Judge’s ruling on ‘legislative immunity’ gives lawmakers get-out-of-jail card

Cynics have often argued that members of the West Virginia Legislature can get away with anything. That was frustrated hyperbole. But now, perhaps they really can! First, the background. Marion County Democrat Delegate Mike Caputo got in trouble when, during last year’s session, he became angry over a controversial display at the Capitol. According to

Customers’ growing frustrations with Frontier Communications

The West Virginia Public Service Commission has a thick file on Frontier Communications. The PSC, which regulates public utilities in the state, received nearly 2,000 complaints about Frontier just last year. The customers were upset about the quality of phone and internet service from Frontier.* West Virginia customers are not alone. An investigation by the

Coming to terms with the evolution of gender

Last Thursday was Fairness Day at the State Capitol. It was a chance for West Virginia to say that “All Kinds are Welcome Here,” and the LGBTQ community was out in force. I met a woman who I quickly learned was transgender, a person who identifies as a gender or sex other than the one

Details emerge about a 7th victim at the VA hospital in Clarksburg

Details about the grotesque scandal at the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Hospital in Clarksburg have emerged in dribs and drabs. Here’s a refresher on what we know: —The U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and the VA Office of the Inspector General are all continuing to investigate the suspicious deaths of at least ten veterans at

WV teacher pay is higher, but still struggling to keep up

The average annual salary for a public school teacher in West Virginia has reached above $50,000 for the first time. Figures from the State Department of Education show the salary average for this school year is $50,237.97. The average pay is above $50,000 for teachers in 20 counties, with Putnam County at the top at

Here’s how to get rid of an anti-business tax in WV

The West Virginia State Senate has started work on what may turn out to be the most controversial legislation this session—the effort to get rid of the property tax on manufacturing inventory, machinery and equipment. This is a burdensome anti-business tax that punishes investment in new equipment and discourages companies from maintaining inventory in the

Dashboard shows extent of opioid crisis in WV

West Virginia’s opioid crisis is a story of personal tragedy.  An individual becomes addicted to drugs and often their life spirals out of control.  The addicted leave in their wake damaged families, friends and communities. It’s important to put faces and names with these stories so they won’t seem so impersonal, and the media often

Come home, Virginia

  On Talkline, when anything concerning the Commonwealth of Virginia comes up, I often refer to our eastern neighbor as “The Mothership.” We were carved from Virginia during the Civil War and the fact that we retain “Virginia” in our state’s name means we are forever linked. We peacefully co-exist with our big sister for

Independent voters continue to gain ground in WV

For the last two days, I’ve talked about the changing voter registration numbers of the Democratic and Republican Parties in West Virginia. Today, I’ll wrap it up with the independents. The West Virginia voters with no party affiliation have historically been a small minority. For example, in the 1940 election, just 8,765 registered voters were

Republican voter registration picking up steam in WV

Yesterday, I wrote about some of the newest figures from the Secretary of State’s Office showing Democratic voter registration at 40 percent, the lowest level in decades. Today, a look at some of the Republican registration figures. Republicans now represent 34 percent (33.62%) of all voters in West Virginia. That is the highest percentage since

Democratic voter registration in WV drops to historic low

The latest figures compiled by the Secretary of State’s Office show the precipitous decline of registered Democrats in the West Virginia continues. The data show that the percentage of Democrats among all registered voters has fallen to its lowest level in decades, just 39.84 percent. The downward trend has been steady. In 1994 two out

Wrong fight against right to work

Tomorrow morning, the West Virginia State Supreme Court will hear arguments for and against the state’s right to work law.  That law says a person cannot be required to join a union as a condition of employment and they cannot be forced to pay union dues. The legislature passed the Workplace Freedom Act way back

Lawmakers attempting to tweak Supreme Court elections

In 2015, the Legislature passed a law declaring that judicial elections will be non-partisan. Additionally, candidates would be elected on the same day as the partisan Primary Election. The aim was to lessen the politics in judicial elections and reduce costs, since candidates would only have to run one campaign instead of a Primary and

Well, that’s Jim Justice

I dare say not too many Governors—no, make that no Governor—makes a state of the state address like Jim Justice. If you watched and/or listened to Justice’s speech Wednesday night then you know what I’m talking about. Yes, he had some notes, but It was basically one-hour and twenty-minutes of Jimmy riffing. Listening to him

The session is underway… so now what?

The 2020 regular session of the Legislature is underway. The question most often asked is, “What’s going to happen?” Well, predictions about what 134 politicians will do when brought together at the State Capitol are risky, but here goes: The early consensus is that there are not any wildly controversial issues that will dominate. The

Justice gets out from under federal investigation

Being under federal investigation is the legal equivalent of having a dormant virus; You are never quite sure when or if anything is going to come of it. Federal investigators are notoriously tight-lipped about ongoing investigations and grand juries are conducted in secret.  An individual can be the subject of a grand jury probe and,

Census figures have West Virginia losing political ground

The 2020 Census will show another population decline in West Virginia and that will have a significant impact on our state. An analysis by Election Data Services of preliminary Census numbers from all states shows the drop in population here will lead to the loss of one of the state’s three congressional seats. West Virginia

Biden to miners: Learn how to code

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden said coal miners worried about losing their jobs should learn how to write computer code. Now, why didn’t we think of that? Biden told a rally in Derry, New Hampshire that “Anybody who can go down 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well…

Justice unlikely to propose 3rd year of pay raises

Do not expect Governor Jim Justice to propose a pay raise for school teachers, staff and state workers when he delivers his State of the State address at the Capitol Wednesday. West Virginia Department of Revenue Secretary Dave Hardy said on Talkline Thursday that the state’s finances just do not support an increase. “We have

My top six West Virginia stories of 2019

Before we say goodbye to 2019, I want to share with you my list of the top six stories of the year: 6) Bransfield Scandal.  Investigative reporters at the Washington Post broke open the story about the alleged sexual harassment and financial improprieties of former Diocese of Wheeling Charleston Bishop Michael Bransfield. The Post obtained