Justice Says Video of I-81 Arrest ‘Very, Very concerning.’

One of the first tasks for interim State Police Superintendent Jack Chambers is to get to the bottom of the death of a man following his arrest by troopers last February. Edmond Exline died after a confrontation with State Police along I-81 near Martinsburg. Exline was walking along the interstate around 9:15 Saturday evening, February

Coach Dawn Plitzuweit’s Ignominious Departure

Dawn Plitzuweit makes a great first impression. Her tenure in Morgantown as coach of the WVU women’s basketball team began one year ago this month with her winning the press conference—cogent and confident answers to questions, an apparent genuine appreciation of the job, a beaming smile. Plitzuweit followed up with a successful first season, winning

Justice Releases First Details of State Police Scandal

Governor Jim Justice has begun to roll out details of a scandal within the West Virginia State Police that has been the subject of reporting and rumors for weeks. Here are a few things we learned from Justice’s press briefing Monday: –A State Trooper placed a video camera in the women’s locker room at State

Kennedy Knew West Virginians Better Than Trump

  Sixty years ago this June, President John F. Kennedy came to West Virginia for a celebration of the state’s centennial. Despite the rain, an estimated 10,000 people stood in the State Capitol courtyard to see and hear Kennedy. The bad weather prompted the President to shorten his planned 20 minute speech to just three-minutes

Poll Shows Patrick Morrisey Ahead of the GOP Pack in Governor’s Race

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has not yet said what his political intentions are for 2024, but a new poll shows that if he decides to run for Governor, he has the early lead among the announced Republican candidates. The poll of 600 likely Republican primary voters conducted by National Research Inc. conducted last

Legislature Escapes Without Jail Staffing Fix

The West Virginia Legislature adopted a resolution during the final week of the session extending the State of Emergency in the state’s correctional institutions. Governor Justice first declared the emergency last August because of severe staffing shortages, and then mobilized the National Guard to fill in. The resolution states “That until there is proper staffing

Change in High School Transfer Rule Will Open Up Recruiting

The Legislature has passed and sent to Governor Jim Justice a bill that will significantly change the transfer rules for West Virginia high school athletes. HB 2820 allows students in grades 9-12 to transfer one time for any reason to another school without losing a year of eligibility. If Justice signs the bill into law,

WV Politicians Should Stay Out of Pension Fund Investments

Not far from West Virginia’s State Capitol building is Leon Sullivan Way, a street in Charleston named for the famous Baptist minister and civil rights leader who was born there. He developed The Sullivan Principals, moral guidelines for companies to follow that led them to stop doing business with South Africa, which helped bring an

West Virginia Drops Taxes… and Balloons

  Governor Justice and the Republicans have been talking about cutting taxes for several years now. For a variety of reasons, they could never get a bill across the finish line. That failure became increasingly stark as the annual budget surpluses grew. The expected record surplus of as much as $1.7 billion this fiscal year

Federal Agency Gives Green Light to Mountain Valley Pipeline Completion

The protracted legal and permitting fight over the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline may be nearing its end. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued an exhaustive opinion that construction of the natural gas pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia is “not likely to jeopardize” federally protected species of fish, bats and one

Bill Deprives Teens with Gender Dysphoria of Health Care

It is well documented that children who have gender identity issues struggle.  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports that 13- to 17-year-olds who identify as transgender, or are simply trying to sort out their gender identity, face higher rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, self-harm and suicide. AAP and the American Medical

The Rush to Green Could Leave Us in the Dark

Last December, PJM Interconnection, which operates the power grid for 13 eastern states including West Virginia, issued a warning of possible rolling blackouts. PJM officials said at the time that extreme cold and corresponding increased demand, along with the difficulty of some power generators to operate in frigid conditions, triggered the emergency call for conservation.

The PEIA Fix is Tough Medicine

West Virginia’s health insurance program for government employees and their spouses is our state’s version of the “third rail of politics.” It is frequently considered untouchable, like Social Security at the national level. An estimated 230,000 county school and higher education employees, state and local government workers, state retirees, spouses and survivors depend on the state’s

Compromise Carries the Day on Tax Cuts

It is often said that politics is the art of compromise. It is rare when developing public policy that each side gets everything it wants.  Therefore, it is typically necessary to give a little to get something done, rather than remain unyielding and end up with nothing. The West Virginia Legislature was heading dangerously close

“Zombie Drug” Arrives in West Virginia

The next evolution of the drug crisis in the country is filtering into West Virginia. It is called “tranq” or “tranq dope” or “zombie drug” and its primary ingredient is xylazine, an animal tranquilizer. Drug dealers are mixing xylazine with fentanyl, heroin and cocaine, and the effects are devastating. Users are rendered unconscious or in

Science, Faith and School

A bill approved by the state Senate Education Committee this week could introduce biblical creationism in West Virginia schools.  Senate bill 619 states that teachers in public or charter schools “may teach intelligent design (ID) as a theory of how the universe and/or humanity came to exist.” Intelligent design holds that “certain features of the universe

Manchin Hand-Delivers Tax Cut Warning to the Statehouse

Senator Joe Manchin has issued a warning on tax cuts. Manchin, who served six years as the state’s Governor, and before that served in the state Legislature, was back in his old stomping grounds Wednesday.  He met with Senate President Craig Blair and House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and gave them specifics on how much federal

Jimmy Carter, West Virginia and Energy Policy

The news that former President Jimmy Carter is in Hospice care got me thinking about his term in office (1976-1980) and his connections to West Virginia. Carter left office with only a 34 percent approval rating, but he was supported by a majority of West Virginians. West Virginia was one of just six states (West

Tax Cut Negotiators Must Answer Key Questions

Negotiations among Governor Justice and leaders of the Senate and House of Delegates over tax cuts will continue this week.  The most recent meetings are described as cordial, with at least hints of progress. However, there is no agreement yet with three weeks left in the regular session. Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects

Justice Confirms Investigation Into State Police

Governor Justice has confirmed a media report of an internal investigation into alleged wrongdoing within the West Virginia State Police. “When I was informed of this, I immediately called for an administrative investigation,” Justice told reporters Thursday. “We have been doing that.” The existence of the investigation was first reported by Charleston TV station WCHS and