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How to celebrate Juneteenth

Today is an odd confluence of holidays: The beloved perennial Father’s Day and the new-ish (at least to the official registry of national holidays) Juneteenth. We, of course, wish all fathers and father-figures a happy Father’s Day. As for Juneteeth, this is only its second year being recognized, both federally and statewide. Juneteenth commemorates the day Gen. Gordan Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, technically freeing the last of the slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation had been signed two years before, but the lack of Union soldiers’ presence had made Texas a ...

Slew of hate crimes show we need Pride

Even in the face of a litany of atrocities, it is still hard to fathom how people can hold so much hate in their hearts. Last month, it was the Buffalo shooter who put his racist screed into action when he targeted Black shoppers at a grocery store, killing 10 of them. This month, it’s the various attacks on Pride events and LGBTQ+ individuals. On Saturday, a Good Samaritan informed police of what looked like a “little army” loading into the back of a U-Haul in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Police acted on the tip and pulled the van over not far from its intended destination: a ...

How to save EMSs

The lack of emergency medical services (EMS) — and strain on those remaining — is a national crisis, but we feel it keenly in our area. Between 2019 and 2021, West Virginia lost nearly 30% of its certified EMS providers: approximately 1,643 emergency medical technicians and 258 paramedics. Recently, Star City Volunteer Fire Department announced it’s suspending emergency medical services, and Preston County has lost two EMS operations. Forest Weyen, Mon EMS executive director, spoke before the Joint Committee on Volunteer Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services in May ...

Economic reality check

This past Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice scoffed at a WalletHub ranking that put West Virginia’s economy last overall in the nation. Specifically, he called it “political garbage” from a “bunch of liberal fruitcakes.” While Justice likes to brag about the state’s surpluses (which he never puts to good use), the situation on the ground doesn’t look so rosy. WalletHub’s ranking for West Virginia in its three main categories were 49th in economic activity, 42nd for economic health and 51st (including the District of Columbia) for innovation potential. These three main ...

An alternative to a gas tax holiday

At his press conference Wednesday, (we can no longer call them “COVID briefings” in good faith) Gov. Justice once again shot down the idea of a gas tax holiday, largely due to Republican legislators’ opposition. At the time, though, Justice said he was open to ideas. So we’d like ...

The AR, AR-style rifle conundrum

Today we present the last of our gun reform proposals, and it is probably the most controversial of them all. The sale of AR and AR-style rifles should be limited, if not outright banned. We say this with the understanding that “AR” does not mean “assault rifle” or “automatic rifle,” but rather “ArmaLite rifle,” a specific brand. “AR-style” or “Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR)” refers to semiautomatic rifles that resemble the ArmaLite rifle. We also acknowledge that ARs and AR-style guns can look like anything from a traditional hunting rifle (but with a larger ...