Babydog may have taken center stage at the RNC this week but she didn't come up at a meeting of the Capitol Building Commission
The West Virginia Weakly Reader for Saturday, July 20, 2024
It’s hard to believe that today marks a week since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
In case you missed it, Dave was on NPR’s Morning Edition on Monday. Living in Morgantown as he does, Dave is just an hour’s drive from the 20-year-old gunman’s suburban Pittsburgh hometown, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. When he realized the proximity while on-shift with newscast, Dave did what he does and volunteered to head to Bethel Park the day after the shooting — and spent a sleepless weekend putting together a broadcast for NPR listeners Monday morning. Here’s a link to what he came up with:
Between the shooting, the dismissal of the classified documents case and the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump dominated the news cycle this week.
On Monday, Gov. Jim Justice addressed West Virginians, leading a prayer for Trump.1 And Tuesday night, with Babydog by his side, Justice spoke at the RNC.2
Babydog’s appearance didn’t knock Trump out of the headlines, but she did receive a lot of attention from the national press. And Stephen Colbert noticed her, too. During his opening Late Show monologue, Colbert used Gov. Justice’s sidekick to crack jokes about South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and independent candidate for president Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Babydog notwithstanding, Dave and I are all about national news at our day jobs, but that’s not The West Virginia Weakly’s bag. This is where we dig into news from around the state we call home.
So let’s get to it.
And thanks for hanging out with us.
The West Virginia Weakly Reader (sources cited in the footnotes):
😲 Well respected West Virginia MetroNews reporter Brad McElhinny was excluded from Gov. Justice’s virtual media briefing this week. McElhinny said in a thread on X, the former Twitter, that his request to participate was ignored after Gov. Justice took issue with a question McElhinny asked the previous week.3 McElhinny isn’t the only reporter who has had trouble with the Justice administration, he’s simply the latest as Chris Dickerson pointed out in a scathing op-ed in the West Virginia Record.
Big Jim’s hate/hate relationship with media continues ~ Chris Dickerson, West Virginia Record
💰 Show me the money! The deadline was Monday for July quarterly campaign finance reports to be filed with the Federal Election Commission. The most interesting takeaway comes out of the race for outgoing U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s seat. Gov. Justice may be the favorite to succeed Manchin, and he may have a major cash-on-hand advantage, but in the most recent reporting period — from late April through the end of June — Justice’s Democratic opponent, former Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, came close to matching the Justice campaign.4
⚖️ Lawyers representing inmates in a class action lawsuit over alleged jail conditions in West Virginia are preparing to appeal a judge’s dismissal of the case. They have filed a notice with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals based in Richmond, Va.5 The lawsuit filed last year named Gov. Justice and state Homeland Security Secretary Mark Sorsaia as defendants. Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Irene Berger dismissed the case, the defendants failed to draw a “causal connection” between Justice and Sorsaia and the alleged problems in the suit, such as overcrowding, understaffing and maintenance.
❓ West Virginia Watch is reporting on last year’s deployment of 53 members of the West Virginia National Guard to the southern border to participate in Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ‘Operation Lone Star’ initiative. Citing information obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, the Watch says the deployment cost taxpayers more than $900,000 but state officials aren’t answering questions about what the group of Guard members did during their deployment.6
🎨 The Capitol Building Commission met Wednesday. The panel did not take up the murals that were recently installed in the Capitol Rotunda, but according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail’s Phil Kabler reporters caught up with Nitro attorney Harvey Peyton, who attended the meeting.7 Peyton is the lawyer who is researching a potential lawsuit. He gave reporters an update on where things stand.8 Of course, the inclusion of Babydog in one of the murals is at the center of the controversy over them, but there are also questions about whether the murals were properly approved by state officials.
