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Reflecting on the Road Taken

Despite all the culture war bills getting most of the attention over the last several weeks, the 2024 session has been very slow. That’s given me time to be nostalgic, thinking about the path that led me to this career in journalism. I’ve been listening to a podcast called “Finding Matt Drudge,” talking about Drudge’s impact on news reporting since breaking the story about the investigation into former President Bill Clinton’s relationship with a White House intern. The Drudge Report was revolutionary in the mid-to-late 1990s. Drudge showed that one person — not a news ...

Addressing the Death Penalty in West Virginia

When I address the death penalty, I am no stranger to the issue. On June 8, 2000, a priest and friend, who had welcomed me on my first day in the seminary years earlier, was brutally murdered by a drunken young man who broke into his rectory in Germantown, Maryland, looking for money. The state prosecutor wanted to seek the death penalty but the priest’s family urged him not to, citing the priest’s opposition to capital punishment. After the murderer’s conviction, the judge imposed a 42½ year sentence on him. I agree with the priest’s family: a long prison sentence but not ...

Marshall Memo: Events at Strand; ‘Love the Bus’; and Two Projects

The Ron Retzer Trio will present “A Strand of Love” at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Strand Theatre in Moundsville. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at strandtheatre.com/events, at Frame and Fortunes or at the door. Also at the Strand next weekend will be ballroom dance classes from 6-7 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. It’s also time to register for the Spring Children’s Acting Classes at the Strand. Classes will begin on Feb. 17th and will conclude on March 23rd. Session for grades kindergarten to grade 3 will be held from 9:00 a.m. until 9:55 a.m. while classes for those in grades four through ...

Misguided Energy Policy Could Sink Manufacturing Renaissance

An extraordinary but little noticed economic phenomenon is occurring across the United States today. Electricity demand—which has been relatively stable for more than a decade—is suddenly surging. The U.S. economy is embarking on a literal power trip, and the pace is likely to increase. Consider that California’s major utility, PG&E, expects the state’s electricity demand to jump 70% in the next two decades. New York’s electricity demand is on track to double by 2050. And Virginia’s power demand is projected to jump 85% in just the next 15 years. Why such huge ...

Library Bill Is Scare Tactic

I’ve been reading as long as I can remember. To the point that I didn’t sleep in the dark until my late teens because I had gotten used to falling asleep with the touch lamp on because I’d stay up late reading. I spent so much time of my youth at the Pleasants County Library checking out books about science, history, biographies, books about unexplained phenomena and science fiction. The knowledge I learned helped me co-captain my middle and high school quiz bowl teams. In my 20s, I spent much of my time at the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library. I used to walk from ...

Gas Pooling Rule Grows Industry in West Virginia

It took many years before industry and mineral owner advocacy groups could agree on unitization regulations for natural gas development. You may have heard this referred to as forced pooling. In the 2022 West Virginia legislative session, a compromised bill was passed in Senate Bill 694. The legislation changed WV Code Chapter 22C, Article 9 related to Oil and Gas Conservation, and became effective June 7, 2022. The West Virginia Oil and Gas Conservation Commission regulates the drilling of deep wells in the state. The OGCC approves drilling permits and conducts hearings on matters ...