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Editorials

Safety

We think about it a little less as the weather warms up, but a recent incident in Harrison County, Ohio, underscores the importance of properly ventilating for alternative heat sources, and having working carbon monoxide detectors. Bowerstown Volunteer Fire Department responders and those from other Harrison County departments arrived at a Bowerstown home Tuesday to find four members of the same family in urgent need of help. “All four were severely ill with carbon monoxide poisoning,” Bowerston VFD Capt. Adam Reardon told The (Martins Ferry) Times Leader. “They had utilized a ...

Bad Numbers

Another election, another case of low voter turnout in West Virginia. According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, statewide voter turnout for Tuesday’s primary election was a measly 30%. That’s less than 1 in 3 registered voters in this state taking the time to be part of the process of electing candidates. Our local counties fared little better. Randolph County had 35.99% turnout; Upshur County, 39.40%; Barbour County, 36.90%; Tucker County, 34.31%; and Pocahontas County, 38.48%. Turnout was this low despite every county having contested ...

Emergency

Responding to emergency calls for blood and platelet donations is an important way to support the American Red Cross and those who receive those blood products. But even when there is no crisis, it is still important to answer the call for donations. Keeping the supply stable is essential. As always, donors of all types are needed, but the Red Cross says type O blood donors are crucial to keep up the supply. “When it comes to lifesaving care, there’s no letting off the gas — the American Red Cross needs donors to come to give blood over the next few weeks to keep the blood ...

Vote Today

West Virginia voters have several significant decisions to make today. From school board seats and local renewal levies to who will battle it out for the governorship or a spot in the U.S. Senate, choices made today will resonate for years to come. Do not let them be made by a miniscule percentage of the state’s residents. During the 2020 primary — which was, of course, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — voter turnout was 36.53%. A mere 449,077 ballots were cast to decide the fate of 1.785 million people. Lest you blame that miserable turnout on the pandemic, let’s ...

Confidence

Elections officials all over the state are doing exactly the right thing by testing and retesting to be sure Tuesday’s primary goes smoothly, and all vote counts are secure and accurate. Rather than let it throw doubt on the upcoming election, residents should have renewed confidence that officials are doing everything in their power to fulfill their responsibility to voters. “There was an error that was found in the export section of the software that is used to upload the results to the Secretary of State’s office,” Wood County Clerk Joe Gonzales told the Wood County ...

Boos & Applause

Applause to a large group of local heroes, all the nurses in our area, as we celebrate National Nurses Week, which runs through Sunday. The annual observance begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, which is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is considered the founder of modern nursing. President Richard Nixon issued a proclamation for Nurses Week in 1974 and the honorary week has been celebrated ever since. This year’s theme, “Nurses Make the Difference,” honors the incredible nurses who embody the spirit of compassion and care in every health care setting. Applause ...