There are plenty of big national headlines, but don't forget about the coming legislative session

The West Virginia Weakly Reader for Saturday, February 1, 2025

Feb 01, 2025

Maybe because we’re headed into February, but this past week felt like a deluge of news.

So much so, there never seemed to be a good moment to get started on this week’s edition. Every time I sat down to summarize the news — or even wrap my head around things — the needle kept moving on some major stories.

It’s easy to deal with when you’re prepping hourly newscasts on the radio — getting the latest, most accurate update on the air is exactly what Giles and I do in our real jobs. But the pace of things on a week like this doesn’t necessarily translate well to recapping what West Virginians need to know for a Saturday morning newsletter.

Stories this week developed rather intensely — sometimes in a back and forth motion. Which means, there was a lot of starts and stops in cobbling things together.

Namely, the Trump administration’s short-lived pause on federal grants and loans took over the news cycle early in the week grabbed much attention. Immigration enforcement operations being carried out around the U.S. also became a top story. Then, a pair of avation crashes — Wednesday night’s collision of a passenger jet and military helicopter near Reagan National Airport just outside of Washington, D.C. and last night’s crash of a medical transport plane in Philadelphia — took hold of the national news cycle.

There are obvious West Virginia angles to some of these stories — and we’ll cover what we can in this week’s edition — but there’s plenty on the horizon here in West Virginia, too.

In less than two weeks, on February 12, the 87th West Virginia Legislature kicks off its regular 60-day session. As two statehouse press corps veterans ourselves, we can assure everyone it’ll be a busy two months — and we’ll be keeping a close eye on what happens under the golden dome.

If you’re just becoming aware of The Weakly, now’s a perfect time to get on board.

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. Patrick Morrisey is celebrating the closure of West Virginia’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. WVU announced shuttering the office following an executive order from Morrisey that called for a review of DEI programs around the state. In a video message posted Friday, Morrisey called the office’s closure a “win” and noted his inauguration speech pledge to “eradicate the woke virus” from schools.1 “This is important for a lot of different reasons. I’m a believer, like many of you, that God looks at us, the rule of law looks at us, as equals. We have an equal protection clause. We care about the rule of law. We care about freedom,” Morrisey said. “We don’t want special preferences unlawfully benefitting one group over another – race, color, age, ethnicity.” Morrisey’s focus on eliminating DEI initiatives in West Virginia mirrors President Donald Trump’s early priorities on the federal level.

🏛️ And efforts to roll back DEI programs in West Virginia may not stop there. State Sen. Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson) says she is planning to once again introduce a bill to enact restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion standards. But top Democrats in the Legislature are pushing back on efforts to target diversity initiatives. “Morrisey is creating a DEI boogeyman that doesn’t exist,” House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle (D-Cabell) said. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau show West Virginia’s population is nearly 93% white, with black residents making up 4% of the state and Hispanic people representing 2%.2

🏛️ Before a federal funding freeze was put on hold by a court and then later rescinded by President Donald Trump’s administration, top West Virginia Republicans expressed support for a review of government spending. As the initial memo from the Office of Management and Budget caused panic for many across the nation, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said he backed the Trump administrations call to review federal loans and grant programs. “The federal government and, quite frankly, the state government has operated way beyond its means,” Morrisey said Tuesday.3 Sen. Jim Justice also said he backed Trump’s efforts to pause federal spending.4 On Thursday, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said the freeze on federal funding caused much uncertainty5 — but the state’s senior senator also said Congress holds the power of the purse.

🚨 With immigration enforcement operations making headlines early on in the Trump administration, Morrisey said this week he also backs that effort by the new president. “I believe that what President Trump has done is absolutely correct,” Morrisey said. “I’ve always talked about the problems of immigration and how it affects West Virginia.”6 On Thursday, Morrisey ordered state law enforcement agencies the to cooperate with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal authorities.7 As of that same morning, the governor’s office reported 53 people had been detained in West Virginia on immigration charges since Trump took office on January 20.8

🏡 Sen. Justice has yet to find a place to shack up in Washington, D.C. while the Senate is in session. Since being sworn in and taking his seat, Justice has commuted from the Lewisburg airport to Regan National on a privately-owned Cessna Citation V jet. “Because I came right out of the governorship on [Jan. 13], got sworn in that day, and so, really, truly, we just haven’t gotten a place yet,” Justice said.9 “God knows it’ll be a whole lot simpler.” Justice arrives in the Senate after two terms as governor and recent reports that his net worth is less than zero.

