The report by the Economic Innovation Group found that, “Over the first six months of 2023, applications to start a business likely to hire employees outpaced last year’s first half-year amount by more than seven percent.” The U.S. is headed for a near-record in annual startups.

Startups dropped off significantly during the pandemic. However, the research reveals a post-pandemic surge in new business applications that has continued into this year, fueling economic growth. “Startups and young companies—particularly those likely to hire employees—play an outsized role in job creation and wage growth.”

Nearly every major industry sector has seen growth in new business ventures in the last year. The biggest increases were in health care and social assistance, followed by accommodation and food services, retail trade and construction.

However, the report does not include closings that occurred during the same period. “It remains to be seen what share of these applications for news businesses have off-setting firm closures elsewhere in the data, as economic activity adapts to different business models or reallocates to new locations,” the report said.

The greatest growth was in southern and western states. Economic Innovation Group explained that one of the reasons is that new business likes to be where business already exists and where there are lots of workers. However, the researchers are also seeing a trend in business formation in some non-traditional areas—rural counties with low populations.

West Virginia’s top growth county for business applications was Berkeley. The eastern panhandle county saw the number of applications rise from 747 in 2019 to 1,322 in 2022. That’s an increase of 77 percent!

Several small West Virginia counties saw an even larger percent increase—Hardy County, for example, at 94 percent over the three year period—but the number of annual business applications rose from only 64 to 124.

Of course, the great unknown is how many of these new businesses will make it and become economically significant in their communities. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, citing statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reports that 18 percent of small businesses fail within the first year and 50 percent fail after ten years.

But despite those sobering odds, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. The numbers from the Economic Innovation Group offer “proof that the startup surge is real.”

The post The Entrepreneurial Spirit is Surging appeared first on WV MetroNews.

When they ran out of food, they resorted to cannibalism to survive. The extent of the cannibalism is often disputed, but the story lives on as an example of what lengths humans will go to when faced with desperate circumstances.

Consider now what is happening in college sports.

Two years ago, the Big 12 Conference was figuratively snowbound when Texas and Oklahoma announced they were headed to the SEC.  The Big 12 responded by poaching Cincinnati, Houston and UCF from the American Athletic Conference and adding independent BYU.

What followed were conference additions and subtractions down the line, falling like dominos.

Now the PAC 12 is dissolving. Its grant-of-rights deal—streaming on Apple TV—was viewed as a form of financial starvation and schools rushed to the exit… Oregon and Washington to the Big 10; Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado to the Big 12.

On one hand, the Big 12 and Commissioner Brett Yormark deserve credit for not only surviving, but coming out of the chaos in a position of strength. Two years ago, the conference was in danger of collapsing. The will to survive is strong because the only other option is, figuratively speaking, death, or in this case the ruination of the athletic programs of WVU and other Big 12 schools.

WVU President Gordon Gee deserves credit as well for the survival of the league. Gee was on the search committee that hired Yormark, and Gee has myriad contacts at universities across the country that help ensure that WVU always has a seat at the table.

The Donner Party made several key mistakes. They were not fully prepared for the rigors of the long trip from Illinois to California, they set out too late and they opted for what they believed was a shorter route. These were fateful choices that bent the arc of their journey toward tragedy.

And so, it is also reasonable to reflect on the mistakes college football has made with conference re-alignment. How did this multi-billion dollar industry that impacts so many higher education institutions, and millions of alumni and fans, arrive at this point?

I suspect that is what happens when there is no true central leadership in college athletics; there is only a hierarchy—the powerful, the less powerful, and the powerless. Any greater good is supplanted by a genetic desire to survive, even at the cost of others.

As an alum and fan, I’m relieved that WVU appears to be emerging from chaos in a position of strength. It’s better to be among the haves than the have nots. But I also have regrets, as I suspect do fans of most of the schools impacted. Other schools are suffering from our gain.

Of the 87 members of the Donner Party, 48 survived, thanks to the iron will of those individuals who went in search of rescuers. Historian and author Ethan Rarick wrote, “More than the gleaming heroism of the Donner Party is a story of hard decisions that were neither heroic nor villainous.”

The story of conference realignment is similar; there are no heroes or villains, just those trying to survive when faced with life or death decisions.

The post Conference Realignment and Cannibalism appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Trump has more support per capita here than perhaps any other state. He received 69 percent of the vote in 2020 and 68 percent in 2016. I suspect Trump would do just as well here if the next presidential election were held today.

However, I believe Trump has disqualified himself from ever serving again for two reasons:

First, he refuses to acknowledge the legitimate outcome of the last election. Every allegation of serious fraud has collapsed or been disproven. Joe Biden won, and Trump lost, yet Trump continues to spread the false narrative that the election was stolen from him.

He puts himself and The Big Lie above the good of the country. That is the kind of extreme narcissism that is dangerous in the White House. Sadly, he is dragging a lot of good people with him on his self-aggrandizing con.

Second, Trump was the primary instigator of the January 6^th insurrection. No, he did not specifically tell his supporters to break down the doors of the U.S. Capitol, but he brought the crowd to Washington and created the false impression that their pressure could change the outcome of the election. The mob did the rest.

I’ve made these points many times on Talkline and am met with the same responses. Trump supporters say I am ignoring what they believe are legitimate complaints about election fraud and that January 6^th was not as bad as I make it out to be.

I also get healthy doses of “whataboutism” where callers and texters remind me of Hillary Clinton’s emails or Hunter Biden’s laptop.  Sometimes listeners will say something like, “I don’t like what Trump did, but I (or the country) was better off under Trump than Biden.”

Some listeners say my views on Trump make me a mouthpiece for liberalism. I’m not a liberal and I don’t see it as a partisan issue.  For me, the issue is more about right and wrong. I don’t see any gray area with Trump.

The polls show—and I know from lots of experience—that ardent Trump supporters are deeply committed. A recent New York Times-Siena poll found that the MAGA base “doesn’t support Mr. Trump in spite of his flaws. It supports him because it doesn’t seem to believe he has flaws.”

In fact, “not a single one of the 319 respondents in this MAGA category said he had committed serious felony crimes. A mere two percent said he ‘did something wrong’ in his handling of classified documents,” the poll found.

So, Trump’s base is as strong as a West Virginia oak. They are not going to change their minds about him, but I’m not going to change mine either.

Frankly, my life would be easier if I just rode the Trump wave in West Virginia. After all, the logic goes, if I am hosting a show in West Virginia shouldn’t my views reflect those of many, if not most, of the listeners? Unfortunately, I can’t do that.

I take no joy in being out of step with many of my listeners. For one thing, it’s bad for business. No listeners, no show. And I’m not trying to stake out any holier-than-thou high ground. Trump supporters are up to their ears in that kind of condescension.

I consider regular Talkline listeners as a broad extension of my circle of friends. Thomas Jefferson said, “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.”

I’ll try to hold true to that, and I hope Trump supporters who listen to the show will too.

The post So, Are We Still Friends? appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Last month, West Virginia University firmly rejected an attempt by former basketball coach Bob Huggins to get his job back by claiming that he never really resigned.  WVU forced Huggins to resign after he was arrested in Pittsburgh June 16th for drunk driving.

“In no uncertain terms, the University will not accept Mr. Huggins’ revocation of his resignation, nor will it reinstate him as head coach of the men’s basketball program,” wrote WVU Vice President and General Counsel Stephanie Taylor to Huggins’ Cleveland attorney David Campbell.

But that was not the end of the back and forth between WVU and Huggins’ attorney, and documents obtained by MetroNews through a Freedom of Information Act request reveal new information about the ongoing correspondence.

Campbell followed up with an email on July 11^th with a “settlement demand.”  Campbell wrote that Huggins would agree to resign if certain terms were met. Those terms included:

–Payment of $1.25 million in deferred compensation in two installments.

–Payment of Huggins’ health insurance benefits until April 30, 2024.

–Installation of Huggins as “Emeritus Head Coach” for three years to fund raise and consult, with his payment to be negotiated.

