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New Office?

Editorials

A 99-yard kickoff return touchdown would be nice for West Virginia, in the economic Backyard Brawl, but the state needs to get a few first downs, too. One idea for helping make some of those smaller plays successful is the formation of an Office of Entrepreneurship, through state House Bill 5200. The bill is sitting in the House Government Organization Committee, and has some big supporters. Among them is West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner, who on Wednesday encouraged lawmakers to support the measure. “Entrepreneurship has always been a cornerstone of strong, resilient ...

Fanciful policies

Columnists

Donald Trump’s foreign policy has usually been considerably more creative than his predecessors. He certainly has shown more flexibility than Joe Biden’s feckless diplomatic approach. His Middle East policy differs from Biden’s in that it places greater emphasis on Arab states. Trump’s initiatives on the Russia-Ukraine war show greater flexibility than Biden’s insistence on greater NATO involvement in negotiations. But recently, Trump has drifted into fanciful, more exotic policies. Annexation of Greenland, the Venezuela gambit, and the use of Tariffs as a weapon have ...

Hopeful Sign

Editorials

Are you tired of the cold and snow? Have you had it with experiencing, day-after-day, weather forecasts that call for overnight temperatures that start close to zero and afternoon temperatures that are consistently below freezing? Have you resorted to cursing the groundhog and started to wonder out loud how the woolly bear caterpillars you so carefully studied last fall could have been so wrong? Relax — spring is on the way. And while we haven’t seen the grass in a couple of weeks and the trees are still waiting for their first buds, we would remind you that there’s an even ...

Good Health

Editorials

As a few attempts to address West Virginia’s woeful health indicators and perpetually bottom-of-the-barrel quality of life rankings have made their way into public policy over the past year, lawmakers have continued to look for new ways to address the matter. As it seems these days everything must have a call back to some other well-known political slogan, the Make West Virginia Healthy Act of 2026 is meant to get ahead of some of our state’s worst health challenges. “We all know the numbers … West Virginia leads the nation in chronic disease, disability, preventable ...

Income

Editorials

West Virginia stands alone among the states for a host of positive reasons. But a recent Urban Institute study shows we stand alone for a distressing reason: We are the only state in the country for which inflation-adjusted median household income has DECREASED since 1970. “Over this period,” the study reads, “Utah households’ incomes gained the most, with the median income rising 78 percent, or $40,820. The states with the next largest increases–Colorado, New Hampshire, California, Arizona, and Virginia–all experienced more than 60 percent growth in median household ...

Roastmaster president

Columnists

Only Donald Trump could turn a prayer breakfast into a celebrity roast. During the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump became an insult comedian, aiming a steady stream of invective. For example, he referred to Republican Congressman Thomas Massie as a “moron”. So an event which was initiated in the 1950’s to show a moment of unity amidst division became a vehicle for a seventy-five-minute rant. Not that Trump was made for a moment of national brotherhood week, but his actions have thrown all political caution to the wind. Admittedly, he has never favored rituals, which he regards ...