Why Did The CDC Change Course On Testing?

West Virginia is holding its own against the Covid-19 virus.  The latest DHHR figures have the cumulative percent positive rate at just 2.33 percent. That is well below the national average of nearly eight percent. This and other statistics from DHHR show that the virus is at a manageable level, indicating that policies and practices

West Virginia’s Role In The 19th Amendment

One-hundred years ago today, the 19th Amendment was officially added to the United States Constitution.  The decades-long fight by women to achieve the right to vote was finally codified. West Virginia was among the 36 states to ratify the amendment, providing the approval of three-fourths of the states necessary to change the Constitution. According to the

The Numbers Are Better, But We’re Not Out Of The Woods

Marshall University President Dr. Jerome Gilbert said he slept well Sunday night, even though the following morning was the first day of classes for the fall semester. Gilbert’s serenity during an historic and life-threatening pandemic is based on his belief that his school has done everything possible to try to keep students, faculty, and staff

Biden Sets a High Bar. Is America Capable of Reaching It?

I am a sucker for soaring rhetoric, especially when it is about our country. So when Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden said in his acceptance speech, “Here and now I give you my word: If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us not the worst.  I will be

WVU Had No Choice But To Ban Fans For First Game

What if the Mountaineers played a football game and nobody came? Well, that is not exactly the scenario for WVU’s first game in what is expected to be a most peculiar season.  However, Athletic Director Shane Lyons has announced that fans will not be allowed to attend the September 12 game against Eastern Kentucky at

Disgraced Bishop Bransfield Apologizes… Sort Of.

The Scriptures make plenty of references to the necessity and power of forgiveness. For example, Luke 17: 3-4 says even if your brother sins against you seven times in a day, but repents, then “you must forgive him.” Ephesians 4:32 reads, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave

WVU Student Party Prompts Crackdown

Well, you knew this was coming. There was a big party in Morgantown last weekend at one of the fraternities that has dissociated with WVU.  Pictures showed partiers with no masks and no social distancing. WVU reacted quickly, denouncing the gathering and promising an investigation to determine which students were not complying with the University’s

Cook Political Report: WV Remains Solid Red In Key Races

The Democratic National Convention is underway. And for the first time, the event is being conducted virtually because of the pandemic. The modern day conventions are no longer about delegate fights over the party’s presidential nomination.  Those battles have been replaced by state primaries.  Now the parties use the conventions to try to generate enthusiasm

WV Has Plans For Reopening Schools, But…

There is an old Army saying, sometimes attributed to Dwight Eisenhower, that goes, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” The point of this seeming oxymoron is that it is critical to plan for an emergency, but emergencies have considerable unknowns which will require original plans to be revised. The Justice administration Friday released more

Staycation

I’m out this week.  Staycation.  The very capable Dave Wilson will be in the big chair. Stay safe! Hop

College Athletes are Finally Feeling Their Power

This week, WVU football player K.J. Martin announced via Twitter that he has decided to sit out the 2020 season.  The projected starting safety said after many conversations with his family, “we feel as if it’s best to opt out and sit this season out due to my family and my own personal health issues

Congress Must Pass a Covid Relief Bill—Fast

Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders and representatives of the Trump administration have been trying to come up with an agreement on another round of Covid-19 relief for the country. So far, there is no deal. The House of Representatives has already passed their version. It is a Democratic bill that served as a vehicle for

“… One Damn Thing After Another.”

I know what my late father would say about the times we are living through now. “Life is just one damn thing after another.” Consider the lousy mood the country is in today. A Gallup Poll released this week finds that just 13 percent of U.S. adults are satisfied with the state of the nation.

West Virginia will have modified absentee voting for the General Election

Holding a statewide election is a complicated matter and executing an election fairly and accurately becomes even more problematic during a pandemic. Secretary of State Mac Warner’s office and the state’s 55 county clerks executed a temporary fix for the Primary Election by mailing absentee ballot applications to over 1.2 million registered voters.  About 261,000

West Virginia needs more than one debate between Justice and Salango

Every election cycle there is a debate over debates. Typically, comfortable incumbents or candidates with a lead try to minimize the importance of head-to-head meetings with their opponents. Often, the front-runner will agree to only one, so they can say they debated. Challengers usually push for more debates, sometimes an unreasonable number. They want to

Justice vs. Manchin/Salango

The Governor’s race in West Virginia now sounds like a three-way battle—Jim Justice, Ben Salango… and Joe Manchin. Okay, the Democratic Senator is not actually trying to get his old job back, but he is a strong supporter of Salango.  He does not believe Justice is getting the job done as Governor and he has

Researchers focusing on potential long-term health effects of Covid-19

Covid-19 is a new virus, so doctors, researchers, and health care providers—after starting from scratch—are learning more about the disease all the time. One of the growing concerns is the possibility that the virus can cause health problems that exist even after the infected individual has recovered. West Virginia Covid-19 Czar Dr. Clay Marsh pointed

WVU Eases Into the Fall Semester

The pandemic has forced West Virginia University to ease into the fall semester. WVU President E. Gordon Gee, in an open letter to the “West Virginia University Family,” announced a phased return to campus. Freshmen, graduate, and professional students will have on-campus classes, while instruction for most upper-level undergraduate students will be online or a

The Inspiration of John Lewis

Yesterday’s national news cycle had a notable juxtaposition. There were updates on the pandemic.  There have been over 4 million cases in the United States and we are approaching 150,000 deaths. Some of the recent protests have devolved into riots. In Seattle, 59 police officers were hurt, while property was destroyed and vandalized. In Washington,

Covid-19 jobless benefit fix needed

This week, millions of unemployed workers are receiving the final installment of the additional $600 a week jobless benefit under the CARES Act.  In West Virginia, the benefit expires for about 250,000 workers. The $600, added to the regular state jobless benefit which has a cap of $424, has been an important lifeline to West