–Allowing Huggins to return to his old office.

–Agreeing to mutual non-disparagement, so neither Huggins nor WVU would say bad things about the other.

–Agreeing to a joint statement “to publicly resolve this dispute.”

Taylor responded three days later that WVU agreed that “an amicable resolution to this matter is in everyone’s best interests.”  However, Taylor said WVU rejected Huggins’ request for the Emeritus Coach role and the request for his old office back.

“Mr. Huggins now needs to respect Coach (Josh) Eilert and the University and realize that it is in everyone’s best interest for our current and future coaches to develop the program as they see fit, free from any perception that Mr. Huggins is exhibiting any control over the program,” Taylor wrote.

WVU did leave open an opportunity for Huggins to have an “ambassador type role” at WVU, but only after three years have passed and only if he complies with certain terms. Those terms include:

–Huggins’ acknowledgment that he did resign and that he will never again argue otherwise.

–A promise to never seek the WVU coaching job again or “interfere with WVU Athletics administration and the men’s basketball team, including any of its coaches or players.”

–A commitment to take no action that would have any negative impacts at WVU or control over the men’s basketball program.

WVU did agree to a mutual non-disparagement codicil, and was willing to pay Huggins the $1.25 million he was due for deferred salary on an expedited basis. The university followed up a couple days later, indicating that it intended to process the deferred compensation Huggins was owed, per the retirement provision of his existing agreement.

Huggins’ attorney responded on July 17^th with a brief and vague email: “Coach Huggins is not going to sign any documents at this time due to lack of consideration so we will have to move forward with the pay structure under the Amendment to the Employment Agreement,” wrote Campbell. “We will give you advance notice of the next steps.”

WVU officials were left to try to interpret what that meant, and according to the FOIA documents, there has been no further communication on what those “next steps” might be.

What the most recent communications show is that Huggins still wants an active role in the WVU basketball program, while WVU wants to keep the former coach at arm’s length and require him to meet certain terms for him to return in some capacity in the future.

The post Huggins Wanted His Office Back, Emeritus Head Coach Position appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The border issues are real, but so is the fact that the United States needs immigrants for economic reasons. A report by the non-profit, non-partisan National Foundation for American Policy concludes that the country’s demographic factors make foreign-born workers increasingly important to the country’s well-being.

“Without continued net inflows of immigrants, the U.S. working-age population will shrink over the next two decades and by 2040, the United States will have over 6 million fewer working age people than in 2022,” the report concluded.

The country’s birthrate is falling, and the baby boom generation is aging out of the workforce. Those factors combined with expected economic growth will increase demand for workers. “Virtually every labor market indicator points to the need for additional workers, and these pressures will increase over time if the working-age population shrinks,” according to the report.

This phenomenon is especially true in West Virginia, where the size of the labor force is headed in the wrong direction. Workforce West Virginia calculates the civilian labor force of the state at 783,000. That is down from nearly 800,000 a decade ago.

A stagnant workforce is bad enough, but a shrinking labor pool makes it even more difficult for new businesses to locate here and for existing businesses to expand or simply maintain a workforce.

We have complicated, and even conflicting, views about immigration in this country. A recent Gallup Poll found that two-thirds of those questioned said immigration is a good thing for the country (27 percent said it was a bad thing). However, the poll also found that a plurality of those questioned—41 percent—believe that immigration should be decreased (31 percent said it should be kept at present levels, while 26 percent said it should be increased).

The poll also found that Americans are split on immigration and the economy. Thirty nine percent said foreign-born workers make the economy better, while 38 percent say they make it worse.

But what really places a burden on the economy is not having enough people to fill the jobs available. As the National Foundation for American Policy report concluded, “Absent inflows from abroad or from other states, the majority of states will see their working-age population shrink in the coming years.”

West Virginia’s industrial economy was forged by immigrants. Italians, Poles, Slovaks, Germans, English, Scotch, Welsh, Lithuanians, Russians and others all came—or were recruited—to the Mountain State to work in the coal mines and steel mills along with white and black West Virginians.

If any state is pro-immigration, it should be West Virginia. It is good for our economy and an extension of our state’s multicultural roots. The same goes for the rest of the country where the demand for workers will continue to outstrip the supply, unless we have functional policies that encourage more people to come here to work.

The post Wanted: Foreign-born Workers appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The state Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) held an emergency meeting Monday afternoon and voted unanimously to revoke the financially troubled school’s authorization to confer degrees, effective December 31, 2023. (Read more here from Brad McElhinny)

The HEPC then approved a ten-point plan directing the private school in Philippi to “wind down its operations.” It cannot admit any new students or returning current students this fall, except for seniors who are scheduled to graduate at the end of the semester.

The board’s actions follow weeks of growing tension between HEPC and AB over the school’s financial problems. AB continued to express optimism that the school could meet its financial obligations with what it predicted would be increased enrollment this fall.

However, the more HEPC officials learned about the school’s finances, the more skeptical they became about its ability to survive.  Chancellor Sarah Armstrong Tucker laid out the specifics of the money problems during Monday’s meeting:

A negative cash flow of one-half million dollars; $30 million in long-term debt and another $5 million line of credit debt; $835,000 owed to the City of Philippi; difficulty in meeting payroll. “Alderson Broaddus has been asking for donations from alumni to meet payroll,” said the Chancellor.

Tucker and the Board’s greatest fear was that AB would be forced to close after classes started, leaving students hanging. “A mid-semester closure would be the worst case scenario for these students,” Tucker said. “They would lose any tuition paid to Alderson Broaddus, as well as any financial aid packages, and they would also lose any academic work they embarked on this semester.”

AB Board of Trustees chairman Jim Garvin and University interim president Andrea Bucklew strongly objected to the move. Garvin said the decision felt rushed—he asked for a two-day continuance—so the school could address each of the HEPC’s concerns.

AB interim president Andrea Bucklew also insisted the school has been transparent with HEPC. “We have submitted anything that has been asked of us,” Bucklew said. “We do not agree there is an imminent financial loss.”

The facts suggest otherwise.

HEPC officials were very often frustrated with what they believed was AB’s reluctance to be forthright. Several times HEPC learned developments at AB from the media or on social media, and AB’s communications with faculty, staff and students was limited, to say the least.

It is understandable that Alderson Broaddus officials are loyal to their institution and believe the school can be saved. However, it also appears these same officials are not confronting the cold reality. The school has no money, and the bills continue to pile up.

Chancellor Tucker and the HEPC Board made the right decision. The worsening financial situation at Alderson Broaddus was untenable. The school is foundering, and students were going to be the ones going down with the ship.

But those students can find a safe harbor here. Davis and Elkins College and West Virginia Wesleyan have already committed to taking in AB students, and other colleges and universities will likely step up as well.

That would have been significantly more difficult if Alderson Broaddus had closed mid-semester, and given the school’s critical financial situation, that seemed inevitable.

The post Alderson Broaddus Told to Wind Down Operations appeared first on WV MetroNews.

A key provision allows West Virginians to receive a dollar-for-dollar credit on their income taxes for the personal property tax on their vehicles. That annual tax is one of the more hated elements of the state tax code. Critics call it the 13^th car payment of the year.

Justice and lawmakers agreed the credit, even though it’s somewhat complicated, would be a way to allow West Virginians to have that paid tax be a credit against the amount owed to the state or an addition to their refund.

However, the legislation resulted in what I suspect was an unintended consequence.

The state’s vehicle property tax collection system operates on a fiscal year calendar, while income taxes are on the calendar year. The vehicle tax credit does not begin until January 1, 2024, but the vehicle tax bills for the previous fiscal year are already being received.

State and county officials have tried to spread the advice that taxpayers should only pay half now, so that when they pay the second half in early 2024, they can claim that second half amount as a dollar-for-dollar credit on their 2024 taxes.

However, many West Virginians have a habit of paying the full year when they receive the bill. As a result, those taxpayers would not be eligible for any portion of the credit. Legislative leaders and the Justice administration now realize that will be unfair to those taxpayers.

