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Jim Justice’s seemingly empty pockets

It has been nearly impossible to keep up with all of the business issues that Gov. Jim Justice is having. And make no mistake: these are the governor’s issues, not his adult children’s issues. Nearly every organizational chart for Justice-owned businesses continue to list him at the top of the pyramid or with a majority of control of the now 108 businesses that Justice lists on his 2024 financial disclosure report with the state Ethics Commission. And only eight of those businesses are in blind trusts, which takes the governor out of the management of those specific ...

Some other decisions going on the ballot

Remember last week when I wrote about the ballots for the Nov. 5 general election were pretty much set? Never count your chickens, as they say. I was aware Monday’s meeting of the Hancock County Board of Education would include a discussion on a levy for the school system. I wasn’t aware the plans were for an entirely new bond levy to help fund a variety of projects at each of the county’s school facilities. According to Superintendent Dan Enich, officials are finalizing their cost analysis, with plans to either present it to the school board at its Aug. 12 regular meeting or a ...

811 Day – Call before you dig

Every August 11 the calendar page reminds us to call 811 before digging. WV811 is a free service that coordinates with utilities to locate underground pipes and wires before you put a shovel in the ground. You are required by law to call 811 at least 48 hours before you excavate. In our state, the One Call law is enforced by the West Virginia Damage Prevention Board (DPB). The Public Service Commission is designated as an active member of the DPB. The DPB aggressively investigates every reported violation of the One Call law. Anyone can report a suspected violation at www.WVDPB.com. ...

This week, God decided to send me another dog

*Woof. *Woof *Woof *Woof *Woof. Translation ... “Hi. My name is Remmy.” You know, it would take a really long time if Remmy was to continue writing this column. So, I informed him I would just translate what he has to say in order to save a lot of time. And ink. Thank you for being my guest columnist this week, Remmy. You’re a good boy. “Miss Julie said she will include my picture. Had I known, I would have brushed my fur. Anyway, she says she speaks dog. Most people just hear me say, ‘woof.’ Very loudly. She hears something else entirely. For that, I am ...

Justice needs to cut it out on tax battle

It appears as we get closer to the end of Gov. Jim Justice’s final five months as the chief executive of the State of West Virginia, he may be ending his tenure the same way he began it: with a showdown with the Legislature. Of course, there are differences between now and the 2017 legislative session. Then, the governor was a Democrat dealing with a Republican legislative majority and even a Democratic minority who all were distrustful of Justice at the time. Democratic lawmakers were reluctant to follow his lead, and Republicans had no reason to. Now, Justice is on his way out ...

The ballots are just about ready to go

The calendar is moving forward for our general election in November. According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s website, this past Thursday (Aug. 1) was the deadline for those with unaffiliated candidates (those with no party organization) to file their paperwork and pay their fee in order to be placed on the ballot. For President, West Virginia currently has three candidates listed: Republican Donald Trump, Mountain Party candidate Jill Stein, and Libertarian Chase Oliver. I’m assuming that will be updated once the Democratic National Convention is held later this ...