Unofficial start to summer, the opening of municipal swimming pools, school is out (or nearly so) and a three-day weekend. Memorial Day has drifted so far from its origins it is no wonder Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act to encourage us all to stop at 3 p.m. today to think ...

Just three Americans who earned the Medal of Honor during World War II remain among the living. West Virginian Hershel W. “Woody” Williams is one of them. Williams earned his medal “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as ...

UP: To the ending of another school year, the sending off of graduates to the next chapter in their lives ... and the beginning of summer (unofficial as it may be). Parents may be bracing themselves, but the change presents an opportunity for a very different kind of learning for many kids. ...

We already know Williamstown loves its Yellowjackets. But the city is looking to provide a better habitat for all bees, and residents can help. City Council is working toward passage of an ordinance to certify Williamstown as a Bee City U.S.A. community. That part is more a formality to help ...

Any number of individuals, organizations and even nations in the Middle East would love to see even the smallest of military conflicts between the United States and Iran. Islamic terrorist groups, for one, understand that would divert U.S. assets from targeting them, to at least some ...

It may be difficult for Mountain State residents to hear, but according to a company called ASecureLife, West Virginia is the most dangerous state in the nation for those traveling on Memorial Day weekend. Their report used statistics from 2013-17 to determine Memorial Day is the third-most ...

Public schools are supposed to focus on teaching children, not filling gaps in nutrition, health care and mental wellness services. Yet in part because those lapses become evident in classrooms — and affect students’ abilities to learn — educators have had to do something about ...

Federal Aviation Administration acting chief Daniel Elwell was on the Capitol Hill hot seat last week — and members of Congress were right to grill him harshly. Elwell was called before the aviation subcommittee in the House of Representatives to answer questions about the Boeing 737 Max ...

Many West Virginians have been anticipating a special legislative session on public schools for weeks, since the collapse in early March of efforts to enact an “omnibus education bill.” Now, lawmakers are scheduled to go back to Charleston for a special session beginning Monday. Education ...

UP: To Austin Handley, of Boy Scout Troop 20 in Vienna, for his work renovating and repairing Shelter B at McDonough Wildlife Refuge, as part of his work to become an Eagle Scout. He did not do it alone. “This was a large project, and it required many different skill sets; leading 33 people ...

Some West Virginians may not think about it much, but hundreds of thousands of us “play” the stock market indirectly. Billions of dollars in our retirement funds are invested in shares of companies whose stocks are traded on the various exchanges. That makes the tariff battle between the ...

Finding any addiction treatment program near our communities and at an affordable price is a challenge, in West Virginia. But once those in need of addiction treatment for themselves or loved ones find providers, the question of quality comes up. How effective are various treatment systems and ...

Parkersburg Area residents may not always have been aware of the hard work — day in and day out — put in by Salvation Army Majs. Matt and Cathy Riley, but those who have been given a helping hand as the Rileys carried out the mission to “do the most good” certainly knew. Now the ...

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is being criticized by some for his handling of a lawsuit settlement for a whopping $37 million. Could the state have collected more from drug distributor the McKesson Corp.? Maybe. But the bottom line is $37 million is big money and far from a ...

If, as U.S. officials insist, last week’s test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile had nothing to do with events elsewhere in the world, it was a fortuitous coincidence. When North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea off its coast, it appears the rockets were a new ...

As has happened for many years, in nearly every school district with fiscal challenges, changing demographics and concerned, involved parents, there is an uproar in Belpre over proposed reductions in force — and the specific positions that may be at risk. And while it would be wonderful to ...

UP: To Belpre City Council member Susan Abdella, who bucked the trend in today’s political discourse by graciously accepting her departure from council after receiving the lowest number of votes in Tuesday’s election. “Everybody running for council is qualified,” she said. “I’m very ...

When the light shone brightly enough on judicial misconduct in West Virginia to result in concerns that the entire state Supreme Court of Appeals would have to be replaced, it appears to have inspired others to take a closer look at those sitting on the bench at all levels in the Mountain ...

Though state Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson, has already begun the predictable work of discrediting results of this spring’s eight regional education roundtable events and online surveys, the results must not be ignored by lawmakers gearing up for a special session to revisit ...

When the federal government dumps tens of millions of dollars into a state to help disaster victims, crooked politicians smell opportunity. Who’s to notice if some of the money gets siphoned away? After more than a year of questions concerning how more than $200 million in federal flood ...