“The fact that people do the responsible thing and pay their tax bill in full is a good thing,” said House Speaker Roger Hanshaw on Talkline last week. “That’s not something that I think that we ever want to intentionally disincentivize.”

Hanshaw, Senate President Craig Blair and representatives of the Justice administration are now working on a change to the new tax law that would allow individuals who have paid, or will pay in full now, to claim the credit on the second half of the payment.

Blair said on Talkline that he hopes Justice will include that change on the call for the upcoming special session, which could coincide with the August interim committee meetings that begin Sunday. Blair said he think changing the law to accommodate taxpayers who want to pay in full now will pass the Legislature easily.

The state predicts that the vehicle tax break, as it is currently written, will save taxpayers—and thus cost the state—about $140 million. Changing the law to ensure all vehicle owners who pay in a timely fashion, including those who want to pay the full year now, is already factored into cost.  So there is no reason not to make the fix to avoid penalizing responsible taxpayers.

The post Lawmakers Plan a Fix of the Vehicle Tax Credit appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Answer: An act of Congress, a signature from the President of the United States, and a decision by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sadly, that is not an exaggeration.

Constructing the Mountain Valley Pipeline through the mountains for 304 miles is a remarkable and difficult engineering feat, but the hardest part has been navigating the regulatory hurdles and court challenges.

Environmentalists and other pipeline opponents found an ally in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. As the Wall Street Journal opined, “Three judges… are doing the legal equivalent of lying down in front of tractors to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline.”

Every time the Equitrans Midstream Corporation, the pipeline developer, met the state or federal regulatory requirements, the opponents moved the goal posts and got a favorable ruling from the court, delaying the project yet again.

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin managed to get Congress to add Section 324 to the Fiscal Responsibility Act directing all federal agencies to issue the remaining authorizations, and to block the Fourth Circuit from its endless reviews of the project. President Biden signed the bill into law.

Opponents went back to their friends in the Fourth Circuit, which stayed that provision of the Act, although it provided no explanation. Construction on the final few miles of the pipeline was blocked again. But then Thursday, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts lifted the stay.

As our Brad McElhinny reported, “The chief justice was assigned the emergency intervention request because he has oversight over the Fourth Circuit, and then Roberts referred the case to the rest of the court.”

Any act of Congress or presidential action can be challenged in court, but those same courts do not have superpowers. The Constitution and Congress have placed limits on the jurisdiction of the lower federal court.*

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who filed an amicus brief in the case, defended the actions by Washington.  “Congress did what it often does: stepped in to fix what it perceived as a recurring problem with how other statues it wrote were being applied.”

It is tempting to conclude that after Congressional action and a decision by the Supreme Court’s chief justice that maybe, just maybe, the Mountain Valley Pipeline can be completed. That is unless the Fourth Circuit finds a way to lie down in front of construction equipment again.

*(Owen Equip. & Erection Co. v. Kroger, 437 U.S. 365, 374 (1978) (“It is a fundamental precept that federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. The limits upon federal jurisdiction, whether imposed by the Constitution or by Congress, must be neither disregarded nor evaded.”)

The post Chief Justice Clears a Path for the Mountain Valley Pipeline appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The open seat for Governor has attracted a field of Republican candidates jockeying for money and position. Huntington Mayor Steve Williams is preparing to seek the Democratic nomination. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin is up for re-election in 2024, but he has not decided yet whether to run again. On the Republican side, Governor Jim Justice and 2nd District Representative Alex Mooney are already sparring.

However, the race for the Republican nomination for what will be the open Attorney General’s seat is fast becoming heated, and has clearly been the most interesting race this week.

It was already set up to be a close race between two current Republican State Senators—Mike Stuart from Kanawha County and Ryan Weld of Brooke County. But then Auditor J.B. McCuskey dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination for Governor and joined the AG field.

McCuskey really wanted to be Governor, but early polls showed him way back in the pack.  He has run successfully statewide twice so that name recognition gives him an early advantage in a race with Stuart and Weld.

McCuskey and Weld are—or rather were—good friends. Weld says McCuskey told him on multiple occasions that he would not run for AG, that he was committed to the Governor’s race. McCuskey told me he doesn’t recall making that specific promise.

Stuart was listening and was annoyed over all the hurt feelings talk. “These guys can talk about how they feel. I’ll talk about what I’m going to do,” Stuart said in text to me. In fairness, McCuskey and Weld do talk about their plans for the office and I was the one prodding each on the friendship split.

Stuart also says McCuskey and Weld are “moderates.” I will leave it to McCuskey and Weld to define themselves in the race, but Stuart’s use of the term “moderate” in a pejorative way shows how far to the right the Republican Party is leaning in West Virginia.

This AG race is going to be one to watch.

On another subject, the Higher Education Policy Commission will hold an emergency meeting Friday Morning to discuss the future of the financially troubled Alderson Broaddus University. Earlier this month, the HEPC gave the private college in Philippi provisional authorization to operate this coming academic year, but more problems for AB have come to light since then.

The most significant revelation was a termination notice from the City of Philippi for AB’s water, sewer, garbage and electric service effective Monday morning. The town took the action because Alderson Broaddus has an outstanding balance of $775,598.70.

Fall semester classes are scheduled to begin in three weeks and the financial headwinds are increasing. The HEPC is committed to avoiding another disaster like Ohio Valley University. The private Christian college in Wood County went bankrupt and closed in December 2021, leaving students in a lurch as they tried to obtain their records and transfer to another school.

The Alderson Broaddus story is continuing to unfold rapidly.

The post AG Race Heats Up; Alderson Broaddus Faces Increasing Financial Headwinds appeared first on WV MetroNews.

A study by Yale researchers published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that “well-documented differences in vaccination attitudes (between Republican and Democratic voters)… may have been a factor in the severity of the pandemic in Florida and Ohio.”

The researchers evaluated over 538,000 deaths of individuals aged 25 and older in Florida and Ohio between March 2020 and December 2021 and determined the excess mortality rate during the pandemic. They found the excess mortality was “significantly higher for Republican voters than Democratic voters after vaccines were available to all adults.”

After May 1, 2021, when vaccines were available to all adults, the excess death rate among Republican voters was 43 percent higher than the excess death rate among Democratic voters. The death rate differences were larger in counties with lower vaccination rates.

The researchers caution that the study has limitations. For example, political party affiliation may be “proxy for other risk factors… such as rates of underlying medical conditions, race and ethnicity.” Also, the study was only of deaths in Florida and Ohio, so the results cannot be generalized to other states.

Multiple studies have found differing opinions between Republicans and Democrats over Covid vaccines and pandemic preventive measures. For example, a Gallup Poll conducted in September 2021 found that 40 percent of Republicans did not plan to get vaccinated while just three percent of Democrats said they would not get the shot.

A nationwide survey by the University of South Florida published earlier this year found that only half (49 percent) of Republicans were “very confident” or “somewhat confident” in the Covid vaccines, while 88 percent of Democrats believed the vaccines were safe.

The Yale researchers said these well documented differences in attitudes between Republicans and Democrats over the vaccine “became a substantial factor” in the difference in the mortality rate during the worst of the pandemic.

Professor Stephen Neely, who conducted the USF survey, told the Washington Post, the results of the Yale research show how partisanship caused more Covid deaths. “It’s one of the most telling metrics I’ve seen in how the politicization of the pandemic played out in the real world,” Neely told the Post.

As I said, the study results are limited. The researchers looked at aggregate numbers in the two states and not individual vaccination statistics. The results clearly do not mean that an individual was at a greater risk just because they were a Republican.

But the research does suggest that the messaging during the height of the pandemic, where Republicans were more likely than Democrats to distrust government and medical advice about Covid, contributed to unnecessary deaths in Florida and Ohio.

The post Politics Played a Part in Covid Deaths appeared first on WV MetroNews.

That is because taxpayers are currently receiving their 2023 personal property tax assessments listing the amount due on their vehicles, the payment and deadline for the first half of the year and the payment and deadline for the second half.

