From shopping for shorts to ‘Steady’ — and plenty of news in between
The West Virginia Weakly Review for Saturday, May 4, 2024
In recent days, Mother Nature flipped the switch on the thermostat and it quickly began to feel like summer is already upon us. Around the Weakly’s Morgantown bureau, the mercury surpassed 80 degrees on a few days this week.
And so, I went digging through the wardrobe in search of shorts. I have no idea what happened over the fall and winter, but much to my surprise, I was only able to track down one pair of publicly acceptable pair of shorts. They were khaki-colored nylon and from Columbia — and, while I like them, they have limited use.
This may not come as a shock to some of you who know me personally, but my sense of fashion has always been simple — some might even go as far as describing it as juvenile. A t-shirt I snagged from a dive bar while traveling or something from some band’s merch table paired with a pair of blue jeans works well for me. Something about this look just screams “DAVE.”
Given that my partner makes occasional note of my ineptitude in this department, I kept all of this in mind as went on the hunt for a few pairs of shorts for the summer.
I don’t consider myself overly masculine or anything, but shopping for clothes has always been a bit of a drag to me. I usually skip trying things on and, well, everything I would care to shroud my semi-awkwardly shaped body always strikes me as too expensive. I’m a man of practicality. (I know, I sound like an old man with this stuff. I’ll turn 40 later this year, so I guess it all checks out.)
Much to my surprise, I found a few pairs of shorts at Old Navy marked 40% off and I willingly made use of the dressing room. The dressing room attendant, who is probably half my age, even laughed when I proclaimed my win at finding shorts that didn’t make me look like a 7-or-70-year-old.
So if you see me around on a hot day this summer, I’ll be looking for compliments on my age-appropriate style as I get some sun on my historically pasty-white legs.
Our regularly scheduled ‘Go-Do-Some-Democracy’ PSA:
We’re now just ten days out from the end of voting for the May 14th primary and it sure feels like things are heating up. Early voting is underway and I’ve already made my way to the ballot box and done my duty. I took care of it Wednesday — on the first day of early voting, as a matter of fact.
If you’re looking for your polling place to cast a ballot early, you can find that online at the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office here.
The West Virginia Weakly Week in Review:
Strap in, because there was a lot of news this week.
🇵🇸 Pro-Palestinian encampments and a movement calling for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas has been making headlines across the nation in recent weeks. The protests on college campuses across the U.S. have led to more than 2,300 arrests1 by local police, students being banned from campuses and universities canceling plans for graduation ceremonies. Up until this week, things seemed quiet around West Virginia. But this past Sunday, a group of students at WVU held a protest and march on campus and through downtown Morgantown.2 No arrests were reported during the demonstration in Morgantown — and police reportedly temporarily blocked traffic to ensure the safety of demonstrators.
⚖️🏳️⚧️The battle over transgender rights and access to gender-affirming care has been at the forefront of news as of late and there’s no sign of things slowing down on that front. This week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled that state health care plans in West Virginia and North Carolina must pay for gender-affirming surgeries.3 West Virginia Attorney General and GOP gubernatorial candidate Patrick Morrisey has vowed to challenge that ruling.4
🎽🏳️⚧️ There’s also been news on a separate situation dealing with transgender rights — this one related to school athletics. It all started in mid-April when five student-athletes from Harrison County protested the inclusion of a transgender student-athlete in a track and field competition.5 The five girls had taken issue with a 4th Circuit ruling that deemed HB 3293 (dubbed the Save Women’s Sports Act — which was passed and signed in 2021) in violation of Title IX, forfeited a shot put competition last month and were later prohibited from competing in their next track meet a few weeks later. Following a hearing in Harrison County Circuit Court, the student-athletes were granted a preliminary injunction allowing them to continue to participate. Morrisey says he is appealing this ruling from the 4th Circuit to the U.S. Supreme Court6 and celebrated the injunction that allows the girls who protested to get back on the field.7
🩺 Huntington mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Williams is calling for a ballot measure related to abortion rights — and for that effort to be included on a call for an anticipated special session for this month.8 Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the West Virginia Legislature passed a near-total ban on abortion. Williams cited former president Donald Trump’s recent announcement that states should decide the issue. It should be noted, though, that West Virginia voters approved by a slim margin a 2018 state constitutional amendment9 that grants no right to an abortion — helping to pave the way for 2022’s near-total-ban passed by the Legislature.
👩⚖️ A three-judge panel has removed two Jefferson County Commissioners from their posts for refusing to attend meetings and fulfill their official duties.10 Tricia Jackson (who is also a Republican candidate for state auditor in this primary election) and Jennifer Krouse began refusing to attend meetings in September, though the conflict dates as far back as last June when another commissioner resigned. The months-long saga may not be done yet, with Jackson vowing to appeal the decision.
🤷♀️Following accusations that he stole federal funds while chief executive of Williamson Memorial Hospital, Williamson Mayor Charles Hatfield has resigned from his post. Hatfield is under federal investigation related to the allegations and Alma Smith has taken on the role as mayor of the Mingo County city.11 Smith had been serving in the role of city clerk and becomes Williamson’s first female mayor, though questions have arisen about her residency.
📚 Following the Federal Student Aid chief stepping down amid pressure over the rollout of a new application for student aid12, Gov. Jim Justice declared a State of Emergency and suspended the FAFSA requirement for state-based student aid, including the Promise Scholarship. On X (formerly known as Twitter), Justice said West Virginia was the first state to enact such a measure related to the bungled rollout of the new form.13 Speaking to press this week during a virtual briefing, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito called problems with the new FASFA form a “disaster.”14
📈 Gov. Justice’s office did report some impressive revenue figures this month, though. From July 2023 and April 2024 — ten months through the fiscal year — state officials have calculated revenues coming in at $637.5 million above estimates (which, we should note, are set by the governor’s office).15 The state tallied revenues $114.5 million above estimates for the month of April. In a news release, Justice returned to a catchphrase he began using as a candidate all the way back in 2016: “We're on the rocketship ride of a lifetime, and we're going to keep this thing flying like crazy. People are happily living in West Virginia, businesses are investing in our state everyday, we're cutting taxes left and right, visitors are coming from all over the world—this is an amazing time to be part of West Virginia's story.”
