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Local doctor pleads with legislators to support vaccines

Letters to the Editor

Dear Senators Robbie Morris and Bill Hamilton, and Delegates Elias Coop-Gonzales and Jonathan Kyle: I am writing this letter to you in reference to the upcoming proposed legislation to relax vaccine requirements in the schools in West Virginia. I have been a pediatrician here in Elkins for over 40 years and am a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has 67,000 pediatricians across the United States as members. Naturally, I am a HUGE fan of vaccines. One hundred years ago, the number one killer of kids was infections. Graveyards at that time were full of children, some ...

Infrastructure

Editorials

West Virginians know our state is full of pieces of land that would make fantastic locations for new employers to build … except you can’t get there from here. Infrastructure isn’t our strong suit, and site readiness efforts are often about not just utilities and maybe even having a pad poured, but building roads for potential industrial sites. Lawmakers this week demonstrated they understand that, and are serious about working toward jobs first and improving opportunity everywhere, with a committee substitute for House Bill 4007. The bill, which proposes updates to the ...

Don’t Let Up

Editorials

Frontieras North America’s announcement that it has closed on 183 acres in Mason County with a plan to build an $850 million coal reformation facility appears to be wonderful news for those communities. It’s a big project that, if all goes as planned, could result in 2,000 construction jobs and 200 permanent jobs. Gov. Patrick Morrisey says many of those jobs are expected to be more than $100,000 per year. Company officials say the construction could begin later this year and the plant could be up and running by the middle of 2028. Those same officials also claim the project ...

Growth

Editorials

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, small businesses generate 44% of U.S. economic activity, though that contribution has gradually been declining as small business growth has slowed in recent years. It takes brave entrepreneurs to launch a small business. Some states are better environments than others, and according to at least one study, West Virginia has an enormous amount of room for improvement. In WalletHub’s “Best and Worst States to Start a Business (2026),” the Mountain State ranks 44th. For business environment, we rank 46th; ...

Tobacco

Editorials

The start of “political season” in many states brings with it a host of studies and reports filled with data that could inform legislative decision-making. Among them is another WalletHub study: “The Real Cost of Smoking by State (2026.)” In West Virginia, it may come as a surprise to learn, the lifetime cost of smoking is among the lowest in the country. The Mountain State ranks 38th for both out-of-pocket costs at $153,300 and financial opportunity costs at $2,685,329 over a smoker’s lifetime. It won’t surprise anyone who knows how Duke University got its name to know ...

The goal posts keep shifting

Columnists

Renee Good should be alive. The activist, killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, met her end in tragedy. What has happened since, predictably, saw people rush to their tribal corners. ICE “murdered” Good. Good was the villain. Your politics positioned your stance. What got left behind were the facts and a press corps that proved again it cannot be trusted. On the day of Good’s death, those who took ICE’s side claimed Good hit the ICE agent with her car. Others denied it. Some insisted ICE agents were sending mixed signals, some telling her to drive off and ...