The West Virginia Department of Education is backing away from a proposal that would allow public schools to reduce the number of history courses students are required to take. That’s good.
The opening line of the 1960s pop song “Wonderful World” should probably be America’s theme song. The words “Don’t know much about history” are unfortunately true for too many Americans. But President Donald Trump’s impeachment is pushing Americans to comprehend more about government and history.
It was 1912 in Logan County, and even though they were not allowed to vote, women had already started making a difference for the town of Logan, which was well on its way to becoming a true and bustling city. Thanks to the rapidly growing coal industry, Logan would become an enlightened and …
The second regular session of the 84th Legislature is off to a roaring start. Criminal reform seems to be the priority during the early stages of this session. Here are a few bills which have been introduced by various Delegates. These bills have been voted out of various committees to the H…
Huntington police officials reported last week that crime — both violent and property offenses — in the city was generally down in 2019 when compared with 2018 and the few years before that.
As millennials living and working in West Virginia, we want to live in strong, healthy, vibrant communities where opportunity abounds. We want our elected officials to recognize and embrace new opportunities to strengthen and diversify our state’s economy. And we want to help build a brighte…
Now that the legislative session has begun, here are thoughts about a few things of statewide importance that came to light recently:
You can choose just about any year in Logan County’s colorful past, especially 1910 through 1960, and there will always be two things that stand out in every era — murder and politics, which sometimes go hand-in-hand. The bottom line is: Murders can be political, and politics can be murderous.
Last month, my iPhone 6 crashed; I was crushed. I and millions, maybe billions, of people worldwide are now dependent on an object that only reached the mass market a dozen years ago. As we ring in 2020, a time which sounded wildly futuristic in my youth, our phones remind us of the amazing …
It seems like only yesterday, but it was 35 years ago that I was sitting in the newsroom of The Logan Banner pondering what I was going to write about in that particular week’s column, a weekly writing that appeared under the title, Plain Talkin’.
This year’s regular session of the West Virginia Legislature began last week, kicked off with a prom known as the State of the State speech, where everyone who thinks he or she is important (or should be) is there to hear the governor outline his proposals for this session.
When does a person become an adult? It depends. Last month, Congress enacted a new law raising the nationwide legal limit for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21. The change also applies to electronic cigarettes and vaping products that heat a liquid containing nicotine. The bill was signe…
Ok, so we’re a week into the 2020 New Year, and as we embark upon what surely will consist of visual encounters of many kinds, I am reminded of the days not that long ago when the first born child of the New Year at what was then Logan General Hospital received a multitude of gifts from loca…
On a secondary road I travel frequently live two people who either get along well or not at all, I suppose. One flies a large Trump flag from his flagpole. The other, who lives within sight of the first, has a Bernie sign on his carport and another in his yard.
Christmas always means a memorable time for children, but like some other holidays, it also means it is a special time for those of us who enjoy “pigging out;” you know, that time when we tend to eat more than we should because there is so much to choose from. From turkey to prime rib, and f…
Most West Virginians have little contact with new immigrants. We may have met some who arrived here decades ago or encountered medical personnel from distant lands on a professional basis, but conversations with recently arrived immigrants are infrequent.
West Virginia’s system for caring for nearly 7,000 children now in state custody increasingly has been under the microscope — partly because the number of foster children has grown markedly in recent years, one of the fallouts from the opioid epidemic.
TIME Magazine caused a lot of commotion when it selected climate change activist Greta Thunberg as its Person of the Year. That was probably the whole idea.
It’s finally Christmas, a time to be with your family and to also remember those family members and friends who no longer are with us, except within our hearts and minds. It is a time for children; a time for good tidings; and certainly a time to count your blessings. It is also a time to ac…
Gov. Jim Justice announced Dec. 13 that he has directed the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to initiate a formal study to determine options for eliminating the waiting list for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Waiver (IDDW) program.
This is my favorite “movie time” of the year, as the studios usually release their best films to be considered for year-end awards. Most of us go to movies for escape, fun and excitement, but sometimes, we also get good doses of reality and thought-provoking subjects.
Most middle school students can tell you why the United States declared war on Japan in December 1941. But how many adults can explain why American troops are in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of war there?
We’ve all heard the expression, “The more things change, the more things remain the same.”
Conflict is a normal part of life. It involves disagreement and opposition. Even the most agreeable individual is unlikely to escape conflict if he or she has any opinions.
