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What happens when local gov’t has to beg the state for funds

The humanitarian crisis that was (and still is) Jackson, Miss., exemplifies what happens when infrastructure is starved of funds — and when local governments have to try to beg for funds from the state. A series of severe weather events debilitated Jackson’s water systems early this month: Water treatment plants were damaged, so they couldn’t refill the water towers; too little water in the towers meant water wasn’t making it to people’s taps; and what little water did drip out wasn’t safe to use. To hear the residents of Jackson tell it, this is just the latest in a ...

Pro-birth law will diminish quality of life in West Virginia

We have made it clear where we stand on abortion bans. Instead of reiterating why HB 302’s various restrictions are idiotic, impractical and inhumane, we’re going to look at the bigger picture. Restricting access to abortions will have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences. It may take months, years, even decades to fully understand HB 302’s impact on the state’s population and economy, but we predict West Virginia is likely to experience the following: ○ An increase in abortions and abortion-related deaths. Decades of data and research have shown one universal ...

Senate must revive bill to preserve local journalism

Last week, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act was pulled from Senate consideration after Sen. Ted Cruz managed to squeeze in a bill-killing amendment during committee markup. The JCPA was introduced to give small- and medium-sized newspapers and broadcasters the ability to collectively bargain with tech giants like Google and Facebook that have been unfairly using news producers’ content for their own gain, even as Big Tech gobbles up the lion’s share of advertising revenue that newspapers and broadcasters need to stay afloat. As tech companies and their platforms ...

The legacy of Sept. 11

The average college student has no true memory of Sept. 11, 2001. Neither do current high school, middle school or elementary school students. They were too young — if they had even been born yet — to remember the day two planes took down the twin towers of the World Trade Center, while another crashed into the Pentagon and yet another nosedived into a field in Pennsylvania. Twenty-one years after the day that changed the United States, America’s youth have no memory of the catalyst, but they have lived their entire lives in the aftermath. They have never known a world in which ...

Forgiving student debt will help W.Va.

President Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan (should it be implemented) strikes a valiant compromise between those who preach fiscal responsibility and those who’d like to see all student debt erased. Biden’s plan forgives up to $10,000 for borrowers making less than $125,000 annually ($250,000 for married couples). Individuals who’d received Pell Grants (awarded based on financial need) can get up to $20,000 in student debt forgiven. Certain policy changes will help current and future borrowers. There are plenty of objections: It’s not fair to everyone who has ...

‘Forever chemicals’ in W.Va.’s water

As you may have heard, the U.S. Geological Survey recently released a report on the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in West Virginia’s water. The study came at the behest of the state Legislature and was done in conjunction with several West Virginia agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection. If “PFAS” is ringing a bell, it may be because we’ve addressed it in this space before — or because you watched the movie “Dark Waters,” about the DuPont plant near Parkersburg that poisoned residents for decades. “PFAS” is an ...