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Mooney says ousting speaker is step too far

Congress is without a speaker, and Congressman Alex Mooney has a blunt assessment. “It was a rough day.” For the first time in history, the House of Representatives voted to oust the speaker, Kevin McCarthy. Eight Republicans joined all the congressional Democrats in the 216-210 vote to vacate. Mooney and Congresswoman Carol Miller, both Republicans, voted against the motion to expel McCarthy from his House Speaker role. The effort was led by a Republican, Matt Gaetz of Florida. He had longstanding criticism of McCarthy that came to a head after McCarthy led the effort ...

Mon Commission to explore new hours for the county courthouse

MORGANTOWN — The Monongalia County Commission is exploring a move away from its traditional 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. hours of operation for the Monongalia County Courthouse.   During a Wednesday work session, Assessor Mark Musick said the consensus among the county’s constitutional office holders is that 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. would be preferable.  Court security personnel at the courthouse explained that while foot traffic tapers off significantly after 4 p.m. or so, it’s fairly common for people to show up at the building prior to 9 a.m. and be left waiting at the front ...

Justice provides minimal details on debt, loans

Gov. Jim Justice, when asked about several noteworthy liabilities on his U.S. Senate financial disclosure form, said they’re a sign of a tenacious approach to finances and positive personal relationships. For many years, Justice was described as West Virginia’s only billionaire, but Forbes downgraded him after 2021 debt disputes. U.S. senators and candidates have to submit financial disclosure forms that list sources of income, assets and liabilities. Justice submitted his last week, revealing assets valued at millions of dollars – with many listed as providing little or no ...

Commission gets updates on repairs

KINGWOOD — Progress continues at the Preston County Sheriff’s Department, according to Joe LaRue, county facility manager. In December, a water line break sent 700,000 gallons of water through the building causing damage. LaRue said dry wall and drop ceiling panels are being replaced in the basement and electrical updates are ongoing. He said four smaller breaker panels will replace the two large circuit breaker panels in the basement. LaRue said he is waiting for the state fire marshal to approve the change. He thanked Mayor Jean Guillot and the city sewer workers who ...

Rivals in U.S. Senate race knock Justice over financial disclosure report

Political rivals of Gov. Jim Justice are criticizing his financial disclosure form in the race for U.S. Senate as a day late and many dollars short. Justice ’s campaign submitted the disclosure Monday, just as a small financial penalty could have kicked in. The form submitted on behalf of the man once described as West Virginia’s only billionaire included a long list of assets but showed that many make little to no income. The disclosure also included millions of dollars in liabilities. “Even after a 90-day extension and a ‘grace period,’ liberal Jim Justice stretched ...

Justice finance report shows pile of assets

CHARLESTON — Jim Justice has filed a federally mandated financial disclosure for his U.S. Senate run, revealing a mountain of assets — with many indicating they produce little or no income — and also a riptide of debt. Two debts on the filing are promissory notes characterized as between $1 million and $5 million each to Bray Cary, the broadcaster and businessman who served as Justice’s senior adviser, as well as his Cary Foundation Inc. No explanation is provided for the notes, both issued Aug. 31, 2021, shortly after Cary left the administration. Justice declared his ...