receive so they can make the best decisions possible. To that end, we want to share some things our office has learned as we strive to maintain the rule of law, your constitutional freedoms and confidence in the ...

I have to keep telling myself that our country is not as divided as a country as we appear to be, but with the loud voices on the fringe left and fringe right regarding the coronavirus, it’s easy to be a little disheartened. I have no idea where the middle exactly falls on the scale, but ...

Although the Coronavirus shutdown prevented a group meeting, April 29 was the date scheduled for the 10th Annual Kump Education Center Seminar, and one excellent Davis & Elkins College student sent her abstract online. The rest of our presenters talked with me on the telephone. Skylee ...

The gravel path leads past a boulder with a bronze plaque affixed. It is not difficult to walk right by and overlook the engraved words of dedication for the athletic field on the campus of Davis & Elkins College. However, the sentiment expressed, and the individual honored deserves this ...

Sometimes you can’t fight the inevitable, and that’s what happened this week when the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals — after nearly five years with the case in limbo — ruled the state’s Right to Work law was constitutional and valid. It was really the only decision that ...

Members of the Kump Education Center Board of Directors realize that students in remote parts of Randolph County are disadvantaged now that the schools are closed for the remainder of this school year. While students in Elkins can access high speed internet by several means, those options are ...

This week I walked through an empty house. Echoing among those walls was a rich story of a man who loved his faith, his family, his friends, his community and his college. The house, which sits near the tennis courts at Davis & Elkins College, belonged to Rick Varchetto, D&E class of ...

Last week, I told you I was seeking more answers to how the West Virginia Lottery went about approving elections betting for the sports betting app used by the Greenbrier Resort. I won’t dive into the whole thing, as I had a full story last week with a timeline of events. In short, DraftKings ...

The Kump Education Center Board of Directors had their first online meeting last Thursday. Logan Smith set up the connection and eight directors joined the meeting. At the end, President Priscilla Gay said we should have more online conferences because so many new ideas came up during the hour, ...

AARP recognizes the on-going Covid-19 pandemic is a challenging time for all as we try to adjust, distance, cope with loss of employment, ill family members, and so much more. We know that our older adults are our most vulnerable. The recommendations we are to follow to help keep us safe, may ...

The real heroes are the health care personnel and first responders. They are the front line defending us from this scourge. They are working day and night. They are heroes. Yes, those working in health care and as first responders today are working to save lives. Putting in extra hours and ...