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Editorial

Yes, Morgantown council should move city elections

Morgantown City Council is considering a handful of changes to the city charter. (See Ben Conley’s reporting for full details.) We see all the proposals as net positives, and we don’t foresee much debate over them. The one amendment that seems to have council divided, however — and the one we believe most important — is the suggestion to move the city’s standalone election in line with the county-wide elections. Currently, city council elections happen in April of odd years; the last city election was in 2023, and if the schedule stays the same, the next should be in 2025, ...

Great strides in women’s equality, but still far to go

Monday was Women’s Equality Day, celebrated each year on the anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment. This year mark 104 years since women gained the right to vote. If you’ve been reading the League of Women Voters columns, you’ll remember that the fight to for female enfranchisement spanned decades (arguably centuries). Gaining the right to vote was the first step toward achieving equality for women. It gave them a voice in politics and the power to influence the laws and policies that governed their lives. It was the first foot in the door that eventually ...

Donation double standard

So ... Mon County 4-H can create an Amazon wish list on behalf of Monongalia County teachers, and people can order items off that wish list to be sent to Mon County schools. But Emily Calandrelli can’t share teachers’ Amazon wish lists, where people would order items to be sent to Mon County classrooms. One is considered a service project; the other is considered crowdfunding. It seems like this is a distinction without a difference. We understand Mon County Schools doesn’t necessarily want teachers going out and soliciting donations to their classrooms. We also understand ...

Hey, Justice. Where did the money go?

We’ve written about the Justice family’s debts a lot. Because, frankly, there are a lot of them — seemingly multiplying by the day — and therefore we have much to say. But there are two debts, one of which recently came to light, that are of particular interest, because it wasn’t Justice family or big bank money that vanished. Rather, it was taxpayer and employee money that disappeared into the financial blackhole that seems to surround The Greenbrier. As previously reported, The Greenbrier has faced a series of liens placed against it for failing to remit to the state ...

Mon County welcomes back students — but not their phones

Monongalia County Schools welcomed back students on Tuesday — but not their smartphones. Phone-related distractions have been an increasing, and seemingly insurmountable, obstacle for educators and school systems across the nation. But this year, Mon County Schools is trying a new way to keep kids off their phones during the school day. Compared to methods we know have been tried in the past, this one seems like it will strike the right balance between limiting distractions and protecting students’ property. Starting this year, middle and high school students will put their ...

Rocky roads now smooth sailing

The W.Va. 7 repaving project is complete and, oh, is it beautiful! The formerly cratered route from the Walnut Street Bridge to Hartman Run Road — encompassing Brockway Avenue, the dreaded Hogback Turn and a stretch of Earl L. Core Road — has been scraped down to the foundation and filled in fresh. What was previously a pothole-laden obstacle course is now 1.5 miles of smooth sailing. And for the first time in years, Hogback Turn is wrinkle-free (and less likely to toss you into opposing traffic). The West Virginia Division of Highways did a fantastic job. We know this ...