There is no denying that there are two sides to everything. We see it in the courtroom through the prosecution and the defense. We see it in debates about various issues in either official public forums or in the court of public opinion. We see it on our front page.

This week the two top stories deal with the burgeoning gas industry in our area.

One is on the positive side of the announcement of an ethane cracker likely being built near Wetzel County’s border in Marshall County. On the negative side, the development of a gas facility near Mobley had a negative environmental impact that resulted in pretty hefty fines.

There is no doubt that this boom is bringing both the good and the bad. The debate over which outweighs the other will likely never end. No doubt it seems that the side on which someone stands is often influenced by the proximity in which they live to a gas industry site and the monetary benefit, or lack thereof, the person is receiving. Those are not necessarily bad influences, they are the most basic.

The truth of any debate usually lies somewhere in the middle — not completely bad and not completely good.

We try our best to report both sides of every issue. We hope you will try your best to read and understand both sides before forming an opinion.