The recent economic news for West Virginia can be broken into four categories — excellent, good, caution advised and bad. Let’s start with “excellent.” Local and state […]
Hoppy Kercheval
Why is Child Protective Services hiding?
Earlier this month, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a home in Sissonville to investigate a report of suspected child abuse. When they arrived, deputies made […]
Substance abuse fuels foster care surge
West Virginia’s drug overdose mortality rate is the highest in the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 1,500 West Virginians died from […]
West Virginia’s food conundrum
When it comes to what and how we eat in West Virginia, there is a conundrum. West Virginia is above the national average in food insecurity, which […]
Congress fails on budget — again
The stunning rebuke of Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker is yet another indication of the dysfunction of Congress. In this case, the House Republican majority was overruled […]
Shepherd University is ‘rightsizing’
West Virginia University is not the only higher education institution in the state going through a challenging “rightsizing.” Shepherd University in Shepherdstown is also trying to figure […]
West Virginia’s two Republican parties
It was not that many years ago that the Republican Party in West Virginia was an afterthought. Democrats held supermajorities in both the House and Senate. Republicans […]
Student no-shows are a chronic problem in our schools
West Virginia has too many children who fail to show up for school on a regular basis. Data from the state’s 2022-23 Balanced Scorecard find that 28% […]
West Virginia University is right to rightsize
Vox published an article a few months ago entitled, “The Incredible Shrinking Future of College.” Author Kevin Carey detailed how the declining birthrate produced an “enrollment cliff” […]
Hoppy, the Reluctant Adventurer
I am a reluctant adventurer. Home and work are my safe spaces, and routine is the glue that holds my comfort zone together. Change creates anxiety and […]