Breaking News

Columnists

Trump’s true talent

Donald Trump’s success in 2024 did not solely rest on his talents as a showman or a prevaricator of disinformation. He proved that his real genius was as a political communicator and as a superb tactician. Few figures have understood so well the culture and the yearnings of his constituents. Add on his instincts for why people vote and for whom they cast a ballot. Trump’s act has been long, almost 10 years either being or running for President. Impeached twice, convicted twice in court, and written off after his defeat in 2020. Despite all that, he obliterated the Republican field ...

Be thankful for public education

Until our church in Atlanta asked us to host a Russian Pentecostal family of five at our house in 1988, I never really appreciated what it means to have free public schools. Our immigrants were amazed and delighted with many things about American life, but the idea that everybody could go to school for free was the best surprise. Pentecostals did not have the right to go to school without paying for it in Russia when the Jews and Pentecostals were finally allowed to leave the Soviet Union after it dissolved under Gorbachev. Being able to read and write in English was the key to ...

Giving thanks

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates’ words remind me of the necessity to pause and reflect among the busyness and noise of modern life. In these moments when we unplug, retreat to a place of solitude, and take time to look inward, perspective is restored and insight gained. With the approach of a national holiday centered around thanks, this is an appropriate time to examine life and recognize all its blessings. This weekly column enables me to reflect on the journey, specifically the opportunities and experiences availed through Davis & Elkins College. Often, I ...

Keep focus on the caregiver

The sad truth about Alzheimer’s disease, is that it progressively gets worse. I want to provide some numbers below that I found on the Alz.org website. Current 2024 statistics show that 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and more than 11 million caregivers provide unpaid care for their loved ones. Specifically, in West Virginia, statistics show 38,100 people, age 65 or older, have Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. That is 10.2% of adults over age 65, live with Alzheimer’s disease in West Virginia. There are over 65,000 caregivers, and 63.5% of those have a ...

Morrisey is off and running

Last week, Governor-Elect Patrick Morrisey provide the press and public a sneak peak of sorts on his transition plans for the next two months as he prepares to move into the Governor’s Mansion on Kanawha Boulevard East in Charleston. That’s an interesting sentence to read again: a governor who is actually going to reside in Charleston as constitutionally required and live in the Governor’s Mansion. What a thought! Morrisey spoke to media at an open, in-person press conference — again, it’s amazing to write that — announcing his seven-person transition team, two consultants ...

Democratic gerontocracy forgets lessons of youth

Here’s another way to look at why Republicans swept the 2024 elections: It’s the fault, only partly, of course, of the gerontocracy of the Democratic Party. Going back through history, it’s hard to find a time when a party’s leadership was so far along in years. The founder presidents retired in their mid-sixties. Andrew Jackson retired at 69, Abraham Lincoln was murdered at 56, and Ulysses S. Grant retired at 54. Theodore Roosevelt died at age 60, Franklin Roosevelt at 63. Quite a contrast with President Joe Biden, older when he was inaugurated than Ronald Reagan was on his ...