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Free Speech

The U.S. Supreme Court stood up for free speech in its unanimous verdict in National Rifle Association v. Vullo — a case that cut to the heart of how states cannot regulate a business or organization just because they don’t agree with policies. New York state officials targeted the NRA specifically because they found the NRA’s message objectionable, and pressured private enterprises to “blacklist” or refuse to conduct business with the organization. The decision earlier this month “confirms that government officials have no business using their regulatory authority to ...

Boos & Applause

Applause to all the participants in and organizers of the 81st annual American Legion Auxiliary WV Rhododendron Girls State, hosted this week at Davis & Elkins College. The American Legion Auxiliary West Virginia Rhododendron Girls State was first hosted at D&E in 2018. A total of 220 girls are attended the week-long camp at D&E, which teaches students about government, legislation and other civic responsibilities. Throughout the week participants learned about the election process with the formation of a mock government. Students had the opportunity to file for office, campaign, attend ...

World Blood Donor Day

Today is World Blood Donor Day, a reminder that the American Red Cross is just one part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent network — “the largest humanitarian network in the world with a presence and activities in almost every country,” it says. Throughout that network, donors are the reason blood and blood products are available for those whose lives depend on it. Lately, it seems those donors are even harder to come by. And on this day celebrating blood donors, there is a drastic shortfall in donations that reaches back over the past several weeks. Summer travel ...

System Failure

As public officials started to talk — truly — about the ways in which the system failed Kyneddi Miller, it became obvious that some of those failures took place in association with Kyneddi’s family homeschooling her since at least February 2021. Therefore, public officials understand it is time to look at whether changes in the homeschool rules might prevent another tragedy. “The homeschooling issue, we probably need to find a way to tighten it,” Gov. Jim Justice said earlier this month. “That’s an area I’m sure we can make things a little better. … I do believe ...

More Needed

One in ten adult West Virginians is a military veteran, according to Ted Diaz, Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance. While that is an incredible marker of willingness to serve, it is also a wake-up call for those in charge of providing those veterans the support they have earned. During the state Disabled American Veterans’ annual convention in Parkersburg Diaz talked not only about how much the state already does for those veterans and their families, but about where there is room for improvement. “We as a state have to create an environment ...

Disappointing

Surely Brian Abraham, Gov. Jim Justice’s chief of staff, saw last Thursday’s press conference going better than it did. In moderating the in-person press briefing, his aim was purportedly clearing up questions about how Kyneddi Miller’s case was handled leading up to her death at age 14 in Boone County. What followed was a standout example of bureaucracy over common sense, coupled with appalling disorganization and poor communication. West Virginians got to listen to the governor’s chief of staff call the actions of an on-the-ground local Child Protective Services worker ...