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W.Va. GOP fixated on the ‘W’ in ‘WIC’

Where to even begin? Let us set the scene: It’s Dec. 15, and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources tweets out an image of two men (ostensibly a gay couple) lying side-by-side on the floor while one holds a baby aloft and the other makes a funny face. Along with the image, the DHHR tweeted the words: “No matter your family structure, WIC is here to help you and your children get the nutritional help you need” along with a link to WIC’s eligibility guidelines. The official Twitter account of the West Virginia Republican Party (using the handle @WVGOP) ...

Gritstone could become public recreation amenity

At the beginning of November, the pandemic claimed — though belatedly — another local business. Gritstone Climbing + Fitness was foreclosed upon, and at the end of November, the business was sold at auction to Unified Bank. Its doors have been closed since. The rock-climbing gym had a small but loyal following, and customers launched “Save Gritstone” campaigns on social media and a GoFundMe to support its former employees. It’s no wonder its patrons are so steadfast — Gritstone was the area’s only indoor climbing facility open to the public. The 20,000-square-foot ...

Mon EMS should be allowed to partner with sobering center

We reported Sunday that the Hope Hill Sobering Center at Hazel’s House of Hope would like to partner with Mon EMS. At the moment, only friends/family or police can drop off an intoxicated individual to sleep it off. The entities would like to work together, but the decision is not theirs alone to make: Mon EMS must receive permission from the Medical Policy and Care Committee — the primary policy-making and advisory body concerning medical issues involving the EMS system. Current policy dictates that ambulances must transport individuals to a medical facility — which the ...

Coal towns left behind by empty promise

One of the few good things to come out of the West Virginia Legislature this past year has been nothing more than an empty promise. In 2021, the Legislature cobbled together a workgroup that toured the state’s coalfields, holding listening sessions and townhalls in former coal towns whose heydays are far behind. According to Mountain State Spotlight, that committee put together a list of 83 suggestions to revitalize these forgotten-but-still-hanging-on areas for the 2022 legislative session. All that work produced only one passed bill.  During the regular session last ...

Lawmakers gear up for another book ban fight?

Piggybacking off this past year’s law mandating teachers catalogue classroom libraries and provide that information to parents or guardians on request, some lawmakers are already preparing for a possible book banning spree. But ... “You gotta be careful,” said incoming Sen. Jay Taylor (R-Preston), “because as soon as you try to ban something, you’re declared racist or whatever and all that stuff.” Instead, he said, “It’s gotta be about ‘age appropriate.’ ” Taylor was one of four senators to attend a meeting hosted by Dennis Westover. Sen. Michael Azinger ...

Leave pipeline behind to advance permitting reform

On Dec. 8, a section of the Keystone Pipeline passing through Kansas ruptured, spilling 14,000 barrels (about 588,000 gallons) of crude oil across farmland and into a creek. Just a couple days later, Sen. Joe Manchin was throwing a fit because his “Building American Energy Security Act of 2022” — better known as the side-deal that got him to vote for the Inflation Reduction Act — wasn’t added into the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act. Manchin’s bill would “streamline” the permitting process for a variety of energy projects, but it also mandates the ...