Local Columns

Freeze Frame

I typically don’t write about national politics in this space. When I do cover national politics, it is usually through the lenses of West Virginia’s congressional delegation. My focus tends to be on state-level politics. However, last week’s temporary freeze on federal grant funding by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – now stayed and rescinded - really brought together national and state politics, because probably no other state would have been affected by that freeze more than West Virginia. According to the memo, federal agencies were to review ...

Stabilizing PEIA Must Be Priority for Legislature

In the heart of Appalachia, teachers, service personnel and other public employees tackle growing challenges in the work we do each day. While our mission is fulfilling, it can be incredibly draining and stressful. West Virginia public employees face a challenge that becomes more urgent each day: the need to stabilize the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA). The state-administered health insurance plan is vital for teachers and school service personnel like us, along with state troopers and other public employees who dedicate their lives to serving our communities. Proposed ...

Alternatives to PAIN Act Is Worthwhile Legislation in W.Va.

As chairwoman of the West Virginia Senate’s Health and Human Resources Committee, I am keenly aware of our state’s struggle with opioid use disorder and the overdose crisis. Leaders throughout West Virginia have worked long and hard to come up with strategies and implement policies and procedures to help us reduce overdose deaths in this state. These policies and procedures are making a difference. We are seeing a significant drop in the number of people who are dying of overdoses in our state since 2021. But, we’ve been in this boat before as we saw a reduction in overdose ...

Certificate of Need Vital Safeguard for West Virginia Communities

As debates rage about health care regulation, West Virginia’s Certificate of Need law has come under increased scrutiny, but the reality is this program plays an important role in helping ensure access to care. Critics argue that this program stifles competition and drives up costs. However, removing the CON program would devastate our state’s delicate rural health care ecosystem and ultimately harm the very communities these critics claim to champion. West Virginia’s rugged geography and sparse population create unique health care challenges. Our rural hospitals operate on ...

Is Wheeling’s New Mayor up to Task of Moving City Forward?

As Wheeling’s new mayor, Dennis Magruder, holds his first State of the City address today it is important to acknowledge the new mayor’s unprecedented weaknesses. This is a part of healthy governance and not an attack (which we acknowledge this administration is sensitive to). It’s not even about Magruder as much as it is about the mayor of Wheeling. Indeed, lack of objective criticism might well indicate a complacency that could cost our city greatly at this critical inflection point. And instead, by accurately acknowledging, balancing, and compensating for one person’s ...

House Flipping

The fight over whether to appoint a Republican or a Democrat to the 91st District House of Delegates seat is a fascinating one for me, a former legislative staffer who nerds out on these kinds of questions. But we will have to wait until May for the matter to be decided. I’ve had a story in the papers nearly every other day regarding the writ of mandamus lawsuit filed by the West Virginia Democratic Party, so I won’t go into the minute details. But here is a summary: Voters in the 91st District in Berkeley County vote for Republican Joseph de Soto in the May over Tammy Hess and ...