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Let Babydog eat cake while D.C. idles

You’d be forgiven if you were to think that West Virginia only has one U.S. senator instead of two. Because based on appearances, Sen. Jim Justice appears to be doing the bare minimum. Sure, Justice is casting votes. If he has missed any, I’m unaware. The same goes for committee meetings. Justice is attending meetings, casting votes and sometimes making speeches, though many times those speeches have little to do with whatever the committee is discussing that day. But is doing the bare minimum enough? One of my favorite movies is “Office Space.” In one scene, a server played ...

Officials should always explain their vote

Tuesday night’s vote on a proposal to adjust the pay scales for the non-union employees at the City of Weirton wasn’t so much a surprise that there was dissent, but by how much. The amendment to Ordinance 1313 was voted down by a vote of three in favor and four against. If you’re interested in learning who voted which way, there was an article in our Thursday edition reporting on the vote, as well as some of what was said when the item came up for consideration. Whether you agree with the idea of these non-union workers receiving these pay adjustments or not, the fact is this ...

Government should stay out of contract negotiations

For decades, I had the privilege of serving as president and CEO of Eagle Manufacturing, a company based right here in West Virginia. Over those years, I understood the importance of sitting down together with my employees, talking through challenges and building trust over time. That approach worked for us, and it works for countless businesses across our state. That’s why I’m concerned about a new proposal in Washington called the Faster Labor Contracts Act. While its name makes it sound like common sense, the reality is that this legislation is unnecessary and could make things ...

Let’s take a magical tour to find out what’s happening at the PSC

One thing I admire about younger generations is how engaged they are with electronics And they display no fear of facing new challenges. So, let me invite you on a little magical tour of my own, by way of the Public Service Commission. You may groan at the thought, but the Commission truly touches each of you in many ways every day. Paying attention to what we do is very important to you, and could become habit-forming. And we all like to be in the know, and there is no better place for that than here. As with many mysteries, one needs the key to unlock the puzzle. In this ...

What I’ve leaned in my 53 … no, 54 years

So, today is my birthday. I know the date at the top of the page says it is Sunday. However, the newspaper comes out on Saturday ... my birthday. Oct. 18. If you’d have asked me long ago if I ever thought I would make it to 54, I probably would have responded, “no.” That number just seemed so far away. I couldn’t have envisioned myself being that age. Could any of us? I blinked. And now ... almost double nickels. You know, when my grandparents were double nickels, they looked a lot different than people today look when they are 55. Why is that? Their ...

Here’s to your health, West Virginia!

Last week, I covered the final two days of permanent injunction hearings to block a June directive from the West Virginia Board of Education to county boards of education to continue to enforce the state’s compulsory vaccine law and not accept religious exemptions approved by the Department of Health and made possible by Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s January executive order. I’m not going to rehash all of the particulars. You can read my coverage of both days. But I wanted to use my column to focus on last Thursday morning’s testimony by Dr. Mark McDaniel, the acting state health ...