There will be a debate for West Virginia's governor's race. As for the U.S. Senate ticket, Jim Justice says there's no need to square off against his opponent

The West Virginia Weakly Reader for Saturday, September 21, 2024

In case we haven’t mentioned it in a while (and seeing how we’ve gotten quite a lot of new subscribers in recent weeks), I suppose it’s fair to reiterate that our goal is to give West Virginians — as well as ex-pats and others interested in the state — something to read while sipping coffee on a Saturday morning.

Coffee actually served as the basis for our pitch for donations when we first started this newsletter by covering the regular session of the West Virginia Legislature in early 2023. Once that session wrapped, we took some time away, regrouped and did it again when state lawmakers returned at the beginning of this year. We ultimately decided to rebrand and refocus ourselves on a broader look at what’s happening around West Virginia each week.

But we’ve also stayed focused on the 134 elected members of the state’s legislative branch. A special session looms at the end of this month, with Gov. Jim Justice calling on lawmakers to further cut personal income taxes.

And if that weren’t enough to look forward to, we’re also less than four months out from the next regular session of the West Virginia Legislature. The 60 days state lawmakers are in Charleston each year has historically been our bread and butter.

Which is to say, we’ll have no problem filling this newsletter with rather important stuff come February 2025 (the next regular session starts a month later than normal, as West Virginia will inaugurate a new governor in January.)

We’re still deciding exactly how we’re going to approach it this next time around. We have a lot of ideas, but nothing is set in stone quite yet. (We know, you’re absolutely shocked about that. But in the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt to tell us what you’re looking for out of us.)

Until February gets here, we’re here to keep you as informed as possible — whether that’s otherwise recapping the affairs of state government, giving you the latest on campaigns in the upcoming election or some other random local news around West Virginia.

If the process of making laws that affect West Virginians isn’t your thing (it should be, if you care about this state enough to give us your email address), we’ll most certainly be on top of other news from here, too.

So don’t go anywhere either way.

We’re glad to say that we decided to retire the coffee-themed jokes begging for donations, with each punchline amounting to asking you to keep us motivated during those grueling 60-days.

Now we’re relying on other examples of our sharp wit, your good will — and, hopefully, a desire to read something beyond our weekly recaps — to keep this newsletter coming to you.

Every so often (meaning, whenever we’re able to make it happen around the wacky schedules of our real jobs) we publish some bonus content for paid subscribers only.

Sometimes, it’ll be a take on something serious and objectively newsworthy. Other times, it’ll be something goofy, lighthearted and fun. But, really, it could be anything we can tie back to West Virginia.

Those musings hit inboxes on a semi-occasional basis on Wednesdays. But beyond the Weakly Readers delivered every Saturday and a vague promise of something more every once in a while, we make no guarantees.

All of which is to say: When we named this thing The Weakly, we meant it.

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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.

👮‍♀️ The mother and grandparents of a 14-year-old Boone county girl found in an emaciated, “skeletal” state in April have been indicted by a grand jury on murder charges. A criminal complaint filed this week in Boone County Circuit Court says Kyneddi Miller had an eating disorder that led to “overwhelmingly visible conditions” and other physical problems, but that her mother, Julie Miller, had not sought medical care for her in at least four years.¹ With a special legislative session looming, some lawmakers say the teen’s death should be the subject of changes to state law related to reporting requirements for homeschooling.² But so far, Gov. Jim Justice has made no mention of those issues as it relates to the work ahead of lawmakers that’s expected to come at the end of the month.

🏛️ It’s been more than three-and-a-half years since the deadly January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol, but federal authorities are still making fresh arrests. The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that a superseding indictment in the District Court for the District of Columbia was unsealed that includes charges against 51-year-old Kevin G. Moore of Logan.³ Authorities say Moore conspired with 51-year-old co-defendant Bart Gore of Tennessee (who had already been indicted) to commit acts of violence against Capitol Police officers as well as other alleged offenses related to the events in the nation’s capital that day. Moore surrendered himself to authorities Monday in Huntington.