State Revenue Secretary Dave Hardy advises taxpayers to pay only the first half and delay the second half payment until early next year. That’s because the new vehicle property tax credit does not kick in until 2024.

“You definitely want to pay half,” Hardy said on a recent Talkline.  “You do not want to pay the full year because when you pay the second half, which is due on April 1, 2024, that (amount) will be eligible for the dollar-to-dollar credit.”

That means the dollar amount will be credited on state taxes owed in 2024. Taxpayers can claim the credit when they file their 2024 tax return in 2025. If they owe state taxes, the amount will be deducted.  If they are due a refund, the amount paid in vehicle taxes will be added.

One important caveat is that the vehicle property taxes must be paid on time to qualify for the credit.  That means the first half of the assessment must be paid before October 1 of this year, and the second half before April 1 of next year.

“The statute specifically says they must be timely paid,” Hardy said. “I’m sure county officials are glad the word ‘timely paid’ is in the legislation.”

The vehicles that qualify for the credit include cars, trucks, motorcycles, buses, trailers, antique motor vehicles, farm trucks and all-terrain vehicles. Semi-trailers, taxi cabs, travel tailor vehicles and mobile equipment are not included.

The question I keep getting from Talkline listeners is, “Why didn’t the legislature just get rid of the car tax?”

The answer is that they tried. The Legislature placed on the 2022 ballot Amendment Two that would have allowed them to exempt personal property taxes on people’s vehicles, and also on what businesses pay on their inventory, equipment and machinery.

That amendment failed, due in large part to a campaign by Governor Justice to defeat it. He argued that eliminating the car tax would have led to uncertainty regarding funding for local services including education, police and fire protection.

However, Justice promised in return a rebate plan on the car tax. Justice and lawmakers agreed during the legislative session earlier this year to include the vehicle tax credit in a bill that also cut income taxes.

As a result, individuals still must pay personal property taxes on their vehicles, but they can file for the credit when they fill out their income taxes.

I know it is confusing, and the state could have done a better job alerting people on how to claim the credit. I suspect many taxpayers just do not know about the credit or are not going to bother with it, but it can be real savings. The state has allocated $140 million for a full year of the credits.

The West Virginia Tax Division has a lot of helpful information about the vehicle tax credit. Check it out at tax.wv.gov.

The post Vehicle Tax Credit Confusion appeared first on WV MetroNews.

So, media organizations better get ready to cover any possible stories about contact with alien life, and Americans better prepare for the angles. Given what we know about the different perspectives of various media outlets and opinion leaders, here’s a cheat sheet to what we might expect:

New York Times: “Emissions from spacecraft will speed up the effects of climate change.”

Wall Street Journal: “Energy stocks tank amid reports aliens power spacecraft with their minds.”

Fox and Friends: “The Biden administration is screwing up interstellar policy before the aliens have even arrived. Only Trump can make space great again. Or else, Democrats are working with aliens to rig voting machines, in which case the aliens should remain in Mexico. Wait, what are we talking about?”

Right wing Congressional Republicans: “President Biden planned the release of information about alien life to draw attention away from the Hunter Biden investigation.”

Left wing Congressional Democrats: “Comprehensive immigration reform must include asylum and voting rights for interplanetary travelers.”

TMZ: “Watch video of a meet-and-greet where Connor McGregor punches the alien in what is believed to be its face.”

ESPN: “NBA Commissioner suggests 9-foot-tall planetary visitor might be eligible for NBA draft.”

President Biden: “Little green men? What a bunch of malarkey.”

Former President Trump: “We are going to be build a big, beautiful wall around the whole planet to keep them on their side of the universe. And Jupiter is going to pay for it!”

USA Today: “They’re here!”

Al Jazeera: “Clerics revise ‘decency’ laws to include what body parts female aliens must cover to avoid enticing men.”

Entertainment Tonight: “Netflix and HBO battle for rights to space traveler miniseries.”

Vogue: “How to wear the new Alien Chic trend for summer.”

Us Magazine: “Brad Pitt seen getting cozy with alien. Source: ‘They’re taking it slow.’”

National Enquirer: “Oh my gosh, WE GUESSED RIGHT!”

Did I miss any? Post your own possible headlines in the comment section below.

The post Preparing for Media Coverage of First Contact With Aliens appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The bipartisan organization is considering fielding its own ticket made up of a Democrat and a Republican to offer voters an alternative to the traditional party nominees. Joe Manchin appears to be at the top of the list of potential presidential candidates on the “unity ticket.”

No Labels is polling to help decide whether a third party run makes sense—the organization says it does not want to be a spoiler—and Manchin has not yet decided what he wants to do. But just the possibility of another option has the left panicking.

The No Labels critics believe a Manchin candidacy would siphon voters away from Biden and give Trump a victory in 2024. Liberal New York Times columnist Gail Collins attacked Manchin personally.

“Manchin seems to be flirting with (running on No Labels), which could lead to Donald Trump’s return to the White House. And give the senator from West Virginia a label I can’t mention in a family newspaper.”

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen said No Labels does not have a path to win, but it will affect the outcome. “It’s a path to spoiling the election for Joe Biden and electing Donald Trump.”

Republican political consultant and Trump critic Karl Rove wrote in the Wall Street Journal, “There is little question that a three-way contest involving Mr. Manchin would exacerbate Team Biden’s problems with key groups.”

All this hand wringing reflects the inconvenient truth that the Democratic Party has an incredibly weak ticket.

Polls show Biden under water. For example, FiveThirtyEight has his approval rating at 41 percent and his disapproval rating at 55 percent. An ABC News/Washington Post poll in May found that two-thirds of Americans believe Biden, 80, is too old for another term.

Biden won in 2020 largely because voters rejected Trump, not because they were enthusiastic about Biden, and that lack of enthusiasm continues to weigh down his re-election chances. But Democrats are worried about pushing Biden aside because his likely replacement, Vice President Kamala Harris, is also unpopular (40 percent approve, 51 percent disapprove, according to FiveThirtyEight).

So, part of the winning strategy to prop up Biden-Harris is to attack No Labels and Manchin as spoilers. But my question is, spoilers of what? Polls consistently show most voters want someone else. A CNN poll found that 33 percent of voters had a favorable view of Trump and 32 percent for Biden, but 31 percent viewed neither Biden nor Trump favorably.

In fairness, a Manchin presidential run may well cut into Biden’s numbers. Rove writes that, for example, “If 1.1 percent of Mr. Biden’s black supporters in Georgia stay home or vote No Labels next year, that would wipe out the 2020 Peach State’s victory margin of 11,779 votes.”

If that happens in Georgia and a couple of other key states, Manchin will inevitably get the blame from Biden supporters if Trump is elected, but that will be only part of the story. If Democrats are honest with themselves, they must also acknowledge that their weak ticket opened the door to a third party challenge.

The post Why Democrats are Panicking about Joe Manchin appeared first on WV MetroNews.

“Mooney told CNN on Monday that he visited with Trump twice seeking his endorsement and he believes it’s ‘pretty clear’ he’s unlikely to win his backing—though he said the former president ‘never said that he would or wouldn’t’ back him.”

Mooney, who is in a race with Governor Jim Justice and long-shot Chris Rose for a chance to fill the seat now held by Democrat Joe Manchin, needs help. A recent poll shows Mooney way behind Justice.

The poll of Republican and Independent voters in West Virginia released by the state Chamber of Commerce earlier this month found Justice favored by 56 percent of those questioned while only 19 percent backed Mooney.

Mooney is more conservative than Justice and historically Mooney has been able to count on Trump’s support. The former president backed Mooney over David McKinley in the 2022 Republican Primary in the newly created 2^nd District.

“Representative Alex Mooney has done an outstanding job as Congressman in West Virginia. In fact, he recently opposed the horrendous Biden administration’s “Non-Infrastructure” plan, and he opposed the January 6th Committee, also knows as the Unselect Committee of partisan hacks and degenerates,” Trump said at the time.

