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I have gotten myself into an argument with the “nevermaskers.” I have said on Talkline many times that I wear a mask, and others should too, when in a public area like the grocery store or the gas station. Here’s why: A) Health experts have suggested that we do. B) The research shows a mask
WV unemployment rate jumps, but for how long?
West Virginia’s jobless rate spiraled to 15.2 percent in April, more than twice March’s rate of 6.1 percent. As bad as that is, Dr. John Deskins, Director of WVU’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, believes the true April picture was even worse. “We know it (jobless rate) is higher than that now based on
60th Anniversary of Historic WV Primary Election
The West Virginia Primary Election 60 years ago this month was one for the ages. John Kennedy, the young Senator from Massachusetts, started his presidential campaign as a long shot against more experienced Democratic rivals, including Senator Hubert Humphrey. Kennedy, who faced an anti-Catholic bias, decided to use the heavily-Protestant state of West Virginia as
West Virginians are taking advantage of absentee voting due to pandemic
West Virginians are taking advantage of absentee voting for this Primary Election in record numbers. Due to the pandemic, every eligible voter in the state can vote absentee. Individuals can return an absentee ballot application by mail, pick up an application at the county clerk’s office or download and print the application from the Secretary
State, local governments need flexibility for CARES Act spending
The CARES Act allocated $150 billion to state, local and tribal governments to help pay for expenses associated with the COVID-19 virus. West Virginia’s share is $1.25 billion. That is a considerable sum, more than one-fourth the size of the entire General Revenue budget for the state. The question, however, is how can West Virginia
State adds rapid response for outbreaks as reopening expands
West Virginia is heading toward—dare I say it—the new normal! Businesses are reopening and people are being called back to work. Starting next Thursday, non-essential retail stores can open their doors and restaurants can offer inside dining up to 50 percent capacity Recreational options including whitewater rafting, visits to gyms and health clubs are restarting.
Further expansion of jobless benefits is unwarranted
The CARES Act has come to the rescue of millions of workers who have been laid off or furloughed because of the pandemic. The federal legislation adds 13 weeks to jobless benefits and bumps up the weekly benefit by $600 until the end of July. The qualifications for benefits in the new law are quite
Contemplating federal spending, debt and deficits these days is like trying to imagine outer space. Just as we are not equipped to imagine infinity, we also have trouble putting our heads around a trillion dollars. For the record, a trillion is one million times one million, or one-thousand billion. It takes 12 zeros to write
Extra benefit discourages work for some
One of the more unusual predicaments of reopening the economy is the challenge faced by some employers of getting their employees to come back to work. Employers who are either beginning to reopen their doors or have received a grant under the Paycheck Protection Program are finding that, in some cases, they cannot match the
Consumer confidence takes gut punch
Consumer spending is a primary driver of the U.S. economy. It comprises 70 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. The Commerce Department reported last month that personal consumption spending declined 7.5 percent in March. That was the sharpest monthly decline since 1959 and that is after only half of the month was deeply impacted
Friday by the numbers in West Virginia: —21.9 percent: The federal government reports that for the week ending April 18, West Virginia had an unemployment rate of 21.9 percent. That was second highest in the country after Vermont at 25.2 percent. —20 percent: One in five American workers has now filed for first-time unemployment benefits
West Virginia is among about two dozen states that are in the process of reopening. At some point, the rest of the country will reopen. A lifting of economic restrictions is one thing, but the ability of hundreds of thousands of individual businesses to open, operate and be profitable during and after the pandemic is
State and federal health officials recommend we wear a mask when out in public because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission,” according to the agency’s website. CDC
What is a Governor’s power during an emergency?
Extremists are given to hyperbole. The other day, between 50 and 75 people gathered outside the State Capitol to protest Governor Justice’s stay-at-home order. One of the protesters held a sign that read, “I prefer dangerous liberty over peaceful slavery.” Since when is the order that people, who do not have to perform essential services,
Safer-at-home, but anxious to get out
We entered a new phase in the pandemic this morning in West Virginia. The stay-at-home order issued by Governor Jim Justice, effective at 8 p.m. March 24, expired at 11:59 p.m. Sunday. In its place is a safer-at-home order. Specifically, under the previous order West Virginians were “directed to stay at home unless performing an
Some numbers to think about this Friday morning: —Over 164,000: That’s the number of people who have applied for traditional unemployment in West Virginia since March 1. —Over 13,600: The number of independent contractors, gig economy workers and employees of certain religious entities who do not normally qualify for unemployment in West Virginia but have
It is not easy to find a silver lining to the massive dark cloud that is the COVID-19 virus. However, I am going to give it a try. I have interviewed dozens of people on and off the air since the historic pandemic hit—elected officials, medical experts, leaders of institutions, front line health workers, business
What do the Lakers and West Virginia small businesses have in common?
So, who knew the Los Angeles Lakers were in such a financial bind? The NBA franchise, which Forbes estimates is worth $4.4 billion and has player payroll of $125 million, applied for and received a $4.4 million loan through the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Congress initially approved $349 billion, followed by another $310
Significant increase in testing key to WV reopening.
We have been hearing for several weeks now that increased testing capacity for the COVID-19 virus is one of the keys to not only controlling the spread but also getting the country’s economy back on track. Harvard University released an influential study earlier this month projecting that the number of tests would have to increase
Justice needs reopening plan for WV
(Editor’s note: This commentary was written and posted prior to Governor Justice releasing his reopening plan. You can read details of the plan here and here.) hk As I have said before, Governor Jim Justice and his team have made good decisions during the pandemic. Yes, there have been some bumps along the way and
