FACEOFF: Should federal funding for schools be tied to student performance on standardized tests?
Be sure to read what FACEOFF columnists Charlie Meyer and Steve Smoot have to say on this subject and if you have something to say about it, send us a letter-to-the-editor at: letters@newstribune.info. We want to hear what you have to say.
FACEOFF: Should the proposed mosque be built near the Ground Zero site of the 9-11 terrorist attacks?
Be sure to read what FACEOFF columnists Charlie Meyer and Steve Smoot have to say on this subject and if you have something to say about it, send us a letter-to-the-editor at: letters@newstribune.info. We want to hear what you have to say.
FACEOFF: Should the government bar citizens from videotaping police officers as they interact with the public?
FACEOFF: Should government ban motorists from using cell phones while driving?
Elena Kagan, who was born April 28, 1960, is the Solicitor General of the United States and a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Kagan was born and raised in New York City. After attending Princeton, Oxford, and Harvard Law School, she completed federal Court of Appeals and Supreme Court clerkships. She began her career as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, leaving to serve as an Associate White House Counsel and later policy adviser under President Bill Clinton.
After a nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which expired without action, she became a professor at Harvard Law School and was later named its Dean.
She was appointed Solicitor General by President Barack Obama on January 26, 2009. On May 10, 2010, Obama nominated Kagan to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy from the impending retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens at the end of the Supreme Court's 2009–2010 term.
One of three children of a school teacher and an attorney, Kagan has never married, and she has no children.
Be sure to read what FACEOFF columnists Charlie Meyer and Steve Smoot have to say on this subject and If you have something to say about it, send us a letter-to-the-editor at: letters@newstribune.info. We want to hear what you have to say.
FACEOFF: Should the Senate approve the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court?
Carte Patrick Goodwin, born February 27, 1974, is an attorney who currently serves as the junior United States Senator from West Virginia, as a member of the Democratic Party. Goodwin was appointed by West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin on July 16, having been appointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of Robert Byrd. A special election will be held on November 2 to determine who will serve the remaining two years in Byrd's term. Goodwin took the oath of office on July 20.
Prior to his appointment as United States Senator, Goodwin served as Governor Manchin's chief counsel during his first term in office, before leaving to return to his private practice as an attorney. Goodwin also served as the chairman of the West Virginia School Building Authority, under Manchin, and as chair of the Independent Commission on Judicial Reform. A native of Mount Alto, West Virginia, Goodwin graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, before moving to Charleston, West Virginia with his family.
Goodwin is currently the youngest member of the United States Senate, after being appointed to fill the seat of the then-oldest member of the United States Senate. (Source: Wikipedia)
Be sure to read what FACEOFF columnists Charlie Meyer and Steve Smoot have to say on this subject and If you have something to say about it, send us a letter-to-the-editor at: letters@newstribune.info. We want to hear what you have to say.
FACEOFF: Was Carte Goodwin a good choice to fill the seat of the late Sen. Robert Byrd?
FACEOFF: What’s not-so-good about Mineral County?
ROOM TO IMPROVE: Established in 1866 by an act of the West Virginia Legislature, and carved from Hampshire County, Mineral County was named for its vast reserves of minerals, especially coal.
The first non-Native American to set foot in Mineral County was John Lederer, a German physician and explorer employed by Sir William Berkeley, colonial governor of Virginia, who explored the area in 1669.
The first recorded grants of land in West Virginia were made to Isaac and John Van Meter in 1730. This was in the Frankfort district of Mineral County.
In 1749 the first frontier fort, Fort Ohio, was built at Ridgeley. Fort Ashby was constructed in 1755, and is the last standing unit in the chain of forts built under the orders of George Washington. Fort Sellers was built near present day Short Gap, and Fort Cocke near Headsville.
In 1750 a frontier blockhouse, New Creek Blockhouse, was built about 1-mile west of New Creek to protect local settlers.
Mineral County saw extensive action in the Civil War, but was spared any major engagements.
Aside from its rich history, Mineral County is a haven today for outdoor recreational enthusiasts. Anchored by NewPage paper mill just across the Potomac River in Luke, Md., the local economy is driven as well by growth at the ATK munitions facility in Rocket Center, W.Va.
Together with good schools, low crime and moderate traffic, such features make Mineral County a great place to raise a family.
Today our two intrepid columnists offer their own insights as to where Mineral County may have its faults.
Be sure to read what FACEOFF columnists Charlie Meyer and Steve Smoot have to say on this subject and If you have something to say about it, send us a letter-to-the-editor at: letters@newstribune.info. We want to hear what you have to say.
FACEOFF: What’s not-so-good about Mineral County?
