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Editorial

Legislature seeks to concentrate power

Last week, David Beard did a series of articles on the four amendments that will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot: Amendment 1, “Clarification of the Judiciary’s Role in Impeachment Proceedings”; Amendment 2, “Property Tax Modernization”; Amendment 3, “Incorporation of Churches or Religious Denominations”; and Amendment 4, “Education Accountability.” Since we’ve covered Amendment 2 extensively in our editorials, today and tomorrow we’ll focus on the remaining three amendments. While Amendment 2 is arguably the most controversial, voters should also be wary of ...

Editorial encore: Autumn equinox: A time of change and transition

EDITOR'S NOTE: This editorial was originally published Sept. 22, 2021. Transitions are hard. In life, in work, in age, in seasons. Today marks the first official day of fall. The autumnal equinox is equal parts day and night, but after today, the evening darkness will fall faster. Fall — autumn, whichever you prefer to call it — is a stable period of transition. We can expect it around the same time every year. The day-to-day weather might be unexpected, but we know the nights will get longer, the mornings and evenings will be cooler — and eventually so will the days ...

Editorial encore: Natural vs. vaccine COVID immunity

EDITOR'S NOTE: Today’s editorial has been adapted from one that originally ran Feb. 3, 2022. For more information on the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine and where to get it, visit https://www.vaccines.gov/. There has been much debate about the efficacy of vaccine-induced immunity vs. infection-induced (or “natural”) immunity. While it’s true that getting any virus or infection — in this context, specifically COVID-19 — will cause your body to produce antibodies that can help you fight off later infections, some people are under the impression that natural immunity is more ...

Importance of activism, engagement

We’re pleasantly surprised to see Protect Morgantown’s efforts have been more effective than we predicted. As we said before, we admire community activism, and Protect Morgantown’s triumph in getting Big Daddy Guns removed from its proposed downtown location at The Deck proves that activism is most effective when pressure is applied to the right places — or the right people. Initial attempts to go head-to-head with Big Daddy Guns made it double-down and brought defenders flocking to its side. Working around the gun chain by lobbying other tenants and the developer itself ...

What happens when local gov’t has to beg the state for funds

The humanitarian crisis that was (and still is) Jackson, Miss., exemplifies what happens when infrastructure is starved of funds — and when local governments have to try to beg for funds from the state. A series of severe weather events debilitated Jackson’s water systems early this month: Water treatment plants were damaged, so they couldn’t refill the water towers; too little water in the towers meant water wasn’t making it to people’s taps; and what little water did drip out wasn’t safe to use. To hear the residents of Jackson tell it, this is just the latest in a ...

Pro-birth law will diminish quality of life in West Virginia

We have made it clear where we stand on abortion bans. Instead of reiterating why HB 302’s various restrictions are idiotic, impractical and inhumane, we’re going to look at the bigger picture. Restricting access to abortions will have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences. It may take months, years, even decades to fully understand HB 302’s impact on the state’s population and economy, but we predict West Virginia is likely to experience the following: ○ An increase in abortions and abortion-related deaths. Decades of data and research have shown one universal ...