×
×
homepage logo

Columns | VIEW ALL

My time at the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster, part 3

The 15th anniversary of the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster took place on April 5. I wanted to share my personal experience with it, with my readers. This story is divided into three parts, with this being the final one. The governor’s assistant picked up a bullhorn. “Just keep doing what ...

Parisian apartment in a 19th century log home

Growing up in a 1790s farmhouse in McLean, Va. must have influenced Deb Tucker's appreciation for historic places and her choice of Shepherdstown as a place to live, when she was looking for a town with a restaurant to buy no more than 90 minutes away from the Washington, D.C. area. When ...

Ready for the next flood?

After the massive flooding that devastated much of West Virginia in 2016, the Legislature established the Flood Resiliency Fund. The Flood Resiliency Fund was created so that West Virginia would be prepared to immediately aid people who experienced killer floods in the future, but the ...

Freedom’s ongoing fight

On June 19, communities across the country celebrated Juneteenth, commemorating the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s a day of remembrance, joy and reflection on ...

Editorials | VIEW ALL

Time to prepare for winter weather

Last week was named Winter Weather Awareness Week by Gov. Jim Justice and the West Virginia Emergency Management Division, in collaboration with the NOAA/National Weather Service and ReadyWV. With the approach of winter in the next few weeks, Justice's announcement was well-timed, ensuring ...

Heeding the warning bells

While warning bells are often rung over the rampant misuse of donations by major charities, the truth behind the validity of that concern may have never before been as clear as it has been made today. Results from a recently-released analysis of 2021 publicly available tax returns and 2021 ...

Evans finally made the right choice

Among the angry mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was incoming West Virginia Del. Derrick Evans, R-Wayne, who posted a video online from the Capitol interior yelling, “We’re in! … Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!” His illegal actions demanded a swift and severe ...

‘For the 95 that have died’

On Monday, Gov. Jim Justice announced his executive order mandating face coverings to be worn when a person is in a public indoor space where six feet of social distancing cannot be maintained. Children eight-and-under, people who are eating and people with trouble breathing or the inability to ...

Letters To The Editor | VIEW ALL

Appreciative of community volunteers

The weather was fantastic for Shepherdstown's Fourth of July Parade & Picnic this year and everybody seemed to have a great time. The turnout was great for both events. It takes a lot of work by many people to make these parades and picnics happen, and the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown ...

Politicians of today show decreased commitment to the ‘country roads’

I am appalled to see Representative Riley Moore and Senator Shelly Moore Capito grinning with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at the ribbon cutting for another building for Homeland Security in Harpers Ferry. I would rather see both of them and Senator Jim Justice working on a hot day ...

Memories of a remarkable man

Joseph John “Jack” Snyder of Shepherdstown died May 27, 2025 at the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Jack Snyder, my friend, was -- such an important, quietly impactful person here -- examples are restoring and making useful the Shepherdstown train station and the Duffields ...

How to fix West Virginia’s foster care system

U.S. District Judge Goodwin’s statement in February about West Virginia’s foster care system — calling out years of inaction, bureaucratic indifference, shocking neglect and temporary fixes — is painfully accurate. There is plenty of blame to go around. Blame, however, leads nowhere. ...

As I See It | VIEW ALL

The beauty of the world around us

As I have gotten older I have begin to notice how beautiful some things have become, such as watching the sun come up or standing in a field on a cold night just looking at the stars. Somehow it gives me a certain peace in my life that I have not felt before,The early Chinese teacher Confucius ...

The wnter has been a long one

Hello folks. I thought I'd drop a line or two just to fill you in on what's been happening and just to say hello.First, I want to say how much I have missed writing my column As I See It. As some of you have known I have been very ill.Last October I was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. ...

A time of joy

Christmas is almost here and I could think of a million things to write about the joyful time of year.For me, Christmas has seen many moods and many ways of celebrating the day of Christ's birth. Over the years I have written about some of the ways I have spent Christmas day.When I was young I ...

A year older and still fighting

Well, old 73 has popped up and I have lived to see another birthday. First of all let me thank all of you who have sent me so many messages of kindness an the hope for many more years to come. I have always told friends that I would like to live to be 100 years old, but I have to admit that ...

Guest Columns | VIEW ALL

Leveraging school meals in the fight against pediatric obesity

The escalating rates of pediatric obesity constitute a pressing public health crisis, demanding a multifaceted approach to intervention. Recent research highlights the pivotal role of dietary factors, particularly hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, in driving this epidemic among children ...

Why we must confront our fear of information

In an era inundated with information, it seems we’ve become paralyzed by fear – not of the news itself, but of its authenticity. The proliferation of misinformation and sensationalized reporting has sown seeds of doubt in our minds, making us question the credibility of every headline that ...

Understanding the voting process

Jefferson County stands out with a diverse voter profile, where Democrats, Republicans and Independents each make up roughly a third of the electorate. As the political arena intensifies with numerous contested races, it’s crucial for registered Independent voters to actively participate in ...

Coming apart where two rivers join

As a writer born and raised where two rivers join, three states touch and several American centuries commingle, I was fated to a creative life of complex metaphors. The Shenandoah and Potomac rivers that converge at Harpers Ferry, I viewed early on as an unlucky wishbone. My mother was like the ...