📕 A newly created task force to look into a string of recent threats made against West Virginia’s schools is reporting some staggering numbers just days after being formed. At least 203 threats — affecting 37 counties and 79 schools — were reported between September 9 and Thursday morning, with at least 23 arrests having been made related to the threats.⁴ Gov. Jim Justice announced the creation of the School Safety Task Force on Friday, September 13⁵ — as the number of reported threats made against West Virginia schools grew on the heels of a deadly shooting at Appalacee High School in Winder, Georgia. A number of state agencies are involved in the effort to monitor school threats, including the West Virginia Fusion Center, the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia Safe Schools Unit, the West Virginia Intelligence Exchange, the West Virginia Department of Education and the West Virginia Prevention Resource Officer Program, as well as federal law enforcement partners.

🗳️ There will apparently be no debate between Gov. Jim Justice and Democrat Glenn Elliott in the race for U.S. Senate. During a virtual briefing Thursday, Justice was asked about whether the two candidates would square off on the debate stage ahead of the November election and the answer was clear.⁶ “At the end of the day, from a Senate race standpoint and everything, the race is over. We’re going to win the race, and we’re going to win the race going away,” Justice said “You know, just having a debate so we can say we have a debate and everything — yay, yay.” In a statement to WVMetroNews responding to Justice’s comments, Elliott fired back: “It doesn’t surprise me that Jim Justice has no interest in debating me. Frankly, he has shown very little interest in actually being governor giving me no reason to believe his tenure as senator would be much different. His top priority seems to be dodging creditors,” Elliott stated.

🏛️ As Republican state attorney general Patrick Morrisey and Huntington’s Democratic mayor Steve Williams finalize plans for a debate ahead of the November election, the two candidates for governor say Gov. Jim Justice’s plan to cut personal income taxes in a looming special session should be left to the next administration. Both candidates have expressed as much through their respective campaigns and on recent media appearances.⁷ “It’s really easy to say we’re coming in and reducing taxes but then whoever else is coming in is going to have the responsibility to have to provide the services,” Williams told the Wheeling-based Watchdog Radio program. “It’s long-term foolish and short-term bankruptcy.” Morrisey said he supports cutting taxes, but argued the extent of those cuts should be based on what state programs would need to be slashed. “If you’re going to cut taxes, which I support, you have to pay for them and you have to be thoughtful to make sure you come up with the requisite savings,” Morrisey said. “We have to find the savings we need to pay for it, so I think it’s critical that you identify the ways that we’re going to rightsize government.”

🚑 Fatal overdoses in the U.S., and in West Virginia, are on the decline. An exclusive report from NPR (mine and Giles’ home team) shows an analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reflects a nearly 10.6 percent drop in overdose deaths in the U.S.⁸ — the first decline since 2020. And fatal overdose death rates in West Virginia appear to be keeping pace with national figures.⁹ Still, substance abuse disorder treatment advocates are urging caution.

🚑 An effort that began in West Virginia in 2020 to distribute the life-saving overdose reversal drug naloxone will include volunteers from at least 32 states this year. The now-annual “Save A Life Day” was created as organizers noted a spike in overdose deaths reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Volunteers from 343 counties in every state east of the Mississippi River and elsewhere will hand out free doses of the opioid antidote as part of this year’s event on September 26.¹⁰ Last year, more than 45,000 doses of naloxone were distributed throughout Appalachia — and organizers say they hope to more than double that number across the region this year.

💵 The West Virginia Tax Division was forced to extend a payment deadline as a result of computer issues this past week. Taxpayers who tried making a third installment on their personal income tax bill before last Sunday were given until this past Wednesday to hand over their money to the state after not being able to log on to a web portal.¹¹ This quarter’s payments would normally have been due on September 15, but maintenance on the web portal kept taxpayers from gaining access. Hopefully, the three-day extension gave folks plenty of time to fork over their cash to the taxman.

