As protests and riots spread like wildfire across the nation (last month) in response to the death of George Floyd and other Black people at the hands of white police officers, I couldn’t help but recall an old African Proverb:
On June 17, the Senate voted in favor of the Great American Outdoors Act, giving our wild and wonderful public lands a real boost. Now, the bipartisan Act heads to the House for consideration.
“I’ve occasionally encountered mass hysteria in other countries,” Nicholas Kristof writes at the New York Times. “In rural Indonesia, I once reported on a mob that was beheading people believed to be sorcerers, then carrying their heads on pikes. But I never imagined that the United States c…
Now that West Virginia is reopening, people are taking to the roads for summer activities, and the Public Service Commission’s Transportation Enforcement Officers are patrolling the highways to ensure your safety. They are always on the lookout for commercial motor vehicles that pose a hazar…
Leave it to the Rev. Matthew J. Watts to see the blessing in a crisis. Federal leaders have sent millions to all 50 states, telling state leaders to use the money to combat coronavirus.
This July is the 134th year of the Statue of Liberty. Homeless immigrants from all over the world saw the Lady of the Harbor as a welcoming symbol of a land of “milk and honey” and a better way of life as they fled oppression and poverty elsewhere.
Americans hope they will never be bullied by a police officer. A man or woman with a badge and a gun can be an intimidating figure. If a cop pulls you over and bullies you, what can you do? Americans are at the mercy of bad cops. Who hasn’t been afraid of a police officer at one time or another?
We are certain that, at the end of the day, the executive order President Trump signed June 16 to encourage changes in policing, including new restrictions on chokeholds, will not pass the test of time since it does not even meet the moment. It conveniently ignores centuries of racial injust…
City council members in municipalities across southern West Virginia who passed nondiscrimination ordinances to extend civil rights protections to members of the LGBTQ community can rest comfortably and walk more confidently knowing that they were on the right side of history as confirmed ea…
It is with bittersweet emotion that we see the retirement of Mr. Terry George, Superintendent of Fayette County Schools. My friendship with Terry did not begin or evolve through an educational venue but at Active Fitness in Oak Hill as we shared the common desire to improve our health and sl…
I am white and have two black sons. The matters of police brutality and white privilege are important to me. I’ve seen the All Lives Matter versus Black Lives Matter. I’ve seen the pictures of white men being detained by police officers with knees on their neck, in order to portray the fact …
My fellow West Virginians, something truly wonderful has occurred in this time of the pandemic.
NBC News reports that U.S. president Donald Trump is “furious” over “underwhelming”” attendance at his June 20 campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Only 6,200 of 19,000 seats ended up cradling Trump supporters’ butts. An optimistically pre-arranged overflow area went unused.
At a time when huge spending bills marked “coronavirus relief” are easily passing Congress with little scrutiny, poorly run states are asking unscrupulous members of Congress to slip in taxpayer bailouts to rescue them from years of their own fiscal mismanagement.
In these unprecedented times, people need certainty in the information that they receive so they can make the best decisions possible. To that end, we want to share some things our office has learned as we strive to maintain the rule of law, your constitutional freedoms and confidence in the…
I first met Anthony Ciliberti when he was an assistant Fayette County Prosecutor. In those days, I worked full-time as a Gazette reporter, and I covered many cases in Fayette County Circuit Court.
With the upcoming primary election fast approaching, I wanted to take a moment to express my support and endorsement of Denise A. Eskew-Scalph as the Democratic nominee for Fayette County Commissioner.
Election fraud is unacceptable. Plain and simple. Whether you believe voter fraud is rampant or rare, there is no denying that the possibility exists. So when it occurs, who should investigate allegations of these types of crimes? Municipal police departments, sheriff’s offices, state police…
One laudable side effect of the COVID-19 panic is a nationwide effort to promote “vote by mail” as a universal alternative to standing in line at polling places. One reason that effort is laudable is that it would likely decrease vote fraud.
In times of emergency, misperceptions can prove deadly. That's certainly the case today, amid widespread belief that COVID-19 mainly threatens older Americans.
You may have seen blue and silver pinwheels in the yards of homes and businesses around town this month and wondered why. Since 1983, April has been designated as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Pinwheels are a symbol introduced by Prevent Child Abuse America as a reminder of the happ…
By Natalie Tennant
It has been hard for a long time to say anything about politics that helps anyone with anything. If you say something to one side or the other, no one who might believe you needs to hear it; and no one who might need to hear it will believe you. Three-plus years of our politics has immunized…
It's 2020, and while most minds might be on the upcoming elections, there's another way you can have your voice heard and make a difference in government: Take the census.
