×

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

DOWN: To the mess that has led to Moody’s Investors Service downgrading West Virginia’s bond rating to AA2, making state borrowing more expensive and investors potentially more nervous about the Mountain State. The move, which follows similar downgrades from Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poors, is just one of the many real-world consequences for the inability of lawmakers and the executive branch to do their jobs. This can is now too broken to be kicked down the road.

UP: To Ritchie County High School student Travis Pickering, who has surpassed his goal to raise $1,000 for donation to the Jimmy V Cancer Foundation, through his senior project — a blue folding chair honoring his late father. The chair is now covered in signatures of those who donated $10 to the project. The tribute to Randy Pickering, who died last year, is a testament to the power of both family and community in honoring a loved one while contributing to a cause bigger than any of them.

UP: To events such as the “History on Trial” series presented by The Castle, at the Washington County Courthouse. Any chance to learn about our past, especially from such an unusual perspective, is a good one, and Marietta residents are fortunate to have such an opportunity.

UP: To a $1.25 million grant from the Department of Energy to West Virginia University for research into developing technologies for converting electrical energy from renewable resources into energy-dense carbon-neutral liquid fuels. Even as West Virginia’s economy transitions, it is exciting to know we could still be at the forefront in powering the rest of the nation.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today