Gov. Jim Justice’s suggestion that some funds earmarked for “Roads to Prosperity” highway and bridge projects could be diverted to handle secondary road maintenance already has received some criticism. Mountain State voters who approved the $1.6 billion Roads to Prosperity bond issue ...
UP: To Delegate Gary Howell, R-Mineral, for introduction of a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to continuously drive in the left lane of a multi-lane roadway, impeding the flow of other traffic. In other words, perhaps lawmakers are able to finally help law enforcement officers do ...
A well-educated, properly trained (and drug-free) workforce is among the most important factors an employer seeks when considering moving to a new location. West Virginia has a lot of work to do before it can make an assurance to new companies that such will be available should they make the ...
U.S. Rep. David McKinley, who represents our area of West Virginia in Congress, is absolutely right: “Enough is enough” in regard to the so-called “government shutdown.” Some agencies of government have been idled, or nearly so, since Dec. 22. That is a record for a standoff between ...
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey may have the right idea in asking lawmakers to transfer jurisdiction of the state’s Medicaid Fraud Unit to his office. Right now, the state’s Department of Health and Human Resources oversees the unit. Morrisey argues his office can do a ...
Two marijuana issues are on the agenda for West Virginia legislators this winter. One — whether to legalize the drug for recreational use — is and should be controversial. The other, regarding use of the plant’s active ingredient for medicinal purposes, is not open to reasonable ...
Most West Virginians probably would like to put last year’s state Supreme Court impeachment crisis behind us. But the episode left behind what could be a serious question in the future. In brief — as you may recall, the high court fiasco was exceedingly complex — the question stems from ...
Last week, Parkersburg and Wood County officials removed approximately 70 tons of waste and debris from an area most people never see — a former homeless camp along the Little Kanawha River. “It was unsightly from Route 50. It was unsightly from Fifth Street,” said Parkersburg Mayor Tom ...
UP: To both Contour Airlines and the Wood County Airport Authority for having written into their contract language that says if the airline does not maintain a 95 percent completion rate, the airport authority can terminate the agreement, with notice. Clearly both entities understand how ...
King Bureaucracy has crippled West Virginia for generations, but an awareness is growing of its harm to the state’s ability to truly serve its residents. The most recent example comes from the seven state-run hospitals studied by the Public Policy Foundation of West Virginia, which presented ...
Wood County middle school students might benefit from a middle school soccer program — we do not yet know; but board of education members were right to ask Middle School Athletic Director Bill Vincent to give it another try in putting together a feasibility study and report on the potential ...
Just two days before he was to deliver this evening’s State of the State speech, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced he will run for re-election in 2020. No surprise there. “The further I go, the more I believe just this: I believe there’s work still to be done,” Justice ...
Another education reform effort, another catchy name. West Virginia Department of Education officials hope math4life will improve Mountain State students’ achievement in mathematics. But will it? Last fall, results of the first round of “Balanced Scorecard” evaluations of public ...
If you managed to get into the new year without suffering through a case of influenza, even though you haven’t been vaccinated against the virus, congratulations. Now, go get that shot. The most dangerous part of the flu season lies ahead. Many school systems consider the return from the ...
Environmentalist groups have for decades squawked that states such as West Virginia are too dependent on fossil fuels. We are choking the planet, they cry. Why can’t we be responsible and work toward renewable energy sources, like solar, wind and hydroelectric? Well, it turns out, one of the ...
UP: To Gov. Jim Justice’s decision to delay implementation of an increase in turnpike tolls, while drivers wait for their new transponders to arrive. Justice had extended the deadline for application for drivers to apply for a new turnpike discount, but the rush on the application website ...
Will the third time be the charm for West Virginia House of Delegates member Isaac Sponaugle? More important, will the state’s judiciary finally settle the question of where our governor is required to reside? Gov. Jim Justice makes no secret of the fact that he continues to reside where he ...
Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce said this week he “really fell in love with the work” of being mayor, in 2018. In the discussing the achievements and challenges of his second year in office, he was able to look ahead to a year for which he and the current council laid a solid ...
In a few days, West Virginia lawmakers and Gov. Jim Justice will get an idea of how happy the new year will be for them. It will come in the form of the state government revenue report for December. That will mark the halfway point for the fiscal year, which has been decidedly mixed in terms ...
Happy New Year! And welcome, 2019. Today is the day on which we burden the coming year with a lot of unreasonable expectations, sometimes forgetting it is up to us to make them a reality. Sure, we carry out our traditions and hope for luck to help us along. But deep down each of us knows “If ...