Let The Greenbrier speculation begin again. Oh ... and WV lawmakers wrapped up a special legislative session this week

The West Virginia Weakly Reader for Saturday, October 12, 2024

Oct 12, 2024

While West Virginia lawmakers were meeting in special session in Charleston earlier this week, your WV Weakly editorial board got together in Tucker County, for a “business” meeting at the Purple Fiddle in the high mountain town of Thomas.

In between “totally serious discussions” about where to take the Weakly from here, Dave and I knocked back a couple of beers while taking in a show at the Fiddle. If you’ve never been there, I highly recommend it. It’s a great place to see live music and its location along the North Fork of the Blackwater River in Thomas is unparalleled, especially as the leaves start turning.

Before we get to this weekend’s Reader , I encourage you to download the Substack app, if you haven’t already. I’ve lately begun using the chat function to post breaking news and anything else that interests me. Think of it as our own little social media network focused largely on West Virginia. And you don’t have to wait for me to start a chat. You can start your own under the Weakly’s banner!

Available for iOS and Android

Also, a PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: The deadline to register to vote in the November 5 election is coming up fast. If you’re not registered yet, you need to do it by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

THAT’S. THIS. COMING. TUESDAY!

You can register at your county clerk’s office or do it online at GoVoteWV.com. If you’re already registered, you can use that link to make sure your ability to cast a ballot remains active.

Early voting starts Oct. 23 and runs through Nov. 2.

The West Virginia Weakly Reader (sources and more information can be found in the footnotes)

🏨 I intended to kick off this weekend’s Weakly Reader with the special legislative session, but then I woke up Thursday morning to word that The Greenbrier appears to be going back up on the auction block. A legal ad announcing the potential sale at 2 p.m., October 25 appeared Thursday in Lewisburg’s West Virginia Daily News.1 The Greenbrier — owned by Gov. Jim Justice — is playing down the move, calling it “merely a procedural matter.” The hotel issued a statement through a Charleston attorney saying that the agreement that seemed to short-circuit a forced auction in August remains in play and that the placement of this latest legal ad “in no way reflects any change in the parties’ relationship or The Greenbrier’s plans regarding payment.” During his media briefing later Thursday, Gov. Justice said pledged that the millions owed to a creditor would be paid by the Oct. 24 deadline. Earlier this week, Brad McElhinny of WVMetroNews reported on plans by the Justice companies to sell more than 3,300 acres in Greenbrier and Monroe Counties.2 Of course, all this is playing out as voters weigh whether to send Gov. Justice to Washington in the November election.

💸 There was a lot of hand-wringing at the state Capitol over the past week or so. Lawmakers questioned the wisdom of giving Gov. Justice what he wanted — an additional 5% cut in the personal income tax on top of the 4% that’s to take effect in January after the state met the conditions imposed by a trigger lawmakers passed in 20-23. In the end, the Republican-led legislature agreed to a 2% cut.3 But not everyone is happy that the estimated $46 million cost could come at the expense of state programs that support children.4

👍 All told, lawmakers gave the thumbs up to more than 30 bills during the special session. You can find them on the Legislature’s bill status page here. They include Gov. Justice’s child care tax credit,5 $10 million dollars to go toward drought relief for West Virginia farmers,6 and a bill making it clear that charter schools are eligible for funding from the state School Building Authority.

📜 While state lawmakers were in Charleston, they waded into election year presidential politics. A group of far-right House Republicans introduced House Concurrent Resolution 2037 “Requesting that the West Virginia Legislature shall not recognize an illegitimate presidential election.” The resolution’s lead sponsor was Del. Bill Ridenour (R-Jefferson). He was joined by Margitta Mazzocchi (R-Logan), Henry Dillon (R-Wayne), Todd Longanacre (R-Greenbrier) and Elias Coop-Gonzalez (R-Randolph). On Facebook, Del. Evan Hansen (D-Monongalia) called the resolution an “un-American” effort “to only recognize a Trump victory.”8 House Democrats filed their own resolution in response.9 Neither measure got anywhere. Legislative leaders consigned them to purgatory.

🏇 Republican Delegate Paul Espinosa is no longer a House member. Espinosa unexpectedly resigned his seat at the conclusion of the special session Tuesday evening. Espinosa represented the 98th district in Jefferson County since 2012. He’s leaving the Legislature after failing to unseat Senator Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson) in the May primary. He told The Panhandle News Network in a statement that he is taking a post on the West Virginia Racing Commission.10

😲 State Senator Mike Maroney (R-Marshall) is facing another call from within the West Virginia Republican Party for him to step down. Maroney has been arrested twice since August and is facing DUI and indecent exposure charges. The Wetzel County Republican Executive Committee has joined its counterpart in Monongalia County in passing a resolution calling on Maroney to resign.11

😲 This comes as no surprise. The Public Employees Insurance Agency is feeling the strain of rising drug prices and medical costs. The PEIA Finance Board met Tuesday to review a proposal that outlines premium increases for the coming fiscal year as well additional cost increases in spousal surcharges, copays and deductibles.12 In a statement, West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee called the draft “shocking.” Lee said “the challenges facing PEIA should not come at the expense of our teachers, school service personnel, and other public employees” even as state officials tout record revenue surpluses.13

🔎 According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is investigating a fatality at an Arch Coal operation in Taylor County.14 Governor Justice announced the death of 34-year-old Colton Walls last week.15 Walls’ death is the second at the nonunion Leer Mining Complex, the third at an Arch-controlled mine in West Virginia since August and the fourth nationally.

🌀 About 40 members of the West Virginia National Guard are in Florida helping with the recovery and response efforts following Hurricane Milton’s landfall. Gov. Justice this week activated up to 12 Airmen from the 130th Airlift Wing headquartered in Charleston and some 30 engineers from the 821st Engineer Construction Company headquartered in Summersville.16

⚖️ Former Buckhannon city councilor David McCauley pleaded not guilty this week to federal child pornography charges. McCauley, who previously served as Buckhannon’s mayor, was arraigned on Monday in federal court in Wheeling. He remains in custody.17 In Marion County, a grand jury on Monday indicted a school teacher on multiple charges alleging he engaged in illegal sexual acts with a student.18

😲 The Raleigh County Commission has started the process to remove Benjamin Hatfield from his post as the county’s Prosecuting Attorney. The Commission voted this week to initiate impeachment proceedings. Under state law, removing Hatfield will ultimately be up to a panel of circuit court judges appointed by the state Supreme Court. Hatfield is facing hostile working environment, sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination allegations. He denies wrongdoing.19

😧 Longtime television news anchor Jack Kane died this week. Kane passed away Tuesday night at age 77 after suffering a stroke at his home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Kane’s career spanned radio and television. He was best known as a news anchor for TV stations in Parkersburg and Charleston. He retired from WOWK-TV in 2020.20

🏚️ The National Park Service has scheduled another public hearing focused on the potential demolition of “19 historic but dilapidated structures” in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. They include a dozen structures within the National Register’s Thurmond Historical District. The hearing is set for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the New River Convention Center in Oak Hill.21 An initial meeting in January drew a standing-room-only crowd.

🤔 Finally, because I spend way too much time online, I ran across this list that purports to rank the most boring states.22 West Virginia ranks as the third most boring. Feel free to discuss in the comments.

The West Virginia ... Weakly

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