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Editorial

Supporting tourism is support for W.Va.’s future

Two summers ago, then-Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Tourism Chelsea Ruby said “Our problem … is an exceptionally good one to have: Tourism is growing so fast that our workforce is straining to keep up with demand.” Ruby deserves the lion’s share of the credit for that explosive growth, which required the launch of Tourism Works, a partnership with the Department of Education, in summer 2024. It put tourism curriculum in all 55 county school districts and built career pathways for students to earn credits and certifications that would meet the needs of the tourism ...

WVU cyber center a good investment

Touted by the Appalachian Regional Commission as an example of the good use of its money, West Virginia University has established the state’s first Cyber-Resilience Resource Center. That puts WVU on the cutting edge of supporting small and medium-sized businesses that need help with cybersecurity resources as those businesses increasingly rely on digital systems to survive. Though the ARC spotlighted the CRRC as a good investment just last week, the center was established in October 2024, and has already worked with established businesses, startups and infrastructure. Examples ...

Support those who support W.Va.’s most vulnerable

Gov. Patrick Morrisey and lawmakers could — and should — have their hands full with work that would support the most vulnerable children in West Virginia if they would just drop the political nonsense and remember who they serve. But that said, there are small steps being taken that somehow remind us all the more just how monumental the task really is. Last week, Morrisey announced more than $2 million in Child Advocacy Center grant funding. That $2 million will be split among 22 projects across the state, including our own Marion County Child Advocacy Center, which received ...

More trouble for W.Va.’s future

Given recent arguments about school funding, TANF funding, foster care — far too many topics for a state where so many people squawk about their love of children and families just ahead of Election Day — it’s important to look at what the data says. According to WalletHub’s “States with the Most At-Risk Youth in 2026,” West Virginia is fifth. As in, only four states are worse. (Predictably, those four are Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.) West Virginia ranks 9th for risks involving education and employment; and 5th for risks involving health. Drilling down, the ...

Vaccination policy keeps W.Va. off the list

Whenever I see one of those "ranking" stories about the states, I brace myself. Is this going to be another report on some measure where West Virginia finishes near the bottom? But the latest list brought welcome news for our state. Recent stories based on a Centers for Disease Control and ...