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FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US

The Airing of Grievances Happy Festivus! If you’re scratching your head and checking your calendar to see how you missed a holiday, don’t worry — you aren’t the only one. The concept of Festivus was first introduced in the “Seinfield” episode “Strike” from Season 9, which aired Dec. 18, 1997. According to festivusweb.com, “Festivus is a secular holiday, normally celebrated on Dec. 23. It is mainly meant as an alternative to the pressures and commercialization of the Christmas season. ... The usual holiday tradition of a tree is manifested in an unadorned ...

Proof teachers make a difference

Early this month, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development released the results of its triennial, global standardized test for 15-year-olds. More than half of the 81 participating countries saw declines in reading and math. In OECD member countries, reading performance fell by 10 points on average and by 15 points in math compared to 2018. (Testing was delayed because of COVID.) The U.S. actually performed better than equally developed countries like Germany and Iceland: Our math scores only dropped by 13 points, and our reading scores were roughly the same. This is ...

Bringing trains into the 21st century

When given the choice among trains, planes or automobiles, most Americans will choose to fly or drive. Flying is fastest, and driving offers the most flexibility and control. Virtually no one sees traveling by train as a viable option. But hopefully that will change in the coming years. President Joe Biden’s administration has announced billions of dollars in upgrades to America’s passenger railroad infrastructure, including improvements to existing rail lines and creation of new high-speed trains.  U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, with the help of state- ...

Since complaints don’t work on Republic, maybe levying fines will

Recycling pickup was spotty throughout the Suncrest neighborhood on Friday. Some bins were emptied; others were not, seemingly without rhyme or reason. That’s likely because there was a substitute recycling driver that day, but only a fraction of Republic Services customers knew it. Some people got text messages letting them know. Others turned to the hive-mind of social media and neighborhood Facebook groups to find out why their recycling hadn’t been collected. Still others were left in the dark, wondering when — or even if — someone would ever come by to empty the big ...

Hansen at COP28

The future of energy and the Mountain State The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, came to a close this past Tuesday. World leaders in government, business, finance and energy (renewable and, yes, fossil fuels) came together for nearly two weeks of learning, discussing and negotiating. At the end, representatives from nearly 200 countries produced a “global stocktake” and acknowledged that global emissions must be cut nearly in half by 2030 to maintain a worldwide warming of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Among the ...

Girls Who Code show what public schools can do

Mylan Park Elementary’s Girls Who Code Club visited Charleston Monday for “Country Roads Codes Day at the Capitol.” While there, these girls spoke to legislators and visitors about the computer science program at “The Park,” as the elementary school is affectionately called, and even taught some lawmakers how to code. We’re so proud of the Girls Who Code and their ambassadorship. They are a shining example of what West Virginia’s future can hold. And they’ve given us an opportunity to talk about the bigger picture: how a good public school can change kids’ ...