Gov. Justice in the politics spotlight, cities talk expanding homeless bans, AG Morrisey files to SCOTUS on trans sports and more
The West Virginia Weakly Reader for Saturday, July 13, 2024
In case you can’t tell, Giles and I are big fans of local news. We may work in a different realm in our real jobs, but with both of us having cut our teeth in West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s newsroom we put a lot of value on those who slug it out and cover statehouses, city councils and local news in general.
There’s something kind of magical about the environment of a small newsroom. It makes a reporter that “good kind” of tired — and the passion for getting the story is truly palpable.
So we wanted to give some kudos this week to West Virginia Watch, which is celebrating its first birthday after launching last summer. The outlet’s editor, Leeann Ray, recounted the Watch’s beginnings and some of the fruits of their journalistic labor this week in an essay marking the anniversary.1
One thing we should note about the staff over there is that it’s all women — Caity Coyne, Lori Kersey and Amelia Ferrell Knisely make up the rest of that small, but talented staff. Newsrooms across this country have been traditionally dominated by men — which can become problematic for reasons I don’t think need explaining.
We feature quite a lot of reporting from West Virginia Watch here in The West Virginia Weakly, so we’re raising a glass to them this week. Cheers to the ladies of West Virginia Watch. Keep on keeping West Virginians informed — and we’ll do our best to spread the word.
Speaking of local news, Giles and I have been planning to do a mini-podcast series on people working in the industry across the state. Not just anyone, though. We’re aiming to feature people covering news in small towns, really knocking it out of the park on an important beat, or doing it themselves with the ethos of punk rock.
More to come on that later, but we hope you’ll check it out once we find the time to get it all together.
Like the first podcast we released with state Senator and soon-to-be West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Charles Trump, stuff like this series on local news will be for paid subscribers only.
Despite us being radio guys in our other lives, audio production takes a lot of work and we gotta make it worth it for those already willing to shell out a few bucks.
The West Virginia Weakly Reader — For more on the sources we use, have a look at the footnotes to see the original reporting from news outlets across West Virginia.
💸 Gov. Jim Justice announced Thursday that an additional 4% cut on state personal income taxes will take effect at the beginning of next year.2 That reduction is a result of HB 2526, which was passed and signed into law in 2023. As Justice continues his campaign for U.S. Senate, he’s also planning to call lawmakers back for a special session to make yet another cut to personal income taxes. He announced those plans last month during a balloon-drop ceremony.
🐘 Looks like Gov. Justice will be in Milwaukee next week for the Republican National Convention. During a briefing Thursday, Justice confirmed that he plans to be there, but he declined to reveal details.3 Politico is reporting that Babydog will be at Gov. Justice’s side when he speaks Tuesday night as part of a Senate candidate “power hour.” Scroll to the end of the story we footnoted.4
🧑⚖️While the governor’s political affairs are making headlines, so again is his litigation-riddled businesses. In an order this week, federal Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove of Kentucky rejected motions from Kentucky Fuel Co. and Justice Companies, Inc to delay payment in a 12-year-old lawsuit against the companies owned by the governor. Tatenhove wrote that the companies have claimed they are unable to pay, but have not meaningfully responded to court deadlines in the matter — and confirmed an $18 million dollar payment, plus interest and fees against the companies.5
🏕️ The West Virginia Department of Human Services has released its first-ever comprehensive study on homelessness.6 The study aimed to compile demographic information on the state’s unhoused population and also sought to explore policies related to homelessness. In terms of findings, the study found that just over half (58%) of unhoused West Virginians surveyed were men — and 13% were Black or African American (a number that’s wildly disproportionate, considering 3.7% of the state’s population identifies as Black or African American. Also, nearly half (45%) of those experiencing homelessness were between 25 and 44 years old. But, as one might expect, the report comes with at least one notable caveat: “Data are likely to underrepresent the total number of individuals experiencing homelessness, as this is a difficult population to count,” the report states.
🏕️ Speaking of issues related to unhoused West Virginians, one member of Morgantown’s City Council is calling on the body to consider expanding a ban on sleeping outside. The push for broader restrictions on people sleeping outside comes after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upheld such a ban in an Oregon city — with the majority of justices saying such bans were not cruel or unusual punishment. At a recent council meeting, Morgantown councilwoman Louise “Weez” Michael said she wants the city to consider expanding its ban to include residential properties, city streets, alleyways and sidewalks.7 The city already has a ban on camping in a park without the city’s manager’s consent. While Michael is the only local official in the state to call for specific action following the Supreme Court’s decision, Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin’s chief of staff has confirmed the city is reviewing the high court’s ruling on bans on sleeping outside.
👩🍼 Officials are seeking to find a resolution to a lawsuit filed in 2019 that alleges West Virginia’s foster care system has failed to provide proper services for children under the state’s care. The West Virginia Department of Human Services requested a summary judgement this week in the case, saying that a trial would be costly and unnecessary — vowing it had made improvements.8 But data shows the number of children in foster care has ballooned to more than 6,100 — and the death of 13-year-old Kyneddi Miller of Boone County in April has brought more scrutiny on the beleaguered agency that runs the program.
