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Simple math can keep our lights on in America

Last week, touring sites with the European company planning to come here, when in the Pittsburgh area we drove by a large coal fired power plant that shut down two years ago. Based on the size, it was probably a 2,000-megawatt facility. A megawatt is 1 million watts of power. This plant could produce approximately 2,000 megawatts every hour at maximum capacity when it was operational. I wondered how or if this plant’s capacity was replaced on the power grid. This week Lynnda and I get to see all eight of our grandchildren. The youngest is just 2 months old. My concern is for ...

Celebrating racial justice and equality key elements of Juneteenth

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas — home, at the time, to 250,000 enslaved Black people — and announced that the Civil War was over, slavery had ended, and Black people everywhere were free. The raising of the Juneteenth flag is a symbol of solidarity and pride among Black Americans. The flag consists of a star representing freedom; a burst representing a “new beginning;” an arc representing a “new horizon;” and set in the colors of red, white and blue ...

Don’t forget to visit and enjoy this local treasure

I took a little ride out to Barkcamp State Park this past week. The trip was for work, not for pleasure — but I have found it is almost always a pleasure to visit this gem tucked away in the hills of Belmont County. I went to the park on Thursday to take some photographs. They were to accompany an article by our newest reporter — Kailey Carpino — about an upcoming camp for children to be hosted at the park. As I made my way through the campgrounds, I was surprised to see just how many people were making the most of those facilities. Dozens of campers and a few tents populated ...

Time to get off the bench and in the game of life

Last weekend Lynnda and I were at a conference. Joe Freedy from Pittsburgh was the keynote speaker. In college Joe was a quarterback and played against people like Ben Roethlisberger. As a freshman, he was fourth string. He wasn’t worried about playing. He was just happy to be there. Their starting quarterback got hurt in practice. Suddenly Joe was third string. The second string quarterback took a blindside hit in a game, moving the third string guy up to starter. Joe’s team was behind and struggling when the third string quarterback got his shoulder hurt. Joe was looking for a ...

Western Governors University celebrates its fifth anniversary

Five years might seem like a long time to some. But in my world — higher education and career preparation — the past five years have passed in a flash. For much of that time, America’s colleges and universities were racing to respond to three daunting threats: the Covid pandemic, an unsettled economy, and the fast-changing needs of students preparing for 21st century careers. Ohio educators had an additional challenge, which was helping the state close its pervasive skills gap, a damaging lack of well-educated workers to meet the economy’s growing need for a skilled and ...

Affirmative Action case a smokescreen for cases of inequality in higher ed

The end of the U.S. Supreme Court’s annual term typically comes at the beginning of summer and is always an active time. During the last week or two, decisions come down related to fundamental issues including our rights, economy, and government on a near-daily basis. Some cheer and some mourn as the nation’s legal framework shifts and sets up the next round of debates and decisions. There used to be true suspense. Justices’ decisions were less tied to party affiliation and more tied to legal theories and precedents. Now it seems the die is cast well before the case is ever ...