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Investment carved from the mountains
Martin County has spent many years climbing toward the school facilities its children deserve. On Monday, that climb reached another high place. The groundbreaking for the new Martin County Elementary School on Hollybush Road was a public statement that the community still believes in itself and its children. It showed that the community understands that…
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America at 250
It is easy to get caught up in today’s headlines. Politics dominates our television screens. Social media rewards outrage more than understanding. Sometimes it seems we spend more time talking about what is wrong than what is right. Perhaps this Fourth of July — America’s 250th anniversary of independence — is a good time to…
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Good things happen
As Martin County prepares to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, residents also have another reason to take pride in their community. From a once-in-a-generation Independence Day celebration to a new teaching apiary that will educate future beekeepers, two recent developments are something worth remembering: Good things happen when people invest in both their heritage and their…
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A salute to fathers
Father’s Day gives us a chance to pause and recognize the men who helped raise us, guide us and prepare us for life. Most fathers never ask for recognition. They do what needs to be done because that is what fathers do. They go to work, pay the bills, mow the grass, fix what is…
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The future is leaving the parking lot
Friday night, 133 members of the Martin County High School Class of 2026 walked across the stage at Cardinal Stadium and into a future that is both uncertain and full of possibility. For many of us, it is difficult to remember a time when these graduates were not part of our community’s daily life. We…
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Coach Newsome: More than wins
There are coaches who win basketball games, and then there are coaches who shape communities. For nearly 40 years, Robin Newsome did both. On Tuesday, Martin County learned that one of the greatest figures in the history of local athletics was stepping away from the sideline. The statistics alone are staggering — 562 career victories,…
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Freedom carries a cost
Every year, Americans gather for cookouts, ballgames, family reunions and the unofficial beginning of summer. Flags wave from porches. Cemeteries bloom with fresh flowers while veterans stand quietly beside memorials bearing names etched in stone. But Memorial Day is not ultimately about a long weekend. Rather, it is about absence, the empty chair at the…
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Show up. Vote. Be heard.
The final week of the 2026 Primary Election has arrived, and Martin County voters now have multiple opportunities to make their voices heard. No-excuse early voting begins Thursday at the Martin County Clerk’s Office. Election Day follows May 19. Between early voting, absentee voting and traditional Election Day polling places, access to the ballot box…
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When the creek runs orange, trust runs dry
When a creek turns the color of “tomato soup,” something is wrong and everyone knows it. In Delbarton and Ragland, West Virginia, residents did what responsible citizens do. They looked, they asked, they documented. And when answers did not come quickly enough, they began testing the water themselves. That alone should trouble us. No community…
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Anger does not rise in a vacuum
A community does not become angry and disrespectful for no reason. It happens when trust breaks down and frustration goes unanswered long enough to harden into resentment. People who feel heard do not usually lash out. People who believe the system is fair do not automatically assume the worst. But when residents feel ignored by…