💡Utility customers in the northern part of the state are bound to get excited about this piece of news: Mon Power and Potomac Edison customers are set to be refunded $2.5 million.16 The refund — which, sadly, will not be the amount given to each customer and will be split — comes after a recently conducted audit. In filings with the Public Service Commission, it’s not yet known who will receive the refund or how much will be applied to customers’ bills as a credit.
🔌 Speaking of electricity, U.S. Senator and Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Joe Manchin has blasted the Biden Administration’s rule allowing for more electric vehicles to be eligible for a federal tax credit. Manchin said in a news release that the rule, which falls under the Inflation Reduction Act, is “outrageous and illegal” and says it effectively endorses “Made in China.”17
🏡 As a native Wood countian (and an alum of both Blennerhassett Elementary and Blennerhassett Junior High), I’d be remiss to not make note of a report on Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park opening late this season due to flooding cleanup.18 Originally slated to open April 30, the park will now open May 7 as crews work on damage from heavy rains in recent weeks that flooded buildings and eroded roadways on the island.
📻 The Weakly editorial board’s old pals over at Mountain Stage recently teamed up with Old Boy Records to release a compilation album titled Outlaws & Outliers.19 The double-LP vinyl set includes tracks from Wilco, Alison Krauss, Tyler Childers and more performing on the long-running, live-performance public radio show. It’s simply a wonderful document retracing some incredible performances over the show’s 40-year existence. As a bonus, the liner notes in the album’s packaging are from none other than the show’s co-founder, artistic director and former host Larry Groce.
From the West Virginia Weakly News Vault:
🛸 May 02, 1925: Flying saucer investigator Gray Barker was born in Riffle20
🏈 May 02, 1984: Jeff Hostetler joined the New York Giants21
On a bit of a personal note, big thanks this week to Christos at Wild Zero Studios in Morgantown for touching up my Dan Rather tribute. I first got it in 2020, the day before the election, but given the pace of work in that moment, I must’ve done something to hinder it healing it perfectly — and, so, it needed a some fresh ink in a few spots.
Yes, that is longtime CBS News reporter and anchor Dan Rather getting punched in the face with the words “What’s the frequency?” below it. I know you’re wondering: Why on earth anyone would get that tattooed on them?
First off, I grew up watching Dan Rather. My dad worked shift work at a chemical plant, but instead of straight overnights (like my real job’s schedule demands) he worked rotating days and nights — which meant dinner in the Mistich home came either before or after 6:30 p.m. broadcast of the CBS Evening News so we could watch it together, intently. It was something of a family ritual, I’d guess you’d say.
So, watching Rather deliver the news is etched into my psyche — and, as a result, I have an affinity for the man. But, there was always something about his reporting that resonated with me and my family in middle-America — something authentic, something accessible, something trusted. Until, well, that story in 2004 on then-President George W. Bush that ended Rather’s tenure at CBS, which all went down while I was in journalism school at Marshall. I remember it being quite the discussion in classes at the time.
Despite it all, I probably would have never got into news and broadcasting if it weren’t for Rather. But that doesn’t explain the phrase or why he’s being punched — which is a story in and of itself.
Turns out, Netflix just released a documentary this week on Rather, his career and the evolution of television news.22 It’s worth watching (I’ll go ahead and admit it, I cried a bit at various points) and — if you don’t already know about it — notes the story that helped inspire the “What’s the frequency?” reference. In advance of the film’s release, Rather also sat down with CBS Sunday Morning to look back on his life in journalism, which is also worth a watch.23
Given the pace of high-level and consequential news as of late — and the fact that we’re in the middle of democracy doing its thing with the West Virginia primary — I’m going to borrow one of Rather’s catchphrases to implore a sense of calm (and the name of his own Substack newsletter, no less) to sign off this week: Steady.
Arrests of Israel-Hamas war protesters exceed 2,300 as police clear more US campus encampments, Julie Watson, Karen Mathews, Christopher L. Keller and Michael Hill, The Associated Press
WVU Students, Community Members March In Support of Palestine, Chris Schulz, West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Court says state health-care plans can’t exclude gender-affirming surgery, Rachel Weiner, The Washington Post
Morrisey news release, West Virginia Attorney General’s office, April 29, 2024.
State Politicians Voice Support For Harrison County Student Athletes Protesting Inclusion Of Transgender Student, Chris Schulz, West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Morrisey news release, West Virginia Attorney General’s office, April 27, 2024.
Morrisey news release, West Virginia Attorney General’s office, May 2, 2024.
Steve Williams Calls for Abortion Ballot Measure, Emily Rice, West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Jefferson County Commissioners removed from office, Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews
Williamson mayor resigns under federal investigation, new mayor named, Isaac Taylor & Lane Ball, WOWK-TV
Richard Cordray Takes the Fall for FAFSA Fiasco, Katherine Knott & Liam Knox, Inside Higher Ed
@WVGovernor, X (Twitter)
Capito: FASFA problems ‘catastrophic,’ Steven Allen Adams, The News & Sentinel
Manchin news release, May 3, 2024
Gray Barker, The West Encyclopedia
Jeff Hostetler, The West Virginia Encyclopedia
Dan Rather, at 92, on a life in news, CBS Sunday Morning
Thanks for the roundup!!