(Reporter's Notebook by Steven Allen Adams - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

I’ve made it my mission since June not to write about Babydog, Gov. Jim Justice’s English bulldog. I’ve long complained that Babydog is often used by the governor as a distraction from tough questions about his involvement with his businesses while steering the ship of state.

Last week, I finally wrote about Babydog after finding out that among the many taxes not paid by Justice over the years, one of those was dog registration taxes for Babydog and two other dogs.

The reaction to that story was mostly humorous. Of course, Justice didn’t pay taxes on Babydog, some remarked. Others questioned why a dog tax exists in the first place. A minority of others poo-pooed the story altogether.

I don’t claim the story is Watergate, but Babydog has been thrust into the public limelight and is even acting as a state official handing out checks and pickup trucks. The dog warrants scrutiny, especially since thousands of dollars of taxpayer money have been spent to fly Babydog on the state airplane across the state. The state has spent COVID-19 relief dollars to embroider backpacks and bags with the dog’s ugly mug. The entire vaccinate incentive lottery is branded after the dog.

The least Justice can do is pay $6 for Babydog’s registration as well as the registration for his two other dogs, which they did once I brought the issue to the attention of the Governor’s Office. A source close to the governor told me they were unaware of the tax. However, if you own personal property, the annual assessment asks you how many dogs you own.

So Babydog is no longer a tax scofflaw. Justice himself still owes nearly $100,000 in property taxes for coal mines in McDowell County, according to documents I’ve received. The IRS filed a $1 million tax lien against the Greenbrier Resort and other Justice-owned businesses in March.

None of this includes the more than $300 million owed to Carter Bank and Trust for personally guaranteed loans and more than $800 million owed to Credit Suisse for loans through the now-defunct Greensill Capital.

With dog registration tax debt paid, Babydog is now a good dog.

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Former West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney will be sworn in as the newest member of the Public Service Commission. Gov. Justice made the appointment last Monday, not addressing the appointment until Friday.

The appointment appears to only be upsetting environmentalists and consumer advocates. Raney himself is a pretty nice guy, liked by even those who disagree with him. Those who have concerns about Raney worry there won’t be a rate increase he’ll oppose if it means keeping a coal-fired power plant functioning.

On one hand, the environmental crowd has a point. On the other hand, I doubt you’ll ever see a West Virginia PSC do anything that hurts the coal industry. Even without Raney officially on the commission, the PSC just approved a plan to potentially keep the Mitchell Power Plant in Marshall County open until 2040 … maybe (there are still multiple spinning plates that could come crashing down and close it sooner).

Expect the West Virginia Senate to not oppose Raney’s appointment when it comes before them as soon as the next special session.

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Delegate Jeffrey Pack, a Republican out of Raleigh County, will now head up the Bureau for Social Services within the Department of Health and Human Resources.

The Bureau for Social Services is new, a spin-off of the Bureau for Children and Families. The new agency will focus on child protective services and foster care.

At first, Pack would seem like an odd person to run the agency, being a former coal miner and pest control guy. He was appointed to the House in 2018. Since 2020 he chaired the House Health and Human Resources Committee.

During that time, Pack helped craft legislation to reform the Bureau of Children and Families and improve the state’s overflowing foster care system. I don’t know Pack well, but it was apparent through this process he developed a real passion for child welfare issues. Many of the reforms he helped champion were praised by child advocates in the state.

Now, Pack gets to help put some of the things he helped pass into practice. Pack will be replaced as House Health chair by Del. Matthew Rohrbach, R-Cabell. Rohrbach is a physician in Huntington, and he also chairs the House Select Committee on Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse. Expect to see the House Health Committee push out more bills dealing with drug use.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.