Governor Justice owns roads issue #FTDR

On June 20, 1863, Arthur Boreman stood on a platform in Wheeling and took the oath of office to become West Virginia’s first Governor.  Later in the day, he sent his written inaugural address to the Legislature. According to John C. Morgan in his book West Virginia Governors, Boreman “suggested establishment of an office of

‘Last dollar in’ grants will help state’s workforce, economy.

You often hear it said that there are not enough good paying jobs for West Virginians. That’s only partially true.  It’s accurate to say that many other areas of the country have greater economic opportunities, but that does not mean there are no jobs here. In fact, one of the big struggles in West Virginia’s

Here’s why Governor Justice fired Transportation Secretary Tom Smith

The tension between the Justice administration and Secretary of Transportation/Commissioner of Highways Tom Smith had been building for weeks. Governor Jim Justice was under increasing pressure from citizens and lawmakers to repair the state’s crumbling and pothole-filled secondary roads.  He was also on the hook for his promise made during the State of the State

The regular session ends… thankfully

The 2019 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature came to an end at midnight Saturday, and just in time.  It’s hard to recall when there was such acrimony among lawmakers under the Capitol dome. Nerves fray when 134 people are together for 60 days, arguing over often controversial issues.  Clashes of personalities and policy

The quest for ‘betterment’ in public education

Get ready for the upcoming statewide debate on education “betterment.” Governor Jim Justice said that after the regular session ends at midnight Saturday lawmakers can “go out and listen to teachers, parents, community leaders, and all those with a vested interest in making education better in West Virginia.” It’s expected that later in the spring,

Campus carry gun bill misses target

When it comes to legislative action at the State Capitol, you just never know, and I should know by now that there is no such thing as a slam dunk. By the same token, the term “dead” in reference to a bill is relative. The latest example of how the unexpected is the norm is

Let’s save the rest of education reform bill (SB 451)

We don’t know yet what will happen this legislative session with the proposed five percent (average) pay raise for teachers and school service workers. The House passed the bill overwhelmingly on February 22, but the Senate has been slow to move. Many Senate Republicans are miffed that their comprehensive education reform bill, which included the

House controversy becomes teachable moment for First Amendment

The final week of the regular session of the West Virginia Legislature began with lawmakers, staff and Capitol observers still buzzing about Friday’s kerfuffle. As our Brad McElhinny reported, “The most prominent part of the display was an image of an airplane crashing into the Twin Towers on 9/11 juxtaposed with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of

West Virginia considers “micro fishing.”

The West Virginia Legislature has under consideration in its final week the Highway Aquatic Tourism bill.  HB 9341 would introduce West Virginia to the fledgling industry of “micro fishing.” Micro fishing originated in Japan, where there is intense interest in fishing as a pastime and a food source.  The shortage of available lakes and waterways,

Judge makes misguided ruling on right-to-work

Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Bailey this week released an opinion that significantly undermines the state’s right-to-work law. The original case dates back to 2016 when the AFL-CIO and other unions first challenged the Workplace Freedom Act passed by the state legislature. The law said a person cannot be required to join a union

Wonderland under the Capitol Dome

The West Virginia Legislature is an interesting place. As Alice observed when she first arrived in Wonderland: “Curiouser and curiouser.” Take HB 2519, the Campus Self Defense Act, or Campus Carry, as it was commonly called. The bill would allow an individual with a concealed carry permit to carry a gun on college and university

Preston County becomes Ground Zero for #FTDR 2.0

West Virginia Transportation Secretary and Highways Commissioner Tom Smith is getting a first hand look—or should that be feel—of road conditions in Preston County. Governor Justice dispatched Smith to lead a team from DOH after very public complaints about the roads in Preston County. “I want the people of North Central West Virginia to know

Here’s one way to attract qualified teachers to WV

One of the provisions in the now dead SB 451 education reform bill was a retooling of the Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship and Loan Assistance Fund, to try to encourage more West Virginia high school students to train to become school teachers in hard-to-fill disciplines. Most of the debate about SB 451 focused on charter schools

Timeless Lessons from Paul A. Atkins

The WVU School of Media reported the following last week: “Paul Atkins, a loyal WVU Alumnus and revered journalism professor, died on Tuesday, February 19, at the age of 95.” Credit the reporter with following Atkins’ guidance for a “summary lead” of a news story—find the key facts, keep it short, make certain that it

Senate Republicans cool to stand-alone teacher pay raise bill

The controversial education reform bill is dead. SB 451 collapsed in a heap earlier this week when House Republicans failed to muster enough votes to keep it alive. Teachers and service workers have returned to their jobs after a two day strike. The House of Delegates is now working on a “clean” bill that provides

‘Campus Carry’ likely coming to West Virginia

West Virginia will likely become the 12th state to allow individuals to carry guns on college campuses. It’s important to note that HB 2519—the “Campus Carry” bill—includes a number of restrictions and I’ll get to those in a moment. Currently, West Virginia public college and university campuses have broad authority to limit guns on campus.

So, I got it wrong

To quote my headline from yesterday’s commentary: “Teachers jump the gun on strike call.” I was wrong. The premise of Tuesday’s commentary was that there was no reason for the teachers and service workers to strike while the legislature was still working on the massive and controversial education reform bill. Additionally, strikes by West Virginia

Teachers jump the gun on strike call

West Virginia school teachers have called for a statewide strike starting Tuesday—the second strike in as many years–shutting down the state’s schools. The strike call came Monday afternoon after word circulated that Senate Republicans planned to amend the comprehensive education bill to reinsert education savings accounts for students with special needs or students who have

Trump serves up a gag-worthy meal to members of his own party

President Trump has declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexican border so he can reallocate several billion dollars toward construction of the border wall.  The President made the announcement after signing the congressional compromise bill that allocates nearly $1.4 billion for the wall. Funding for the wall, or barrier, is only one part of new

Teacher unions, Dems winning education debate

The biggest challenge for leaders of the state teacher unions and their supporters in the Legislature Thursday night and Friday morning was to keep from smiling. They had to show they were still unhappy with the comprehensive education reform bill (SB 451) even though it had been altered—in ways big and small—to their favor. Senate