Opinion

Cracking the Code: Good thoughts to ponder

Local Columns April 11, 2026

As I write this, we are leaving Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, after a pleasant visit. Lynnda and I left Easter Sunday afternoon for a trip to Florida and a cruise with our youngest son and his family. I’m sharing some of our experiences this week that may give you things to think about. We flew Breeze Airlines out of Charleston because we can get a direct flight into Orlando. We heard about long lines at airports. None at Charleston (CRW). The airport is a 15-minute drive from our house. We drove, parked, checked in, went through security and were at our gate in less than 30 ...

The Way I See It: Titanic sinking continues to captivate the public 114 years later

Features April 11, 2026

When the great ocean liner Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in the north Atlantic on April 15, 1912, it set off a media frenzy and a public obsession that still rings true today. The lack of reliable communications proved to be not only a factor that hindered recovery efforts, but also led ...

Memorial Health System grant will save lives

Editorials April 11, 2026

Eligible patients in northwestern West Virginia will benefit from a Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation grant that will help Memorial Health System provide free breast cancer screening and mammography services. “The Benedum Foundation is proud to support this effort,” said Benedum Foundation Vice President and Program Director Kim Tieman. “Improving access to preventive care is one of the most effective ways to strengthen health in rural West Virginia.” With the $80,000 received, Memorial will also be able to raise awareness for early breast cancer detection and expand ...

The last men

Features April 11, 2026

I've often read stories about the "last person killed" in a conflict. If only they hadn't been present at that time and place, their families must have thought. So it was with two early settlers, both named Sherman. One warm, humid June day in 1794, Abel Sherman went out to find his missing ...

Democrats are clear and present danger to the nation

Editorials April 10, 2026

The United States must be growing and prosperous at home and strong and secure in the face of the many security threats facing us abroad. The former can only be achieved with free markets and limited government domestically and the latter through a robust defense budget. On both fronts, Democrats would take the country in the exact opposite direction needed. Voters seem to understand this. RealClearPolitics reports Democratic Party favorability at -20.0 unfavorable and Republicans at -15.4 unfavorable. Nevertheless, in polling on the overall congressional election for 2026, ...

Killing and indifference

Editorials April 10, 2026

Is personal freedom a reality or a myth? Does the government execute the will of the governed or the will of those who finance its officials? Does the Bill of Rights restrain the government? Are the levers of government power pulled by those the governed have elected or those we don't see? Do elections change anything? Can the president kill people whom he suspects might commit a crime? Aren't even those who would cause great harm entitled to due process? Isn't everyone entitled to a fair trial in front of a neutral judge and jury before any punishment can be administered? Aren't all ...