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Always something to do

Local Columns

Many of the calls that have been coming into the newspaper’s office during the past several weeks have asked the same question: “Where did my business or the company I work for finish in the annual Best of the Best Reader’s Choice voting?” That’s a fair question, and it speaks to the interest the annual promotion attracts. This year’s process began in June, when the nomination process opened. In July, readers were asked to vote and narrow all of those nominees to the top five in each category. That led to the final voting, which concluded on Sept. 22. All that ...

Fame is a bully pulpit

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: In recent weeks, several artists have disappointed me deeply, while others have filled me with admiration. Among those who broke my heart: Liev Shreiber, Mayim Bialik, Debra Messing, Pete Davidson, Dave Chapell, Kevin Hart, and above all, Bill Burr. Among those making me proud: David Cross, Mark Ruffalo, Olivia Colman, Susan Sarandon, Carsie Blanton, Marc Maron, and — most surprisingly — Shane Gillis. Fame is a powerful gift, granted to a rare few who receive a platform and, with it, a moral duty to use their voices to better the world. Leaving the world ...

No one is perfect

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: The authors of the U.S. Constitution weren’t perfect, but they did understand that, broadly speaking, no one is perfect. I think that was what prompted them to construct a constitution that provides a wide latitude for speech. A tyrant would love to have an official government definition of patriotism or citizenship, to name two examples. A broad allowance for free speech and thought is messy and inconvenient, but it also makes it harder for devious leaders to construct a nice, neat reality that fits their plan for total control. Everywhere and every day, ...

A look back at 2025 Guardians

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Although the 2025 Major League Baseball season came to an end for the Cleveland Guardians as a result of their being defeated by the Detroit Tigers two games to one in the American League Wildcard Series, as a longtime supporter of the Guardians-Indians baseball franchise, I am very pleased and encouraged by their outstanding and overachieving regular season in 2025. Prior to the beginning of the 2025 season, literally none of the baseball experts predicted that Cleveland would win the American League Central Division race, which they did, and many even picked them ...

Student loan debt a growing concern

Editorials

Among the concerns for some of those worried about their finances amid a federal government shutdown, continued increasing inflation, high interest rates and an unsteady jobs market, is the burden of student loan repayment. In West Virginia, that burden is especially heavy. According to WalletHub, the Washington, D.C.-based personal financial website, West Virginia carries the eighth most student debt in the country. The Mountain State is 25th for average student debt, but third for the proportion of students with debt and fourth for student debt as a percentage of income. Meanwhile, ...

Getting a handle on credit card debt

Editorials

For some, use of credit cards is a carefully planned luxury — perhaps used to ensure the accumulation of lots of airline or hotel points — for purchases that can be paid off within a month or two. But for Tri-State Area residents between the ages of 18 and 34, a recent analysis of Federal Reserve data shows the use of credit cards feels like a necessity — and one that is causing them to rack up higher-than-average levels of debt. Along with those high levels of debt come high levels of delinquency, according to reports on the data by the Ohio Capital Journal and Upgraded Points, ...