However, this race is different because of Jim Justice who has built a personal relationship with Trump and his family. Trump affectionately refers to the Governor as “Big Jim.” Justice and Trump were on stage together in Huntington in 2017 when Justice announced he was switching from the Democratic to the Republican Party.

Mooney told CNN that came up in his conversations with Trump. “He (Trump) more just impressed upon me that Jim Justice party switched for Trump at a rally, and that he feels some loyalty to Mr. Justice for that purpose,” Mooney said.

Mooney also had a strike against him with Trump because the Club for Growth PAC is backing Mooney and has raised more than $13 million for his campaign.  Politico reports “An outside group with ties to the conservative Club for Growth has formed an effort to stop former President Donald Trump from winning the nomination.”

Chris LaCivita, a Trump campaign senior consultant, called the Club for Growth “swamp dwellers.”

Trump has twice won overwhelmingly in West Virginia—by 42 points over Hillary Clinton in 2016 and by 39 points over Joe Biden in 2020. Trump’s endorsement and down ballot influence are difference makers.

Mooney told CNN that when it comes to the issues, he is closer to Trump than Justice. “I’m much more in line than my opponent,” he said. That may be true, especially as the Trump faction of the Republican Party leans harder to the right, which is where Mooney resides.

The best Mooney can hope for now is that Trump stays out of the West Virginia Senate race all together, but that seems unlikely, especially given Trump’s personal fondness for Justice.

The post Mooney Does Not Expect Trump Endorsement appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Jones’ successor, Mayor Amy Schuler Goodwin, said when she searched for a new chief, one name kept coming up—Tyke Hunt.

But now Hunt is in trouble.

The Scoop Squad podcast recently aired a lengthy interview with Jenny Harless, who recounted in detail a brief affair with Hunt in March and April of 2022. Hunt is married, and extramarital affairs are generally private matters… until they are not.

At issue is an instance where, according to Harless, Hunt invited her to his city office after hours where she says he disrobed and pulled her on top of him. Hunt has a different version of events.

There were also suggestive texts exchanged and Hunt sent her intimate pictures.

Harless says they never met in person again and not long after that, Hunt stopped contacting her. Harless then sent Hunt’s wife, Jessica, screenshots of texts revealing her provocative communications with Hunt and specifics of the office encounter.

A few days later, Harless says, an FBI agent and a State Trooper contacted her, saying they were responding to a complaint related to her conversations with Jessica Hunt. That prompted Harless to complain to the City of Charleston that she was being harassed.

The City responded with an investigation by their Human Resources Department, although that was not confirmed until just this week when City Council member Shannon Snodgrass raised the issue at Monday’s meeting.

“There is no disputing that something inexcusable occurred on public time and with the use of public resources,” Snodgrass said. “It is then alleged that law enforcement was sent to her (Harless’s) job and then to her home over something that was admittedly not a crime.”

Snodgrass called for an independent investigation. “This has to be done for full transparency,” she said. “I want to ensure that this complaint is investigated properly, (that) the woman’s civil rights were not violated and that she receives due process.”

Charleston City Attorney Kevin Baker released a statement later Monday: “I can assure you that all complaints received by the City including this one are seriously investigated. The city’s HR Department investigates complaints against City employees, makes recommendations, and implements discipline. It is the City policy not to comment on specific Human Resource matters.”

That may be the policy, but it is not practical in this case.

At the very least, Chief Hunt exercised poor judgement. It is also reasonable to question why an FBI agent would be investigating what amounts to a domestic dispute.  Snodgrass also questions whether there is a double standard of discipline—one of the Chief and another for officers who would have complaints involving them brought before the City’s Professional Standards Division.

The events of last year were just City Hall and police department gossip for months, but now the details are spilling out into the open.   As former Mayor Jones said on Talkline Tuesday, “Bad news does not get better with age.”

The public does not need every intimate detail—that would satisfy prurient interests—but it does require more transparency of how the city handled the investigation and whether Chief Hunt was disciplined for his bad behavior.

The post Charleston Police Chief’s Affair Triggers Controversy, Criticism appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The HEPC decision came after several delays while it waited for more financial information from the school. Even then, HEPC members remained cautious, establishing several benchmarks the school must meet in the coming months.

One of caveats requires AB to make other provisions for students who might need to transfer if the school closes. Another mandates monthly reports so the HEPC can have a timely accounting of the school’s finances.

Michael Farrell, vice chairman of the HEPC, made clear during a meeting last week that it is essential for the school to meet the requirements to continue operating.

“The commission reserves the right to reconsider this provisional authorization at any point that the institution’s financial stability does not meet the State of West Virginia’s criteria,” Farrell said.

So, the HEPC has put Alderson Broaddus on a short leash, but that at least gives the University an opportunity to remain open and allows interim AB president Andrea Bucklew a chance to right the ship.

James Garvin, the new president of the school’s board of trustees, hopes the school’s many graduates will pitch in. “There is a deep, deep devotion among our alumni,” Garvin told HEPC board members. “This new regime really deserves a chance to show that all they’re projecting, everything they’ve seen, everything that we intend to implement, it’s going to turn the corner.”

The University has, like many colleges and universities, suffered a drop in enrollment. AB is projecting improved enrollment this fall, and the HEPC’s vice chancellor for finance and facilities, Misty Price, said they will be watching that number closely.

“The estimated students that have yet to enroll but are expected to enroll are 268 and that accounts for approximately $3 million in revenue and cash,” Price said. “So this estimate and this projection is really critical in the analysis of AB and if they can get to the end of the year with sufficient cash.”

The best case scenario is that AB’s unregistered but expected enrollment gives the school a financial boost, and that loyal alums come through with donations to help sustain their Alma Mater. AB is a historic institution that is integral to Philippi and the Barbour County community. Closure would be an economic hit, while leaving students scrambling for an alternative.

The HEPC has reached a thoughtful decision that gives Alderson Broaddus an opportunity to straighten out its finances while requiring the school to be forthright about its condition. Garvin literally begged the HEPC for a chance, and the school was given one.

Hopefully AB can take advantage of the opportunity.

The post A Lifeline for Alderson Broaddus appeared first on WV MetroNews.

(The first verse of the West Virginia University Alma Mater.)

The current controversy over the forced resignation of WVU basketball coach Bob Huggins has me thinking about my Alma Mater and what the school has meant to students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the University for 156 years.

The University is not just buildings, classrooms and sports events.  It is a foundational experience that creates part of an individual’s sense of self.  It leaves a lasting imprint that forms a lasting connection. It is perpetual, everlasting through the years.

That connection extends beyond graduates and professors to those West Virginians who never attended WVU, but are devoted fans who celebrate the victories and suffer the disappointments.

Coaches and players come and go through the years. Fans have their favorites, but their enduring loyalty is to the University and the Mountaineers, not the individuals. Those who have led WVU most successfully, whether in academics or athletics, realize this. Their actions and decisions reflect a greater good, rather than expediency.

When those decision makers err, there is hell to pay because we must hold the University to a high standard.  Alumni, faculty, staff and friends see those mistakes—real and perceived—as damaging the University.

The same is true when students misbehave. The shame of their misdeeds extends to the entire school.  The majority suffer for the actions of a few.

And that brings me back to Huggins.

His actions are his own, but they affect the entire University and, by extension, those hundreds of thousands of people who identify with WVU. The two incidents that led to his forced retirement were embarrassing to him and the University, but WVU left open an opportunity for him to, at some point, return—not as a coach, but as a respected and beloved member of the University community.

However, Huggins has closed that option with revisionist history about his resignation and his feeble attempt to shift responsibility away from himself and on to WVU for his ouster. He is attempting to put himself and his selfish needs above the University he purports to love.

Huggins built a sense of entitlement over the years. The leadership of the University deserves some blame for allowing his power to get out of proportion. Huggins reached a point where only he could cause his downfall, and he did.

His vain attempt to regain what he lost will fail because he is wrong, legally and morally. As for the University, as the Alma Mater reminds us, we will sing of thy honor, everlasting through the years.

