Test Scores Will Show How the Pandemic Pummeled Public Ed in WV

The State Board of Education will receive data next week on test scores for West Virginia school children for the 2020-2021 school year.  These are the West Virginia General Summative Assessment results for students in grades three through eight. The news will not be good. The pandemic played havoc with instruction here and across the

We Need More Shots in Arms

The Covid-19 numbers are ticking back up in West Virginia. The state Department of Health and Human Resources reported 382 new cases Wednesday.  That raised the current active caseload to 2,848.  The daily number was below 1,000 just a few weeks ago. Hospitalizations for Covid, which had dropped to 52 early last month, have climbed

Reflecting on Dale Miller’s Retirement

Over the course of a long career in radio, I have written thousands of news stories and commentaries.   But what I wrote earlier this week was perhaps the most surreal.  It was the press release from West Virginia Radio Corporation that our president and CEO Dale Miller is retiring. Dale is 69 and, as he

Bipartisanship Breaks Out in Washington on Infrastructure

On rare occasions the moon will block out the sun, a volcano erupts, you will catch a foul ball at a baseball game and, rarest of all, bipartisanship will occur in Washington. We are witnessing one of those cherished rarities now. The Senate is taking up an infrastructure bill that is a compromise crafted by

West Virginia State University Deserves Better

The last year has been a rough one for West Virginia State University.  The land grant institution and one of the country’s Historically Black Colleges has had to, like every other college, deal with the pandemic.  But also, the school has suffered through a leadership crisis. That crisis came to a head recently when three

I Wish That Once…

I’m off this week.  Dave Wilson is filling in.  However, I have an assignment for you.  Please complete the following sentence: “I wish that once, just ONCE, Hoppy would…” I look forward to reading your responses! (No, seriously, I do.) My best, Hop

Delta Variant Triggers Increased Emphasis on Vaccinations

Conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity this week called Dr. Anthony Fauci “flip flop Fauci” for playing “word games” to, according to Hannity, escape responsibility for his alleged role in the Covid-19 pandemic. When Senator Rand Paul raised the allegation this week during a Senate hearing, Fauci said, “You do not know what you are

Covid, Drug Addiction Shorten the Country’s Lifespan

The rapid and deadly spread of the Covid-19 virus along with a worsening drug epidemic have combined to shorten the expected lifespan of Americans. Provisional figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week show that “In 2020, life expectancy at birth for the total U.S. population was 77.3 years, declining by

Justice’s Financial Problems Mount

There is an old saying about debt: “Running into debt isn’t so bad.  It’s running into creditors that hurts.” Governor Jim Justice and his family business have borrowed a lot of money over the years, hundreds of millions of dollars. That is not unusual.  Big time businesspeople borrow from banks for operating capital and for

Sorting Through Critical Race Theory

I am trying to understand Critical Race Theory, and it is not a simple matter. Perhaps the easiest way to break down the idea comes from one of the primary originators, the legal scholar and civil rights activist Derrick Bell.  He posited that racism in this country is not an aberration, but rather a fundamental

Last Thursday, South Charleston City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting the discrimination against LGBTQ residents.  There was no discussion and the ordinance passed unanimously. The matter was so routine that it hardly made news. That is because more and more communities are adopting similar ordinances.  South Charleston became the 15th West Virginia community pass a

Legislature Must Catch Up With Communities on Fairness Act

Last Thursday, South Charleston City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ residents.  There was no discussion and the ordinance passed unanimously. South Charleston became the 15th West Virginia community to pass a Fairness Act. It was all pretty routine. South Charleston’s action followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County,

Jim Crow? Not So.

President Biden delivered a speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia earlier this week where he talked pointedly about the importance of democracy and free and fair elections. “The democratic threshold is liberty,” he said.  “With it, anything is possible.  Without it, nothing—nothing.” He added, “And for our democracy to work, and to deliver

Cuba: A Fear Society

The former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky had a deep understanding of government repression.  He spent nine years as a political prisoner in the former Soviet Union because of his outspoken opposition to the communist regime. In his book The Case for Democracy. The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror, Sharansky writes that there

Republicans Expand Voter Registration Advantage in West Virginia

Republicans continue to make gains in voter registration in West Virginia, and that means Democrats are losing more ground. The latest numbers from the Secretary of State’s Office (as of June) show there are 428,542 Republicans and 396,079 Democrats.  249,951 have no party affiliation/independent. 36,844 are listed as “other,” while 8,818 are registered with the

Delegate Joe Jeffries—West Virginia Embarrassment

  My experience over the years covering the West Virginia Legislature is that most of the members are good and decent people who want to help their state and are concerned about doing the right thing. However, the bell curve of life being what it is, the chambers are also occupied by the occasional ignoramus.

Manchin is a Swing Vote… Again. This Time on ATF Nominee

It is time for another episode of “Manchin in the Middle.”  West Virginia’s Democratic U.S. Senator is again a key vote on a pending issue where the Senate is split. This time it is over President Biden’s nominee of David Chipman to be the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Chipman spent

Vaccination Efforts in West Virginia Hit a Wall

West Virginia’s efforts to vaccinate against Covid-19 have paid off… so far. Figures from the state Department of Health and Human Resources show that the state’s older population is well on its way to herd immunity.  Seventy-seven percent of those 65 and older are fully vaccinated, while 87 percent of that same group has received

Student Athletes Finally Get Their Earning Potential Rights

The NCAA’s annual financial report shows that the athletic departments of the more than 1,100 member schools generated $18.9 billion in revenue in 2019. * That is a huge number, but it is important to note that college athletic departments are also big spenders.  The NCAA’s financial report shows those same schools spent almost all

No, Arizona’s Election Law is Not Voter Suppression

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 6-3 decision, upheld two provisions of Arizona voting law.  The majority rejected the arguments by Democrats and civil rights groups that the provisions disproportionately burdened minority voters. From the outrage by some on the left, you would have thought that the Court ruling allows Arizona to put