🫏 The West Virginia Democratic Party has filed a new lawsuit over which political party gets to choose a replacement for a recently vacant seat in the statehouse. In last year’s election, Joseph DeSoto of Berkeley County won the seat for the 91st District in the West Virginia House of Delegates as a Republican. But after a heated meeting with House Republicans questioning his background as a physician and veteran, DeSoto changed his party affiliation to Democrat — and then hours later was arrested for making threats against fellow lawmakers. In an organizational session last month, the Republican-led House adopted a resolution declaring DeSoto’s seat forfeited. Gov. Morrisey has since appointed Republican Ian Masters to fill the vacancy.10 The Democratic Party’s lawsuit questions whether the House of Delegates can declare a seat forfeited before a member is officially sworn in — and whether DeSoto should have been considered a member of the body.

🎓 West Virginia University’s Board of Governors says it has narrowed its search for a new president to a list of finalists. The board made the announcement during a meeting yesterday after going into executive session.11 Board chair Richard Pill said the names of finalists were being kept confidential. The university’s search began last year when current WVU President Gordon Gee announced his retirement that’s expected this coming summer.

🏥 Two former employees of a state run health care facility in Terra Alta have been charged in the scalding death of an incapacitated patient. Certified nursing assistant Kylah Beard of Morgantown and registered nurse Delilah Clayburn-Hill of Buckhannon, were arraigned Wednesday in Preston County Magistrate Court on charges related to the death of a 61-year-old non-verbal patient at Hopemont Hospital. Authorities say Larry Hedrick, who suffered from demential and other medical issues, received severe burns from a whirlpool and later died in a Pittsburgh hospital.12 Beard and Clayburn-Hill face fines of up to $5,000 and 5-15 years in prison if convicted on the charges.

👨🏼‍⚖️ A federal jury has convicted a former West Virginia prison guard on charges of conspiracy, witness tampering and making false statements related to the death of an inmate at the Southern Regional Jail. Thirty-five year old Chad Lester was found guilty Monday — after seven other officers pleaded guilty in a case involving the assault and death of inmate Quantez Burks in March 2022.13

🧑‍⚖️ Prosecutors and the family of a Raleigh County man killed by his wife say justice has been served now that Natalie Cochran was convicted Wednesday and sentenced to life in prison the following day. The jury found Cochran — former a pharmacist who was already serving an 11-year sentence in federal prison on a fraud conviction — had killed her husband Michael in 2019 by giving him a lethal dose of insulin. Prosecutors said she poisoned Michael so he wouldn't discover a $2 million Ponzi scheme that she later admitted to operating from 2017 to 2019.14

👩‍⚖️ A Kanawha County couple has been found guilty on 31 counts of relating to the treatment of four of five their adopted Black children. The convictions against Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Ray Lantz came after testimony from three of the children, who said they were isolated, pepper sprayed and had limited access to use the bathroom.15

💸 The former city clerk of Glen Dale, West Virginia has pleaded not guilty to charges of embezzlement and falsifying records. Prosecutors say Jane Criswell wrote out $50,000 in checks to herself and her private business, used city funds for groceries and lied to city councilors about her management of federal COVID stimulus funds.16

🔥 A fire in Morgan County has destroyed the iconic Treetop House at the Coolfront Resort in Berkeley Springs.17 Last Sunday, fire crews arriving on scene found heavy smoke coming from the front of the three-story building. The Treetop House contained the main check-in for the resort, guest rooms, a full restaurant and bar, lounge and conference meeting areas — and is now considered a total loss.

🥶 Groundhog Day is tomorrow. While most superstitious types will be looking to Pennsylvania’s Puxatawney Phil for the seasonal forecast, French Creek Freddie will be giving his assessment of winter at the annual Groundhog Day Celebration at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center in Upshur County.18 According to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, French Creek Freddie boasts a 50% success rate at predicting the length of winter since the tradition began there in 1978.

Opinion and whatnot

House of Delegates rule change makes for more public input, not less ~ Hoppy Kercheval, WVMetroNews
Gov. Morrisey sells an old story of cutting taxes for economic growth in West Virginia ~ Tre Spencer, Mountain State Spotlight
Smoke and mirrors of WV finances exposed ~ Charleston Gazette-Mail editorial
Inertia: Reversing course will be a challenge ~ Parkersburg News and Sentinel editorial

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