West Virginia University will go on because the countless students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends know something that Bob Huggins has failed to realize—it is greater than one person.

The post How Bob Huggins Failed His Alma Mater appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Hop

The post I’m Out! appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Roads invite complaints in West Virginia.

One reason is that some of our roads are just awful. Poor maintenance, potholes, slides, crumbling edges, and washed out sections all justify our grievances. The bad roads are hard on our vehicles and our psyche.

After all, we pay for the roads with our tax dollars. Every time we buy gas, we bear witness to how much of what we pay goes to the roads, which prompts us to ask, “Am I getting what I’m paying for?”

We do not give the roads much latitude. Hitting one pothole in an otherwise decent highway will throw many of us into a rage about “the condition of these damn roads!”

So, we want the roads fixed, but in practice, we are not happy about that either.

No one caught in a traffic delay because of road work smiles and says, “Hey, I’m happy to sit here while my car overheats and I’m late for my doctor’s appointment because these fine workers are fixing the road.”

We would prefer all the roadwork to be done between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., and on the weekends, if possible.

Now, consider that West Virginia has about 35,000 miles of roads and 7,000 bridges. Maybe if we had the landscape of West Texas, this wouldn’t be a problem. But here the roads are always going up, down, around, through or over something. I’m not an engineer, but I suspect it is hard to build and maintain a road carved into the side of a mountain just above a creek.

And here is the worst part about fixing the roads: It does not matter how many miles of state highways are as smooth as a baby’s behind, if a section of the road you travel every day is bad, then the roads are terrible.

Politicians are always talking about fixing the roads, and Governor Jim Justice is no different. (I would be careful about that for all the aforementioned reasons.)  However, in fairness, the Justice administration has a commendable record on road work, from pushing through road bonds to re-energizing the highway department with new equipment.

Meanwhile, more money than ever is flowing into West Virginia for road work. The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $3.8 billion over five years for roads and bridges. Justice and the Legislature are considering dedicating and additional $150 million in surplus General Revenue funds to highway projects.

I doubt there has ever been this much money available and this much road work that will be done now and over the next five years in West Virginia. It’s enough to make me positively optimistic about West Virginia roads! All those orange cones and barrels are signs of progress.

But then again, I have to drive home later today, and the Hogback Turn awaits.

#FTDR  (Fix the damn roads).

The post #FTDR appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Salango was the party’s nominee in 2020, and even though he lost badly to incumbent Republican Jim Justice (65% to 31%) he was seriously considering a second attempt. With a popular Governor out of the picture—Justice is term-limited and now running for the Senate—Salango felt his odds were better this time.

But even those better odds are long. West Virginia has gone so deeply red that the path forward for any Democrat running for statewide office is extremely narrow. If Donald Trump is at the top of the ticket, the down ballot effect makes it even more unlikely that a Democrat can win.

Enter Steve Williams, the unfailingly optimistic Democratic Mayor of Huntington. Williams has been hinting for months that he is running for Governor, although he has not yet made a formal announcement. That will come, either this month or next, after Williams has finished laying the groundwork for his campaign.

Salango’s decision not to run clears the way for Williams. Had Salango run, the two would have had to spend precious time and money trying to win the nomination. With Salango out, and no other Democratic candidate on the horizon now, Williams can concentrate on introducing himself to the state.

That is a monumental task. Williams is not well known, or known at all, outside of Huntington. That is a significant downside for someone with statewide aspirations. However, the upside is that Williams has a clean slate. With little or no primary opposition he can spend his time and money defining himself before his opponents have a chance to define him.

Meanwhile, the candidates in a crowded field in the race for the Republican nomination for Governor will be busy going after each other. The eventual nominee will likely emerge with a few political bruises.

But I keep thinking about Salango’s decision.

Yes, Williams is helped significantly by Salango being out of the race. But Salango’s exit is yet another indicator of the weakness of the state’s Democratic Party. He would have entered the contest as the front-runner to win the Primary. It was the General Election that spooked him—expensive, time consuming and probably a loss.

For decades, leading state Democrats jockeyed for their turn to run for Governor, and many times big names ended up squaring off in the primary because they felt it was their time. Now the bench is ever so thin.

The Democratic Party is fortunate that Steve Williams is willing to step into the fray. He will at least give his party a fighting chance.

The post Ben Salango’s Exit from Governor’s Race Clears the Way for Steve Williams appeared first on WV MetroNews.

But let’s start with the positives:

The state collected $6.5 billion in general revenue last fiscal year.  That is ten percent more than the previous year and the most revenue ever collected. Tax collections for resource severance, corporations, personal income, consumer sales and interest income all set records. The revenue collections came in $1.8 billion ahead of estimates.

That represents an overall strength of the state’s economy because a growing economy generates more revenue.  More people working pay more in taxes and buy more things.  Higher demand for coal and natural gas drove severance tax collections to new highs.

“West Virginia is growing, our people are employed and raising their families here, companies from all over the world are investing in us, and we’ve changed the image of our state to the outside world in a major way,” said Governor Jim Justice.

The Justice administration deserves credit for its aggressive efforts to recruit businesses to the state, while the Legislature is responsible for adopting policies that make West Virginia more attractive to business.

However, caution is advised.

The size of the surplus is misleading.  The Justice administration sets the revenue estimates artificially low to keep spending under control.  That works to keep costs down, but it is not an accurate representation of the expense of running the government.

The Legislature earlier appropriated about $1.2 billion of the expected surplus for dozens of agencies and projects including things like road improvements, funding for the National Cancer Institute at WVU, economic development and another payment to the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

So, the state really has about $450 million in true surplus.  It will be up to Justice and the Legislature to decide how to use the one-time money. There is no shortage of needs—corrections, higher education, teacher and state employee salaries, state property maintenance, on and on.

Also, it is worth noting that the bulk of the surplus was accumulated in the first half of the fiscal year, and it was attributed in large part to surging severance tax collections.  Coal and natural gas prices soared, and severance tax collections along with them.

However, prices have cooled off, and in the second half of the fiscal year severance tax revenue returned to more modest levels. Personal income tax collections, which are the greatest source of revenue for the state, also leveled off closer to FY 2022 levels.

There is no denying FY 2023 was a good year for the state.  The record revenue collections put West Virginia in a strong position to be able to fund income tax and personal property tax cuts of $700 million this year and catch up on some of the state’s overdue needs.

However, some of those revenue collection numbers in the last few months of the 2023 fiscal year suggest a cooling off, especially on the volatile energy front.  If we have learned anything in West Virginia it is that economic conditions can go south in a hurry.

The post Caution Advised on West Virginia’s Economic News appeared first on WV MetroNews.

John Adams’s letter to his wife Abigail was filled with enthusiasm, but also carried a tone of foreboding.  It was July 1776 and revolution was in the air among the delegates at the meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

Adams recognized, as did others at the gathering, that a course of events had been set in motion that would lead either to independence and a new nation or a brutal response by the British to the revolt that may well cost the patriots their lives.

Adams wrote that the “Hopes of reconciliation…have been gradually and at last totally extinguished.”  Independence from England had been declared.  “This will cement the union,” Adams wrote.

The cost of independence would be great.  “I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these states,” Adams wrote.  Even as he finished the letter that day British troops were landing at Staten Island.

Long Island and White Plains, New York as well at Fort Washington, New York and Fort Lee, New Jersey would fall before the end of the year.  The lone bright spot of the 1776 campaign would be General Washington’s bold Christmas crossing of the Delaware River and the defeat of the Hessians in Trenton.

Still, Adams was a devout patriot who remained optimistic about the outcome.  That July day he wrote, “Through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory.  I can see that the end is more than worth all the means.”

He must have had confidence in the ultimate outcome because he wrote how Independence Day would be the “most memorable…in the history of America.”

Adams accurately predicted the tone of future celebrations when he said that Independence Day should be “solemnized with pomp and parade, with shews (shows), games, sports, guns, bells, bonfire and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”

Today we know that to be the case as we prepare to mark another Independence Day with the modern-day versions of just what Adams wrote about.

