In praise of obituaries

I read the obituaries regularly. Typically, I check the obits in my local paper, the Dominion Post, and in the Spirit of Jefferson, which covers Jefferson County where I grew up. Also, the last thing I read at night is the obituaries in the New York Times, and I’ll get to that in a minute.

Jim Justice should sell The Greenbrier

About 400 unionized employees of The Greenbrier Resort were shocked to learn this week that they are in danger of losing their health care coverage as soon as next week because the Justices had fallen four months behind on payments to their health fund. (Read more here from Brad McElhinny.) A statement on behalf of

The Greenbrier and related businesses have $2.2 million in delinquent property taxes

Records in the Greenbrier County Courthouse show that The Greenbrier Resort and four related businesses owe the county over $2.2 million in delinquent property taxes. According to documents filed in the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Tax Office, the $2,269,492.42 in Greenbrier property taxes for 2023 are overdue.  The tax bills cover the historic hotel, the golf

My life-changing experiences at WVU

The start of the fall semester at West Virginia University always takes me back to when I arrived on campus exactly fifty years ago. (Geesh, I cannot believe I just wrote that. Has it really been that long?) I transferred to WVU after spending one year commuting to Shepherd University (then Shepherd College).  Shepherd was

West Virginia’s disappointing school test scores

The West Virginia Department of Education has released the results of the annual standardized tests, and the results show we have a long way to go to ensure that our students are receiving a “thorough and efficient” education, as required by the state Constitution. The assessments of students in grades three through eight and the

Pure Watercraft sinks

The Justice administration’s economic development team has had a number of hits over the last few years: Nucor Steel in Mason County, Form Energy battery manufacturer in Weirton, Berkshire Hathaway’s renewable energy industrial site in Ravenswood, TIMET titanium metals in Jackson County, just to name a few. However, in the world of state-endorsed economic development,

West Virginia prepares to deal with another year of teacher shortages

Another school year is about to begin in West Virginia, and counties will again struggle to fill every classroom with a teacher certified to teach in their content area.  Last year, counties scrambled to use substitutes or assigned teachers not certified in the particular discipline for about 1,500 positions.  The shortages are particularly acute in

Justice’s claims of ‘politics’ behind The Greenbrier’s financial problems are not supported by the facts

Governor Jim Justice would like you to believe that the loan default facing The Greenbrier Resort, which he has owned since 2009, is all just politics. “It makes no sense unless it was politically driven a hundred percent,” Justice said when asked about it at a news briefing last week. “This is all about Jim

Poll shows Harris ahead of Trump in key battleground states

A New York Times/Siena College poll* finds that Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump in three key battleground states. The poll has Harris at 50 percent to Trump’s 46 percent in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. This is the first major poll in those key states since Harris replaced President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket and

West Virginia’s education deficit

West Virginia has some things going for it: Natural beauty, wide open spaces, low cost of living, friendly people and an economy that is slowly, but gradually getting better with new economic opportunities. It feels like the arc of the state is trending in the right direction. However, we also have to be realistic about

Who will save The Greenbrier this time?

Jim Justice saved The Greenbrier Hotel. The iconic luxury resort in White Sulphur Springs was on the brink of closure in 2009 when Justice bought the massive vacation complex from CSX, pulling it out of bankruptcy. Marriott was on the verge of purchasing the resort when Justice swooped in. It was reassuring that the hotel

“You’ll never go in the water again”

Fifty years ago, Peter Benchley’s novel “Jaws” was released.  The following year, 1975, Steven Spielberg’s movie of the same name captivated audiences everywhere and our view of sharks and the ocean changed forever. Benchley died in 2006, but his widow, Wendy, told the Wall Street Journal this month that her husband never intended for the

Actions by Monongah Police Chief under scrutiny after video of controversial arrest

Police officers have a difficult and dangerous job. They are the thin blue line between order and chaos. Just putting on the uniform and heading to work means the officer is putting their life on the line to protect us. They deserve our appreciation and our respect. However, that is a two-way street. We expect

Gov. Justice lashes out at MetroNews reporter for asking legitimate questions

Governor Jim Justice is notoriously thin skinned. His world view is divided between those who he perceives as 100 percent on board with him, while on the other side is anyone who does not share his perspective or dares to question him. That especially holds true with the press. Justice apparently sees reporters as extensions

I’m off… again

I’m off again this week, so no commentaries.  Dave Wilson will be filling in on Talkline. Hop

West Virginia’s political red wave rolls on

The red wave of Republican Party registration continues to wash over West Virginia. The latest figures show that 44 of the state’s 55 counties have more Republicans than Democrats. The biggest flips are Kanawha and Fayette Counties, two long-time Democratic strongholds. Voter registration data from the clerk’s offices in the two counties show Republicans narrowly

Justice Administration Cabinet Secretary simultaneously raised money for PAC

Justice administration cabinet member Mark Scott resigned recently after the Governor’s office became aware that Scott was simultaneously soliciting funds for a conservative political action committee while working for the state. Sources indicate it was a mutual parting of the ways since Justice’s tenure in office is ending soon and Scott had another job opportunity.

Capito, Morrisey want Biden out of office now

Two of the top Republicans in West Virginia have called for President Joe Biden to leave office, either voluntarily or by force. Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito released a statement Monday calling on Biden to resign. “We live in a dangerous world and deserve a commander in chief who is up for the rigors of

Joe Manchin hints at presidential run, then backtracks

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia made clear in several interviews Monday, including his appearance on MetroNews Talkline, that he is not a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President. “It’s a hard no,” Manchin answered when I pressed him on the question. However, that definitive answer was a pivot from his answer to

What Biden’s (delayed) decision means for all of us

In life, the right decisions are often the most difficult. We think it should be otherwise. After all, we should always aspire to do “the right thing.” But what happens when that decision is the most painful, as I am sure it was for Joe Biden. “It has been the greatest honor of my life