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Editorial

For better or worse, the first of this year’s elections is now behind us. And voter turnout was disappointingly low. We could throw a bunch of numbers at you, but here are the highlights: Statewide, 30.32% of registered voters cast ballots in the primary election, and no county had participation higher than 45%; in fact, most had turnout rates in the high 20s to mid 30s. In Monongalia County, 28.09% of registered voters cast ballots. In comparison, Preston County had an impressive 39.83%. So what does all that mean? It means that roughly one-third of voters decided who gets ...

The real cost of coal for West Virginia

When the Environmental Protection Agency announced its new carbon emission rules for coal-fired plants, there were a lot of numbers that got thrown around — and quite a few that didn’t. So here’s a closer look at some numbers. As Brad McElhinny reported, coal plants that plan to stay open beyond 2039 would have to cut or capture 90% of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2032. Plants that expect to retire by 2039 would face a less stringent standard but still would have to capture some emissions. Coal plants that are set to retire by 2032 would not be subject to the new rules. ...

Meanwhile, in Morgantown …

City takes panhandling law off the books Last week, the Morgantown City Council voted to repeal a 2005 panhandling law that is the basis for a federal lawsuit against the city brought by Mountain State Justice. City Code Section 371.10 is a true “panhandling” prohibition in a way that Monongalia County’s “safety” ordinance is not. As Ben Conley reported, the law in question states it’s illegal to ask for money or other objects of value by any means with the intention of the money or objects being transferred from an occupant of a vehicle within a public roadway at that ...

MCHD wants to know: What can it do better?

What more can the Mon County Health Department do — and what can it do better? That’s what the health department would like to know, and it’s hosting town hall meetings to find out. The first town hall was last night at Morgantown High School’s library and the second one will take place from 6-7 p.m. tonight at the Clay-Battelle High School auditorium. Members of the public are encouraged to come and ask questions, make suggestions and give feedback. MCHD already provides a wide variety of services: food handler training, health inspections, free clinics and testing, ...

Where Pulitzer fiction meets W.Va. reality

In case you somehow missed the news, Buckhannon native Jayne Anne Phillips won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel “Night Watch.” This is, of course, an incredibly proud moment for the Mountain State, and we congratulate Phillips on her success. The summary for “Night Watch” reads: “In 1874, in the wake of the War, erasure, trauma, and namelessness haunt civilians and veterans, renegades and wanderers, freedmen and runaways. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, the adult in her family for as long as she can remember, finds herself on a buckboard journey with her mother, ...

Last chance to comment on MIP bridge proposal

Amidst everything else that has been going on — regionally and nationally — discussion of the Harmony Grove interchange and the even more expensive stop-gap bridge has faded into the background. But the period for public comment on the bridge is coming to a close. As a quick refresher: The Harmony Grove interchange has been a long-sought-after renovation to connect the Morgantown Industrial Park to Interstate 79 and then to 68. In fact, it was the deciding factor in Mountaintop Beverage deciding to settle in the industrial park; the interchange would allow Mountaintop’s trucks ...