Breaking News

Editorial

Forgotten value of liberal arts

There’s a disheartening national trend where universities, as they contend with declining student enrollment and less government funding, shift their focus and narrow their offerings so earning a degree becomes less about education and more about job preparation. However, there is value in a liberal arts education that can’t be recorded on paper — and that many won’t even realize until long after they’ve graduated from college. When you’re a student, the general education classes in English, foreign languages, philosophy, art and history all seem like irrelevant ...

Love animals? Here are some ways to show it

WVAQ’s Just Jaime will be “ruffin’” it (to borrow Erin Cleavenger’s pun) outside of The Glass Factory in Star City this weekend. She’ll be pitching her tent in the parking lot as part of the Camping for Canines fundraiser for Animal Friends of North-Central West Virginia. She’s aiming to get $10,000 in whatever way she can — cash, credit or coin (hold the pocket lint). For those who don’t carry cash anymore, Jaime and Animal Friends will gladly take payments via PayPal or Venmo. Animal Friends runs a nonprofit, no-kill shelter that provides veterinary services, ...

Press pause on ‘safety’ ordinance

For months, as he has crafted his not-a-panhandling-ordinance, Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom has repeatedly said his proposal is based on an Alabama law that prohibits panhandling. So what is the Alabama law? The better question is “which one?” The Alabama Code of 1975 had two anti-panhandling statutes: §13A-11-9, which said someone commits the crime of loitering if he/she “[l]oiters, remains, or wanders about in a public place for the purpose of begging,” and §32-5A-216, which said “No person shall stand on a highway for the purpose of soliciting ...

WVU walkout a good start, but it will take more

On Monday, WVU students staged a walkout and protest in objection to the preliminary recommendations that call for cutting 32 majors and 169 faculty positions. We are proud of all the people — especially the students — who showed up outside the Mountainlair and on the Rec Center fields. It takes courage to show up — in person, no less — to protest for something you believe in. And hundreds of students, staff, faculty and community members showed up. We admire the bravery, passion and dedication they demonstrated. We fear, however, they’re efforts will be for ...

Gee should ask for help from W.Va. Legislature

It’s an open secret that the majority of the West Virginia Legislature dislikes Morgantown — and everything related to it. (“Dislike” borders on understatement, but “hates” seemed too strong a word.) Which may be why West Virginia University President Gordon Gee is reluctant to ask it for help as the university faces a financial crisis. But knowing the answer will be “no” shouldn’t stop Gee from asking anyway. Yes, there are undoubtably “structural” problems, to paraphrase Gee, that contributed to the predicament. And the university administration should own ...

Build streamlined immigration, not a useless border wall

Political campaign season is starting to ramp up (not that it ever really ended), so we’re going to hear a lot more about illegal immigration and the border wall. Already, the national Republican Party has started running ads proclaiming the only way to fix America’s immigration “crisis” is to finish the border wall. We can see why politicians like that idea: It’s something physical, tangible, that they can present to their constituents and say, “Look what I did.” Practical (and effective) immigration policy is nebulous; good policy is not as visual and grand — and ...