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Progress starts next week

When you pick up your copy of next Sunday’s newspaper, you will find that it will include the first installment of our annual Progress Edition.

This year’s edition will include five components, with the first being delivered on Feb. 1. The theme this year is “Pride, Purpose and Prosperity.”

As with Progress Editions past, the 2015 publication will offer an overview of the accomplishments of the past year and a look ahead to the coming year and years to come. It’s become an annual tradition in the Tri-State Area, something readers and businesses look forward to, and one we always are proud to be able to put together.

In fact, we are looking to build on last year’s Progress Edition, which was the largest and most successful the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times have ever produced. We feel so strongly about it, in fact, that we once again have designated February as Pride and Progress Month.

Look for this year’s edition to be distributed on five different days in February, beginning next Sunday, when we offer an overview of the area’s economic outlook and developments in the oil and gas industry. Look for stories centering on the work of Pat Ford, executive director of the Community Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle; Ed Looman, project manager of the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth; and Evan Scurti, executive director of the Jefferson County Port Authority

The following segments will be distributed on the four Wednesdays of the month. On Feb. 4, you’ll find a look at area communities, retail businesses and financial services. On Feb. 11, we will look at how the tourism and hospitality industries continue to grow through the region. The Feb. 18 installment will be centered around health, education and careers, with the final installment, scheduled to be published on Feb. 25, focused on an examination of business, industry and transportation.

While it might not always be easy to see, there is a great deal of progress happening in our region. Growth and expansion continues in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, and we’re told to expect some major announcements about businesses coming to and expanding in Jefferson County.

Eastern Gateway Community College, meanwhile, has recently been named the one of the 10 fastest growing community colleges in the country, while the Franciscan University of Steubenville is still building on its reputation in our community, around the region and throughout the world.

Trinity Health System continues to serve the region and is celebrating 15 years of the Tony Teramana Cancer Center. A collaboration among Trinity, the Allegheny Health Network and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Teramana center continues to stand as one of the most advanced cancer treatment facilities between Columbus and Pittsburgh.

Weirton Medical Center, meanwhile, is expanding its services into Western Pennsylvania.

Travel and tourism continue to be important components in our communities. The weekly concerts at the Berkman Amphitheater at Historic Fort Steuben draw large crowds to downtown Steubenville each Thursday, while Friday concerts at the Weirton Event Center provide an enjoyable way to spend a summer evening.

In addition, plans are under way that would see Brooke Hills Park transformed into a full-fledged resort.

Granted, there’s still a lot of work to be done across our region to attract new business and better our quality of life.

There is, however, plenty of work already going on in that direction. Those are the types of efforts we will be examining in this year’s Progress Edition, and we’re sure you’ll find the information useful.

(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)

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