With the beginning of every year comes a sense of hope and the feeling that the future ahead of us is at least a little brighter than the past that is behind us.

That’s the case as we say farewell to 2025 and welcome to 2026.

Education and health care have played significant roles in our region’s economy for many years now, and that figures to continue, with major changes coming.

The property where the former Eastern Gateway Community College sat along Sunset Boulevard in Steubenville will be taking on a new look, as Youngstown State University is preparing the building and a portion of the property to be the home of a regional campus. Combined with the continuing growth at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, it’s a move that will bring even greater educational opportunities to residents of the Tri-State Area.

Now that YSU is committed to Steubenville and has worked out all of the details with the Jefferson County commissioners, area residents also likely will see some changes at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and John Scott Highway — it’s expected that the land where an EGCC parking lot once was located will be made available for development, and rumors have it those projects will include a Chick-fil-A restaurant.

Franciscan University continues to invest in the community — and that includes expansion work at Franciscan Square, where several new restaurants are expected to open in phases during the coming year.

Health care also is likely to take on a new look in the coming months, as UPMC is expected to complete its purchase of Trinity Health System from CommonSpirit Health. When the deal is finalized, it will mark the first expansion of the Pittsburgh-based health care giant into Ohio. It’s a move that will come about a year after West Virginia University Medicine completed its takeover of Weirton Medical Center.

That doesn’t mean industry won’t continue to be a vital part of the region’s economy — in Weirton, Form Energy will continue to produce batteries that will transform the way we look at energy, and in Mingo Junction, JSW Steel will continue to grow and keep our area’s history of steel production alive.

Playing key roles on both sides of the Ohio River will be the agencies tasked with driving development — the Jefferson County Port Authority and the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle. The BDC will be moving to a new location later this year — the former People’s Bank building in downtown Weirton.

Local communities will see new leadership. Ralph Petrella has replaced Jerry Barilla as Steubenville’s mayor, and Jennifer Terpenning is the city’s new Sixth Ward councilwoman, replacing Mike Hernon.

There will be a new city manager as well, with Jim Mavromatis expected to retire from that post early in the year.

And, in Wellsburg, Erica Tamburin will take over as city manager.

We will be the first to tell you that our crystal ball has been, well, more than a little dysfunctional in the past, which means we will not be making any firm predictions about what you can expect during the next 365 days. What we can, though, safely say is there will be twists and turns along the way that residents of the Tri-State Area will be talking about for years to come.

Everything points to 2026 as being an interesting year.

We hope it’s a good one for all of us.