🔋 The company behind a Weirton plant that’s been in the works in recent months is eligible for up to $150 million dollars in federal grant money to help bolster the manufacturing of iron-air batteries. U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) announced Form Energy is eligible to negotiate a grant through the U.S. Department of Energy.¹² The funds are part of a larger effort to boost electric vehicle production and other renewable energy technologies as part of an infrastructure package championed by the Biden administration. Form Energy held a celebratory event last week to mark the completion of construction on Form Factory 1 in Weirton and the beginning of trial production. The plant is expected to bring about 750 jobs to the Upper Ohio Valley.

👮‍♀️ The Charleston City Police Department is set to get some new digs for its headquarters. The capital city’s council approved at Monday night’s meeting $2 million for the department to purchase the former Truist Bank building on Piedmont Road.¹³ The head of the state’s largest municipal police department said it was time to move into a facility to accommodate the force. “We’re at the max capacity of every building we have stretched throughout the city. For us to be under one roof, we’ll be able to communicate much better, our operations will work so more very efficiently,” police chief Scott Dempsey said.

📚 The Marion County Board of Education is planning to tighten its belt after reviewing a report on how it spent funds granted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like other school districts across the U.S., the county is finding itself in a tough spot now that an infusion of federal funding has ended. During a Monday meeting, school board president Donna Heston said staff will need to be cut by 7% by next June.¹⁴ With preliminary numbers showing enrollment down 150 students from last year, Marion County is also likely to lose $1.2 million in state funding.

🍁 An ongoing drought could affect West Virginia’s beloved fall foliage and, as a result, the state’s tourism industry. While the 2023 “leaf-peeping season” was considered “the best of the decade,” meteorologists have predicted this year is likely to see a shortened season of leaf color changes as a result of below-average rainfall in recent months.¹⁵ The effects of the drought have forced the U.S. Forest Service to put a burning ban in place for the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area of the Monongahela National Forest, which officials say will remain in effect until the region gets a significant amount of rainfall. But that’s only part of the reason for the ban. With Dolly Sods serving as an artillery practice range for the U.S. military during World War II, a large amount of unexploded ordnance left behind there creates safety issues in fighting fires should one occur.¹⁶ Officials in Nicholas County have also declared a state of emergency as a result of the drought and are asking residents to conserve water,¹⁷ with the city of Richwood putting a number of contingency plans in place to keep water flowing.¹⁸

🎻 Charleston native Sierra Ferrell has won the ‘Artist of the Year’ award at the Americana Music Awards in Nashville. She also won the ‘Album of the Year’ trophy for her record Trail of Flowers, which was released earlier this year.¹⁹ After her big haul at Wednesday’s awards show at the historic Ryman Theater, Ferrell returned to her home state Thursday night to perform at the Healing Appalachia benefit concert in Lewisburg. The three-day festival benefitting addiction recovery efforts wraps up tonight.

🎶 While Ferrell’s star is burning bright, that of another West Virginia musician has been darkened. Country music legend and Boone County native Billy Ed Wheeler died this week at the age of 91.²⁰ Wheeler’s songs were recorded by a number of stars over the years, including Johnny and June Carter Cash, Kenny Rogers and Kathy Mattea. The current host of Mountain Stage posted a tribute to Wheeler on social media upon news of his passing.²¹ “He was an inspiration to me for years....and still is. The world has lost a treasure, a character, and a wonderful example of a life lived with beautiful authenticity. I feel lucky to have known him,” Mattea wrote about Wheeler.

✡️ One of Charleston’s most beloved faith leaders says he is planning to retire after nearly 40 years of service to the B’nai Jacob Synagogue. Rabbi Victor Urecki, who was born in Argentina and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of two, announced his plans to leave his post at the Jewish temple next August. He took the job in 1986 and has called Charleston home ever since.²² (On a personal note, I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with the honorable rabbi upon occasion — and have consulted him and cited him as a source when reporting on the stories focused on West Virginia’s Jewish community. Urecki is as good of a human as they come. So, mazel tov, Rabbi!)

