West Virginia justified in clearing the way for Hill Top House

The Hill Top House Hotel in Harpers Ferry has a storied history. The African-American Lovett family built the hotel overlooking the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers in the late 19th Century. For years, it was a pearl of the eastern panhandle, hosting such notables as President Woodrow Wilson, Mark Twain, Alexander Graham Bell and W.E.B. Du

Property tax plan collapses. Here’s why.

The effort to phase out the state’s property taxes on machinery, equipment and inventory, and on vehicles has died in the Senate. Proponents—all Republicans—failed to get the two-thirds vote necessary to advance the resolution to the House. It died on an 18-16 tally, with two Republicans joining the Democrats in opposition. This was always going

Feeling The Bern

I’m feeling The Bern. No, I’m not on board the Bernie Sanders campaign. As an unapologetic capitalist and a fiscal conservative, I’m scared to death of a Sanders presidency. But I do see the appeal. Opinion writers are making comparisons between Sanders and the Trump 2016 campaign, and they have a point. Trump ran as

WV natural gas production and jobs at stake today in Supreme Court case

The U.S. Supreme Court today takes up a case that has broad implications for West Virginia’s energy economy, as well as the future of natural gas production, shipping and use throughout the country. The case is U.S. Forest Service v. Cowpasture River Preservation Association and it centers on which federal agency has permitting jurisdiction over

California hospital company leaves WV holding the bag

In a healthcare industry newsletter profile of Alecto Healthcare Services, company CEO Lex Reddy said their mission was to save hospitals that provide essential services in rural areas. “We often seek out communities that are underserved,” he told Inside Healthcare, with the goal of providing services considered essential. That was the mission statement when the

Greyhound racing wins by a mile in the Senate

In 2017, the effort to save greyhound racing in West Virginia won by a nose at the wire.  Both the House of Delegates and the Senate passed a bill eliminating the multi-million-dollar subsidy to dog racing, but Governor Jim Justice vetoed it. In 2020, greyhound racing won by a mile. What was projected to be

Another community hospital closure in WV

During a recent appearance on Talkline, West Virginia Hospital Association President and CEO Joe Letnaunchyn predicted more hospital closings were ahead, and he was right. Just days after that interview, Fairmont Regional Medical Center notified its employees that it’s closing within weeks. The hospital is owned by the same company—California-based Alecto Healthcare—which just a few

Morrisey right to reject drug wholesalers’ opioid settlement offer

West Virginia is among the states that have rejected a proposed $18 billion settlement offer from three major drug wholesalers for damages from the opioid crisis. The Wall Street Journal obtained a copy of a letter to the drug wholesalers signed by attorneys general from West Virginia and more than 20 other states stating that

Justice fails to learn from mistake

Words matter, and they may mean different things to different people. Someone who prides themselves on being candid might say, “I mean what I say.” But that ignores the role of the receiver of the information. What did he or she hear? Steve Sisgold, writing in Psychology Today a few years ago, said, “Over and

Senate Republicans prepare to roll out tax plan

Senate Republicans will soon roll out the most sweeping legislation of the session and it includes proposed major changes in the state’s tax structure, impacting everything from property taxes to the state’s sales tax and tobacco tax. The details are still being finalized, but these are some likely elements of the legislation: —A six-year phase

So, how much does my prescription cost?

Americans may be divided on many issues these days, but there is one area of bi-partisan agreement: prescription drugs are too expensive. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “Large majorities of the public favor various policy options aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs, including over eight in ten who favor allowing the federal

Lawmakers begin move to cut funding for greyhound racing in WV

The West Virginia Legislature is making yet another attempt at eliminating greyhound racing in the state.  The Senate is beginning work this week on SB 285 which would eliminate the subsidies paid annually to greyhound racing prize money and a fund that supports breeders. Previous efforts to get West Virginia out of dog racing have

Bill would disrupt West Virginia’s National Guard

Delegate Patrick McGeehan (R-Hancock) has once again introduced the Defend the Guard Act (HB 2732) legislation in Charleston. The bill requires an official declaration of war before any members of the West Virginia National Guard can be assigned to active duty combat. McGeehan has credibility on military issues. He is an Air Force veteran and

Intense fallout from Manchin’s impeachment votes

I missed it by a mile. I thought—no, make that I was confident—that Senator Joe Manchin would vote to acquit President Trump on the two impeachment counts. I connected dots. Manchin said the standard for removal of a President should be “the highest bar in the world.” That’s an almost impossibly high standard. The Senator

Solar bill important for West Virginia’s economic future

The West Virginia Legislature is considering the most modest of alternative energy bills. House bill 4562 and Senate bill 583 create a pathway for regulated power companies in the state to build and operate solar generation. West Virginia gets 90 percent of its electricity from coal, eight percent from natural gas and just two percent

West Virginia facing tight budget rest of the fiscal year

West Virginia state government tax collections fell behind $50 million dollars in the first two months of the fiscal year. And when you get in a hole, it takes some time to get out. The state treasury received a boost last month when State Treasurer John Perdue turned over a one-time payment of $20 million.

Alzheimer’s cruel toll in West Virginia

One of the most poignant television ads during the Super Bowl was for Google Assistant.  The spot, called “Loretta,” is about an older man who clearly has memory issues and uses the Google Assistant to remember things about his late wife. Google said the ad was inspired by the story of a grandfather of a

Positive signs in the West Virginia opioid crisis

In 2018, two to three West Virginians died every day on average from drug overdoses.  Figures from the West Virginia Health Statistics Center for 2018—the most recent year figures are available—show that 900 people in our state died from overdoses, primarily heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl. As shocking as that number may be, it is down

Joe Manchin’s big decisions

West Virginia’s two United States Senators have several momentous decisions ahead of them in the impeachment trial of President Trump. For Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito, it’s a given she will join with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell against calling witnesses and then vote for acquittal on the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of

2nd Mountaineer Challenge Academy will give more kids a fresh start

Last January during his State of the State Address, Governor Jim Justice announced a $3.3 million investment to create a second Mountaineer Challenge Academy in West Virginia. The proposed Academy at the former WVU Tech campus in Montgomery will emulate the existing program at Camp Dawson in Preston County. “The work the National Guard has