Our firefighters need to be paid properly
The city of Morgantown has a professional full-time fire department that not only provides excellent service to our community but lowers your homeowner’s insurance as well. We pay a fire fee to help keep our fire department staffed and well-equipped to provide that service. It is a shame that the city has decided that, rather than pay our firefighters what they owe them, they would just rather not.
Firefighters work 24-hour shifts. They are required to be paid, according to state code, for holidays at an equal amount of time off or at one-and-a-half their rate of regular pay.
The city has decided to go to court rather than to pay them. Maybe this is part of the reason the city has decided to cut the number of firefighters. Seems suspicious, a hidden agenda.
A fully staffed fire department maintains the safety of our firefighters and the city. Perhaps we should let city council know this is what we want and not stiffing our firefighters out of their pay. Our firefighters need to be paid properly. It is the right thing to do.
Ron Campolong
Morgantown
DOD should fund
arthritis cure research
Members of our Armed Forces sacrifice a lot for their country, including their health. With help from Congress, we can reduce the physical, financial and societal toll of one of the leading causes of disability for those who serve in our military: Arthritis.
Arthritis is rampant in our military, affecting one in three veterans. It is the second leading cause of medical discharge from the U.S. Army, second only to battlefield wounds. Yet there is no dedicated research budget at the Department of Defense (DOD) to study arthritis prevention, treatment and cures.
This is a public health crisis that must be addressed by creating a stand-alone arthritis research program at the DOD.
The money’s already there: The DOD operates Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs for more than 20 diseases, many of which are not specific to military service. Meanwhile, arthritis competes with 30 other medical topics in a general research budget, so funding is not guaranteed.
Congress has the power to set aside $20 million of that existing budget for arthritis research. This research can help us understand how to prevent the injuries that lead to arthritis, reduce the health costs associated with life-long medical care and unlock new treatments and cures for all Americans living with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases.
Our service members living with arthritis have answered the call to serve their country. Now it’s time for Congress to ensure their sacrifices are not forgotten.
George Kelley
Morgantown
Duke Pride set UHS
single game record first
I was not sure how to handle this situation and have asked for opinions. But to be silent would be a dishonor to the memory of Duke Pride, a former super athlete at University High School in the 1960s.
Duke, you see, had an outstanding career playing football, basketball and baseball at UHS. He was recently voted into the first UHS Hall of Fame.
Well, here is my problem. I attended the UHS vs. MHS basketball game the other night and saw another super athlete Kaden Metheny put on a scoring show like I have never seen before. He has scored over 2,000 points in his high school career and deserves every accolade that he gets.
When I was a county school bus driver, I took Kaden and Ashten Boggs and many other UHS athletes to practice when they were in middle school, so I got to know them and can say they are tremendous students and athletes, and I will miss watching them play.
Unfortunately, UHS officials got it wrong when they announced that Kaden had just broken the UHS single-game scoring record with 44 points. Actually, Duke scored 53 points against Parsons. So far, no one has spoken up to correct that miscue. So in respect for Duke’s memory, this is to set the record straight and say thanks to Kaden for being such a pleasure to watch for these many years, and I marvel at his ability, too.
I predict he will have a great future, something Duke never got to do.
Harold Shaver
Morgantown
