By Phil Kabler For W.Va. Press At a session that Administration Secretary Allan McVey described as “the slowest session I think I’ve ever seen,” debate over a proposed change to school calendars highlighted the third full week of the 60-day regular session of the Legislature. A proposal to push back the start of the public school year until after Labor Day[Read More…]
Opinion
The Editorial category is a roundup of links to editorials and columns from West Virginia newspapers.
Editorial: Your right to know? Maybe not for much longer in W.Va. …
From the Monroe Watchman, Monroe County, W.Va.: For as long as this writer can remember, legal advertising has appeared in The Monroe Watchman under the heading, “Public Notices: Your Right to Know.” Throughout that time, publication of these items has been required by state government, to inform the public of[Read More…]
Editorial: W.Va. maintain forward progress with employment growth
From the Parkersburg News and Sentinel: Gov. Jim Justice is justified in bragging about our state’s economy. “This is something all West Virginians should be proud of,” he said last week. As the governor pointed out, 2019 was “our best year of job numbers in West Virginia in more than a decade.” Go[Read More…]
Opinion: Legislation the West Virginia public should notice and oppose
West Virginia legislators, residents should all oppose HB 4025 From the West Virginia Press Association: The West Virginia House of Delegates Judiciary Committee is considering House Bill 4025, sponsored by Delegates Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh County, and Tony Paynter, R- Wyoming County, which would reduce the publication of legal ads for[Read More…]
Opinion: President Trump ensures a more SECURE retirement for small business employees
By Steve Bulger Acting administrator for the Small Business Adminstration Mid-Atlantic Regional According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about half of small business employees do not have access to the same quality work-based retirement plans as workers at large employers. For example, in 2017, only 53% of workers at private-sector establishments[Read More…]
Editorial: More on Dumbing Down W.Va. high school graduates
From The Moorefield Examiner: We carried a guest editorial last week on the latest effort for the West Virginia Board of Education to dumbing down our high school graduates by cutting the number of credits required to graduate. Not only is this wrong, it’s aimed at the one aspect of[Read More…]
Opinion: Teach about constitutional republic, principles of federal, state governments
By West Virginia Delegate Larry D. Kump The recent “Dangerous for Democracy” front page headline and underlying news article in last week’s Charleston “Sunday Gazette-Mail” was a head scratcher for me. At first glance, it pointed out a problem about the proposal of the West Virginia Board of Education, to[Read More…]
Opinion: GOP Albatross
By James A. Haught Every schoolchild knows that the Ancient Mariner was forced to wear a dead albatross around his neck. I think America’s Republican Party wears a dying albatross: white evangelicals who are both the GOP’s life-support system and also a curse upon Republicans. The conservative party couldn’t survive without[Read More…]
At the Capitol: Tight finances result in low-key start to W.Va. Legislature session
By Phil Kabler, For the West Virginia Press Association CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A combination of an election year and tight state finances has resulted in the 2020 regular session of the state Legislature getting off to a fairly low-key start. The 60-day regular session got underway Wednesday, featuring Gov. Jim Justice’s[Read More…]
Editorial: W.Va. leaders working together, not pandering, needed
From the Parkersburg News and Sentinel: While it is always entertaining to see which props Gov. Jim Justice will haul out for his annual State of the State addresses, his choice of a rocket ship (strikingly similar to one used in graphics distributed by West Virginia University, by the way)[Read More…]