It was afternoon and I had just gotten off the school bus. I found myself sitting on the familiar cream-colored carpet of my grandparents’ living room. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but I mentioned that I wanted to be a lawyer. Not that I knew much of anything that might prove… Read more

At United Way of Southern West Virginia, we believe that health, education, and financial stability are the building blocks for a good quality of life. Our mission is to improve the lives of all residents of our service area by focusing on these building blocks and mobilizing the caring powe… Read more

In school, history was one of my favorite subjects. I would become entangled in the stories and read ahead and reread infamous stories like the Boston Tea Party. Some might call it ethnocentric. My friends thought it obsessive. It didn’t matter. I could’ve read it like a novel. I was obsesse… Read more

We are at a tipping point. Covid-19 infection rates and hospitalizations continue to climb. Our cumulative positive rate is now above 5 percent. As of Thursday, 1,518 West Virginians have died. The entire state is a sea of “red” on the DHHR map, showing high infection rates and daily percent… Read more

President Trump’s nasty campaign to undo the 2020 presidential election and sack President-elect Joe Biden is moving perilously close to inflaming disorder. Read more

I love learning my family history. Read more

At the gas station, masks were on and everyone was standing on the red distance stickers placed on the floor. Some chatter was happening at the register, something about “It’ll be OK! I just wanted you to know.”  Then, as everyone was waiting to pay for their gas, a bell on the door rang. A … Read more

Maybe it’s the giddiness of Christmas morning. The tired smiles that couldn’t sleep even when counting reindeer. The crumbs of the cookies resting on the table that escaped the plate. The “Santa has the same wrapping paper as we do!” Or even the beautiful gullibility of being told that magic… Read more

For some reason, West Virginia government does not seem to get along well with the high-tech world. Remember “Routergate?” How about the emergency radio tower scandal in 2013-14? Read more

First designated as a National River in 1978, the New River Gorge is composed of approximately 72,000 acres of land along 53 miles of one of the world’s oldest rivers – the New River – stretching from Bluestone Dam to Hawk’s Nest Lake. More importantly, it is home to hiking trails, globally-… Read more

Our wallets and purses and what they can or cannot buy have slowly morphed into a metaphor of what we have become.  Read more

Back in high school, I was around a lot of kids whom society at large cast as delinquents. Not that they were an offender or lawbreaker, mind you, though that’s what people thought their future held. Not because of who they were, their hobbies or whom they hung out with, but because of what … Read more

There they sit at the dining room table, quickly glancing one person to the next. Strange faces surround them and a load of new names are dumped on them. Read more

Dear teachers, those I’ve had and haven’t, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for all the questions you have to answer multiple times. I’m sorry for all the sighs when something isn’t graded within five seconds. I have done all these things. And now, I think I finally understand at least a pocket amoun… Read more

Many might say the year 2020 has gone to the dogs. Read more

Duke University is sometimes referred to as a pretty good knock-off of fancier schools farther north. But while those ivy-clad universities with smart students, prestigious medical schools and big endowments stayed closed this fall, Duke invited its freshmen, sophomores, some upperclassmen a… Read more

At WVU, they kindly and subliminally note that their apartments are for freshmen and first-year students. In their defense, I suppose it’s because they want to have enough room to fit all of the incoming students into dorms – and, yes, it’s money in their pocket. Read more

Joe Biden may have ended the hurricane-force presidency of Donald J. Trump, but his victory extends a broader trend away from relative stability to a time of remarkable political upheaval. Read more

On Dec. 14, the Electoral College will cast its votes. Barring any unforeseen outrage, a majority will vote for Joe Biden, the popular vote winner in the general election, to sighs of relief. Many may conclude the creaky Electoral College works most of the time, and that any fixes are just t… Read more

Social media used to be used for fun. Now, the creators are trying to act like vigilantes that fight against false information spread on the web. It might sound heroic, but it’s all behind a screen and not that exciting. Welcome to the age of fake news.  Read more

Alternate realities exist. Read more

I Read more

Everything taxes our patience in 2020. In fact, the year has become its own “thing.” No matter what negativity is visited upon us, it’s deserving of an eye roll, subtle head shake and utterance of a knowing “2020.” Read more

When stories are written about Appalachia, they seem to always end with a “victor” who had escaped from the empty coal taverns and the hollows flooded with pill bottles. Sometimes the “victor” was never even from the mountains but seemed to land here for a few years of their childhood. But, … Read more

While West Virginians are dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and trying to figure out if their kids can attend school, the oil and gas industry is working with the West Virginia State Tax Department to cut its property taxes by as much as $62 million per year. Last month, the state tax depar… Read more

If we really want to stem the spread of the coronavirus as winter looms and we wait for a vaccine, here's an idea: The government should pay bars, many restaurants and event venues to close for some months. Read more

Yesterday, I ran out of class, carefully hopped down the stairs and went into the parking garage where I could drive back home and get a presentation ready for another class that was in two hours. When I saw the car, I pulled off my mask and took a deep breath. Read more

There is a popular petition going around the nation that involves a person we all know. Someone online has even deemed her as the “Jesus of Appalachia.” It’s the one and only Dolly Parton – founder of Dollywood who just happens to sing a little. Read more

October is known for election year surprises. In 1980 there was the Ronald Reagan deal when Iran announced over 50 American hostages in Tehran would not be released until after the U.S. election, thereby sinking incumbent Jimmy Carter’s re-election. In 1986, there was the October Surprise wh… Read more