Time legislators do Monongalia justice: Bill to add a fifth magistrate to court long overdue in light of ballooning caseload

March 7, 2019

What's politics got to do with justice? Good question, but the answers, as you would expect, are not nearly as good. For now, there are 158 magistrates serving the state — at least two in each of its counties. The rest are strewn among larger and some smaller counties. The only constitutional mandate the Legislature is under is to ensure there is a magistrate court in each of the state's 55 counties Every county is entitled to two magistrates and current code requires the state Supreme Court to set the numbers (make recommendations?) based mostly on population with some provision ...

They’re wasting valuable time: Clock ticking on regular legislative session as lawmakers ignore many issues at our peril

March 7, 2019

Time is not just flying in the Legislature. It's leaving contrails that increasingly look like they will eventually spell out: "Time's up." Today marks the 37th day of this year's 60-day regular legislative session and an issue that wasn't even on the radar is still dominating the sky. Yes, SB 451 is still up in the air and may not ever be perfected to Senate and House members' satisfaction, never mind the teachers unions and the rest of us. And if it ever does land on the governor's desk it's probably not going to fly far from there, either. Meanwhile, the issues that we thought ...

Few new names bode ill for turnout: Morgantown City Council ballot features three uncontested races April 30

March 7, 2019

The race is on and it looks like the status quo might once again live up to its name. The deadline Monday for filing to seek seats on Morgantown's City Council came and went with hardly a pop. Judging by the list of 11 candidates vying for council's seven seats April 30 — barring a scandal — it looks to be more of the same. Eight of the 11 candidates are incumbents or former council members while another ran a low-profile campaign for the House of Delegates last year. Another candidate is fresh off an 18-year run on the Monongalia County Board of Education while only one of the ...

Blame the Legislature: Lawmakers deserve lot of credit for road conditions

March 7, 2019

"Silent" and "listen" are spelled with the same letters. Yet, just because you are mum is no indication you are actually listening. That's the impression we are starting to get from the Legislature on the condition of our roads. Although the Legislature appears restrained about the earful it's getting about road conditions, we're unsure it's even listening. Last week, at a meeting of the Preston County Commission descriptions of its roads drew comparisons to those in Afghanistan. While another report of one new arrival's take on area roads described them as "worse than Mexico." One ...

Letters to the editor March 7

March 6, 2019

Brookhaven Road the worst one in county I read an article recently that had listed some terrible roads in town and I must say that Brookhaven Road (Monongalia County Route 7/22) is getting to the point where it is not safe to drive on. Traffic in both directions drive in the oncoming traffic lane to avoid massive potholes. Last year there was a resident (or group) that had purchased advertising asking the state Department of Transportation to repair the potholes. They simply throw patch in a wet hole and move on. Not even repairing the roads to the standards they set and hold ...

City’s plans for tax and fees urgent: Dedicated to needs of first responders far into the future

March 6, 2019

It was true 230 years ago and it still is, but there is no urgency to either. That is, Benjamin Franklin’s adage about nothing is certain but death and taxes. Though death takes its own sweet time, or not, increasing taxes or creating new ones usually happen according to plans. And if you blink or don’t read a newspaper you’ll never know why things cost more or what is this new fee is you have to pay. This week, Morgantown City Council approved the coming fiscal year’s 2019-’20 budget, but also presented a sneak peek at the 2020-’21 spending plan. There are no real ...