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Road tripping across WV

One of the great things about being a news reporter is getting to sometimes hit the road and explore parts of the state I’ve never been to, as well as meeting the people who make this state go. Last Wednesday, I hopped in my car and drove from Charleston to Mason County. I’ve been reporting about the impending sale of West Virginia’s state-owned long-term care facilities, so I wanted to take some photos of the one closest to me, which is Lakin Hospital a few miles outside of Point Pleasant along Route 2. I was only a few miles away from Lakin when there it was: a pothole right ...

Peace dividend

Remember the peace dividend? With the end of the Cold War, it was surmised that monies lavishly given to the military would be diverted to peaceful purposes. After the atomic bomb was dropped, Harry Truman optimistically predicted in 1945 that such “power” could be used to create “a paradise” in this world. None of this happened, mainly because the United States began to set its course towards Empire. After Franklin Roosevelt died, his successor, Truman, began to follow Woodrow Wilson’s example of selective moralizing rather than FDR’s pragmatic world vision. Instead of ...

Suffrage Sunday at Kump Center

The Suffragette Tea Party will be a lively gathering this Sunday afternoon from 1:00 -3:00 at the Historic Kump House. Not since the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in 1920 have local women had so much to think about concerning the future of families in Randolph County. Both health care and public education are being defunded by our current elected officials. This Suffragette Tea Party will be a time to learn about the women who worked to pass the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. The Suffragists favored using peaceful persuasion to gain support for their cause, but ...

Battle on two fronts

When it came to personal relations, the Anchorage Summit went perfectly for Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Trump played gracious host, and Putin was a grateful guest. Despite the best efforts of Volodymir Zelenskyy and the European Union to stop the meeting, they failed utterly, as usual. However, their skepticism was somewhat warranted. The summit was unproductive, but it was a beginning. As well, Trump never promised a done deal. He essentially probed Putin’s position, weighing his concerns and assessing the potential benefits for the United States for a new ...

The store’s sign says ‘open’ but the door is locked

An engaged employee knows and supports the business goals. They know the impact of achieving the goals. It could be that “winning organization” feeling. It could be the opportunity to acquire resources the person would love to have (like a chef’s showing off a new piece of kitchen equipment). It could be increased compensation or other types of recognition. The ability to connect the dots with each person on how they contribute to the needed organizational goals — and how they personally benefit from doing so — is critical to a company’s success.  Every ...

Questions remain

The possible sale of four state-owned long-term care facilities to a private company could be a win for West Virginia taxpayers, but questions remain. Last week, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced that New York-based Marx Development Group (MDG) will purchase Hopemont Hospital in Preston County, Jackie Withrow Hospital in Raleigh County, John Manchin Sr. Health Care Center in Marion County, and Lakin Hospital in Mason County for $60 million. Once the sale closes on Tuesday, Sept. 30, the deal includes MDG replacing the facilities with between three and five new long-term care ...