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High stakes

You cannot say that Donald Trump does not make the routine of naming cabinet choices interesting. He zigzags between naming fairly mainstream figures like Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary to the unorthodox Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Up to now, Trump has been skillful in averting a showdown — Matt Goetz quickly avoided controversy by pulling his name from consideration over his appointment as Attorney General. But apparently bored with too much stability, he took a supreme gamble by naming Kash Patel to succeed Christopher Wray at the ...

Christmas at the historic Kump House

A trip to Kump Education Center at 401 South Randolph Avenue in Elkins on Tuesday or Thursday before Christmas (4 - 7 p.m.) or Saturdays, December 21 or 28 (1 - 4 p.m.) will awaken your memories of Christmas past. KEC is across from Kroger on S. Randolph Avenue. Please enter the property from Seneca Road, going up the hill above the old front entrance or around to the back of the building off highway 33/48. After you find a parking space, go into the house at the side door. Thanks to our new board members, Debra Barsy, Laura Santmyer, and Malcolm Long, the Kump House has more ...

Running for glory

As finals week approaches at Davis & Elkins College, this edition of the “Reflecting Along the Journey” column focuses on a coach and his teams that take journeying quite seriously. In fact, they journey 40 to 90 miles a week as they run through the Randolph County mountains and beyond. The men’s and women’s cross-country teams at D&E have had a fall season for the record books. Both teams won the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship and then won the Atlantic Region Championship. Both teams recently competed in the NCAA Division II Championships in Sacramento, Calif. As ...

An educated guess

The next legislative session is going to have several issues to tackle, including whatever Governor-Elect Patrick Morrisey’s agenda will be, any possible messes left behind by outgoing Gov. Jim Justice, a likely hole to fill in the upcoming fiscal year 2026 general revenue budget, etc. But expect education to take a spotlight. With the number of traditional public school consolidations increasing and parents becoming angry at the closure of community schools, longer bus rides for their children, and other issues that come from shrinking county populations, some lawmakers are ...

Memo to AOC: Americans want order

Of all the neighborhoods in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district, one stood out on Election Day as a considerable surprise. The left-wing congresswoman represents a very diverse population ranging from struggling immigrants in Queens and a piece of The Bronx to young professionals gentrifying areas right across the river from Manhattan. New York’s 14th Congressional District just reelected her and went for Kamala Harris, but Donald Trump’s share of its vote rose by 50% over 2020. And the heavily Latino enclave of Corona provided Trump’s strongest support there. Why would ...

DEI’s collapse

DEI is a bad idea whose time came with a vengeance several years ago, but now its continued ascendancy is in doubt. Perhaps the most important event this year outside of the presidential election is the intellectual collapse of so-called diversity, equity and inclusion, which is poisonous hokum that is finally being exposed as such. DEI has been one of the most morally perverse and damaging fads in recent American history. We’ve been spending an estimated $8 billion a year telling Americans in training sessions, workshops and educational material that they are, depending on ...