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The Action Of Inaction

We can now put a bow on the now-completed 2026 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature now that Gov. Patrick Morrisey has acted on most of the 306 bills passed during the 60-day time period between Jan. 14 and March 14. Morrisey had 15 days, not counting Sundays, following the sine die adjournment of the Legislature at midnight March 14 to decide to sign bills, veto bills or let bills go into law without his signature. And that is exactly what he did with 10 bills, choosing not to sign or veto those bills. The question some have is why? You can make some assumptions ...

On Lilies, Empty Tombs And Faith This Easter

Most authorities agree that a missionary, Mr. Roberts, first introduced the lovely Bermuda Easter lily, which so many of us enjoy today. Many of the Easter lilies which symbolize the Resurrection in churches everywhere are Bermuda lilies. Thousands and thousands of lily bulbs and stems are exported from Bermuda each year. They were first introduced to Bermuda about 1850 when Mr. Roberts, whose ministry coincides with that date, was returning home from Japan. The lily is a native of Japan—the Ryukyu Islands to be exact, a chain of islands stretching from the south of Japan to ...

Bringing Down The Gavel

The two leaders of the West Virginia Legislature came under scrutiny last week for different issues, though one is being more transparent than the other one. First, my friend Brad McElhinny with West Virginia MetroNews reported last week that a political action committee connected to Senate President Randy Smith, R-Preston, began putting up ads attacking a rival, state Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, as he faces a contested GOP primary. The PAC, Mountaineer Conservative Coalition, pushed an ad taking Takubo to task for a 2021 vote on the bill now called the Save Women's Sports Act. That ...

Americans Deserve Clearer Message On Iran War

The United States has joined Israel in opening a war with Iran. For the last half century, Iran has fomented destabilizing terror in the Middle East while violently suppressing voices of opposition by its own people. The world would be a safer place without the theocratic regime of Iran. But is that the goal? It is hard to know the mission because President Trump and his closest advisors have presented shifting narratives, sometimes in the same day, on why the United States is fighting. Regime change? A free Iran? Destruction of nuclear facilities? Elimination of Iran’s ballistic ...

Final Thoughts On The Session

Normally my column immediately after the end of the legislative session focuses on final thoughts, but I needed to write about the Raylee's Law debacle that occurred in the final hours on March 14. So, consider the following my 2026 legislative session final thoughts. --- If the budget bill this year was a staring contest between Gov. Patrick Morrisey and the Legislature, then Morrisey blinked first. Much has been made of the House of Delegates and the state Senate getting Senate Bill 250, setting the general revenue budget for fiscal year 2027 beginning on July 1, out the door far ...

Defeating Loneliness, One Precious Day at a Time

Several times in our life my wife and I had a beautiful experience of being foster parents. The first couple of times was to a beautiful 9-year-old girl. Then the next time it was a family of five. Then last time a family of two children. I did not know how old I had gotten until I tried to stay up with the kids. Our kids are in their 40s down to their 20s. Our youngest daughter and her husband are expecting our next grandchild now. I have gotten comfortable with grandparent duties, a few fun hours, then turn them back over to the real parents. I had forgotten the 24-hour care from ...