Mon Explains Flock Use; Too Little Too Late

Listen to “Mon Explains Flock Use; Too Little Too Late” on Spreaker. The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department met with members of the media Friday afternoon in an effort to help reporters better understand the agency’s use of its already-installed Flock Safety camera system. That level of transparency is commendable. But in this instance, it came

Coal v. Gas on Day 1 at the Commission

  An evidentiary hearing kicked off Thursday before the Public Service Commission (PSC), where commissioners will build the factual record needed to decide whether FirstEnergy should receive a certificate of public convenience and necessity to construct a 1,200-megawatt natural gas plant in Monongalia County. Highly controversial — as it seems more and more proceedings before

The Death of Deep Reading

The late Don Marsh, who served as my Talkline co-host for several years, was a man of letters.  He was extremely well-read and would often recall quotes and bits of wisdom.  Once when he pulled out a literary nugget relevant to the topic at hand, I asked him, “Marsh, how did you know that?”  He

Flock or the Fourth Amendment? Huntington Chose Poorly

Listen to “Flock or the Fourth Amendment? Huntington Chose Poorly” on Spreaker. Huntington City Council voted 6-4 early Tuesday morning to authorize a five-year contract worth roughly $2.1 million with Flock Safety for a package of public-safety technology that includes license-plate recognition, live cameras, drones and audio detection. Flock cameras are raising questions across the

New NCAA eligibility rules leads to another round of lawsuits

In an attempt to simplify its rules and bring some stability to today’s chaotic college sports landscape, the NCAA implemented new eligibility rules. The result has been a new round of chaos and legal challenges to the impotent organization’s authority.  The NCAA Division I Cabinet adopted a new age-based, 5-year eligibility rule. Athletes will have

Response to Graham’s Death a Barometer of Civility, We’re Running Low

Listen to “Response to Graham’s Death a Barometer of Civility, We’re Running Low” on Spreaker. Lindsey Graham, the longtime United States senator from South Carolina, has died. He was 71. News of his passing broke early Sunday morning. Sadly, for many, it seemed to serve as a “call to the post” for an onslaught of

Proposed Bylaw Amendment Could Open Republican Primaries Again if Adopted

Listen to “Proposed Bylaw Could Open Republican Primaries Again if Adopted” on Spreaker. Sometimes what is front and center isn’t always what holds the most power, especially in politics and elections. The flashy races matter, certainly. Who wins seats in the Legislature determines which bills advance and which never leave committee. Supreme Court elections may

Are local officials ready for responsibility of billion dollar decisions?

Critics of HB 2014 have decried the lack of local control afforded to communities in the development of High Impact Data Centers. The legislation leaves elected officials at the county or municipal level with restricted authority regarding local enforcement, permitting, or health regulations.  Opponents of data centers and the legislation claim the bill has stripped

Harrison Board Saw the Train and Refused to Move

Listen to “Harrison Board Saw the Train and Refused to Move” on Spreaker. Imagine knowing a train is only a few miles away. You cannot see it yet, but the people who monitor the tracks tell you it’s coming — and coming fast. Then, amazingly, you step from safety onto the rail. You have deliberately

McConnell’s Situation Raises Legitimate Questions

Listen to “McConnell’s Situation Raises Legitimate Questions” on Spreaker. Rumors swirl around Washington every day. Most fade as quickly as they begin. But sometimes, politicians invite speculation by saying too little, and Senator Mitch McConnell’s office has done just that when it comes to his latest hospitalization. The lack of information has allowed rumors to

Remembering J. Roy Hunt, an ace with the camera and the RV

 West Virginia’s history is brimming with men and women considered to be extremely resourceful; its deeply woven into our state’s history and culture.    We have the story of one of those types of West Virginians this morning; J. Roy Hunt.     While you may not know his name, but if you like classic movies or have

Entrepreneurship Could Fix Social Security Problem

Listen to “Entrepreneurship Could Fix Social Security Problem” on Spreaker. The problem is well known. Social Security benefits now exceed payroll tax revenue. More money is going out than coming in, with the difference made up from the program’s trust fund reserves. Those reserves continue to dwindle. According to the 2026 Social Security Trustees Report,

America is awesome!

America is awesome!!  As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, it took a wave of soccer fans flooding into the country for the World Cup to remind us of that.  Fans from across the world have been documenting their trips across the United States on social media,

His Majesty’s Celebration

The kingdom was preparing to celebrate its birthday. Grand celebrations were planned. However, inside the castle, the king was unsettled. He shifted uneasily on his newly acquired throne. The gold-leafed, jewel-encrusted gift had arrived only days earlier after the king’s family secured lucrative investments in the donor’s kingdom. For the king, it was just another

Save Women’s Sports Act survives legal challenge

The United States Supreme Court issued its long-awaited opinion in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox on Tuesday, ruling that states may exclude transgender athletes from competing on women’s and girls’ sports teams.  The justices were unanimous in their analysis that the laws do not violate civil rights laws. However, the court was

The Do-Nothing Legislature… The Rest of the Story

I was recently reading a commentary recapping the annual 60-day legislative session. The author was not impressed and did not hold back.  He described the session as concluding in “bitterness and disappointment, with a sigh, a whimper – in failure.”  “Those who watched the legislature wrap up its 60-day session were treated to a saddening

Alarms continue to sound over future of public education

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  At this point, Paul Hardesty, President of the West Virginia Board of Education, must be on the precipice of losing his mind. During a recent call with reporters, Hardesty again emphasized the dire financial outlook

Bill Mandating Binding Contract Arbitration Goes Too Far

Listen to “Bill Mandating Binding Contract Arbitration Goes Too Far” on Spreaker. The United States House of Representatives recently passed what is known as the Faster Labor Contracts Act. If you haven’t heard of it, that isn’t surprising. It hasn’t generated much fanfare or media attention. Here’s the nutshell version: the legislation requires binding arbitration

Fix Social Security… No, Seriously.

Washington’s policy making debate is often a tangle of jargon, hyperbole, shape-shifting rhetoric and outright lies.  All that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the average concerned citizen to understand what is going on. And that makes the most recent report on the financial status of Social Security refreshing… and deeply disturbing. The annual

Danger: Wealth Tax Ahead

Listen to “Danger: Wealth Tax Ahead” on Spreaker. Elizabeth Warren is at it again. She is using Elon Musk’s emergence as a trillionaire to push her wealth tax proposal back into the public spotlight. Warren recently posted on X: “If Elon Musk paid my ultra-millionaire wealth tax, we could pay for childcare for all three-