Now it is up to the state Supreme Court to do the right thing on immunizations

By mid-2000, the number of measles cases in the country had slowed to a handful.  Years of vaccinations were so successful that the Centers for Disease Control declared in June of that year that measles had been eliminated.  The declaration meant there had been no continuous transmission of the disease for 12 months. It was

TikTok replaces legacy news outlets for young adults.

Research shows that the way young adults (ages 18 to 29) consume the news is changing rapidly. First, begin with this finding.  Pew Research shows that just 15 percent of young adults follow the news “all or most of the time,” compared with 62 percent of those who are 65 and older.  Additionally, these young

Governor Morrisey and the National Guard Mission in DC

The attack in Washington, D.C. on two West Virginia National Guard soldiers that left one dead and another critically injured is a personal tragedy for the victims and their families, as well as a broader calamity for our state. Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom was just 20 years old with her whole life ahead of her. 

The CDC needs an updated warning on its website

The Centers for Disease Control recently changed bullet points on its vaccine safety web page. Under “key points,” the CDC states, “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” The second bullet point states that “Studies supporting a

How Kyneddi Miller’s tragic death can spark change

On April 17, 2024, authorities were called to a home in Boone County where they found Kyneddi Miller dead. The 14-year-old girl was emaciated and in what authorities would describe as a “skeletal” state.  Kyneddi’s mother and grandparents were charged with neglect resulting in death and are awaiting trial. (Charges against the grandfather were dropped

When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers

On a Spring Day in 1961, Mr. and Mrs. Alderson Muncy of Paynesville in McDowell County walked into Henderson’s Supermarket where they used food stamps to buy groceries.  Their first purchase was a can of pork and beans which, when added to the rest of their supplies, helped the Muncys feed their 15-person household. The

Justice should live like Toby and Edith

Leading up to the 2024 election, and in the subsequent months after the election, Jim Justice was able to sustain the illusion that his family business finances were in good shape. That period was a significant shift from previous years when story after story appeared around Justice’s non-payment or slow payment of bills, delinquent debts

Morrisey’s meddling risks children’s health

West Virginia is at a legal and moral crossroads on childhood immunization, and Governor Patrick Morrisey put us here. Morrisey’s executive order upon taking office earlier this year said the state’s Equal Protection for Religion Act, passed in 2023, gives parents the power to opt out of vaccinations due to reasons of faith. However, the

Are we a free or fear society?

Former Soviet political prisoner Natan Sharansky wrote that there were two kinds of societies—fear and free. He wrote in his book “The Case for Democracy” that “a society is free if people have a right to express their views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm.” A society where dissent is blocked or punished

The Mountaineers are testing fan patience

Patience is a virtue often lost in sports. The fact that athletic events are decided by wins and losses frequently produces either/or thinking; A team is great or terrible. A coach is a genius or a dunce. Sports are not given to nuance. Consider what has happened so far this season for the WVU football

A contrast of messages at Charlie Kirk’s funeral

A stark contrast between Donald Trump and a fundamental tenet of Christianity was revealed at Charlie Kirk’s funeral. Kirk’s widow, Erika, adhered to the embodiment of Christian faith when she said that she forgave her husband’s killer. “That man, that young man… I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and

Trump administration fails the First Amendment

The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy, a young life snuffed out by a deranged shooter.  It was yet another example of political violence that is anathema to what we profess to be as a country, a place that values and protects free speech and different ideas. We are rightly concerned about the safety

WV school immunization law needs legal clarification

West Virginia’s school year began with confusion over the state’s mandatory child immunization law, and matters are only getting worse.  Consider the following: –Governor Morrisey issued an executive order earlier this year arguing that the state’s Equal Freedom for Religion law trumps the vaccination law and thus parents can opt out of the immunization requirement

Jim Justice’s enviable poll numbers

Jim Justice is a generational West Virginia politician, which is ironic since he has spent his career in public office claiming he is not a politician. The latest edition of the MetroNews West Virginia Poll found that 61 percent of West Virginians view the Republican U.S. Senator favorably. Only 23 percent have an unfavorable opinion

Can Rich Rodriguez Come Home?

Thomas Wolfe’s posthumously published 1940 novel “You Can’t Go Home Again” is a cautionary tale. A New York Times review of the book at the time summarized the story this way: “In the last analysis, it means, of course, that one must go forward in life, that there is no return to the things that

Our WV National Guard is being used as a political prop

The West Virginia National Guard has a long and proud tradition. The more than 6,800 soldiers, airmen and civilians constantly stand ready to respond to threats and emergencies at home and abroad. I have personally seen these citizen soldiers in action many times in flood-ravaged parts of our state. They are among the earliest boots

MetroNews: Forty Years and Counting

The MetroNews Radio Network signed on the air 40 years ago this week.  It was August 12, 1985, at 5:55 a.m. when the first newscast aired statewide on our new satellite distribution system. It was an anxious day, as you would expect with any new venture, and we were not quite ready. Engineer Chuck Snodderly

Faith vs. Public Safety

West Virginia courts and public policy leaders continue to haggle over the state’s mandatory vaccination law. State Code 16-3-4 requires that children be immunized before admission to public, private and parochial schools. The law allows for a medical exemption, but not a religious one. Earlier this year, the state Legislature failed to pass a bill

Reflections on a long, hard ride

Iowa is not flat. I can tell you that with great certainty after peddling 406 miles across the state last week along with my wife, three friends and about 20,000 other bike riders during the 52nd annual RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, the oldest, longest and largest recreational bike event in the

WVU athletics needs a big revenue boost to remain relevant

Final approval of the multi-billion-dollar legal settlement between the NCAA and Division I college athletes means the schools will now share billions of dollars in revenue with those athletes. The agreement changes the face of college sports forever and in ways not imaginable just a few years ago. Going forward, schools will pay college athletes