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Shameful

On Sept. 18, a school aide at McNinch Primary School in Moundsville reportedly witnessed a horrifying incident in which a teacher grabbed a 6-year-old girl — nonverbal and on the autism spectrum — by the neck with both hands and squeezed. That aide took the girl to the nurse’s office, where photos were taken of red marks on the girl’s neck. Then, the aide took the correct next step: reporting the incident to the school’s principal. After that, it seems, Principal Jane Duffy and Erin Cuffaro, district director of special programs, did not have the sense of urgency or desire to ...

Delays

Despite Norfolk Southern’s assertions that it would make things right in East Palestine — after a derailment back in February 2023, the company appears to continue to resist doing so. Most recently, it filed motions in federal court seeking to exclude expert testimony presented by the state of Ohio and the United States as part of ongoing litigation. The proposed $315 million federal settlement between Norfolk Southern and the U.S. Department of Justice is still pending. Among the challenged witnesses are three medical doctors who support Ohio’s effort for a long-term ...

Awareness

The rush for holiday shopping has officially begun. It is a shorter shopping season this year for those who have waited until after Thanksgiving to begin their gift buying. The constant running that surrounds the holiday season means shoppers need to practice common sense and have an awareness of their surroundings in order to make sure they have a safe experience, whether they are at a store or shopping online. Thieves look for the opportunities the season brings. They know store security and police are busy keeping track of people who might be trying to shoplift or work some other ...

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Eighty-four years have passed since the morning the world changed in a matter of minutes. On Dec. 7, 1941, as Americans awoke to an ordinary Sunday, Japanese aircraft descended on Pearl Harbor with a ferocity that stunned a nation that believed oceans still offered protection. By the time the attack ended, 2,403 Americans were dead and the United States had been forced into a global conflict it had hoped to avoid. Each anniversary prompts us to remember the fallen. But at 84 years, Pearl Harbor is also becoming something else — a test of whether we remain capable of learning from the ...

Problems

As the investigation unfolds into the attack on two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last month, Americans are getting a glimpse into some cracks in the system that MUST be addressed. Among them is the need to explore better mental health and community support programs for veterans and refugees. Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been described as a person who was radicalized after he came to the U.S. A volunteer who worked with him and other Afghan refugees said they believed that Lakanwal suffered a mental health crisis after years of likely suffering from ...

Questions

“We are a family, 6,000-plus strong,” said Maj. Gen. James Seward, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard. “And so, when we lose one of our family members, I can tell you that every guardsman I’ve talked to is grieving.” In the case of Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, the family of those grieving her death extends across the Mountain State, as does those praying for the recovery of Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who was also shot during an attack in Washington, D.C., last Wednesday. But the initial shock of that horrific event has rightly evolved to include a desire to know as ...