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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 ...

Another Donald Trump ‘deal’ with Iran

A friend quipped the other day that President Trump truly deserves the Nobel Peace Prize because he has already ended the Iran war eight times. Will the ninth time be the charm after his latest decision to call off a military escalation in search of a deal with the revolutionary regime? “We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to,” Mr. Trump posted at 10:05 p.m. on Saturday. He added that this includes “Immediate, Complete, and Total” opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to ...

If only lawmakers could be as innovative as Ascend

Mountain State policymakers know they can’t stick with the way things have always been if they want to reverse significant population loss and move forward. Step one, of course, is to stop perpetually looking backward. But step two is to look for innovative ideas such as Ascend West Virginia. NPR examined it and other similar programs across the country and noted the pandemic-born program has been effective enough that many individuals and families have chosen to stay long past their initial required tenure. That despite many employers believing THEY need to move backward and ...