There was a game that once was quite popular with me and a great number of other “boys” who were growing up at the time. The only name I knew the game by was “Throw the Ball Up and Tackle.”
From all appearances, West Virginia’s plan to increase attendance at its community and technical colleges has been a success in its first year. The number of first-time freshmen in the state’s nine CTC schools increased 9.9 percent from fall 2018 to fall 2019, according to data released by t…
From week to week, I try to vary my writings so as not to lull anyone to sleep with the same type of material. Realizing that not everyone, including my own wife, really cares about history as much as some of the rest of us, I often tread into other matters hoping they may be of some signifi…
America is suffering a child exploitation crisis. In 2018 alone, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received more than 18 million reports that contained more than 45 million pieces of content. These reports contained more than 23 million images and more tha…
West Virginia’s 10 regional jails were built as part of a master plan by the state to replace aging and overcrowded county jails. The plan was born in the wake of an audit in the 1980s by the U.S. Department of Justice that revealed there was only one jail in West Virginia that met federal o…
Family thankful for thoughtful gesture
Back in Logan High School’s basketball heyday, I enjoyed the rivalry between Coach Sam Andy’s Wheeling Park Patriots squads and Willie Akers’ running Wildcats. Most people think of it as having been simply a basketball rivalry between two always talented squads.
Recently, with the help of many businesses, elected officials and friends, we held the first Logan County Walk/5K to help raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease at the Buffalo Creek Memorial Library.
Do you believe in miracles? One happened Oct. 27, 28 and 29 when Rail Excursion Management Co. (Railexco) operated the Autumn Colors Express train from Huntington and Charleston to Hinton, W.Va.
A study published this month says West Virginia has the nation’s largest share of children who deal with opioid abuse by their parents.
Apparently a significant number of young adults do not value educational opportunities that are available to them after they graduate from high school.
“When I was 16 years old, I quit school to join the Army, but my mother wouldn’t sign the papers for me to go. And by the time I became 18 in 1953, I didn’t want to go.” Those were the words of 84-year-old Hobert Adkins, a former Pine Creek of Omar resident, now living just a short distance …
In October each year, we are surrounded by pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. The breast cancer advocates have done an amazing job of advocating for their cause, thus leading to early diagnosis and screening.
Dear Governor Justice and alleged elected representatives flying above 30,000 feet to rule:
I am no tribalist, but I can’t help but wonder why West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, an outsider, came here from another state and almost immediately got elected to public office.
Tourism is growing in West Virginia as measured by the amount of money state government collects from the industry in taxes.
Tourism is growing in West Virginia as measured by the amount of money state government collects from the industry in taxes.
Tourism is growing in West Virginia as measured by the amount of money state government collects from the industry in taxes.
One of the most overlooked treasures one can possess in Appalachia has for many generations been a handmade quilt. Considered as precious heirlooms, quilts are often handed down from one family generation to another. For me, to possess a handmade quilt given to a person out of love or friend…
One of the most overlooked treasures one can possess in Appalachia has for many generations been a handmade quilt. Considered as precious heirlooms, quilts are often handed down from one family generation to another. For me, to possess a handmade quilt given to a person out of love or friend…
One of the most overlooked treasures one can possess in Appalachia has for many generations been a handmade quilt. Considered as precious heirlooms, quilts are often handed down from one family generation to another. For me, to possess a handmade quilt given to a person out of love or friend…
One of the most overlooked treasures one can possess in Appalachia has for many generations been a handmade quilt. Considered as precious heirlooms, quilts are often handed down from one family generation to another. For me, to possess a handmade quilt given to a person out of love or friend…
Tourism is growing in West Virginia as measured by the amount of money state government collects from the industry in taxes.
(Writer’s Note: With next Monday to be celebrated as Veterans Day, I dedicate the following writing to all of the military men and women who have over the years sacrificed their efforts to help secure the freedoms that we continue to cherish as true mountaineers and Americans, especially fre…
Up to 50,000 students in West Virginia’s public schools could lose automatic eligibility for free lunches and breakfasts if a proposed change to federal food stamp benefits is enacted.
Coal is on the decline.
Students can’t learn if they’re not in school. Teachers can’t teach if they’re not in school. The difference is that substitutes can fill in for teachers, but are too many teachers taking too many days off from their jobs?
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.