🍕 Charleston is apparently hot for Graziano’s Pizza (I know, I’m missing some Chappell Roan joke here, but try singing the words “hot for pizza” to the tune of Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” and, well, you’ll get it). Owner Joe Graziano announced his retirement on Facebook a couple weeks ago. But thanks to an outpouring of support online from the Charleston community, Graziano’s plan for some leisure time wound up being rather short-lived. He was back to work last Saturday on Capitol Street as customers apparently formed a line stretching out the door thirty minutes after opening.²³

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What we’re reading: Opinion and anything else that gets our attention

• OPINION: Justice wants to cut income tax in WV — will special session be another failure? ~ Leann Ray, West Virginia Watch

• West Virginians could learn from Springfield ~ Charleston Gazette-Mail editorial

• COMMENTARY: West Virginia receives more than it gives ~ Hoppy Kercheval, WVMetroNews

1. Mother and grandparents indicted on murder charge in death of emaciated West Virginia girl ~ John Raby, The Associated Press

2. Kyneddi Miller’s death should spur law changes during upcoming special session, some lawmakers say ~ Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch

3. West Virginia Man Indicted for Conspiracy to Injure Police and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach ~ News Release, U.S. Department of Justice

4. Justice briefed by task force investigating school threats; 23 arrests reported ~ Beth Sergent, The Charleston Gazette-Mail

5. Gov. Justice launches School Safety Task Force to address and mitigate recent threats ~ News Release, Office of Gov. Jim Justice

6. Jim Justice on Senate debate versus opponent Glenn Elliott: no ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews

7. Tax cuts: Morrisey says be thoughtful about spending, Williams says be responsible and Justice asks why wait ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews

8. NPR Exclusive: U.S. overdose deaths plummet, saving thousands of lives ~ Brian Mann, NPR

9. Early Data Shows Dramatic Fall In Overdose Death Rates; Advocates Advise Caution ~ Emily Rice, West Virginia Public Broadcasting

10. Annual naloxone distribution day started in West Virginia expands to at least 32 states this year ~ Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch

11. Personal income tax payment deadline extended due to computer issues ~ Steven Allen Adams, The Parkersburg News & Sentinel

12. $150 Million Federal Grant Will Power Up Production at Form Energy Battery Plant in Weirton ~ Craig Howell, The Wheeling Intelligencer

13. Charleston City Council approves new police headquarters ~ Luke Hamilton, WSAZ

14. Marion County Schools look past COVID funds, aims to cut 7% in staff ~ Esteban Fernandez, The Times West Virginian

15. Severe Drought Impacts West Virginia's Fall Foliage and Tourism ~ Staff Reports, West Virginia News

16. USFS issues burning ban for Dolly Sods Wilderness Area ~ Chris Lawrence, WVMetroNews

17. State of emergency declared by Nicholas County Commission for water conservation during drought ~ Aaron Parker, WVMetroNews

18. Backup plan to a backup plan: Drought-stricken Richwood looks to keep town water flowing ~ Rich Steelhammer, The Charleston Gazette-Mail

19. Charleston native Sierra Ferrell wins big at Americana awards ~ Shannon Stowers, WCHS

20. Songwriter And W.Va. Native Billy Edd Wheeler Dies At 91 ~ Chris Schulz, West Virginia Public Broadcasting

21. Social media post ~ Kathy Mattea, Facebook

22. ‘The American Dream:’ Rabbi Victor Urecki retiring after nearly 40 years ~ Sam DeCoste, WOWK

23. After two days of retirement, Graziano’s Pizza owner gets back to work ~ Ashley Perham, The Charleston Gazette-Mail