Yes, communities can prohibit the homeless from camping in public spaces

Morgantown is in the midst of a dispute over homelessness, and it is an issue familiar to communities around the state and across the country. Should the homeless be allowed to camp on public property? Morgantown already has a limited prohibition. The city code reads, “No person shall establish or maintain any camp or other

Trump and the Republicans are on a roll

National political conventions have evolved into party pep rallies. The only real business is the effort to generate as much positive press as possible. But even by that standard, the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee is shattering expectations. The New York Times, which just a few days ago published an extensive op-ed on why Donald

Boone County pig roast cooks up college aid

  In 1987, a few folks in Boone County got together to see if they could raise some money to help one of their local students attend West Virginia University. The story goes that ten people put in $100 each and they gave away one $1,000 scholarship. The money also helped buy a trumpet so

Maybe this is who we are

Like many Americans, I am still trying to process what happened in Butler on Saturday. In Monday’s commentary and on Talkline Monday, I found myself repeating what a lot of other people are saying—we need to tone down the hostile and apocryphal rhetoric and return to some sense of normalcy. I still believe that to

Saturday’s assassination attempt should shake us to our core

That didn’t take long. Within hours of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, news stories began popping up about how the attack would impact the election. Tony Diver wrote in The Telegraph, “If history tells us anything, the events of Saturday will only increase his support. In the months after Mr. (Ronald) Regan

West Virginia rises in CNBC business rankings

West Virginia has made a significant jump in CNBC’s annual rankings for the best states to do business. The Mountain State jumped from 46th a year ago to 40th. The business network said the “study measures all 50 states across 10 categories of competitiveness. The methodology “assigns weight to each category based on how frequently

The hot summer when the Kerchevals cooled off

Like many West Virginians, much of my early childhood was spent in a house without air conditioning. My father built our house —a two-story block structure with garages on the first level and the living quarters on the second. Of course, heat rises and with the sun beating down on the tin roof, our apartment

Huge disparity in WV gubernatorial fundraising

Steve Williams started his campaign for West Virginia Governor as a long shot, and the most recent campaign finance reports do nothing to change his status. If anything, Huntington’s Democratic Mayor is even farther behind in his effort to upset Republican nominee Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. Williams’ campaign financial statement shows he raised $46,010 in

Justice wants to tack on more tax cuts, but will lawmakers agree?

Governor Jim Justice wants to double down on tax cuts. Last week, Justice held a ceremony to announce that general revenue collections for the just-completed fiscal year would reach a level to trigger another three to four percent reduction in the state’s marginal income tax rates. Then the Governor surprised everyone when he said he

Biden should step aside

Congress returns to Washington this week following the holiday break. Various committee meetings and hearings are scheduled, but there really is only one topic for discussion, at least among Democrats: Should President Joe Biden step aside as the nominee? Yes, he should. Biden followed his disastrous debate performance with a less than reassuring interview with

Happy Independence Day

(Editor’s note:  This is a commentary I wrote a few years ago and post every year at this time.) John Adams’s letter to his wife Abigail was filled with enthusiasm, but also carried a tone of foreboding.  It was July 1776 and revolution was in the air among the delegates at the meeting of the

Migrants are streaming across the border, but they are not coming here

When it comes to immigration, Donald Trump voters overwhelmingly believe their candidate is the best person to deal with the issue. A Marist Poll found that 96 percent of individuals who plan to vote for Trump say he is better equipped than Joe Biden to handle immigration. West Virginia is Trump territory. The state’s voters

Tonight’s critical debate audience

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump meet tonight for the first of two debates before the November General Election, and America will be watching and listening. A Marist Poll from earlier this month found that 61 percent of voters questioned said they would “watch all or most of the debate.” If true, that

Data show most required homeschool assessments are not completed

The investigation into the death of 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller revealed that although the Boone County child was homeschooled, her parents had not turned in her 8th grade assessment as required.  There was no follow up by Boone County school officials. Police say when they found Kyneddi dead on the bathroom floor of her home she

Babydog and Cass Gilbert

  Babydog is now permanently enshrined in West Virginia’s history and architecture. The image of Governor Jim Justice’s beloved English Bulldog appears, surprisingly, in one of the murals recently unveiled in the upper rotunda of the West Virginia State Capitol. Babydog is seated among individuals depicting dance, music and art with Seneca Rocks in the

Louisiana lawmakers push the Ten Commandments

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry last week signed into law a bill that requires the display of the Ten Commandments in every public classroom in the state. The new law reignites the debate about the separation of church and state and will be challenged in court as a violation of the establishment clause of the First

Women are traveling in record numbers from WV and other states to receive abortions

It has been two years this month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The decision eliminated the federal right to an abortion and sent the issue back to the states. Since then at least 14 states, including West Virginia, have passed laws prohibiting all abortions, except in very limited circumstances. However, that

West Virginia: 161 bruising years, but we will be okay

According to John G. Morgan in his book West Virginia Governors, “The historic morning of June 20, 1863, the official birthday of the 35th state, was cloudy with a threat of showers, but the sun broke through reassuringly.” A crowd assembled outside Linsly Institute in Wheeling, where Arthur Boreman would stand on a platform and

Juneteenth is a celebration for all

(Editor’s note: This is a commentary I posted last Juneteenth.) President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, freeing the slaves.  It took effect January 1, 1863, however, word spread slowly through the South as the Union army advanced during the Civil War. The news didn’t get to Texas until two-and-a-half years

Fix the homeschool loopholes

The tragic death of 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller earlier this year has raised several issues about the state’s level of responsibility in looking out for abused and neglected children. Miller was found dead on the bathroom floor of her Boone County home “emaciated to a skeletal state.” Her mother and grandparents face charges of felony child