Of course, many of us have now changed the name of the day of celebration to The Fourth of July, the day regarded as America’s birthday.

But Adams’ letter that I have just quoted from was dated July 3rd, 1776.  The day before, July 2^nd, the Continental Congress adopted Richard Henry Lee’s motion for independence.

Two days later, on July 4^th, the Continental Congress would approve the actual document, the Declaration of Independence.

John Adams was right about the time for the colonies to unite and split from England.  He was right about the cost of independence in “toil, blood and treasure.”  But Adams believed the celebrations by future generations of the historic day when this great nation was born would be not on July 4^th, but two days earlier.

He wrote to Abigail it would be “The Second day of July 1776 (that) will be the most memorable…in the history of America.”

The post Happy Independence Day appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The last regulatory hurdles were cleared after Congress added a provision to the debt ceiling legislation last month expediting completion of the pipeline. Now construction of the final few miles can resume.

Pipeline opponents and climate activists have not given up. Sierra Club Senior Campaign Representative Caroline Hansley has accused Congress of a federal overreach. “Whatever happened to checks and balances?” she asked. “Congress should never have overextended its powers to try to tell the courts how to do their jobs.”

Pipeline opponents want the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to do what it has done repeatedly over the last several years and issue a ruling that will halt construction.

The Court has historically been sympathetic to the opponents, typically agreeing that one regulatory agency or another has not performed satisfactory due diligence. However, now the Court would have to find a reason to defy an act of Congress.

The opponents like to say Congress is breaking the rules and bypassing the regulatory process. The fact is Equitrans, the pipeline builder, has been trying for years to comply with the demands of regulatory agencies and the courts, but every time they meet the standard, the anti-pipeline groups head back to court to move the goal posts.

Were it not for an act of Congress, the process could have gone on forever, or until Equitrans gave up. The opponents were able to cancel the Atlantic Coast Pipeline using the sue-and-stall tactic and they figured it would work on MVP. The litigation and delays have already doubled the cost of the pipeline to $6.6 billion and held up completion by five years.

State and federal environmental laws and permitting procedures are designed to ensure that projects comply with air, water and soil standards. They are essential to maintaining a reasonable balance between protection and construction. However, pipeline opponents are using the laws as a weapon against carbon-based fuel.

The natural gas reserves under West Virginia are virtually limitless, and these enormous supplies are integral to the energy security of the country. Yes, the energy economy is moving toward renewables, but that transition will take time. Natural gas is a long-term bridge fuel.

With he completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, more of the fuel can finally get to market.

The post MVP Heads to the Finish Line appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Only four percent of the serviceable locations in Calhoun County have high-speed service. In Clay County, it’s only nine percent.  Pocahontas County is at 18 percent. Putnam County, which is a growth county, still has 24 percent underserved or unserved.

However, West Virginia now has an opportunity to finally provide quality Internet service to everyone who wants it. President Biden this week announced a $42.5 billion grant program for high-speed Internet infrastructure deployment as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin worked to secure a whopping $1.2 billion for West Virginia. Our state has less than one percent of the population, but it is targeted for three percent of the money.

West Virginia is getting a disproportionate amount because, among other things, the state did a thorough job mapping the Internet coverage. The state leaned into the Federal Communications Commission’s Challenge process of the proposed maps and demonstrated more than 86,000 additional locations in need of service. That pushed the state’s allocation higher.

Capito, who has been grinding in Congress for years to bring more broadband money here, said everyone involved should be ashamed if all of West Virginia is not connected through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.

But there is a long way to go, and a lot of government benchmarks to meet, for the state to get all the money. That process will stretch into next year. And then there are the myriad logistical challenges of stringing fiber to tens of thousands of locations over the next several years.

That will be up to the commercial Internet providers who will have to pitch the state plans for expanded service and then meet specifications to receive the money. The providers have their own issues including, but not limited to, getting all the equipment and supplies they need. One provider told me there is a year-long wait for bucket trucks.

Kelly Collins Workman, Director of the state Office of Broadband and the Broadband Enhancement Council, has the challenge of overseeing the program. “It’s a lot of money, and it’s a huge responsibility and we take it very seriously,” Workman said on Talkline Wednesday.

High-speed connectivity has moved from a luxury to a necessity. Tele-health is becoming the norm. The mechanics of learning are changing due to technology. The home is the new office. And, of course, the entertainment options people have come to expect are Internet driven.

High-speed is now nearly as vital to our infrastructure as electricity. West Virginia is way behind on this technological front, but if the state and the private sector can manage this $1.2 billion properly, we will catch up with the rest of the country.

The post Huge Internet Investment in West Virginia appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Huggins’ untimely departure following his DUI arrest put Director of Athletics Wren Baker in a difficult position for the search for a replacement. Coaching positions for next season are already set. Several of the individuals WVU was interested in did not want to leave their programs in a lurch.

That speaks to the character of those coaching prospects, which means one of the necessary qualities WVU wants in the next coach prevented them from becoming candidates.

Former WVU head coach John Beilein would have been a sublime choice.  He resurrected the Mountaineer program during a particularly troubled period, recruited players to his unique system who became fan favorites, and had post-season success.

Beilein, who is a youthful 70 and will be leaving his position as Senior Player Development Advisor for the Detroit Pistons July 1, was interested in the job… very interested. The coaching itch was still there. WVU lobbied hard to bring him back.

However, something caused Beilein to ultimately say “no.”  Maybe he was worried about the instability of the roster, and that would have been a reasonable concern because of the number of players entering the transfer portal.

Maybe he was reluctant to return to WVU, where the shadow of Bob Huggins looms so large. Huggins does not appear to be settling quietly into retirement, which means he, along with an amalgam of supporters and sycophants, could have made life difficult for Beilein.

Another option was hiring a head coach who was not near the top of Wren Baker’s list of potential replacements. That ultimately was an unacceptable risk that would have long-term implications. Despite the current disruption, WVU is an attractive job, so why settle?

Baker and President Gordon Gee then turned their attention to current WVU assistants. Eilert emerged from the pack, but Baker could not have made it any clearer that the position is temporary. “Josh Eilert is the right person to lead our men’s basketball program next season [emphasis added],” Baker said, adding that Eilert has earned the opportunity to coach the team “on an interim basis [emphasis added].”

After all, had Eilert not been on the staff, he would never have been considered for the job, even on a temporary basis. While the timing was terrible for a national coaching search, it was fortuitous for him. His first job, and one of the reasons he was hired, is to keep the current roster together as much as possible.

That will be difficult because, these days, allegiance to one’s university is a quaint relic of pre-portal and -NIL days.

Josh Eilert has a potential life-changing opportunity, but he is presented with a significant challenge; he owes much to Bob Huggins for his long tenure and advancement on the WVU coaching staff. However, Baker and Gee are very much over all things Huggins.   They forced Huggins to retire for a reason, and they don’t want his imprint lingering around the Coliseum. How does Eilert balance those potentially competing interests?

Finally, here is something to remember as this story continues to unfold; Bob Huggins started WVU down this path. His behavior in the two well-documented incidents in recent weeks triggered a series of events that put a program and a university he claims to love in this untenable situation.

This is on him.

The post Huggins’ Forced Retirement Triggers Back-up Plan in Coaching Search appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Wednesday, I’ll have a commentary about the WVU coaching search.  Also, WVU AD Wren Baker and interim head coach Josh Eilert will be on Talkline Wednesday.

The post Excused Absence appeared first on WV MetroNews.

There have been some hints in recent years of more people moving to West Virginia, and the Ascend WV program is paying professionals to relocate here. However,  new Census Bureau numbers still show a declining and aging population between 2020 and 2022.

For example:

–The state’s population declined by nearly 19,000 during the period, to 1,775,156. The population peaked at two million in 1950, and it has been gradually dropping over the last seven decades.

—The median age of West Virginians is just under 43 years. That has not changed in the last couple of years, and it remains one of the highest in the country.

