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

West Virginia political race ratings updates

With just over three months before the November General Election, here’s what the major rating agencies and polls are saying about the biggest political races in West Virginia. West Virginia incumbent Democratic Senator Joe Manchin has so far held steady in his highly competitive race with Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.  Sabato’s Crystal Ball reports,

Canterbury’s testimony adds weight to impeachment

If this House Judiciary Committee impeachment investigation has a star witness, it is Steve Canterbury. The former long-time state Supreme Court of Appeals administrator delivered a full day of compelling and damaging testimony. Canterbury, in serious and measured tones, said repeatedly that the excessive spending on Supreme Court office renovations and accessories was approved by

Blankenship’s uphill ballot battle

Don Blankenship may have gathered enough petition signatures to qualify for access to the November General Election ballot, but he faces two significant legal hurdles that he must overcome before he can be an official candidate. The former Massey Energy CEO, who spent a year in federal prison for a mine safety violation conviction resulting

3 members of WV Supreme Court cleared by Judicial Investigation Commission, but troubles not over

The three remaining members of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals have received their first good news in weeks. The Judicial Investigation Commission has concluded its ethics investigations of Justices Robin Davis, Beth Walker and Chief Justice Margaret Workman “without taking any disciplinary action.” The complaints centered on taxpayer paid food at working lunches

Opioid death rate in West Virginia may be slowing

Maybe, just maybe, the number of deaths from opioid addiction in West Virginia is beginning to slow down. Midyear figures released by the State Department of Health and Human Resources project 498 opioid-related deaths through June.  That puts West Virginia on course to set a record for overdose deaths from opioids. However, State Health Officer

Imperious Supreme Court blocks media from office tour

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals continues to deepen its defensive crouch as the impeachment investigation moves forward. The latest evidence of the Court’s forestalling came Friday when it attempted to block the media from accompanying members of the House Judiciary Committee on a tour of Court offices. (Read Brad McElhinny’s story here.) The

FTC, states crack down on charity scammers claiming to help veterans

Patriotic Americans have a soft spot for veterans, and many of us willingly donate to charitable organizations that provide needed services for veterans.  Unfortunately, however, some of these groups are actually scamming the public in the name of veterans and keeping most of the money for themselves. The Federal Trade Commission and state regulators Thursday

Secretary of State’s Office readies for Blankenship ballot challenge

The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office is preparing for what is expected to be a contentious argument over whether Don Blankenship should be allowed on the November General Election ballot as a U.S. Senate candidate representing the Constitution Party. Blankenship finished third in the Republican Primary for Senate last May—Attorney General Patrick Morrisey won

Trump’s Helsinki fumble, and questionable recovery

The words spoken by the leader of the free world matter. Just a few utterances can impact economies, trigger conflict or resolve differences. An American President speaks not just for himself, but for the values of a free society that influences policy and practice around the globe. President Trump, as we well know, relies on

Democrats, Republicans choose up sides on abortion amendment

The Democratic and Republican parties have taken opposite sides on Amendment One, the proposed amendment to the West Virginia Constitution that could dramatically impact abortions in the state. The state Democratic Party has taken a position against the amendment, while the Republican Party supports it.  More on that in a minute, but first some background

Supreme Court arrogance evident in chastisement of Judiciary Committee investigation

The West Virginia House of Delegates Judiciary Committee was just one day into its hearings on whether to impeach one or more members of the state Supreme Court of Appeals when it received a heavy-handed letter from the Court’s interim Administrative Director Barbara Allen. Allen first acknowledged the right of the committee to conduct the

WVU, HEPC clash

Long-simmering tensions between West Virginia University and the Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) have risen to a boil. The HEPC develops and oversees policies for the state’s four-year colleges and universities, and recently top officials at HEPC and WVU have clashed.  One of the primary issues is a proposed new formula for how state dollars

WV Supreme Court teeters amid controversy

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, the court of last resort in our state, is in tatters, and its condition may get worse before it gets better. Justice Menis Ketchum has resigned.  The announcement came by way of Governor Jim Justice’s office, which issued a news release saying Ketchum had submitted a letter of

Once upon a time when Senator Byrd was considered for the Supreme Court

The biggest story nationally now is President Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Senate is divided along ideological and political lines and a rough-and-tumble approval process is ahead. The story caused me to look back to a time when Robert C. Byrd was once under serious consideration

Citizens call out Morgantown City Council

Morgantown City Council received a reprimand from the citizens recently.  The controversy began when council decided to act quickly to buy 40 acres of woods to turn it into a protected green space. Red flags popped up immediately.  The property, called Haymaker Forest, is only partly in the city limits.  Council was willing to pay

West Virginia continues to lose population

Last week I wrote about some of the positive economic trends in West Virginia. The most notable was that state government ended the fiscal year with at least a $20 million surplus. That reversed a six year trend of mid-year budget cuts or freezes in order to balance the books at the end of the

Friday notes from A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier

—Tournament director Habibi Mamone confirms that next year’s tournament will move away from the current July 4th holiday week. PGA Tour sources say next season’s schedule will be out shortly and speculation continues that the Greenbrier tournament could be moved to late September or early October. If that happens, the next tournament would actually be

Beware of political posturing on the state’s economy

West Virginia’s economy is improving. There are a number of significant statistics that demonstrate that, and we’ll get to those in a moment. However, context is also important. It’s unwise to just listen to what politicians say about our economic condition. Those responsible for economic policies are naturally going to cherry pick the data. The

Happy Independence Day

(Editor’s note:  This is a commentary I wrote a few years ago and post every Independence Day.) John Adams’s letter to his wife Abigail was filled with enthusiasm, but also carried a tone of foreboding.  It was July 1776 and revolution was in the air among the delegates at the meeting of the Continental Congress