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Editorial

Can I-79 testbed prove solar can work for West Virginia?

Whenever someone pitches the idea of solar power in West Virginia, there is invariably someone else who immediately responds, “That will never work here.” We may finally be able to settle the argument once and for all. West Virginia University engineers will be partnering with First Energy and developer High Technology Foundation to build a “solar testbed” at the I-79 Technology Park in Fairmont. The project will be funded by a $2.3 million U.S. Department of Energy grant. WVU’s Anurag Srivastava, professor and chair of the Lane Department of Computer Science and ...

The Good, the Bad and the Stupid Pt. 3

Good: SB 124 to require schools to create an age-appropriate dating/sexual violence prevention program for grades 7-12. There are a lot of things the Legislature is doing wrong when it comes to public education, but there are a handful of things it is doing right. This is one of them. That late-middle-through-high school age group starts to explore what it means to have a relationship — to have a “real” boyfriend, girlfriend or partner. But they may not have good role models in their own lives, and healthy examples in pop-culture are scarce. This is the perfect time to teach ...

Legislature attacks public education

The hyper-conservative Legislature has resumed the attack it started last year on West Virginia’s public schools. Some attacks are more subtle than others, but most of them are aimed at allowing complaints or even lawsuits against public schools or their employees. There are, of course, the headline-dominating “anti-racism” and “anti-stereotyping” bills (of which there are multiple iterations). Four of them, to be exact. There are two virtually identical “anti-stereotyping” bills in the House (HB 2347 and HB 2940). Then there is the “Anti-Racism Act” (SB 130) that ...

‘Life at conception’ bill violates Constitution

The Legislature is officially considering the most restrictive kind of abortion ban. The “Life at Conception Act of 2023,” or HB 2885, was introduced to the House this past week, courtesy of local Delegate Geno Chiarelli and four of his compatriots. The bill reads: “we hereby declare that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitutions of the United States and the State of West Virginia is vested in each human being.” It then defines “human being” as “preeminent set of divinely created beings commonly and collectively known and referred to as humans or humanity, ...

The Good, the Bad and the Stupid Pt. 2

Good: HB 2774, the “Welcome Home Grant Program.” The pilot program will offer cash grants (up to $5,000) to help veterans and their families relocate to West Virginia on the condition they stay for three years. To us, this bill is a “good, but …” Veterans are an odd group in that they are nationally lauded and beloved, but when it comes time to pay them back for their service — in benefits, health care or jobs — the nation leaves them standing there empty-handed. If West Virginia wants to attract veterans to the state, it needs to be prepared to offer more than $5,000 ...

Fairmont State’s Police Academy offers multiple advantages

Fairmont State University recently welcomed the inaugural class to its Police Training Academy. It’s no secret that police departments across the state have faced staffing shortages — in part because of cultural shifts and attitudes around law enforcement, in part because of uncompetitive pay and in part because of challenges getting officers trained. The new training program at FSU will address the third challenge (and maybe a little bit of the first, too). Until the FSU academy opened its door, the West Virginia State Police Academy outside of Charleston was the only place ...