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Fall season is definitely in the air in Barbour County

Columnists

Hello from Barbour County! Fall is definitely in the air. The Forest Festival is almost upon us, and that is something to celebrate across the area. Old Fashioned Days will take place in Belington, today, Sept. 20. Beginning at 9 a.m, the day will be action packed with fun including: a car show, tractor show, pie eating contest, pet show, duck race, apple butter making, saw mill demonstration, food, music, a cake walk, and more. Fall Fire Season begins Oct. 1 and runs through Dec. 31. During these times, outdoor burning is prohibited between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 ...

Public education funding is needed

Letters to the Editor

“I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.” — Whitney Houston I attended a lecture from WVpolicy.org at the Kump House on Sept. 5. I would like to thank Dr. Heather Biola for hosting the lecture and Seth for engaging dialogue. Unfortunately, there were only eight people in attendance. Where were all the folks who are interested and upset about education in Randolph County? Inadequate state K-12 education funding is having clear impacts, including community school closures and consolidations, vacant positions due to uncompetitive pay, ...

Call to action for legislators, officials

Letters to the Editor

(The following was presented in the public comment section of the Tuesday, Sept. 16 Randolph County Board of Education meeting.) I will begin by thanking you, Dr. Dilly! Thank you for making some proposals regarding our school system that anger most everyone in the county — it may be the end of block scheduling or closure of certain schools. In one sense, the county is more unified than it has ever been—unified in its sense of anger about all the things being proposed as virtually everyone is negatively impacted though perhaps for different reasons. Though it took some time, I ...

Elkins High Homecoming Parade

Columnists

The Elkins High Homecoming Parade down Davis Avenue was a delightful procession of happy young people on Wednesday evening just before sunset. We saw many friends who are parents and grandparents of children in local public schools. Nobody seemed worried that Randolph County Schools were ranked 55th among 55 counties on the West Virginia Balanced Scorecard. There were two marching bands playing. Elkins Middle School Band led the small procession clad in green and white, and Elkins High School Band came at the end of the parade in orange and black. Both bands were not in their ...

MAGA is changing

Columnists

Perhaps it would be ironic if, despite all of his populist bluster and brag, Donald Trump turned out to be a traditional Republican. The “great big beautiful bill”’s tax cut turned out to be a massive benefit for billionaires, and his budget fulfilled the wish list for the old GOP. If there is any MAGA influence, it is difficult to ascertain. Of course, it has no tax on tips, as well as no tax on Social Security and other benefits for the base. But generally, Trump‘s government has delivered a budget and program more suited to Daddy Warbucks than the mythical populous. He used ...

Nice leaders protect feelings; Kind leaders protect futures

Columnists

Are you a nice leader or a kind leader? Is there a difference? Yes, an important one. Nice and kind are not synonyms. Niceness is about seeming pleasant and agreeable. It’s about keeping the peace and making people comfortable. This is not a bad thing in many situations. Kindness is about real compassion and empathy. It’s taking action from the place of wanting the best for a person or an organization, even when it means telling hard truths and making hard choices. When a person is “nice,” it is because they want to be liked and often because they are ...