Breaking News

Editorials

Urgent Issue

When the governor declared this Teen Mental Health Awareness Week in West Virginia, he expanded on the events of World Teen Mental Wellness Day — March 2, which was meant to increase awareness about the emotional and mental wellbeing of our state’s young people. Teenagers are facing assaults on their mental health earlier generations may have a difficult time understanding. (They may also have a difficult time recognizing what some of those same challenges are doing to them). Julie Gomez, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in West Virginia, said “Teen ...

Fire Safety

When we skip ahead an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, that spring forward on the clocks will not be the only reminder we are moving toward brighter, warmer (Soon? We hope? Please?) weather. Forestry officials across our region are reminding us we have also entered the spring fire ban season. From March 1 through May 31 in both West Virginia and Ohio, there are prohibitions on outdoor burning. In West Virginia, the restriction is between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. No, not even in a proper burn barrel. There are other rules to follow, even once the ban is lifted each day. In Ohio, fires must be more ...

Opportunity

Washington, D.C.-based Penzance Management has unveiled plans that could mark one of the largest private investments in West Virginia history — a proposed $4 billion data center campus spanning 1.9 million square feet on 548 acres in Falling Waters. Gov. Patrick Morrisey rightly described the announcement as historic. A project of this size would represent a significant vote of confidence in the state’s broader economic trajectory. With competition for technology infrastructure fierce, simply being in the conversation speaks to the progress West Virginia has made in strengthening ...

Change

More than three years after a disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Congress has continued to sit on its hands rather than upset its friends in the railroad industry by implementing desperately needed rail safety reform. Well, most of Congress, anyway. A few have repeatedly tried to push change. Most recently, a bipartisan group that includes U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, has introduced the Railway Safety Act of 2026. “Three years ago, many Ohioans understandably lost faith in the safety and reliability of our nation’s railways after the accident in East Palestine, ...

EMS Fund

There is good reason House Bill 5168 passed out of the House of Delegates without a single vote against on Monday. It is one of the very few, genuine no-brainers to come before lawmakers in recent years. HB 5168 would establish a permanent funding stream for EMS workers across the state — $12 million annually from lottery net profits. According to House Finance Committee Chairman Vernon Criss, R-Wood, it brings EMS funding in line with a formula used to support fire departments. The bill mandates the first $1 million of the $6 million Salary Enhancement, Crisis Response, and Mental ...

Tax Burden

It’s a story common for regions of West Virginia that border Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky. A recent college graduate of West Virginia University lands their first job in Pennsylvania. When it comes to deciding which state is more appealing on the tax front, the choice is clear: Pennsylvania. The same goes for Ohio and Kentucky. How many high-income professionals work in Wheeling, Parkersburg or Huntington, yet live in Ohio or Kentucky because of a lower personal income tax burden?   And now, instead of proposing a meaningful plan to make West Virginia more competitive with ...