Remembering the Benwood Mine Disaster 100 years ago
Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the Benwood Mine Disaster. It was shortly after 7 a.m. on Monday, April 28, 1924, when an explosion and fire tore through the Wheeling Steel Corporation mine in the northern panhandle community just south of Wheeling. Over 100 men had gone in the mine just a half-hour before to
Unanswered questions on transgender sports participation in WV
West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act specifies that sports teams for girls and women “shall not be open to students of the male sex.” That prohibits a transgender girl from participating on the girl’s team. Last week’s 2-1 decision by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals cast that law into question. It cleared the way
Republican Voter Rolls Continue to Grow
Today is the final day West Virginians can register to be eligible to vote in the May 14 Primary Election. If the trend continues, the final numbers before the election will show that Republican registration will have grown, while Democratic registration will have declined or remained static. Currently, 40.3 percent of all registered voters are
Jim Justice jumps on the Moore Capito campaign. How much does it help?
Republican gubernatorial candidate Moore Capito has picked up momentum with two positive developments in recent days, but will it be enough to win the nomination? First, the MetroNews West Virginia Poll showed that Capito was within two points of frontrunner Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (31 percent to 29 percent).* Then Governor Jim Justice, who is
Another tragic abuse and neglect case that raises familiar questions
The Boone County Sheriff’s Department made a horrific discovery when they were called to a house in the Morrisvale community this week to investigate a reported death. They found the body of a 14-year-old girl on the bathroom floor. The criminal complaint described the girl’s physical appearance as “shocking with an obvious emaciated, skeletal state.”
West Virginia’s childcare desert
A Talkline listener texted me this week about their problems with childcare. They work so they need childcare, which is their largest single monthly expense. But if they quit work to take care of their children, they wouldn’t be able to pay their other bills. That is a common conundrum, and it is from someone
Why hasn’t Charleston fired Tyke Hunt?
The City of Charleston recently announced that former Police Chief Tyke Hunt has been suspended and demoted from lieutenant to corporal. The action follows an internal investigation into allegations that Hunt ensured a woman applying to the force passed a polygraph test in return for sex. Chelsea McCoy has sued Hunt, and she said in
FAFSA mess makes it even harder for WV students to get to college
More education typically, but not always, leads to higher incomes. There is plenty of research showing that individuals with associate or bachelor degrees or higher end up with better jobs and higher pay than their counterparts with only a high school diploma. Nationally, about 62 percent of high school (or equivalent) graduates go on to
How independent voters will impact the WV governor’s race
Earlier this year, the West Virginia Republican Party Executive Committee voted to limit the party’s Primary Election to only Republican voters beginning in 2026. That means the May 14th Primary is the last time West Virginia voters with no party affiliation will be allowed to play a role in who the Republicans nominate. Independents will
Democratic governor candidate Steve Williams throws down the gauntlet on abortion
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Williams says wherever he campaigns, voters ask him about abortion rights. He said on Talkline this week that he has heard from so many women concerned about the issue that he has decided to try to put it before the voters. Williams has called on Governor Jim Justice to include on
WV student financial literacy will add up
West Virginia has joined the growing list of states that require high school students to take a financial literacy course. The Legislature passed the law last year and the state Department of Education is finalizing the standards that will be implemented next academic year. A draft of the standards states the course “is designed to
Trump tries to balance the abortion issue
Former President Donald Trump announced this week that the abortion question should be left up to the states. “Many states will be different,” Trump said in a scripted video statement. “At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people.” Trump’s reluctance to support a nationwide abortion ban has angered
I have a whole list of possible topics for commentaries, but as I sorted through them, my thoughts kept returning to April Dowler. My wife and I, and about 200 other friends and relatives, attended a memorial service for her last Saturday at the Presbyterian church in Shepherdstown. April died earlier this month after
The other side of the climate change story
There are plenty of news stories about the impacts of climate change and how AI is going to change, well, everything. Less common, but no less relevant, are stories about how to meet the growing energy demands for the future. This country’s energy suppliers are predicting significant growth in the demand for electricity in the
I’m out this week. Dave Wilson is filling in on Talkline. The commentary will return Monday, April 8. Hop
Some notes on Easter and religion as we begin the holiday
(Editor’s note: This is a reprint of a commentary I posted last Easter.) –West Virginians are among the most religious of any state’s population, but not the most religious. World Population Review reports that Alabama is at the top of the list with 77 percent of adults who say they are religious. West Virginia is
Third party and independent presidential candidates rarely get traction in West Virginia
Now that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has picked Nicole Shanahan as his running mate, the independent presidential candidate is turning his attention to getting on the ballot. So far, he is only on in Utah, with a court fight underway in Nevada. The Kennedy campaign has announced it will begin gathering petition signatures to try
Let’s talk about the officiating in the WVU-Iowa game
The West Virginia University women’s basketball team came very close on Monday night to beating top seed Iowa and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. It was a dogged performance by the Mountaineers on a prominent national stage and the conclusion of a remarkable season by first year head coach Mark Kellogg.
WVU basketball looks to the future
The last 11 months have been difficult for the WVU basketball program and its fans. It began with Coach Bob Huggins’ homophobic, anti-Catholic slur on a Cincinnati radio station, followed by his DUI arrest and all things related to his unceremonious departure. Interim Coach Josh Eilert and his staff did an admirable job trying to
The things government should not do
Our increasing government dependency means we now rely more than ever on elected representatives to fix all problems—large, small and even non-existent. Once upon a time, the Republican philosophy was for less government, but the populist overtake of the GOP means the trend is now toward activism. We saw this during the recently completed session