–Safe at Home: The Bill Maloney campaign continues to try to back Governor Tomblin into a corner on the issue of whether or not he supports President Obama. Maloney points to the Democratic Party’s selection plan for delegates to the national convention which says the Governor, as an unpledged delegate, has to decide by June 19 his “presidential preference.” Technically, Tomblin might be able to find a way out of the fix by simply skipping the trip to Charlotte and abdicating his role as a delegate to the national convention.
–Let’s Get it On: We’re still 11 weeks away from Labor Day weekend, the traditional starting of political campaigns, but Maloney is not wasting the summer. Thursday, Maloney kicked off his statewide “Blueprint for a Brighter Future” campaign where he outlines his plans for the economy, government spending and education. Tomblin immediately fired back saying, “Bill Maloney’s plan for West Virginia is a joke. It is nothing more than a pollster’s political pabulum."
–Drill Baby… Oh, Never Mind: West Virginia should look more driller-friendly to the gas industry following the news out of Albany this week. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is floating the idea of limiting hydraulic fracturing to just a few counties, and then only if those communities vote to approve the drilling technique.
–Gas is Hot: Natural gas consumption for electricity generation is growing dramatically. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that the use of gas in the electric power sector will grow by 20 percent this year, primarily because the price has dropped so far that it’s now cheaper than coal.
–Casualties of the War on Coal: Last month, some media reports crowed about the level of coalfield employment last year as a sign that the industry is doing fine despite its carping about the EPA. But this week, Workforce West Virginia released updated figures showing that employment in mining and logging declined by 1,400 from April to May. Employment in that same category has declined two percent over the last year.
–Formula for Success: WVU graduate Doug Van Scoy says he believes “passionately” in capitalism and free markets. They have worked for Van Scoy, who had success first with the brokerage house of Smith Barney and then later as a partner with Fresh Hospitality, a company that owns and operates hotels and restaurants. This week, Van Scoy pledged $1.5 million to WVU’s College of Business and Economics, with one third of that going toward WVU’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
–That Was Easy: Yesterday I wrote in this space about trends in straight ticket voting (STV) in West Virginia. Here’s a little more information. Unofficially, McDowell County had the highest percentage of STV in 2010. 43 percent of the votes casts were straight ticket and the vast majority of those were Democratic. Next was Lincoln County, another Democratic stronghold, with STV’s accounting for 39 percent of all votes.
–On the Air: Two Metronews broadcasts of note coming up. I’ll host Talkline from Tamarack this morning starting at 10:06 a.m. We go to Tamarack every year as part of the celebration of West Virginia’s birthday, which is June 20th. Join us this morning for entertainment, interviews, state history quizzes and prizes. Also this weekend, Metronews will broadcast the annual North-South high school football all-star game. Airtime is 6:45 p.m. Saturday night from Laidley Field for the 7:05 p.m. kickoff.