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Lowering taxes in W.Va. right move

Lawmakers in Charleston made the prudent decision this past week when they agreed to a compromise with Gov. Jim Justice for an additional cut to the personal income tax rate. Starting on Jan. 1, the current 5.21% top personal income tax rate paid today will lower to 4.83%.This is a move that continues to signal that West Virginia leaders are serious about making the state a destination for those seeking a location with wonderful amenities — and a lower tax burden.“Even a little bit is meaningful,” said Delegate Larry Kump, R-Berkeley. “Anything we can do to reduce the tax burden ...

Child care credit a good step for W.Va. families

Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates did the right thing Monday by passing a child and dependent care credit against the personal income tax. Though some believe we should be doing even more on the child care front, getting the ball rolling was essential.All but five House lawmakers understood that.It should have been a no-brainer.“We’re mirroring the image of the federal program … to help parents be able to do child care along the same lines of the federal guidelines,” said House Finance Committee Chairman Vernon Criss, R-Wood.But knowing how hard it is for ...

Poll workers needed so Nov. 5 election can work

No matter your political leanings, everyone can agree the Nov. 5 general election is an unusually important one for our communities, states and country. From a new president to members of Congress, county commissioners, sheriffs and more, the 2024 general election is an important event in our history.There are calls from all sides to ensure this is a fair, legal, accurate election in which there is absolutely no room for doubt when all the results are tallied.But who makes that happen?Poll workers and state/local elections officials. Theirs is an enormously important job.But, in the ...

Keeping personal politics out of W.Va. government

Lawmakers in West Virginia have every right to support the presidential candidate of their choosing. However, they cross a dangerous line when they attempt to use the power of state government to ensure their favored candidate wins.Consider House Concurrent Resolution 203, introduced this week during the West Virginia Legislature’s special session. The resolution, sponsored by Dels. Bill Ridenour, R-Jefferson; Margitta Mazzocchi, R-Logan; Henry Dillion, R-Wayne; Todd Longanacre, R-Greenbrier; Geoff Foster, R-Putnam; Dave Foggin, R-Wood; Elias Coop-Gonzalez, R-Randolph and Brandon ...

W.Va.’s Complicated Picture on Children

Data is a tricky thing.Sometimes it can present a complicated picture. That is the case with two WalletHub studies, one on “2024’s Best and Worst States to Have a Baby,” the other on “2024’s States with the Best and Worst Early Education Systems.”For the latter, West Virginia is sixth-best in the country. Wonderful.For the former, we are a wretched 45th.For the study on babies, WalletHub looked at 31 measures of cost, health care accessibility and baby-friendliness.West Virginia was 21st for cost, 38th for health care, 30th for baby-friendliness and 48th for family ...

Should W.Va. look at closing its low-performing schools?

As our state’s population decreases, so does the number of students in our public schools.Declining enrollment, in turn, is creating challenges for our school districts.Some boards of education are facing the bitter reality that it is time to close cherished facilities.But the Thomas B. Fordham Institute put together a study that may offer public education policymakers some needed guidance on that front.According to a report by West Virginia Public Broadcasting, the study suggests schools that have been identified by the state as low-performing should be considered first for ...