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Editorial encore: Juneteenth: A different kind of Independence Day

EDITOR'S NOTE: This editorial has been adapted from one that was originally published June 19, 2022. Juneteenth commemorates the day Gen. Gordan Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, technically freeing the last of the slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation had been signed two years before, but the lack of Union soldiers’ presence had made Texas a safe haven for slaveholders.  However, on June 19, 1865, about two months after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Granger read aloud General Order No. 3 in the town square, declaring: “The people of Texas are informed that ...

Insidious nature of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric

As Ash Orr mentions in their guest essay, hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced across the nation — most of which target transgender people. We’ve noticed, however, the anti-trans rhetoric is the tip of the spear — the foot in the door, so to speak.  Polling data between 2019 and 2022 shows the highest rate of acceptance for same-sex relationships and marriages and gay/lesbian employment rights Gallup has ever recorded.   But the acceptance for gay and lesbian people hasn’t quite extended to transgender individuals. And it’s the lack of ...

Celebrate W.Va.’s birthday with music, food and fun downtown

It’s not a birthday without a party.  And since West Virginia’s 160th birthday falls on a Tuesday this year, Morgantown is celebrating a little early with a big party downtown, and everyone is invited.  From a press release about the event, which runs from noon to 5 p.m. today:   “Enjoy local and regional bands like PopShop, Megan Jeans and the Cooley Gang with your family for free. Browse beer, wine and food vendors stationed on High Street.  Attendees can commemorate the experience by purchasing beer in a special edition commemorative cup, with ...

From mountains to Mars: W.Va.’s brightest stars

Shooting for the stars  West Virginia University’s robotics team is out of this world — almost literally.  Team Mountaineers faced off against dozens of teams from 10 countries to take first place in a Mars-themed competition early this month.   The 2023 University Rover Challenge was hosted in Hanksville, Utah, at the Mars Desert Research Station, where teams from colleges across the globe competed to build the best next-generation Mars rover. The student-led team is made up of more than 75 undergraduate students and five graduate student mentors across ...

Here’s why there’s nothing new on TV

If you watched the Tony Awards Sunday night and thought the ceremony was a teensy bit less polished than usual, it’s because the whole thing was unscripted. As a show of support for (and part of an agreement to not be picketed by) the Writers Guild of America, the Tonys did not use any scripted material for its night of pageantry, music and recognition.  The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May 2 (roughly 40 days) as Hollywood writers petition for higher base pay, higher residuals and better protections as the film landscape rapidly changes. In the midst of ...

‘Regulated’ utilities not working anymore

Recently, Mon Power and Hope Gas both filed with the Public Service Commission for rate increases — requests that were met with public indignation.  Figuring out how utilities get paid is complicated, but we’ve done our best to figure it out for you. In the simplest possible terms, regulated utilities — like Mon Power and Hope Gas — are given a monopoly and guaranteed a certain amount of profit in exchange for providing essential products and services (e.g., electricity, heat and water) to customers at a “reasonable” cost that must be approved by the ...