–And West Virginia continues to get older. The number of residents 70-74 rose by 6,661, to 71,411. That was the most growth of any of the demographic categories. One in five West Virginians is 65 or older.

–Age 25 to 64 are the prime working years, but the number of West Virginians in that category decreased over the two year period by over 21,000, to 887,500.

–There is one bright spot among the working age demographics. The number of West Virginians aged 30-34 increased by 4,183, to 108,130.

–There are not enough young people in the pipeline. The number of West Virginians under 18 decreased by 7,576, to 351,922.

–The number of children under five recorded by the Census Bureau cannot be directly attributed to birth rate, but it is worth noting that the number of children in that category dropped by 2,480, to 87,997.

I know some West Virginians like things the way they are. They don’t want more people coming here, tying up traffic and crowding their beloved outdoor spaces. I get that. Growth brings its share of headaches.

But it is better to have the challenges associated with growth than the paralysis of stagnation, which is exactly what our state has been struggling with for over half a century.

The post West Virginia’s Demographic Downer appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The HEPC delayed approval for the small private college in Philippi over concerns about the school’s financial condition, according to HEPC Chancellor Sarah Armstrong-Tucker.

“The commission has requested additional information from the institution to consider prior to voting on whether to reauthorize them to continue conferring degrees for the next year,” she said.

That will be a significant hurdle for AB to overcome. Enrollment is down to about 500 undergraduate and 170 graduate students.  Approximately 100 people work at the school. Like many institutions, AB has struggled to maintain enrollment and keep up with the costs of operating the school.

Here is what AB said when I asked about their financial condition:

“In the general higher education landscape, enrollment numbers have been in decline at most colleges and universities. With a smaller pool of traditional college-aged students, the effects of the pandemic, and an emphasis on technical education, enrollments at four-year institutions have dropped. All colleges and universities, especially private institutions, have been impacted over the last several years.”

The University declined to answer more specific questions, such as whether the school has fallen behind on its bills or if the financial problems threaten the school’s ability to remain open.

The HEPC has an obligation to review the finances and academic programs of the state’s private colleges annually.  The state Legislature imposed that responsibility after Mountain State University’s sudden closure on January 1, 2013, which left students, faculty and staff angry and confused.

HEPC must ensure the state does not have another disaster like Mountain State University. “The Commission takes its role in authorizing private institutions to operate within West Virginia seriously,” Armstrong-Tucker said.  “This is a consumer protection role that the Legislature gave us years ago to safeguard students. We want all institutions to succeed, and we want all students protected.”

Barbour County Commissioner, Jamie Carpenter, is also concerned. “It’s a big employer for our county and a vital part of our community,” Carpenter said. “I’m hopeful that it doesn’t close. We have been assured it would not close this year.”

So, a lot is riding on the additional financial and enrollment information from AB that the HEPC will review when it meets Wednesday morning.  When I asked the Chancellor if she believes AB can remain open and viable, she said, “This depends on the additional information we receive.”

The AB statement indicates the school remains optimistic.

“As we embark on our 153^rd academic year, AB is confident that, by combining visionary leadership, innovative academic programs, and progressive initiatives, we are poised to thrive in the ever-changing landscape of higher education.”

That is an admirable and hopeful mission statement. However, the HEPC will be cross-referencing those words with hard facts on the school’s finances and enrollment at next week’s meeting. As Armstrong-Tucker said, they want all institutions to succeed, but the Commission also does not want to fail in its legal obligation of “protecting consumers and ensuring students are offered quality education.”

The post Alderson Broaddus University Faces Enrollment, Financial Problems appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Hardesty was especially upset with Roach, believing that the Superintendent withheld details of a damaging audit showing allegations of financial fraud, waste and abuse of federal Covid money.

Roach’s retirement is near the top of the Friday morning meeting agenda, and it will be followed by the appointment of a new Superintendent. By law, the state cannot have a vacancy in the position, nor can anyone serve with the title of “interim.”

That leaves the Board with two options: It can hire someone regarded as the permanent replacement of Roach, or it can make the appointment with the understanding that the Board will conduct a search where the new appointment can also be one of the applicants if he or she chooses.

Current Deputy Superintendent Michele Blatt’s name is at the top of the list of possible replacements. According to her biography on the WVDE website, Blatt had 25 years of experience as a teacher and principal before joining the state Department  in 2007.

Blatt is known as the “go to” person within the Department. Those I talked with about her say she has a deep understanding of the complicated public education system and a strong work ethic. One person told me, “She has been doing the heavy lifting.” Another described her as “very qualified.” A third said Blatt should have gotten the job when Roach was hired.

In addition, Blatt was front and center for the Department during the Legislative session. When lawmakers had questions about bills or proposed changes in legislative language, Blatt was the person with the institutional knowledge to provide answers. That ability gained her respect among legislators.

The next hire for the Superintendent’s position is critical because of the myriad challenges in public education currently:

–The Department is implementing a new reading program with the expectation of improvement on the dismal achievement outcomes.

–The teacher and staff shortages are getting worse every year.

–Public schools and curricula have become a lightning rod in the culture wars.

–There is a federal investigation into the Upshur County financial scandal.

This is not a position for anyone interested in West Virginia as a stepping stone to their next job or who has a proclivity to maintain the status quo. The next Superintendent needs to be a change agent with an iron will to break through the barriers of bureaucracy.

The pressure is on the Board to make the right choice for the state’s future.

The post The State Board of Education’s Big Decision appeared first on WV MetroNews.

He also ingratiated himself to Mountaineer Nation by raising millions of dollars for the WVU Cancer Institute and other charities.  Huggins and West Virginia were a perfect fit. His national stature deepened the connection here since West Virginia clings to favorite sons and daughters who reach iconic heights.

Huggins’ ascent was accompanied by a rise in his power at the University, as frequently happens in college athletics today.  Technically, Huggins worked for the Director of Athletics, who worked for the University President, who worked for the Board of Governors, but Huggins was bigger than all of them.

He had power and was almost untouchable… almost.

His fall from grace came gradually, then suddenly. There was chatter that an aging Huggins was nearing retirement and would be able to go out on his own terms. Perhaps there would be a farewell tour or maybe he could be handed some emeritus position.

Even then, Huggins would have power. His strong affiliation with supporters and donors meant he could retain significant influence at the University.

But that managed exit began to collapse in May during a Cincinnati radio interview when he delivered a brief but boorish triad of insults targeting the gay community, Catholics, and Xavier University. Huggins apologized, pledged $1 million of his salary to support WVU’s LGBTQ+ Carruth Center, as well as other state and national organizations that support marginalized communities, and promised to do better.

But then last Friday night happened.

The Pittsburgh Police report describes a severely intoxicated individual who could not even coherently answer questions about where he was or how he got there. Huggins’ second chance was extinguished in the middle of Merchant Street with the Hall of Fame coach mumbling that he thought he was in Columbus.

Huggins announced his retirement the next day. Had he not, he would have been fired. Last minute attempts by Huggins devotees to let the coach go to rehab and keep his job got no traction. Top University leaders who had his back after the controversy over the radio interview would not save him again.

This is the second time Huggins has lost a job because of alcohol. Huggins parted ways with Cincinnati in a power struggle with the University president following his 2004 DUI arrest. WVU officials have addressed the drinking issue with Huggins, but I don’t know if those discussions resulted in any specific behavioral guidelines.

However, since the University was aware of Huggins’ drinking, why didn’t it do more to get him help?

There is not much new in human behavior. Falls from grace are as old as ascents to glory. Sometimes the descent is a result of unforeseen circumstances or the malice of others, but it is also true, as Mountaineer Nation has been reminded, that hubris and narcissism can be fatal.

However, Huggins has created a deep well of goodwill over the years. Nearly all the comments I have seen and heard are from individuals who want Huggins to get the help he needs. It will be up to him to decide whether to listen.

If he does, there is an opportunity for redemption. If not, last Friday night’s spectacle demonstrated just how badly this can go.

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