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Editorial

Amendments 1 & 2 about checks on gov’t, local control

When you go to the polls, either this week for early voting or next week on Election Day, you’ll be asked to vote on four constitutional amendments. Today, we’ll cover Amendments 1 and 2, and tomorrow we’ll discuss Amendments 3 and 4. Amendment 1, if passed, would give the Legislature the power to impeach/remove any government employee and make such a decision unreviewable by any court, including the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. This amendment stems from the Legislature’s 2018 attempt to impeach all the sitting West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals justices for ...

The ‘devil you know’ isn’t always the better choice

We were incredulous to hear the City of Morgantown had decided to renew a five-year contract with Republic Services without going through the bidding process. First and foremost, Republic has been the subject of numerous complaints — to put it mildly — ranging from repeatedly missing pickups to not fully emptying bins to knocking down cable lines and more. Second, being good stewards of taxpayer dollars means ensuring that residents are getting the best services for the best price. We can understand giving Republic a four-month contract extension to finish out the year, but we ...

It’s important to fix pets

Four hundred and sixty nine — that’s how many cats (400) and dogs (69) the Monongalia Canine Adoption Center had to euthanize last year. That sad number is an important reminder of why, as pet owners, we must make sure our pets are spayed or neutered. This is especially true for cats: inside-only, outside-only, barn cats — doesn’t matter. If there is a domestic animal living on your property, it is your responsibility to get it fixed. If you can’t afford to have your dog or cat fixed, please contact M-SNAP for a voucher. Call 304-985-0123 and leave your name and phone ...

Editorial Encore: Halloween’s origins and traditions

EDITOR'S NOTE: This editorial was originally published Oct. 31, 2021. Happy Halloween! A fun fact for you: “Halloween” is a contraction of “Hallow Eve” or All Hallows’ Eve as we’ve sometimes heard today called. It’s fascinating to trace the history of Halloween from an ancient religious festival to the fun and frightening secular “holiday” we know now. It’s believed All Hallows’ Eve has its roots in the Celtic festival Samhain. Samhain marked the end of summer and the harvest — the Celtic New Year, which fell on what we would know now as Nov. 1. It was ...

Schools failing dyslexic students

As the old adage goes, actions speak louder than words. We believe that every child should have access to a free, quality education, and we have frequently used this space to champion public schools. Which is why we were disappointed to learn that Monongalia County Schools has done little more than pay lip service to helping students with dyslexia. You’ve likely seen our articles the last several Sundays in honor of Dyslexia Awareness Month, including one highlighting Mon County Schools’ protocols and resources for students with dyslexia. In an interview with The Dominion ...

There’s no rainbow fentanyl trick in Halloween treats

Despite what the fearmongers have claimed recently, you really don’t need to be in a panic over marijuana edibles or “rainbow fentanyl” ending up in children’s Halloween candy. We recently had a story in The Dominion Post discussing the rise of rainbow fentanyl and public service announcements put out by two groups at roughly the same time. After a Monongalia County drug bust where narcotics presumed to be rainbow fentanyl were found, three WVU pharmacy professors put out a PSA. After rainbow fentanyl started making national headlines, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito joined 12 ...