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Editorial

For family-friendly downtown, focus on store looks, not store type

How many smoke and vape shops is too many? The Morgantown Planning Commission is considering a change in zoning ordinances to limit any more vape/tobacco stores from coming to downtown. The concern is that too many such stores make High Street and its offshoots a less welcoming place for families. We can certainly respect that concern, especially considering all the work the City of Morgantown has put into reviving downtown. And, to be fair, a quick Google Maps search will turn up five smoke and vape businesses between Willey Street and Walnut Street. But we don’t think ...

W.Va. voters have alternatives to GOP

You may have noticed that virtually all the discussion surrounding West Virginia state elections has centered around the Republican candidates for office. In large part, that’s because West Virginia is increasingly a one-party state where elections are determined in the primary. But it doesn’t have to be that way — there are Democrats running for state office (and a few federal offices). And unlike the Republican candidates, who are just trying to out-Trump each other, the Democratic candidates cover a range of ideologies from Joe Manchin-style moderates to a self-proclaimed ...

Bringing civility back to political discourse

We have officially entered 2024 election season (even though it feels like the 2022 election season never ended) — and the rhetoric from politicians and pundits is already heated. Unfortunately, it will only get worse. Mudslinging has long been a feature of politics, with verbal and written attacks on everything from an opponent’s policies to their appearance. Sadly, research has shown that potential voters are more engaged by “dirty” fights, such as negative advertising and personal attacks during debates, than by positive promotions. However, anyone would be hard pressed ...

State of the State: Justice vs. reality

After the headline-grabbing stunts of previous years — including presenting legislators with a literal pile of feces and proffering Babydog’s rear-end for a celebrity’s smooch — Gov. Jim Justice’s final State of the State Address was almost surreal in its normalcy. Instead of using his allotted time for some kind of fantastical stunt, Justice used his last big speech in front of the West Virginia Legislature to make the case for his tenure as governor — and, ostensibly, the case for why he should be a U.S. senator. He, of course, painted his years as the state’s top ...

The Good, the Bad and the Shady: FirstEnergy Edition

When it comes to FirstEnergy and its subsidiaries Mon Power and Potomac Edison, there are so many things going on right now that it’s difficult to keep them straight. To help keep the discussion organized, we’re adapting our favorite legislative breakdown. Presenting: “The Good, the Bad and the Shady: FirstEnergy Edition.” Good: Mon Power debuted the first of its five planned solar arrays earlier this month. As David Beard reported: Adjacent to Mon Power’s Fort Martin coal-fired plant, the solar operation covers 80 acres, with 49,032 solar panels generating 18.89 megawatts. ...

City’s fire levy request faux pas

There are few things we are taught in “career readiness” courses in high school and college that, while technically about submitting resumés, applies equally well to much of adult and professional correspondence: Address it to the appropriate individual or entity, and make sure to submit it in a timely manner. The City of Morgantown failed to do either. We’ll let you read Ben Conley’s article in today’s paper for the full details, but in short: The Morgantown city manager and fire chief sent a letter to the Monongalia County Commission asking it to “correct” ...