Greyhound breeders and racetracks in West Virginia may not like it, but the results of a study commissioned by the state Senate Finance Committee last year make clear the state must stop shoring up this disintegrating enterprise.Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino and Racetrack and Mardi Gras Casino ...

Officers who put their safety on the line every day when they report to work in corrections facilities should have as many tools as possible to protect themselves.Right now, however, something as simple as carrying pepper spray on the job is a matter of Congressional debate. Surely there will ...

A big "thank you" to United Bank for its donation last week of $175,000 to establish a fund that will support the police departments of both Parkersburg and Vienna.Not only did the bank honor its 175th anniversary with its initial donation, it will also host an annual fundraising dinner to ...

Vaccines save lives. They are safe, and have done immeasurable good in fending off diseases that still haunt much of the rest of the world. Because of a vaccine, measles was nearly eradicated in the U.S. by 2000. But now, because of parents who were all-too-willing to buy into a trendy hysteria ...

UP: To the Belpre Elementary sixth-grade class for donating its entire end-of-the-year field trip fund, approximately $600, to two classmates whose house was destroyed by fire the last day of school before Christmas break. Their generosity inspired other people to donate, and the kids in turn ...

Congratulations to counties in the Mid-Ohio Valley receiving A grades from the American Lung Association for their indoor air quality and smoke-free regulations.Wood, Wirt, Calhoun, Pleasants, Ritchie and Roane counties - all of which are covered by the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department - ...

Reaction to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address included a lot of references to "common sense" from both sides. And while it turns out there can be some debate about what constitutes "common sense," there is are things that should withstand debate - figuring out how to pay for ...

As cold weather solidifies its grip on the Mid-Ohio Valley, residents in need of a little help can still count on various agencies and the generosity of local folks who know the need does not stop once the Christmas lights have come down.Parkersburg's Children's Home Society of West Virginia ...

It is being suggested West Virginia should increase the state tax on cigarettes by $1 a pack, allegedly to help curb tobacco use. That is a bad idea and local legislators who oppose it are right.Not enough money is being spent to educate people, especially the young, on the dangers of tobacco ...

As Fletcher Lamkin officially began his duties as president of West Virginia University at Parkersburg last week, he did so surrounded by folks who "bent over backwards to make us feel welcome," adding "it's a place I'd like to sink some roots and contribute for a long time."Lamkin very ...

Suicide rates in the military are sharply higher than civilian rates. In fact, beginning in 2006, the suicide figures began a steady, disturbing climb, reaching a peak in 2012 at 352. Defense Department officials were relieved to see the number drop a good bit in 2013, but the general upward ...

UP: To Rhonda Tracy for her work as West Virginia University at Parkersburg's interim president during the past several months. Tracy assumed the presidency of the university when former president Marie Foster Gnage departed in the summer for a job in Florida. Tracy's term officially ended this ...

Among the many requests for funding likely to appear before the new, Republican-controlled West Virginia Legislature is an effort to get back on track with a highway project that could be enormously beneficial to folks in the Ohio Valley.West Virginia Route 2 and Interstate 68 Authority ...

Among the many requests for funding likely to appear before the new, Republican-controlled West Virginia Legislature is an effort to get back on track with a highway project that could be enormously beneficial to folks in the Ohio Valley.West Virginia Route 2 and Interstate 68 Authority ...

If it can be accomplished at a reasonable cost, Wood County Commissioners should do their best to return six gravestones to their original locations in the Kincheloe/Vandivier Cemetery."Back in the 1970s, the county commission gave control of the Kincheloe/Vandivier Cemetery to the Recreation ...

As West Virginia's incoming legislative leaders spoke ahead of today's start of the Legislature's session, the overwhelming theme was a desire to create jobs and spur economic growth that will allow the next generation to seek its fortune in the Mountain State."If we put people to work, then ...

Local legislators still have a great deal of wind in their sails as they prepare for the first day of the 2015 West Virginia Legislative Session, Wednesday. Recent reports reveal plum committee appointments, important assignments, new offices and plenty of ideas about what must be done in the ...

Among the many groups seeking the attention of West Virginia's legislature, which will convene Wednesday, is the League of Women Voters. The organization hopes to get lawmakers to address how the state funds public libraries - and the wide variety of ways in which libraries throughout the state ...

West Virginia lost a giant last week - a man who, though perhaps flawed, loved and served the Mountain State and his country with everything he had. Arch A. Moore Jr. was a U.S. Army sergeant in the European theater during World War II, earning both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He was a ...

UP: To the area's highway crews for their grueling efforts during the area's first significant snow. Between five and six inches fell in many areas of the Mid-Ohio Valley overnight Monday and into Tuesday morning, which along with frigid temperatures, made driving conditions dangerous not only ...