Each year at this time, it’s always interesting to look back on the top stories of the year. And 2024 left us with many memorable moments ­– both good and bad.

Consider: We saw two Ohio River floods, back-to-back, in April. We saw a high school in Wetzel County — Paden City High School — ordered temporarily closed for safety reason, then ordered to be opened, and then, finally, become part of a countywide consolidation plan that will see Wetzel County go from four high schools to two.

We also saw a man who many believed would be the savior of Wheeling — Jeffrey Morris — sentenced to five years in federal prison for wire fraud and willful failure to pay taxes. And the demolition of the former Wheeling Inn, and announcement that another hotel is being planned along Water Street, led to further hope for downtown.

It’s always good to look back, as there are lessons to learn. But the question now is this: What do we really want — or need — to take place in 2025?

Here are some thoughts:

– A direction for Wheeling and all of Ohio County.

Just what is this region’s future? While much progress has been made in the previous 20 years, there’s still been no real vision put forward. Will Wheeling be a high-tech city? Will the county become a 21st century manufacturing hub? Given our location along Interstate 70, will we be a bedroom community for those working in Pittsburgh who perhaps seek a more advantageous tax system? Will Wheeling take advantage of its strategic position between Pittsburgh and Columbus and really find a direction that leads to growth?

These are all important questions. Here’s one truth: another year with no direction, no leadership focused on the future will lead to a further degradation of our region. Our housing stock is outdated; our infrastructure is literally falling apart. Fixing those issues costs money. This region needs new residents to help share the burden of reinvigorating our economy while also providing new ideas and perspectives to help shape the future. Who among the young professionals in our region now is ready to step forward and take the lead?

– A path forward for downtown Wheeling.

By the end of 2025, downtown will have new streets, new sidewalks and from an outward appearance, a new future. But again, just what will that future entail? Despite some good news of a potential sale of the McLure House Hotel, that anchor point of downtown remains closed and condemned. Despite assurances that the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel headquarters would be transformed into luxury apartments, that project is stalled, and taxpayers are now paying a $13 million bill after city leaders rushed to build a parking garage next door at 11th and Market streets that, at best, will be half-full this coming year.

Then there’s also the appearance of downtown. New roads and sidewalks are nice, but without cared-for buildings, it does little good. Downtown could use a face lift in 2025, or at least a plan for one. There are some bright spots — Toni DiCarlo’s new condominiums will provide a much-needed boost on Main Street — but more needs to be done by the private sector. A year of city leaders working on incentives outside of the facade rehabilitation grant or subsidizing businesses to remain in operation would be an added plus for downtown’s future.

– News that the hotel at the corner of 12th and Water streets will be moving forward.

This project, being led by city residents Barry and Lisa Allen, has the potential to be the game-changer downtown. It will provide an upgrade to the city that’s been needed for decades — a viable downtown hotel that also contains high-end apartments overlooking the Ohio River. It’s past time the city really focused its efforts on the river and the benefit it can provide for development. Water Street, until recently, had remained a primarily commercial sector, but with Waterfront Hall and potentially the hotel, it can become the centerpiece of a vibrant entertainment district.

– A plan for Center Wheeling’s future.

The former Ohio Valley Medical Center is now gone. Nothing will change that. The focus now, both from city leaders and regional development entities, needs to be on what should — or must — be done to prepare Center Wheeling and even downtown for the eventual completion of the $100 million WVU Medicine Regional Cancer Center.

This is another project that will help remake our region. City leaders cannot sit back and wait; a total overhaul of Center Wheeling — particularly its housing stock — would be a great project to get on track in 2025. Doing nothing is not an option here; the investment from WVU Medicine requires leaders to act, and fast.

There’s much more that we could wish for, but it all comes down to this: the leaders in our region — both elected and unelected — have much work to do in 2025. Wheeling and Ohio County continue to shed population. Our region continues to decline. We need new housing options — and new ways of thinking.

Let’s close with this: If we — those of us who live here, raise our families here — don’t care about Wheeling, who will? Everyone has a role to play in revitalizing our region. Simply complaining at every turn without thoughts on how to make things better is part of the problem, not the solution.