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Public Works facility The Fairmont City Council remains divided on the need for a new Public Works Building. Why? At $167 per square foot for a 50 year building, that is by far the best option. The current building desparately needs replaced. This has been six years in planning and a previous council has already approved it. A $5 million building makes no sense when you have to build another building for $2-3 million to house all the equipment. That puts the cost near $8 million with a pole-frame garage that is a 20-30 year building, whereas a steel-frame building will last for ...

Selling the aid bill’s pros and cons

The Biden administration is planning on hitting the road to sell the idea of the $1.9 trillion virus relief bill that passed Congress on Wednesday, giving President Joe Biden his first major legislative win. It shouldn’t be hard to sell a bill that gives $1,400 checks to most Americans, that extends jobless benefits through August for those who have been put out of work by COVID, that funnels aid to the states and to schools hit hard by shutdowns and revenue losses, that assists bars and restaurants that have been forced to shut down, that increases tax credits for families with ...

A break for the fully vaccinated

This past week the CDC issued relaxed guidelines for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These are people for whom two weeks have passed after having both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson. Their vaccine should be in full effect. The new guidelines say: " People who have been fully vaccinated may spend time indoors with other vaccinated people without wearing masks or social distancing. " People who have been fully vaccinated may spend time indoors without masking or social distancing with unvaccinated people from one ...

Justice for Floyd means objectivity for Chauvin

The death of George Floyd last May under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer sparked an eruption of anger and frustration from the Black community that continues to this day. The crowds that have demonstrated and protested and sometimes rioted across the nation want one thing — justice for George Floyd. Now the trial of Derek Chauvin, the ex-police officer who was taped kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, and its time for rage and anger to be put on hold. Chauvin deserves a trial in which the facts are presented, where they can be considered calmly and ...

Mega-aid bill had better work

With a $1.9 trillion price tag, the COVID-19 aid bill passed by Congress this week has some lofty goals. It is providing huge amounts for COVID vaccines and testing, shoving money to cities and schools to help them recover from virus-related losses, extending the $300 weekly unemployment assistance to this August, and sending $1,400 stimulus checks to most Americans to boost their spending and jumpstart the economy. At this cost, it had better work. There’s no doubt people are suffering, and need the economy to start providing more jobs, which would create more revenue for states and ...

Plastic pollution: how we contribute

It is estimated that 8 million tons of plastic waste flows into the world s ocean each year. Some of it is in pieces large enough to entangle fish and other creatures. Some of it is broken down into beads small enough to be consumed by fish and whales that feed on plankton. A global study is being organized to study where this all comes from. And it might just come from right here. Waste plastic, be it straws or cup lids or discarded plastic bags, can be washed down our gutters, into our storm sewers, into our rivers and down to the Gulf of Mexico. The study will include cities along ...