🧰 The state Department of Human Services held briefing sessions with staff members this week on changes to the screening process for abuse and neglect cases. The DoHS issued a press release saying its new partnership with a non-profit group called Evident Change “represents a significant advancement in our efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of children and adults across West Virginia.”9 Looming in the background of the effort is the high profile death of 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller, the Boone County girl who was found in “an emaciated state.”10
💺 There’s a new delegate in town. Gov. Justice has appointed Bill Roop to a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates. Roop is a Beckley lawyer. He will represent Raleigh County’s 44th district. He succeeds Todd Kirby, who was appointed as a circuit judge earlier this month.11
🏳️ Flags are flying at half-staff today at the Capitol Complex in Charleston and in Wood County for former Delegate Tom Azinger. Azinger died a week ago today at the age of 89.12 He served more than 20 years in the West Virginia Legislature.13
🍕 The founder of Gino’s Pizza and Spaghetti House has died. Kenny Grant was 94. Grant opened the first Gino’s in his native Huntingon in 1961. There are now 50 West Virginia locations. Grant once told the Huntington Herald-Dispatch that he came up with the “Gino’s” name because “it sounded a lot more Italian than Kenny Grant’s pizza.”14
🌧️ Some rain would be nice — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said this week that water levels at Tygart Lake in Taylor County are at historic lows.15 They are so low that officials said in a Facebook post that the marina is closing early for the season.16 The ongoing drought affecting much of West Virginia is especially acute in the Eastern Panhandle. State Agriculture Commissioner told the Panhandle News Network that “the dryness in Jefferson County is the second worst in 130 years and Berkeley County and Morgan County it’s the third worst in 130 years,” Leonhardt said. “This is is a little more serious than we’re used to seeing.”17
🏫 The controversy over the closure of Paden City High School has moved to the courts. Wetzel County Circuit Judge Richard Wilson is set to hold a hearing next week following his order that PCHS should remain open for now. Wetzel County Schools Superintendent Cassandra Porter’s order to close the school for the upcoming year sparked protests. She cited an abundance of caution for her decision because the campus has been declared an EPA Superfund Cleanup Site.18
🚀 Morgantown native Emily Calandrelli expects to become the first West Virginia woman to travel to space. She announced this week that she’s booked a flight with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origins.19 Calandrelli is a West Virginia University and MIT grad who has worked with Bill Nye the Science Guy. She also hosts her own show on Netflix, “Emily’s Wonder Lab,” and has written science books for children. It’s not clear how much her ticket to space will cost — that’s apparently “a work in progress” — but Calandrelli says she is working with the foundation run by Marshall University President Brad Smith and his wife, Alys.
🏃 Runners take your mark — a 5k run to benefit Hope in the Hills is set for Saturday, August 3. Hope in the Hills is a non-profit whose mission is to combat opioid addiction in Appalachia. The race is called the Color Dash for Hope and runners can expect to finish doused in colorful powder. The 5k is sponsored by the New River Gorge’s Ace Adventure Resort. You can register on Ace’s website.20
Everyone’s got one - opinion from around West Virginia and by West Virginians:
I’m from Appalachia. J.D. Vance doesn’t represent us — he only represents himself ~ Neema Avashia, The Guardian
Could Justice really hack it in the U.S. Senate? ~ Charleston Gazette-Mail
What’s the point of a surplus if West Virginians are suffering from a lack of child care providers ~ Leann Ray, West Virginia Watch
Get West Virginia’s jails, prisons in order ~ The Wheeling Intelligencer
Elliot keeps pace with quarterly fundraising in West Virginia senate race ~ Steven Allen Adams, The Wheeling Intelligener
Lawyers representing incarcerated West Virginians file notice to appeal case’s dismissal ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews
WV paid more than $900,000 sending National Guard members to Texas border in 2023 ~ Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch
Mural project absent from Capitol Building Commission meeting agenda ~ Beth Sergent, Charleston Gazette-Mail
State to change its child and abuse neglect referral system, partners with nonprofit ~ Amelia Ferrel Knisely, West Virginia Watch
Gov. Justice appoints Carl “Bill” Roop to the 44th district in the House of Delegates ~ Justice administration press release.
Gov. Justice orders flags to be flown at half-staff on Saturday, July 20 in honor of former Delegate Tom Azinger ~ Justice administration press release
Long-time lawmaker Tom Azinger dies at 89 ~ Jess Mancini, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Gino’s founder Kenny Grant dies ~ Fred Pace, Huntington Herald-Dispatch
Army Corps of Engineers: Tygart Lake experiencing record low water levels ~ Matt Harvey, The State Journal
Agriculture Commissioner weighs in on drought in Eastern Panhandle ~ The Panhandle News Network
Future of Paden City High School will soon be determined ~ Jake McGlumphy, WTRF-TV
Color Dash for Hope registration ~ Ace Adventure Resort