West Virginia's Bureau of Public Health had no epidemiologists on staff specifically trained to deal with chemical and natural disasters, when a leaky tank sent crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol into the Elk River in Charleston at the beginning of this year, according to a report this week from ...

West Virginia is changing - rapidly. But for many years public officials have spent a lot of effort and money in trying to catch up to the changes that have been mounting for decades. Our future, even five years from now, will be very different from the economic and cultural norms to which ...

When the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall arrives in Parkersburg next week, it will bring with it the opportunity for visitors to pay their respects to a group of men and women whose service to their country often fails to garner the gratitude it deserves.There is an opportunity for local ...

Smoking rates in West Virginia are appalling. Though adult smoking rates in surrounding states have declined significantly over the past two decades, rates in the Mountain State have remained the same. In fact, in 20 counties, the rates hover between 30 and 34.9 percent. In two counties, the ...

While the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs may have a good deal of work yet to do (or, to begin) in order to right the ship after the revelation that breakdowns in its hospitals and clinics proved fatal for at least 40 veterans, it has taken one small step that could prove to be important ...

When riders of the Mid-Ohio Valley Transit Authority's Easy Rider buses look back on the past 28 years of reliable service, it is important to remember during all that time bus fare has remained a very affordable 50 cents. Meanwhile, in 1986 - the last time bus fares were changed in Parkersburg ...

UP: To the volunteers who have spent many hours this past year getting things ready for this weekend's Parkersburg Homecoming Festival. The fun-filled-and mostly free - weekend does not just automatically happen every year, but is the result of the dedication of dozens of people who are willing ...

Wood County Board of Education members decided this week to implement in 2014-15 a program that, in theory, will provide Personalized Education Plans to every student in the county. That is more than 13,000 kids, which means, right from the start, there will be a great many similarities among ...

Changes are taking place in West Virginia at a pace that has left many in positions of authority scrambling to catch up. It is tempting to celebrate one such shift, as an indicator of the degree to which women in the Mountain State have outdone their counterparts across the country in attaining ...

Mid-Ohio Valley residents may not notice immediate differences, as Drema Mace takes over the position of executive director of the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, and that is a good thing. Mace has said she plans to spend time reviewing the department for compliance with state health codes ...

Ohio's child support guidelines are out of step with most of the rest of the country, with the federal government and the Child Support Guidelines Advisory Council pushing hard for increases in the amount of money collected. Figures show children in Ohio are receiving at least 13 percent less ...

For many area boaters, the approaching Parkersburg Homecoming Festival weekend provides the perfect opportunity to relax out on the water. But a couple of recent accidents serve as reminders of the importance of staying safe and obeying the law while boating.A Tuppers Plains couple was injured ...

State officials in Charleston found out last week they may have chosen to see a glass half full when it was really closer to empty. According to Deputy Revenue Secretary Mark Muchow, West Virginia's economy will need to grow by approximately 4 percent in the 2014-15 year in order to balance the ...

UP: To the Rails, Trails and Ales Festival today and Sunday in Marietta. The event is a celebration of the outdoor recreation opportunities in the area during the day, followed by live music and craft beer during the evening. About 2,000 kayakers, canoers, bicyclists and hikers are taking part ...

In the midst of an ongoing assault from the federal government, American Electric Power executives continue to look for ways to improve efficiency - and financial performance - in order to keep the company afloat and electricity flowing to its customers. A few employees in West Virginia are ...

"The possibilities are endless," said Katy Orr-Dove, a retail market manager for a family farm near Martinsburg, W.Va. "West Virginia is known for being mountainous farmlands. And there are a lot of people who have small farms already."Increasingly, the possibilities for those small farms ...

Private, nontraditional institutions of higher learning fill a vital role in our state, as generations of graduates have discovered. Students who decide such schools are the best place for them to gain degrees that will propel them into the careers of their choice do so because they believe ...

President Barack Obama has made it clear that when he disagrees with the law, he will not enforce it. And when Congress will not pass a law he wants, the chief executive simply issues an executive order that, in effect, creates White House law.Far from being reluctant to go beyond the limits of ...

When we see good news such as the completion of another Habitat for Humanity home in Wood County, it is easy to forget the organization, with the help of local affiliates, does a great deal of good on a global scale. Directly because of the contributions made by local residents to Habitat for ...

If you do not believe there is a war on coal and affordable electricity, ask the 1,100 employees of Alpha Natural Resources in West Virginia who were told last week they would likely be losing their jobs this fall. By most recent counts, there are approximately 20,000 coal mining jobs in West ...