West Virginia benefits from increased global demand for coal

Coal is once again a hot commodity. The Wall Street Journal reports a surge in the international demand for coal to produce electricity, especially in underdeveloped countries that are still trying to bring cheap, reliable power to millions of people. The Energy Information Administration reports that U.S. coal exports doubled in 2017 and are expected

MetroNews Dominion Post WV Poll tells us more about Manchin-Morrisey race

Last week we released the results of the MetroNews Dominion Post West Virginia Poll. One of the key findings was Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s eight point lead over Republican challenger Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (46% to 38% with 16% undecided). A closer look at the crosstabs tells us more about what West Virginia voters

Sore loser law keeps Blankenship off the ballot

Don Blankenship is persistent. The former Massey Energy CEO ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate. However, even being in the race and finishing third was remarkable considering he was fresh off a one-year prison term after a conviction for conspiracy to commit mine safety violations as a result of the investigation

Florida results show potential for a “Trump Bump” for Morrisey in WV

West Virginia Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey continues to trail Democratic incumbent Senator Joe Manchin in the polls.  Most of the surveys have Manchin up anywhere from eight to 12 points, and MetroNews will release its own poll Friday. Even though Morrisey is behind, he has a distinct advantage that Manchin does not—President Donald Trump’s

State government: the good, the bad and the ugly

West Virginia state government is a frequent target of criticism because, well, it’s the government.  It is, by nature, inefficient and bureaucratic.  Additionally, politicians incessantly overpromise about what the government will do for people, which inevitably leads to disappointment. West Virginia has had two recent examples of incompetence. As MetroNews’ Brad McElhinny reported, back in

How John McCain fell in love with his country, and the lessons he leaves behind

The death of Senator John McCain caused me to go back and read his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in 2008.  That convention, his nomination and the words he spoke that night in St. Paul were pretty quickly forgotten because, just a few months later, the country would make history by electing Barack

Race for House Speaker taking shape

House Republicans are scheduled to caucus Tuesday night at the State Capitol to pick a replacement for Tim Armstead, who resigned last week to run for a seat on the State Supreme Court, and has since been appointed to the Court.  Armstead is the only Speaker the Republicans have had since assuming the majority in

WV Supreme Court vacancies will be filled by small percentage of voters

Much has been said during the Supreme Court impeachment proceedings about the importance of filling vacancies by election.  The argument has merit since West Virginia entrusts and empowers the voters to choose the five members of the powerful court of last resort in the state. The timetable of the resignations (or retirements) of Robin Davis

Great teachers make all the difference

The start of the school year always gets me thinking about my old school days and many of my teachers. I was going to write about some of the teachers who made a difference in my life, but there would be too many to list in this space, and I didn’t want to leave anyone

Trump delivers on coal promise

President Trump has made good on a campaign promise to help the coal industry.  The Trump administration’s EPA has announced the much-anticipated repeal of the Obama-era environmental rules that would be devastating to coal and proposed replacement rules that are far less restrictive. The Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule proposes returning authority and flexibility to

Gee warns parents about “dissident” frats

West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee is losing patience with some of the campus fraternities, and who can blame him?  Four fraternities have notified WVU that they plan to dissociate from the University, but remain active by recruiting new members and keeping their frat houses open and operating. The fraternities don’t like some of

Robin Davis’s tone deaf parting shots

The opening sentences of Robin Davis’s letter of resignation as a State Supreme Court Justice read as follows: “I deliver this statement today in dismay, disbelief, and in sadness.  I feel profound grief for the State of West Virginia given the current state of affairs.” Who could disagree with that? The events that have come

Justice celebrates positive economic news for WV

Governor Jim Justice likes to use props to make his points.  He frequently writes his key points on a white board during a press conference, and who can forget when he lifted the lid on a silver platter of manure to express his displeasure with a budget proposal. This week Justice broke out the Hawaiian

Supreme Court impeachment–What does it all mean?

The late esteemed Associated Press correspondent George Esper, when preparing to write a big story, said he first paused and asked himself, “What does it all mean?”  It was Esper’s way of stepping back and trying to provide perspective for complicated and consequential events. I suspect West Virginians who are either directly involved in the

Justice’s tax presser fails to answer all questions

  With Governor Jim Justice, there is frequently an element of the peculiar.  There certainly was Monday when Justice called a news conference to say that his companies have paid their back taxes to the state of West Virginia. Calling the press together to draw attention to a settling of one’s tax liability is, in

Legislators get firsthand look at Supreme Court’s extravagant furnishings

Members of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee have finally gotten a firsthand look at the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals costly renovations and furnishings. It was an eye-opening experience for the delegates to actually see and feel a couch that cost taxpayers $32,000, a wooden inlaid floor in the shape of the state that cost

The House Judiciary Committee’s huge decision

It is a foregone conclusion that the House Judiciary Committee will recommend impeachment of suspended State Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry, and that the full House will vote for impeachment.  The state Senate will then decide whether to remove Loughry from office.  That takes a vote by two-thirds of the members. Most of the evidence

West Virginia’s ‘happiness’ deficit

West Virginia may be “almost heaven,” but we’re not necessarily all that happy about our lives in the Mountain State.  MagnifyMoney researchers set out to find which state is home to the happiest people and West Virginia ranks 48th, just ahead of Rhode Island (who knew?) and Louisiana. MagnifyMoney said it based its rankings on

What the Ketchum plea says about the Supreme Court investigation

Former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Menis Ketchum availed himself of what he must have believed was one of the perks of the position—using a state vehicle for his private trips, and filling up the gas tank on the state credit card. As public corruption goes, Ketchum’s errors, whether of omission or commission, may not

Socialism gains traction with the lure of free stuff

Socialism is hot right now. The upset win by New York City congressional candidate Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez last month triggered a wave of stories and opining about how some of the new faces of the Democratic Party have embraced socialist economic and social policies. The Associated Press reported recently that “there are 42 people running for