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Restart The Clock

Today is the day when Gov. Jim Justice hands over the wheel of the ship of state to the new governor, Patrick Morrisey. It is a true changing of the guard. Justice spent the prior week handing out more checks, traveling on treacherous roadways due to the snow/ice storm, receiving a polite goodbye from lawmakers who seem very ready for the new Morrisey administration to take over, and giving one final closed virtual briefing to reporters. I predict that Justice’s legacy over the last eight years will be mixed. There are many good things to point to, several bad things that took up ...

Reflecting on W.Va.’s Past, Embracing State’s Future

As I spent time reflecting during the holidays, I thought a great deal about how we never know what roads life will lead us down. When I was just a small business owner spending my days driving throughout the Eastern Panhandle, I didn’t realize then that the voices of Hoppy Kercheval, Don Marsh, and Stephen Reed would inspire me. They’d light a fire in me that would lead me to take a different and most rewarding path in my life that would lead me from Berkeley County to our state Capitol and the House of Delegates and finish with four years as the President of the West Virginia ...

Marshall Memo: Municipal Building Set for Completion Later This Year

The Marshall County Family Resource Network will hold its general membership meeting online at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14. Meetings are held quarterly on the second Tuesday of the first month of each quarter. This is a great way to learn about activities and programs going on in the community. Please reach out to the FRN at 304-845-3300 for a meeting link. Currently, the FRN is in the process of completing annual updates to its Resource Guide. If your organization is currently listed in the guide, please review the name, phone number, and service category to make sure the information ...

Appalachian Power’s Proposal Harms Ratepayers, Solar Owners

In the face of customer complaints about rising costs, Appalachian Power recently defended its proposed rate increase. As expected, the company assured readers that it prioritizes customer care. But at the same time, its proposal directly limits all customers’ ability to benefit from solar panels on their own rooftops. Currently, customers with rooftop solar receive fair credit for any excess energy their systems produce, aka Net Energy Metering. Now, AEP is asking the Public Service Commission to approve a dramatic cut to this credit rate. In doing so, AEP is attempting to undermine ...

Musical Chairs

Some people continue to be upset that Gov. Jim Justice is waiting until Governor-Elect Patrick Morrisey’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 13, to resign and take is place in the U.S. Senate to avoid having a total of four governors (two of those being senate presidents acting as governor) in a 10-day span. However, there is at least two good reasons for the delay. First of all, it allowed former state treasurer Riley Moore to take his U.S. House of Representatives seat Friday when Congress returned from recess. While both the House and U.S. Senate have narrow GOP majorities for the new ...

Opioid Funds Must Go to Treatment, Not Punishment

They heard it when the City of Wheeling announced they were considering awarding Opioid Settlement Funds to the police and fire department before applications were even announced publicly. “We are not against the police; we support you. But there needs to be an application process, to ensure fairness and merited awards, and protect against even the appearance of favoritism. Because this selective fast-tracking creates unnecessary animosity between our community and the police.” They heard it when they were literally handed “A Roadmap for Opioid Settlement Funds” at City ...