Breaking News

Opinion

Stop the Flow

Editorials

State and regional law enforcement agencies continue to fight diligently against one of West Virginia’s most dangerous foes: the flow of fentanyl and other drugs that continues to endanger and kill Mountain States residents still falling victim to the substance abuse epidemic. On Sept. 10, the West Virginia State Police, the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force and the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area worked together on what has been billed as one of the largest fentanyl busts in state history, in Mercer County. It yielded 54 pounds of suspected ...

Fire Season

Editorials

Fall fire season has arrived across our region. Don’t let a little rainy weather in September fool you, things are still dry enough to elevate the risk of wildfires. That risk is already higher now that leaves are hitting the ground, and other vegetation is either going dormant and drying out or dying altogether at this time of year. Lower humidity and fall breezes may be pleasant for us, but they, too, add to the risk. All those factors create “a situation where we have an elevated risk of wildfires here in Ohio,” according to the state Division of Forestry’s Aaron ...

SMART529

Editorials

For nearly a quarter century, West Virginia families (and a select number of families nationwide) have had the advantage of being able to plan for their children’s education using the state’s SMART529 program. It has helped families save for post-secondary and other educational expenses, and is ever-adapting to better serve educational needs. For example, a July 5 update “permits students and adults who do not select the traditional college path to be able to use funds from a 529 account to pay for job training programs by organizations outside of mainstream colleges and ...

Shutdown looming

Columnists

With a looming government shutdown, President Donald Trump needs to reassess his approach to congressional Democrats. He might avert it altogether, depending on whether Mike Johnson in the House of Representatives and GOP stalwarts in the Senate approve a continuing resolution. But he may be better advised to correct some of his earlier decisions. In the first month of his administration, Trump made an error by depending on DOGE and the mercurial Elon Musk. Add on project 2025, championed by Russell Vought, whose mechanical approach to politics is tone-deaf to MAGA. Tax cuts ...

Slow Progress

Editorials

Slow progress is being made toward improving circumstances for state Child Protective Services workers and the young people they serve. Last week, state Department of Human Service Secretary Alex Mayer announced decreases in child welfare vacancies, which sit at a rate of 8.5% as of Sept. 1, compared with a peak of 27.3% in 2023. In his announcement, Mayer focused on CPS vacancies in Doddridge, Pleasants, Upshur, Lewis and Ritchie counties, about which concerns had rightly been raised by Third Judiciary Circuit Court Judge Tim Sweeney in February. Mayer had been among those DHS and ...

Register

Editorials

There are few duties more important for American citizens than casting their ballots in elections. It is their opportunity to actively influence the way governments operate. And there’s no reason to wait to exercise that right, so it was good to see West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner at Wheeling Park and John Marshall high schools last week touting the importance of registering to vote — and getting juniors and seniors at those schools to register that day. He reminded students that even those who were 17 years old could register and vote in the November general ...