By Don Smith
Executive Director
West Virginia Press Association
The West Virginia Press Association hopes you have found the daily “Around the Rotunda,” “Statewide Coverage” and the “WVPA Today’s News” helpful during the 2017 Legislative Session.
Our effort focused on giving daily insight into the daily schedule, activity and legislation at the Capitol and provide access to news coverage and opinion from newspapers across West Virginia.
We wish to thank Gaylene Miller and AARP-WV, Mike Clowser and the Contractors Association of West Virginia; and Charlie Burd and Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia for their support in making this extra daily news service possible during the session.
We applaud the efforts of the many reporters at the Capitol and across West Virginia who covered the legislative session and issues, and who shared their work with the thousands of people who monitored “Around the Rotunda,” “Statewide Coverage” and “WVPA Today’s News” each day. We especially thank Lexi Browning for serving as the WVPA reporter at the session and wish her the best of luck at grad school at Marshall University.
We also thank Jacque Bland, director of communications for the W.Va. Senate; Jared Hunt, director of communications for the W.Va. House of Delegates; Drew Ross, director of the W.Va. Legislature’s Office of Reference & Information; and Butch Antolini, communications director for Gov. Jim Justice, for their outstanding work, which helped make the WV Press daily news update possible, more interesting and accurate during the session.
That thanks is extended to the many other agency communications directors, Senate and House office staff members and the staff attorneys for their assistance and guidance on issues and communications.
We thank Gov. Jim Justice, House Speaker Tim Armstead and Senate President Mitch Carmichael and all the legislators for their efforts on legislation and their time and courtesy in explaining that legislation this year. A special note of thanks to committee chairs who took time from busy days to answer questions and explain actions.
The same is true of the many lobbyists and industry experts who worked this legislative session. The testimony, insight, background, position papers, and letters to the editor we received this year from lobbyists and others were extremely helpful in providing a more detailed and broad review of legislative action in “Around the Rotunda” and “Across the State.”
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we applaud the efforts of the Capitol staff — from the security at the door, to the print shop, to the cafeteria and maintenance crews — for their hard work during the session. We noticed, benefitted from and appreciate your work, which made everything else possible.
WVPA NOTE: “‘Around the Rotunda” and “Statewide Coverage” are special legislative features only offered as part of the “WVPA News Today” legislative session coverage, any special sessions, and interim meetings. “WVPA News Today” is a regular daily feature of the WV Press. You can register others for the daily update on the wvpress.org home page by entering their email at the “Subscribe Here” button.
