Donna Crocker is learning a lesson this week, and it is one that SHOULD sink in with folks everywhere who hope to ban or exclude books as a means of stopping the spread of certain information and ideas. But let’s not hold our breath. Crocker is director of the Morgan County (W.Va.) Public ...
West Virginia’s state Constitution states that the governor is supposed to live in the capital city, Charleston. Gov. Jim Justice lives in Lewisburg and has no plan to move. Justice insists he is in touch with state government adequately and does not need to live in the governor’s ...
Mid-Ohio Valley residents who love to shop small, eat local and support the entrepreneurs among us, should be thrilled with the options that got a little time in the spotlight during the third annual Launchpad event in Parkersburg last week. Think of it, within an easy drive, most of us can ...
UP: To the announcement of nearly $675,000 in State Election Commission grant funding coming to Wood County to go toward the replacement of older voting machines. County Clerk Mark Rhodes says the county hopes to purchase 300 Express Vote machines, as part of the effort to have the most secure ...
As many Mid-Ohio Valley residents remain glued to storm trackers showing Hurricane Florence may hook its way north —heading straight for us — by the wee small hours of Tuesday morning — the entire Mountain State is bracing for days of rain that could result in another round of flooding. ...
“The phrase of the day is ‘Be Prepared.’” Wood County 911 Director Rick Woodyard wants everyone in our region to understand the rain that led to our current river flooding is not the end of the weather headed for the Mid-Ohio Valley. Hurricane Florence is coming. High winds — ...
In a report released at the end of August, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources said there are 6,623 children in foster care from the state, but nearly 400 of them are being housed out-of-state, mostly in group homes or long-term psychiatric facilities. And, according to ...
“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” Former President George W. Bush told a frightened nation on the evening of Sept. 11, ...
Occasionally, members of Congress become ensnared in technicalities in ethics rules. Some have been officially criticized for potential conflicts of interest involving personal businesses that might be affected by bills upon which the lawmakers vote. What about measures providing billions of ...
Politicians in the big-government crowd would have us believe that spending tons of money on public schools is the way to ensure children get good educations. Really? Ask parents in Detroit about that. At $14,259, Detroit public schools’ per-pupil spending is the eighth-highest of the 100 ...
UP: To news out of Gov. Jim Justice’s office that for the second month in a row West Virginia’s tax revenue collections came in above budget estimates. August general revenue fund collections came in at more than $33.4 million above estimates, or $353.2 million — 14.9 percent more than ...
Each year, the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley kicks off a campaign to remind us, “We can’t fight alone.” But this year, Executive Director Stacy DeCicco shook things up a bit. Local residents are used to seeing a monetary goal accompany the start of that campaign. This year, ...
West Virginians are hearing a lot of good news about an allegedly booming economy; the return of jobs — the purported “comeback” of an entire industry, in fact; millions more flowing into state coffers ... We’re in the money, it seems. A significant number of those Mountain State ...
Promoters of socialism often promise paradises that turn out to be bottomless pits of misery. Even questioning the totalitarian regimes can be dangerous. Central and South America are proving to be incubators of repression and economic want because of socialism. In Venezuela, which should be ...
Each year, the Labor Day holiday weekend signifies the end of summer, the first break in a young school year, the return of college football ... it is another holiday that often includes a lot of good food and a chance to spend a day off work with family and friends. It is a celebration of all ...
Last fall, Mid-Ohio Valley residents watched for a week and a half as the Intercontinental Export-Import Plastics warehouse on Camden Avenue went up in flames, smoldering and sputtering fumes. No one was quite sure what was burning, let alone what had caused the fire — or whether it was ...
UP: To efforts such as the Rachel’s Challenge anti-bullying program, meant to help our kids tackle challenges that also include suicide and school violence. “The idea is you are accepting Rachel’s challenge to be a better person,” said Parkersburg High School Principal Kenny DeMoss. ...
West Virginia Division of Highways officials visiting our region this week have a lot of good things to talk about. But among their missions seems to be dispelling the starry-eyed sentiments from Gov. Jim Justice that “Roads to Prosperity” was some kind of magic phrase that would bring all ...
Only one person can say — and he may not know, really — what would have ensued had police not arrested a West Virginia University student accused of threatening to engage in a shooting spree. According to witnesses, the 21-year-old Preston County man made the threats during a class last ...
West Virginia’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Four-Year Higher Education met again this week. So far, the group has, as commission member Eric Lewis of Shepherd University put it, “wasted 30 days. “We haven’t done anything in 30 days except schedule when the next meetings are,” he ...