The Logan Banner Fresh, healthy food on a school cafeteria tray if it was bought with a program begun during the COVID era? Not if the federal government has any say in it, which it does. Any aggressive, hasty and ideology-driven program will have what is euphemistically called “collateral damage”[Read More…]
Editorial Page
Social Security changes present a challenge
The Journal “If that’s the only way I had to do it, how would I do it?” Veronica Taylor asked while speaking to an Associated Press reporter in Welch about requirements set to go into effect March 31 for interacting with the Social Security system. At the end of this[Read More…]
Stunts: West Virginia lawmakers must address real needs
The Parkersburg News and Sentinel One is tempted to wonder who in the motorcycle insurance industry got hold of state lawmakers this year, after discussion of a couple of motorcycle-related ideas in the House of Delegates. House Bill 2752 has actually been dubbed a “freedom from leg cramps bill” by[Read More…]
Editorial: No need to bring death penalty back to WV
The Herald-Dispatch The West Virginia Legislature is again considering proposals to restore the death penalty. This time it is aimed at people who kill police officers or other first responders in the line of duty. As of Monday morning, Senate Bill 264 and House Bill 2567 were in committee waiting[Read More…]
Laken’s Law and GameChanger: Saving lives in West Virginia
By Jack Cipoletti Early in the 2024 WV Legislative session, the House passed HB 5540, better known as Laken’s Law. It was signed by the Governor in March and took effect in May. It created a Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Education Act, requiring annual education of public school students in grades 6 through[Read More…]
Gazette-Mail editorial: Smoke and mirrors of WV finances exposed
Charleston Gazette-Mail Not too long ago, then-Gov. Jim Justice, now a U.S. senator, was touting a $1.3 billion surplus in state revenue. Such a windfall, Justice said, must be used to cut the state’s income tax, if not repeal it entirely. So, Justice and the West Virginia Legislature, controlled by[Read More…]
Editorial: Setting standards for the judiciary
The Intelligencer It’s been about a decade since the last time the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals worked on updates to the state Code of Judicial Conduct. Think about how much the world has changed since the last revision to that code, in November 2015. For that matter think[Read More…]
Editorial: Needle programs need second look
The Intelligencer Whether it be willful ignorance or a genuine misunderstanding of the broad range of strategies necessary to tackle a dual public health crisis in Appalachia, elected officials and policymakers are handicapping efforts against one of the major dangers spawned by our region’s substance abuse epidemic. A KFF Health[Read More…]
Gazette-Mail editorial: Just what is happening at Pleasants plant?
Charleston Gazette-Mail One corporate executive told the West Virginia Legislature that a project to refit the Pleasants Power Station near Belmont is in desperate need of federal funding or it will collapse. Another told lawmakers that everything is fine. Nothing to see here. What gives? The Pleasants Power Station has[Read More…]
Editorial: Ensure mineral appraisals are correct
The Weirton Daily Times As December sets in, West Virginia mineral rights owners can be assured of one certainty: receiving a notice in the mail of their new mineral rights valuation. And just as it’s a certainty that notice will arrive, it’s also clear that the valuation, as far as[Read More…]
