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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 ...

Thank you for voting

Tight races evidence that every vote counts Thank you to everyone who turned out to exercise their constitutional right to vote, whether you cast your ballot during early voting or on Election Day. Voting is a right, but it’s also a privilege that too many of us take for granted. Democracy doesn’t function at its best unless citizens participate in the civic process. We would also like to thank Monongalia County voters for voting in favor of the EMS levy. We’re proud voters recognized the importance of supporting public services, and we look forward to seeing what ...

Editorial Encore: Appreciating vets’ service, sacrifice

EDITOR'S NOTE: Today's editorial originally published Nov. 11, 2020. To our veterans: Thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Veterans Day is both for the living and the deceased, so we pay homage also the memory and legacy of veterans who are no longer with us. Their service and sacrifice is remembered and appreciated. Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, in recognition of the armistice reached at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 that halted the fighting in World War I. In 1938, Nov. 11 became an official holiday to honor the ...