Pity the Division of Highways officials from throughout West Virginia who were given a tough assignment by Gov. Jim Justice. They have been told to prepare what amount to wish lists for secondary road repairs in each of the 55 counties. Justice issued the mandate during a meeting last week in ...

It is too easy these days to pretend to be involved in the political process — in your community, your county, state or country — because you let your opinion be known. Particularly for the generations growing up having never known a time before social media, it can be a dangerous ...

UP: To those who organized a forum on public education to be held from 6-8 p.m. Monday at Blennerhassett Elementary/Middle School. Do not miss this opportunity (as well a Mid-Ohio Valley Education Forum planned for April 15) to make your voice heard on one of the most important challenges faced ...

West Virginians are doing a better job than ever talking about the possibilities in high-technology jobs We have some good partners on that front. Toyota Motors has announced it is expanding its plant in Putnam County. That will create 123 new jobs, likely in the production of transaxles for ...

Regardless of what you may hear from leftist members of Congress who believe they have a magic wand they can wave over America and — poof! — do away with fossil fuels, the nation will need coal, petroleum and natural gas for many years to come. There simply is no reliable, affordable ...

Imagine for a moment you are going over finances in your own home, deciding how much will be available to spend for necessary maintenance, paying bills, etc. and one of your children pipes up asking for an unnecessarily expensive new toy. The money is, technically, available, but would be far ...

Earlier this year, state senators had hoped to offer municipal, county and school officials financial incentives to join forces in providing some local public services. A bill to that effect was approved 32-0 in the Senate. It died in the House of Delegates, no doubt after turf-conscious ...

Some people are afraid of the dentist, terrified, even; but the Wood County Board of Education has good reason to take a look at the challenges ahead if the school district’s current dental insurance plan remains the same and declare it “kind of terrifying.” School board president Rick ...

When touring the state drumming up the vote for his Roads to Prosperity bond funding, Gov. Jim Justice was asked, repeatedly, to find a way to ensure some money would be set aside to take care of the crumbling infrastructure already in place. The deferred maintenance on our secondary roads hit ...

UP: To enough progress being made to finally allow the demolition of two unsightly and unsafe buildings on Market Street. However, it is worth noting that the razing of those two pieces of Parkersburg’s past give opportunity for this reminder from Wood County Historical and Preservation ...

Garfield Avenue is not exactly a quiet stretch of roadway. It, like most roads in Parkersburg, requires drivers and pedestrians to slow down, pay attention and avoid distractions. But with positive news for the area — the opening of the Parkersburg Cardiology Associates and WVU Heart and ...

Until the Vatican clears the release of a report on accusations against former Roman Catholic bishop Michael J. Bransfield, his misdeeds will remain a matter of speculation. Clearly, allegations regarding him are more extensive than was understood by many last September, when he resigned his ...

West Virginia lawmakers will spend the next several weeks learning what they can about public education, in preparation for a special session they will hold on the topic later this spring. The more facts they can gather — and the more opinions they can hear — the better. To that end, the ...

Lawmakers did the right thing during this year’s legislative session in passing a bill to move the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit from the Department of Health and Human Services to the office of the Attorney General. All the bill requires now is Gov. Jim Justice’s signature. “I ...

Last Monday’s announcement that social media giant Facebook will lay a heavy-duty fiber optic cable across West Virginia was truly big news. Now, state officials should prepare to capitalize on it. It was appropriate that U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., joined state officials and ...

Arizonan Martha McSally spent 26 years in the military, becoming the first female Air Force pilot to fly in combat. She went on to a successful career in politics, leading her to the U.S. Senate. Clearly, she is a strong woman. Yet she was shaken deeply last week, as she participated in a ...

UP: To news Wood County Schools’ plan to equip all K-8 students with iPads might come to fruition as early as this fall. Thanks to the school system receiving enough money to do so, the sped up timeline means “At the start of next school year, every single child in k-8 will have an iPad ...

Giving back to our community does not always mean opening your wallet. Sometimes it just means donating a little time. With the expansion of Read Aloud West Virginia into another school — Greenmont Elementary — the organization needs folks with just that. Well, time, and a desire to help ...

Among multiple budget battles state legislators are working to resolve this week is one over how much taxpayers will spend to ensure justice is done in West Virginia. That is because House of Delegates members, in a strikingly bipartisan vote, have agreed to slash spending by the state Supreme ...

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., was right last week to ask Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to consider the Mountain State as a location for the company’s second headquarters. Amazon pulled out of plans to build in New York City. One would hope Bezos appreciated Manchin’s gentle dig that choosing ...