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Editorial

Huggins vs. WVU: A bad look for both, but worse for players, staff

The ongoing disagreement between Bob Huggins and his representatives and West Virginia University and its representatives is certainly a spectacle, to say the least.  We won’t say who is right and who is wrong (because it looks like everyone is a little of both) and we won’t speculate as to the outcome of the dispute.  All we’ll say is that this fight isn’t a good look for either Huggins or WVU.  There is no denying what Huggins did: In mid-June, he drove under the influence and was caught. Pittsburgh police arrested him and, at that time, his blood ...

Morgantown PD’s best new asset: a social worker

We’re excited to see the Morgantown Police Department has added its first police social worker to the force — something for which we have previously advocated.  Kelly Rice is a licensed clinical social worker who earned her master’s degree in social work from West Virginia University. Her credentials more than speak for themselves: She has a background working with victims of mental health issues, domestic violence and addiction, and she also has experience with compassionate releases, criminal thinking, victim impact and crisis intervention. Rice previously worked as a ...

No ‘critical needs’? Look again

West Virginia ended Fiscal Year 2023 with a $1.847 billion surplus — which is a lot less impressive when you consider the “surplus” is the result of artificially low budgets, unpaid salaries from still vacant positions in government agencies and a massive-but-temporary surge in fossil fuel taxes that’s already declining.   We’ve made clear our stance on these artificial “surpluses” Gov. Jim Justice and Republican lawmakers like to tout: You can’t brag about “excess” revenue when critical agencies and projects are chronically underfunded and therefore can’t ...

Who gets fooled by fake news?

In not-so-breaking news: The University of Cambridge reports that people who primarily get their news from social media are less likely to be able to distinguish real headlines from fake headlines.  Which shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, though some of the demographic breakdowns did surprise us.  The University of Cambridge created a two-minute(ish) quiz comprised of 10 real headlines and 10 fake headlines that asked participants to decide if a headline was real or fake and then asked for certain demographic information, such as age, political affiliation, time ...

How cleaning up acid mine drainage became profitable

If you feel like you’re hearing the words “rare earth elements” (REEs) or “rare earth metals” with increasing frequency, there’s a reason for it. REEs are essential to building electronics, making them more precious than gold in our tech-fueled society. And they can be found in the acid mine drainage that has long polluted West Virginia’s waterways.  REEs are a family of elements that are key components in DVDs, cell phones, catalytic converters, magnets and fluorescent lighting, among other things, according to Geoscience News and Information. They are also an ...

Editorial Encore: 247 years of trying to deliver on ideals

EDITOR'S NOTE: Today’s editorial has been adapted from one that was originally published July 4, 2021. “Our country is not the only thing to which we owe our allegiance. It is also owed to justice and to humanity. Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.” — James Bryce, British ambassador to the United States (1907-13) and historian.   Today we celebrate our independence from England. (The irony of opening with a quote from a British diplomat is not lost on us). Two hundred and forty-seven ...