Jobs Can Fix a Lot, Including Bad Stats

Listen to “Jobs Can Fix a Lot, Including Bad Stats” on Spreaker. The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce released its annual Campaign for Jobs Digest to the broader public Wednesday. The numbers are not good. West Virginia’s 10-year job-growth rate ranks 50th in America. Personal income ranks 49th. The state’s overall tax burden is among

West Virginia’s Mixed Report on Poverty

The U.S. Census Bureau has released new figures on poverty in America, and for West Virginia the findings are mixed.  I’ll get to those numbers shortly, but first here is some context: The data come from the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The agencies look at poverty two ways:  The official poverty figure

’48 of 123′ Stat is Chilling; Action is Prudent

Listen to “’48 of 123′ Stat is Chilling; Action is Prudent” on Spreaker. A legislative interim meeting Monday discussing child-welfare safeguards and school-transfer oversight dropped a bombshell statistic: In Kanawha County, 48 of 123 recent homeschool notices involved students with histories of chronic absenteeism. That should stop a train of oxen in its tracks. What

Remembering the Battle of Harper’s Ferry

Today is the anniversary of one of the most significant days in Civil War history and West Virginia’s role in it.    On this date in 1862, at the Battle of Harpers Ferry, Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson forced the surrender of a 12,500-man Union garrison.  It was the largest single surrender of U.S. Army

Let Kids Fail

Listen to “Let Kids Fail” on Spreaker. “Failure isn’t your enemy — it’s your greatest teacher. I’ve failed more times than I can count. But every setback gave me something valuable in return,” says author, pastor and speaker John Maxwell. He’s right. Yet when it comes to our children, we often treat failure less as

‘Go Watch What is Happening’

As best memory serves, the class was a management course in the old Business and Economics Building on WVU’s campus. Dr. Neil Bucklew, a former WVU president, had retired from the presidency but still taught a course or two in the College of Business. It was a morning class, starting around 9, it seems. He

Remembering 9/11

(Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a commentary I posted several years ago around the anniversary of 9/11.) Has it really been 25 years since the September 11 attacks? Consider this: Nearly half the U.S. population—45 percent—was either not yet born or too young to remember when the World Trade Center towers burned

‘It Has to Be Jim’

“It has to be Jim.” That line came up all weekend, no matter the locale — lunch, grabbing coffee, sitting in a waiting room, exchanging texts, watching football. It came up in almost every political conversation. Those “Anybody but Morrisey” conservatives already talking about 2028 are not pushing that narrative because they dislike the other

When is it time for the next generation of lawmakers to step up?

You’ve often heard a professional athlete or coach answer a question about retirement by saying something to the effect of “I’ll know when it is time.” The reality is, the individual athlete is typically the last one to know when it is time because, in their mind, they believe they can still perform at the

Justice Consideration Creates ‘Spark’

Senator Jim Justice was crystal clear during his appearance on Talkline Thursday from the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s 90th Annual Business Summit. He has not made a final decision — at least not one he’s willing to share right now — but he is “100 percent” considering a run for governor in 2028. Not

Crafting the 2026 WVU Football Season Narrative

Fans judge their favorite team’s season on myriad events—wins and losses, overall and individual performances, the level of competition, game-changing plays, untimely penalties, the cost of attending a game, and on and on. But every season also develops its own narrative—a simple statement or two that summarizes everything that happened. As time passes and the

What to Look For at Business Summit

The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce will host its 90th Annual Business Summit beginning Wednesday at the Greenbrier. Chamber President Steve Roberts joined Talkline earlier this week to preview the event. He says it promises to be an exciting few days with an equally exciting agenda. He’s right. But there’s also the question of what

West Virginia’s Labor Day connection

West Virginia's history has deep ties to the labor movement throughout history

Using Opioid Settlement Money for ALPRs is Questionable

Listen to “Using Opioid Settlement Money for ALPRs is Questionable” on Spreaker. Some West Virginia counties and municipalities have used money received from opioid settlements to buy AI-powered automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, including Flock cameras. The left-leaning news and commentary outlet Mother Jones reported Thursday that more than a dozen law-enforcement agencies across

Data Centers Make Power Bills Go Down!

Listen to “Data Centers Make Power Bills Go Down!” on Spreaker. Screaming at the top of his lungs, wearing a look that could kill — if looks could kill — a boy of perhaps nine stands amid a group of protesters chanting, “No data centers!” One might think an archenemy had stolen his device and

West Virginia Remains Trump Country, But He is Losing Support Among Independents

Polls across the political spectrum continue to show a steady decline in Donald Trump’s approval rating. For example, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll put the president’s approval rating at 33 percent, down 14 points from the start of his second term. Not all polls have his numbers that low. However, a Cook Political Report aggregate of

Club for Growth Sends Justice a Message

Listen to “Club for Growth Sends Justice a Message” on Spreaker. Purveyors of Mountain State opinion — me included — have taken to print, airwaves and social media of late to talk about U.S. Senator Jim Justice’s potential run for governor in 2028. The scuttlebutt — what sailors call rumors — has intensified since Justice

Tantrums don’t help find Flock answers

The discussion around Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Readers continues across the country and here in West Virginia over how we manage rapidly evolving technology that has the potential to solve and prevent crime but also has the potential to be abused and erode our right to privacy. Many discussions in forums such as Metronews

Forget Everything Else Until the Debt Problem is Fixed

Imagine a doctor looking you squarely in the eye. In a normal tone, with no hyperbole, he tells it to you straight: Whatever your vice of choice, you must stop today. This very second. No weaning. Full stop — or death will soon meet you. Logic says you stop. But could the love of something

Justice Has a Decision to Make

Listen to “Justice Has a Decision to Make” on Spreaker. Even those who don’t live and breathe West Virginia politics could probably tell you former governor and current U.S. Senator Jim Justice might run for governor again in 2028. The question has more salience now that the Greenbrier’s fate appears settled, at least for the