Caution Advised on West Virginia’s Economic News

The West Virginia state government ended the 2023 fiscal year June 30th with a huge surplus and record setting revenue collections in several categories. However, these numbers require some analysis because not everything is as rosy as it seems. But let’s start with the positives: The state collected $6.5 billion in general revenue last fiscal

Happy Independence Day

(Editor’s note:  This is a commentary I wrote a few years ago and post every year at this time.) 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

MVP Heads to the Finish Line

The Mountain Valley Pipeline may finally be completed later this year. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued its final approval for the 303 mile natural gas pipeline connecting the gas fields of northern West Virginia to Virginia and the east coast. The last regulatory hurdles were cleared after Congress added a provision to

Huge Internet Investment in West Virginia

West Virginia has one of the lowest Internet connectivity rates in the country. BroadbandNow ranks the Mountain State 44th.  According to the West Virginia Office of Broadband, 71 percent of the state has high-speed service (at least 100/20 Mbps) available.  Nine percent of the state is considered underserved, and 21 percent is unserved. Only four percent

Huggins’ Forced Retirement Triggers Back-up Plan in Coaching Search

WVU’s decision to hire assistant basketball coach Josh Eilert as interim head coach, replacing Bob Huggins, is not an elegant solution, but it is a practical one. 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

Excused Absence

I’m out today.  Dave Wilson is filling in on Talkline. 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.

West Virginia’s Demographic Downer

Demographic issues continue to present significant headwinds for West Virginia. Employers are desperate for workers, colleges need more students and merchants always want more customers. 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

Alderson Broaddus University Faces Enrollment, Financial Problems

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC), during a meeting earlier this month, granted reauthorization for every private college in the state to continue to operate and award degrees, except for one… Alderson Broaddus University. The HEPC delayed approval for the small private college in Philippi over concerns about the school’s financial condition, according

The State Board of Education’s Big Decision

The West Virginia State Board of Education meets Friday morning to accept the resignation of Superintendent David Roach. Roach’s forced retirement comes after Board President Paul Hardesty and other board members lost confidence in him for his handling of the financial scandal in Upshur County. Hardesty was especially upset with Roach, believing that the Superintendent

Bob Huggins’ Choice

A MetroNews West Virginia poll a few years ago found that 84 percent of West Virginians had a positive image of WVU basketball coach Bob Huggins. The result was not surprising. Huggins did what Mountaineer fans desire most—he came back, committed to stay, and had success. He also ingratiated himself to Mountaineer Nation by raising

Remembering When JFK Celebrated West Virginia’s Birthday

(I first posted this commentary a few years ago.) West Virginia is indelibly linked with John F. Kennedy.  It was Kennedy’s victory in the 1960 Primary Election here that propelled him to the presidency.  Kennedy spent a month campaigning here to prove that a Catholic could win in a state that was predominantly Protestant. As

Juneteenth is a Celebration for All

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, freeing the slaves. However, word spread slowly through the South as the Union army advanced during the Civil War. The news didn’t get to Texas until nearly three years later. On this day in 1865, Union Army General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas,

A Father’s Day Gift

(Editor’s note: This is a reprint of a Father’s Day commentary I wrote a few years ago.) It is Father’s Day Sunday, and I have feelings of sadness and regret. My father, Harvey Kercheval, Jr., (Yes, I am his namesake) died 14 years ago this September at age 87. I loved my father, but I

Audit Finds Misspending in Upshur County Schools

Just yesterday, I wrote about the massive fraud and waste of Covid-19 relief funds that were distributed throughout the country during the pandemic. An Associated Press analysis estimates that as much $400 million of the $4.2 trillion allocated has been stolen or misspent. Now there is a disturbing example here in West Virginia of how

The Great Covid Relief Grift

Last month, Robert and Rhonda Notgrass, formerly of Washington, West Virginia, were each sentenced in federal court in Charleston to five years probation for unlawfully obtaining nearly $27,000 in unemployment benefits. The couple got the money from Workforce West Virginia through a Covid relief program designed to help those who lost their jobs during the

Republicans Figure Out Why Voting Early is Important

Republicans are finally waking up to the benefits of voting before Election Day. The Republican National Committee has announced the “Bank Your Vote” campaign to encourage voters to take advantage of their state’s options for pre-election day voting. The program is a pivot from former President Donald Trump’s frequent criticism of mail-in ballots, which may

A Threadbare Democracy

The story goes that in the closing days of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a lady asked Benjamin Franklin whether the participants had decided upon a republic or a monarchy. Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Franklin was not the only Founder who, even though committed to the republic, questioned its long-term

Trump and West Virginia Were Destiny

The 2024 West Virginia Primary Election is still nearly a year away, but 42 percent of the Republican members of the state Legislature have already publicly committed to support former President Donald Trump. Boone County Republican Delegate Josh Holstein, with permission from the Trump campaign, secured commitments from 40 delegates and 10 senators to sign

The Gift of Life

West Virginia State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard spent 15 years in service to this state and his community. Last Friday, Trooper Maynard made the ultimate sacrifice when he was shot and killed while investigating reports of shots fired in Matewan. But Maynard had one more contribution remaining. Within 24 hours of his passing, his body

Jefferson County Commission Split on Obscenity Ordinance

When it comes to defining “hard-core pornography,” the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart provided an explanation for the ages: “I shall not today attempt to further define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know