During the 2019 legislative session when teachers, school administrators, parents, regular citizens and some Democratic legislators were advocating for more wrap-around social services funding for our schools to address the deep and troubling psychological effects of the opioid drug crisis o…
Where did the summer go? As Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote in 1860, “Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.” Here’s a quick recap of several major issues facing our state which we cannot leave in the shadows.
We have two kinds of water problems: too much and not enough. The oceans cover 70 percent of our planet, and they contain 97 percent of the water on the planet. Samuel Coleridge in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner: “Water, water every where, Nor any drop to drink.”
The Trump administration recently axed a proposal that would have saved American patients billions of dollars by requiring insurers to share discounts they negotiate with drug companies directly with patients.
America, John Quincy Adams said in 1821, “goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.” That’s as good a summary ever spoken of the non-interventionist position.
As a young boy in West Virginia, I loved being outside whenever I had the chance. Being a Boy Scout gave me the freedom to spend time outdoors and while I was there, I learned new skills, leadership qualities and gained friends and mentors that helped shape me into the United States Senator,…
On July 22, 2019 close to 45,000 Scouts, adult leaders and staff members will create the third largest city in West Virginia, virtually overnight. The city will stand for 12 days. What is this event, should you consider visiting and, if so, what should be your visit strategy?
We come from different political parties, represent two different parts of the state and sometimes vote differently as a result. As two of the youngest members of the West Virginia State Senate, however, we hold much in common.
Editor's note: The following letter from Sen. Paul Hardesty to President Donald Trump was forwarded to the Tribune for publication.
“The United States is running concentration camps on our southern border,” U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) pointed out in an Instagram video on June 18.
One night a few years ago, my partner woke up delirious with fever, a bright rash, and joint pain so bad he couldn’t get out of bed without help. I was scared — mostly for his health, but also for our financial situation, which weighed heavily on me during our 4 a.m. ride to the emergency room.
President Donald Trump’s trade war is a little over a year old, so it’s a good time to review its impact — especially since he is rattling the steel-tariffs sword once again.
Middle school children are vaping in school, hiding paraphernalia in bathroom ceiling tiles, due to the effortless availability and need to be a part of the latest fad that is killing our children. West Virginia residents ages 18 and older are dying for oxygen related to a breath-taking dise…
Broadband access is critical in the 21st century, but West Virginia is sadly still far behind the rest of the country when it comes to internet coverage. Our mountainous terrain and low population density make it extremely difficult and expensive to build out broadband infrastructure without…
Is there anyone in West Virginia who hasn’t experienced the effects of our state’s opioid epidemic?
Democrat firebrands Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey unveiled their “Green New Deal,” a multi-trillion-dollar effort to overhaul the energy industry and slash America’s net greenhouse gas emissions to zero within a decade.
On May 7, 2019, I officially completed my first “term of court” as a Circuit Judge. In the judicial world, the court calendar is divided into three four-month long periods referred to as “terms of court.” The first term begins on the second Tuesday in January, the second term begins on the s…
Two hundred and forty-three years ago, America’s Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and made it possible for every American to be free and independent. Entrepreneurs can earn personal independence through starting and running their own businesses with help from the U.S. …
In a June 12 interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, President Donald Trump freely admitted that he would listen to foreigners offering him “dirt” on his political opponents: “I think you might want to listen, there isn’t anything wrong with listening .... Somebody comes up and say…
Three years ago, the lives of thousands of West Virginians were changed forever. After 24 hours of unrelenting rain, flash floods destroyed huge swaths of 44 counties. A 1,000-year flood event, meteorological experts called it.
Ever since the historic beginning of our state, we have never failed to answer our country’s call. No demand has been too great, no danger too daunting and no trial too threatening.
A thriving school system, inclusive of a free public education, provides students with the tools needed to not only overcome the obstacles facing our state, but also to be positioned for success as responsible citizens.
Here’s a quick rundown of several important issues (including good news on several fronts) you won’t read about elsewhere.
Most Americans loathe “lobbyists,” and most Americans think “bipartisanship” sounds like a good, moderate idea representing compromise and common ground for the public good. So a surprise “bipartisan alliance” between U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Ted C…
Even if you know nothing about the Tiananmen Square Massacre, you’ve almost surely seen the famous photo of a man facing down a line of tanks, defiantly blocking their path.