As of early March, there were fewer than 200 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States. Nonetheless Congress passed, and U.S. president Donald Trump signed, an $8.3 billion “emergency funding” bill theoretically related to containing the disease.
Before the next legislative session rolls around – and trust us, we’re in no hurry – we think leaders in the House of Delegates and the Senate, along with the governor, when he is not coaching high school girls basketball, ought to outline what their priorities are, focus on a few transforma…
On learning Russia had staged a massive disinformation campaign in the 2016 presidential election, schools across the country began adding digital literacy classes to their course offerings.
The events that transpired during the Greenbrier East and Woodrow Wilson High Schools girls’ basketball game have taken center stage in a discussion surrounding not only the statements of Governor Jim Justice but also the reactions of the WV State Police during the game.
As you have seen in the news, COVID-19, otherwise known as Coronavirus, has arrived in the United States.
We’re not sure what Gov. Jim Justice does not understand about “words matter,” but certainly, they do, as the governor’s own words (recently) prove.
Wondering what’s going on in Charleston? Join the club! But seriously, several major issues are currently moving. Here’s a quick recap.
The Fayette County Public Library Board and staff would like to express their appreciation and gratitude to the Fayette County voters who helped passed the Library Levy.
Back in 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump promised that Mexico would pay for his proposed border wall. Turns out Mexico wasn’t interested, so Trump eventually resorted to declaring fake emergencies and illegally misappropriating money from the military budget.
Because West Virginia has deep and perplexing issues that have been allowed to fester for years and now need all hands on deck if we are to turn this ship of state against winds of misfortune, because tax revenues are struggling to meet budget projections and because a fix for the mightier o…
As state legislators, we are often asked what can be done to stop people from leaving West Virginia, to keep our best and brightest at home. We hear about it on the news, in the grocery store, and in our church pews – people are leaving West Virginia at an alarming rate and they are not comi…
It was a contentious week at the Capitol. Below is a recap of several controversial votes, including how I voted and why.
On Jan. 15, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. According to the US Constitution, that makes the ERA part of "the supreme law of the land."
It’s halftime at the West Virginia legislature. Like this year’s Super Bowl, we got off to a slow start, but I expect an exciting second half.
The adage that “history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce” could use some updating. There’s no reason it can’t be farce the whole time. (A week late last month) ended with a Hoppy Kercheval column lamenting that the Democrats have moved too far to the left. …
It should come as no surprise that many AARP members in the Mountain State and nationally tell us they can’t afford the medications they need, and are forced to make difficult choices as a result. In a recent survey of voters age 50 and older, four out of 10 people responded that they did no…
In December, I had the opportunity to speak to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works on an important issue facing our country, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This disease is discussed scarcely and understood even less, so you may have not heard of it.
When lawmakers in West Virginia introduced formal resolutions this year, inviting rural and conservative parts of Virginia to join our rural and conservative state, we thought it was a one-note story, good for a nervous chuckle and a shake of the head. We hoped the world at large would not n…
After a slow start, business is picking up in Charleston. Here’s a quick recap of two controversial bills which are on the move and several lesser-known bills which should make a positive impact on our community.
I was surprised and disappointed to read that the Fayette County Commission has adopted a resolution that designates Fayette County as a Second Amendment Sanctuary....
The United States is the only industrialized country that does not guarantee its citizens paid family leave. A proposed bill in the West Virginia statehouse could change that in part – at least for state employees here in the Mountain State.
As we enter a new year, the running battle between the world’s governments and the world-changing technology known as “cryptocurrency” continues. As 2019 drew to an end, Swiss president Ueli Maurer asserted that Facebook’s digital currency (not a real cryptocurrency), Libra, has failed “beca…
When I was appointed to the West Virginia Board of Education, I knew there was work to be done to ensure that West Virginia's children received the best education possible.
You don’t mess with Mother Nature and you most certainly did not lie to Grandma! Grandma had this “little birdie” that told on anyone who lied to her.
On Jan. 14, Elizabeth Warren released a “Plan to Cancel Student Debt on Day One of My Presidency.” Warren would use the U.S. Department of Education’s “broad legal authority” to cancel up to $50,000 of debt on behalf of up to 42 million borrowers.
For those of you wondering where Gov. Jim Justice was hiding while some imposter, a stunt double, delivered the annual State of the State address, we can assure you that the guy at the podium Wednesday night was, in fact, our governor – minus any big ideas on how to move the state forward.
It feels like the calm before the storm in Charleston. The opening week was the quietest I’ve ever seen. As of today, we’ve completed 4 of 60 days...and the ONLY thing the Senate has considered is a resolution to invite Frederick County, Virginia to join West Virginia. (I’m told they’re not …
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