Breaking News

Editorial

Shop local for holidays

The hustle of Black Friday and the more subdued bustle of Small Business Saturday are already behind us, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to shop local. For the many of us who don’t complete our Christmas to-do list by the end of Thanksgiving weekend, there are still 27 shopping days left (28, if you’re one of those daredevils who hits the stores on Christmas Eve). And with nearly a month left to shop, there’s no reason you can’t find the perfect something while supporting a small business. While it may be easier to shop a big box store or order from a large online ...

What The DP staff are thankful for

Dave Raese, publisher: I am thankful that we are still putting out a community newspaper; I am thankful that I am a member of The Rotary Club of Morgantown; I am thankful for my family for not driving me into an early grave; I am thankful for all of you who under difficult circumstances do a ...

Finding the best gas prices while you’re traveling for Thanksgiving

If you’ve been to the gas station this week — or just driven past one — you likely noticed that gas prices are inching up. That’s to be expected: No matter the global situation or the cost of oil, the price at the pump always jumps during high-travel periods like holidays. Since today through Sunday are considered prime driving days, that’s about how long you can expect gas prices to be inflated; they’ll likely come down again next week. Unfortunately, knowing why gas prices are higher doesn’t lessen the strain on your wallet. While we sadly don’t have a magic wand to ...

Invest in stormwater upgrades now or pay for it later

When John Lyons, of Strand Associates, tried to compare this past summer’s 100-year floods to football game day traffic, he missed the mark. “So your level of service Saturday for your road network is going to be horrible,” Lyons said as he delivered the initial results of a flood control study to MUB. “So you say to yourself as a community, ‘Will we live with that six times a year or do we want to build a road network that can convey that Saturday football traffic?’ The answer, generally, is you live with that inconvenience because you don’t want to pay for a network ...

A ‘Hazmat Good Samaritan’ law a mostly good idea

When the West Virginia Manufacturers Association pitched an idea for a new Hazmat Good Samaritan law to legislators on Monday, we thought that sounded like a pretty good idea. Once upon a time, back in the 1980s and 1990s, chemical companies used to send resources and professionals to help firefighters with blazes involving chemicals or hazardous materials. Many of those companies still have emergency response teams, with experts and specialized equipment riding on hazmat trucks. But they don’t send those teams off-property anymore. Companies began to fear being sued, so they ...

Misinformation got an $8 upgrade

When Elon Musk purchased Twitter, he was quick to lay off staff, scare off advertisers (though not intentionally) and whine about possible bankruptcy. As part of his (not-well-thought-out) plan to keep the social media giant afloat, Musk and Twitter started selling blue verification check marks for $8 a month in a program called Twitter Blue. Previously, the bright blue check marks next to a person’s name on Twitter meant the user was actually who they said they were: “Elon Musk” is actually Elon Musk (@elonmusk), “Senator Joe Manchin” is actually Joe Manchin ...