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Lions and Lambs of the Senate

The West Virginia Senate is losing two giants with the resignation of Senate President Pro Tempore Donna Boley, R-Pleasants, and the retirement at the end of 2026 of Senate Minority Leader Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell. Boley, 90, has been a state senator since her appointment by the then-Gov. Arch Moore in 1985 and has remained there for 41 years and through 11 elections. She has been a force in West Virginia Republican politics and played a large role in slowly turning West Virginia into a red state. She’s the longest serving state senator in West Virginia history and at one point was ...

Let Coal and Free Markets Power the United States

When ordinary, hard-working men, women, and families invest their savings, they expect something simple and straightforward: that the people managing their money are focused on one thing, delivering the best possible returns. What they don’t expect is for those investments to become political footballs or ideological experiments, especially when those choices threaten the very industries that keep their communities alive. Yet that’s exactly what we’re seeing today. In November 2024, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and 11 other state officials filed a deeply misguided lawsuit ...

Helping U.S. Break Free From Government Dependence

Americans are the most generous people on Earth. Yet in Ohio and across the nation, well-intended government programs often trap our fellow citizens in poverty instead of providing a path to upward mobility. Current federal assistance laws create what’s known as a “benefits cliff.” This occurs when someone receiving public assistance loses a significant amount of support — or all of it —due to just a small increase in income. This system creates a perverse incentive to say no to a raise, promotion or extra hours, because saying yes could trigger a loss of benefits that can ...

Suiting Up for the Session

Finally, it is 2026 and things will begin ramping up from here as the new 60-day legislative session kicks off next week with the gaveling in of the House of Delegates and state Senate, and Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s second State of the State address. The West Virginia Press Association’s annual Legislative Lookahead is this Friday at the Culture Center in Charleston. The event serves as the kickoff for those in print, TV, radio, and non-profit news preparing for their statehouse coverage. Reporters will hear from legislative majority and minority leadership, executive branch ...

By Embracing Growth, West Virginia Comes Out a Winner

As a proud West Virginian who is completing his second year as the leader of our state’s Manufacturing Association, I am looking forward to what our collective future holds. West Virginia is now home to billions (with a “B”) of dollars of investment in manufacturing that will come to fruition in the near future. In addition, we can anticipate future investments that will follow this growth in manufacturing as these new West Virginia companies will be making steel and titanium, which are the necessary building blocks for airplanes, automobiles, and essential infrastructure to ...

Responsible Data Center Development a Win for West Virginia

Some argue that data centers are incompatible with conservation. I understand that instinct. Large facilities, heavy use of energy, and deep community footprints can raise legitimate questions. But turning away from an entire segment of the modern economy will not protect West Virginia’s environment, nor will it keep our young people here or help us fund the conservation priorities we care about. Instead, West Virginia can build a model that shows the country what responsible development looks like. We have the chance to align growth with stewardship. We can protect forests, ...