The Fairmont City Council has a lot on its plate when it comes to the city’s 2021 budget. Given a proposed 11.5 percent hike in the property tax levy — amid the uncertainty of a pandemic — the council has some work to do in prioritizing and putting off expenses. Businesses and individuals ...

Among the brightest bits of news linked to the COVID-19 epidemic was the report last week that home sales are booming in the United States. The pace of home purchases jumped by a record-high 24.7% last month, according to the National Association of Realtors. Analysts credited low mortgage ...

It is more than unfortunate that virtually everything seems to be colored by politics these days. It also may be hazardous to our freedoms. More and more, it is becoming apparent that a few powerful people in the government broke the law in spying on a candidate for president in 2016. Just ...

During the week that ended Aug. 16, more than 30 American children were killed or wounded in shootings across the United States, according to one gun violence archive. Among the most recent tragedies was one in Akron, Ohio. There, Mikayla Pickett, 8, was hit by a bullet fired by one of four ...

‘Chaos’ or resistance? The state of Iowa is facing school reopening “chaos,” as reported by some in the media. The “chaos” is nothing more than fear and resistance to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ reopening plan by the state’s teachers union. Reynolds has set a high bar for schools ...

For many years, local public health agencies were viewed by many Americans as centers for anti-smoking campaigns, immunizations for children in low-income families, enforcers of restaurant cleanliness rules and similar activities. Suddenly last winter, all that changed. Now and probably for ...