In January, the West Virginia Supreme Court voted 5-0 to hear The Shepherdstown Observer v. Maghan. We brought this case last year against the Jefferson County Clerk, Jennifer Maghan, after her office refused to release the names of the people who signed the petition calling for a referendum on the new zoning ordinance in the [...]

As February began, Jefferson County was covered with a cozy blanket of snow. It was just enough of the white stuff for a little sledding and photo taking, but not nearly enough to elicit a complaint from even the most hardened humbugger—those people who refer to snow as bad weather.
Hunkering down indoors during a snowstorm [...]

Interest groups all around are jockeying for newsprintand news reels touting their perspectives on the outcomes of the on United Nations Global Climate Change Conference. Three of the most important outcomes are getting the least amount of attention. First, the world’s nations have agreed unequivocally that the Earth’s climate is changing, that the pace and [...]

Remember Freakonomics, the 2005 book best-seller by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner? The University of Chicago economist and New York Times reporter debunked conventional wisdom by using the economist’s age-old tool of measuring incentive. What they uncovered surprised people, and, as is often the case with the truth, angered a lot of people. [...]

Two years ago in these pages we expressed skepticism over a proposal to allow table gaming at Charles Town Racing & Slots. Our concern had little to do with the morality of gaming itself. We acknowledge the passionate positions on both sides, but gaming already exists in the county; that boat has now sailed.
There have [...]

There is one thing people of every political persuasion agree on: there is no such thing as perfect legislation. In the sausage factory of public policy-making, lawmakers have to blend competing rights and conflicting interests. The same is true for the proposed Jefferson County zoning ordinance that will be put to a referendum vote November [...]

Statistics from the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health say that about a third of our residents are considered obese and even more are considered overweight. Being overweight has been tied to a host of health problems, including arthritis, cancers, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure—it’s a long list. The agency also says that about one in [...]

Our Senators Want To Hear From You
Some 30 years ago, a young scientist named Amory Lovins wrote an article describing potential energy futures. One path was to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency as though our national security depended on it. Another option was a commitment to a coal economy that would lead, as [...]

It’s one of those stories of hypocrisy. The politicians who run for office on family values and get caught committing adultery. The ones who espouse free market principles are the ones giving handouts to businesses that fund their campaigns. And elections officials sworn to impartially administer elections—the foundation of democracy—are caught meddling with electoral procedures [...]