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Taking a stand on childhood vaccines

As results of the annual WV MetroNews West Virginia Poll by Research America continue to be unpacked, lawmakers who held their ground on vaccine requirements last winter learned their stance reflected the will of the majority of registered voters who were polled. Nearly three-quarters of those respondents said they were in favor of strong vaccine requirements for school-aged children. In answer to the question “Should states require children in grades K-12 to be vaccinated against highly contagious disease before entering school,” 71% said yes, and 12% said they were not sure. ...

Addressing what the state really needs

Data from the most recent WV MetroNews West Virginia poll, presented during this year’s state Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Business Summit, contained “a warning sign … for political leadership in the state.” Despite the incessant dive by too many elected officials for the cheapest possible political points, most West Virginians (73% of those registered voters who were polled) are more worried about economic development and jobs than social issues. “By a clear majority, nearly three-fourths … said the Legislature should be focusing on economic development issues ...

West Virginia math scores need improvement

As the school year gets rolling in West Virginia, teachers and administrators throughout the state are once again tackling a persistent problem — the drop in math proficiency from elementary school to middle school to high school. Once again, West Virginia Department of Education data show a consistent decline in math proficiency as students get older. It’s a problem the Northern Panhandle is not immune to. Department of Education information shows: • 58% of Hancock County fifth graders, 43% of eighth graders and 27% of 11th graders; • 42% of Brooke County fifth graders, 35% ...

Better guidance needed for BEAD funds

Remember the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which Congress passed to provide “additional relief to address the continued impact of COVID-19 on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals and businesses?” Remember how a lot of that almost $2 trillion ended up getting spent? Sure, plenty of it fit the definition of what most expected public “covid money” would fund. Some of it went toward swimming pools, event centers and any number of other use-it-or-lose-it projects that had us scratching our heads. It was all perfectly legal, and adhered to the ...

Remember those who truly built this nation

Labor Day is traditionally the end of the summer vacation season. Children are back in school for the long haul now. Football has resumed. The daylight hours are noticeably shorter. Thus, most take the day as a good day off for one last picnic, one last swim, one last day out in the backyard with the family while summer’s warmth is still in the air. But it is more. Labor leader Samuel Gompers sums up what will be celebrated Monday: “All other holidays are in a more-or-less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man’s prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed ...

Morrisey goes too far by ignoring the law

“The President cannot decide major economic and political questions, or significantly alter the balance of power between the states and federal government, without clear authorization from Congress.” Those are the words of then-West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey back in 2021, when he was rightly continuing his fight against the illegal federal efforts and executive overreach of the Clean Power Plan. He was able to make his point because he understood then, “Thankfully, our Constitution stands in the way of (then-President Joe) Biden unilaterally pushing the country ...