🏳️⚧️ West Virginia Attorney General and GOP candidate for governor Patrick Morrisey is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to have the state’s ban on transgender sports reinstated. Morrisey held a news conference Thursday alongside former West Virginia State University women’s soccer player Lainey Armistead. In April, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down legislation that prohibits transgender women and girls in the state from participating in sports leagues based on their gender identity. HB 3293, passed in 2021, is known as the West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act. “We are confident in the merits of our defense of this obviously constitutionally permissible law, which through and through complies with Title IX and the Constitution—that’s why we are taking this to the Supreme Court,” Morrisey said in a news release.9
👮♀️ The White Sulphur Springs police chief has resigned and will return to his position as a patrolman following the controversy around the hiring — and subsequent resignation — of Timothy Loehmann, the police officer who shot and killed 13-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland in 2014. The mayor of White Sulphur Springs, Kathy Glover, said D.S. Teubert made the decision on his own to leave as head of the police department. Speaking at a Monday night meeting of the town council, Glover said she was unaware of Loehmann’s background and had apologized to Rice’s family.10 “I did not know who he was, and I did not have all of the information that should have been given,” she said. “It was something we were unaware of and not prepared for all the way around.”
🗞️ The Wall Street Journal published a story this week about the troubled coal-fired power plant in Pleasants County. The article questions whether the plan to produce green energy at the plant is viable. Check the footnotes for a link to the article.11 But if you don’t have a subscription to the Journal, WVMetroNews helpfully summarized it.12
📜 In Washington, that appropriations bill we told you about last week — the one that includes language that would gut a new federal rule designed to address rising cases of black lung disease in Central Appalachia — has advanced to the floor of the U.S. House. The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee voted 31-to-25 on Wednesday to set up a vote by the full House. One advocate for miners called the provision “a giant leap backwards.”13
🏫 The state Board of Education has a new president. Nancy White of Bridgeport was named to the post this week. White has been on the board since 2018, most recently serving as vice president.14
🍎 The Cabell County Board of Education has reversed itself. It voted this week to restore funding to libraries and parks to an excess levy to be considered by voters this fall. This has been quite the issue in Cabell County. In May, voters rejected a levy proposal that cut funding.15
🔫 Sign of the times? A former Republican candidate for Huntington mayor in the May primary is expected to appear in Cabell County Magistrate Court on Monday. 70-year-old Richard Luther was arrested this week after threatening to kill Huntington Mayor and Democratic candidate for governor, Steve Williams.16
🥵 In case you thought it couldn’t get any hotter in West Virginia, think again. 88 years ago this week, on July 10, 1936, highs in Martinsburg hit 112, matching the record set in Moorefield six years earlier, on August 4.17
💯 This month would have marked the 100th birthday of Morgantown native and Hollywood star Don Knotts. Known best for his role as Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, Knotts got his start in show business on Morgantown’s High Street at the Metropolitan Theatre — doing a ventriloquism act between films being shown on the big screen.18 In celebration, the Met will be showing a number of films starring Knotts beginning next Saturday (June 20) and running through June 24.19 With a statue of Knotts gracing the sidewalk next to the theatre, there is no doubt there’ll be a lot of selfies taken with the actor’s likeness over those few days.
Everyone’s Got One — A look at op-ed pieces that resonated with The Weakly ‘s editorial board this week:
West Virginia’s tax cut dilemma ~ Steven Allen Adams, Ogden Newspapers
Robert Sheets was a bold voice in trying times ~ Joe Solomon and Chelsea Steelhammer, Charleston Gazette-Mail
Discussions about homelessness still front and center ~ The Dominion Post
With levy deal reached, Cabell schools can focus on basics again ~ Huntington Herald-Dispatch
Celebrating the first year of West Virginia Watch ~ Leeann Ray, West Virginia Watch
Gov. Justice announces 4 percent personal income tax cut trigger, marching West Virginia closer to eliminating tax ~ News Release, July 11, 2024
WV Gov. Justice to speak at RNC; Babydog might be there, too ~ Beth Sergent, Charleston Gazette-Mail
Change of plans: Florida Gov. Ron Desantis now poised to speak at RNC ~ Gary Fineout, Meredith McGraw and Kimberly Leonard, Politico
Ignoring ‘We can’t pay’ claim, $18M+ judgment confirmed against Justice companies ~ Mike Tony, The Charleston Gazette-Mail
Assessment of West Virginia Homeless Population ~ West Virginia Department of Human Services
WV city leaders consider implications of ruling on homeless camping bans ~ Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch
State seeks conclusion of suit alleging mistreatment of foster kids, wants to avoid ‘costly’ trial ~ Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch
VIDEO: Attorney General Morrisey Takes Fight to Protect Women’s Sports to the SCOTUS ~ News Release, July 11, 2024
Tony Robbins bet $200 million on a green energy breakthrough. Proof it works remains elusive ~ Scott Patterson and Amrith Ramkumar, The Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal explores whether green energy proposal at Pleasants Power Plant is truly viable ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews
Bill blocking funding for miner protection against black lung advances ~ Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette-Mail
Bridgeport local named new president of WV Board of Education ~ Tanner Gilmartin, WDTV
Cabell County school board restores levy funding to parks, libraries ~ Katelyn Aluise, Huntington Herald-Dispatch
Former mayoral candidate accused of threats against Mayor Steve Williams ~ Katelyn Aluise, Huntington Herald-Dispatch
West Virginia weather extremes ~ National Weather Service
Morgantown celebrates the 100th birthday of native son Don Knotts with a festival this July ~ Pam Kasey, West Virginia Living
Morgantown celebrating Don Knotts’ 100th birthday this summer ~ Sam Kirk, WBOY
I'm looking forward to reading more about local news in WV! We still have a long way to go to adjust to the internet revolution, but solutions are coming into focus. A lot of folks are working hard for little pay to provide trustworthy information that will help communities thrive and keep democracy alive and well.