A study by Johns Hopkins University of the abandonment of the needle exchange program by city leaders in Charleston last year should give pause to any public official thinking of following in those misguided policy footsteps.
We have a good news-bad news situation on our hands when it comes to defense spending. The good news is, it’s heading in the right direction: Up. The bad news is, it remains too low to fix the spending holiday that afflicted our military for years — a failure to fund that has seriously compr…
FDA officials are sending mixed messages about a genetic test they just approved — and the lack of clarity could jeopardize Americans’ health.
Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day after its institution in the years following the U.S. Civil War, became a federal holiday in 1971. Observed each last Monday in May, it is set aside as a day to pay tribute to those fallen while serving in the U.S. military.
In a long overdue step forward for the chemically contaminated Fayette County town of Minden, the Environmental Protection Agency has designated it as a National Priorities List Superfund site.
Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, adding his voice to calls to “break up” the social media giant, calls it a “powerful monopoly, eclipsing all of its rivals and erasing competition.” In recent years, we’ve seen similar claims, and heard demands for similar remedies, aimed at Google, Amazon, …
We have an accumulation of wisdom distilled from centuries of human experience. We call it the U.S. Constitution.
A couple of weeks ago I was speaking to a group of students and decided to start with a point-blank question: Is Congress doing a good job? There were perhaps 100 people in the room, and not a single one raised his or her hand.
We’ve got a rural health care emergency on the horizon.
Happy Mother’s Day to my dear wife, who is a great mom, and to every mother everywhere.
Yes, Rudy Giuliani, there was something wrong with the Trump campaign taking information from Russians – especially when their obvious ill intent was to influence our elections and subvert our democracy. And, no, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, we are not ready to move on anytime soon.
The miners of West Virginia and their families are the heart and soul of the Mountain State. Generations of our patriotic coal miners have spent their lives underground in order to provide our country with energy. They have endured countless years of backbreaking work and they are proud of t…
Did you know secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard causing more than 41,000 deaths per year (American Lung Association, 2019)?
Here’s a surprise: The skills that can be used to win in politics are increasingly the skills needed to produce good policy.
In West Virginia, we know firsthand the devastation that opioids and substance use disorder has had on our families and communities. Too many of our children, siblings, parents and friends have lost their battle as a result of these terrible drugs that have invaded our state. These highly ad…
I haven't read the Mueller report yet. I'm writing this on the day of its release (with redactions) by US Attorney General William Barr. I'll read it later, but I didn't have to read it, or even wait for its release, to reach one conclusion from it: It's time to amend the Constitution to lim…
Nearly three years into a flood recovery effort here in southern West Virginia, a number of officials at the federal, state and local levels have proven they are in over their heads administratively and that they do not possess the necessary compassion, will or know-how to get the job done.
In the year I have served as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator, I’ve witnessed tremendous change and growth within the small business community. Visiting businesses across the region, I am amazed by both the entrepreneurs who drive our economy and t…
Governor Andrew Cuomo “insisted Monday (April 1) that New York will pass a law to legalize recreational pot before the Legislature adjourns in June,” The New York Post reports. He’s been promising legalization for some time. Many New Yorkers had hoped the measure would be included in this ye…
While most discussions inside education reform hearings held around the state these past couple of weeks have focused on support services for children suffering from the trauma of growing up in broken homes, the benefits and drawbacks of charter schools and the advantages and disadvantages o…
As various House committees gear up for a season of investigations and hearings on President Trump and his administration, a lot of people are worried that progress on the nation’s challenges will grind to a halt. I would argue just the opposite: The wheels of government are turning in favor…
Until fairly recently, scarcity governed the existence of most people. Manufactured items were made of wood, metal, cotton or wool cloth or maybe leather. Items were repaired and reused or handed down to the next generation.
The old saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
We wish Byrd White III, the state’s newly anointed Director of Transportation, all of the luck and goodwill there is in the world. Having been handed the task of assembling, aligning and prioritizing all road repair projects across this wild, wonderful and mountainous landscape, he will need…
(Last) week, the Senate had an opportunity to vote on the Green New Deal — an unrealistic and impractical wish list dressed up as environmental policy. And it’s a wish list that would have serious consequences for West Virginians and Americans across the country.
Leadership isn’t shown just in what you do. It’s shown in what you don’t do.
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