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West Virginia legislators taking the clickbait

Last week, we had the first of Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s bills be signed into law. Senate Bill 456, the Riley Gaines Act that defines “male” and “female” in State Code, is now the law of the land. We in the media are sometimes criticized by lawmakers for focusing on the social conservative bills over the other work that lawmakers are doing during the legislative session. And no doubt, some in the media do focus on bills with no chance of being taken up that are easy clickbait for people who wish to be outraged. But it is very hard to say that the press are unfairly shining a ...

Budget issues could have been handled better

I’ve actively covered meetings of the Hancock County Commission for close to five years now. In the years prior, there would be the occasional trip to New Cumberland if one of our other reporters needed some assistance. In all that time, I don’t remember even seeing as many people attend a commission meeting as there were this past Thursday. Commission meetings have been held in Courtroom 1 for some time now, but, typically, attendance still consists of county department heads, local media, and maybe a couple of residents or representatives of outside agencies. Walking in ...

We can always, always learn something new

“You’re never too old to learn something.” It’s a saying that’s as old as time, but it’s absolutely true. I have learned my fair share of lessons, just this year alone. However, we usually learn these lessons the hard way. Learning isn’t an easy process. For instance, I learned that I shouldn’t try to order anything online. So many companies have let me down. As you know, my family celebrated Christmas in February, which required me to shop for gifts online due to there not being a vast selection of stores in the immediate area. Now, if you ever say to ...

History in the Hills: Recalling an Irish past

St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. There is something special about wearing green and commemorating everything Irish. Not to mention that St. Patrick’s Day falls exactly halfway through the year from my birthday in September. So that means on my birthday, establishments also are celebrating halfway to St. Patrick’s Day, which is fun. My children love the holiday, too. My daughter has already started working on her leprechaun trap. This is a set-up meant to trap a leprechaun and if you are successful in this endeavor, the spirit is forced to tell you where his pot ...

Grading the legislative midterm report

Thursday marks day 30, the halfway mark of the 60-day annual legislative session, but as I write this, I’m having trouble predicting how productive this session will be by the time we get to April 12. According to the Legislature’s website, only two bills have completed the legislative process and have been signed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey. Those bills are the annual bills to update terms in the state’s personal income tax and corporate net income tax acts to align with federal terms. These two bills are always passed at the beginning of each session quickly. Otherwise, the only ...

Election decisions before the Legislature

I, admittedly, tend to leave the opining on the actions of the West Virginia Legislature up to our Charleston-based reporter, Steven Allen Adams, but, as we are still relatively in the honeymoon period of our most recent election (for better or worse), I couldn’t help but take notice of a couple of bills making their way through the process dealing with elections in West Virginia. A thanks to David Beard from our sister publication, the Dominion Post, for reporting on these particular issues. The first is Senate Bill 50, which would require municipal election dates to be aligned ...