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The Bell Tolls for WVU's Garrison
2008-06-06 19:52:00
The Associated Press was on hand for West Virginia University President Mike Garrison 's announcement to the school's board of governors.Others with coverage include:MetroNews, which also has a photo gallery and audio;The Charleston Daily Mail, which also offers Garrison's statement and that of the board;Public Broadcasting;The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Gov. Joe Manchin has also posted a statement online.
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DaughterGate
2008-06-06 14:30:00
The Associated Press' Vicki Smith sets the stage for today's meeting of West Virginia University's Board of Governors."On the eve of what could be a key meeting about his future, pressure mounted on embattled West Virginia University President Mike Garrison, with his law professor colleagues and others demanding that he resign or be fired over a master's degree scandal involving the governor's daughter," Smith writes."A total of 124 donors with past gifts ranging from $1,000 to $450,000 have told the WVU Foundation Inc. they will withhold future donations "until such time as there is a leadership change," director R. Wayne King told Smith. "That number has tripled in the past month.""From a full-page ad in the local paper, The Dominion Post of Morgantown, to op-ed pieces in the state's largest, The Charleston Gazette, critics insisted Thursday that the university cannot recover from the scandal that has compromised its national reputation as long as Garrison has the helm," the...

Byrd Out of Hospital
2008-06-06 13:56:00
"West Virginia Sen. Robert C. Byrd was released from the hospital Thursday after being treated for a mild infection," The Associated Press reports."Senator Byrd will complete the course of his antibiotic treatment as prescribed by his doctors at his home and is expected to return to his official Senate duties upon his doctors' approval,'' Byrd spokesman Jesse Jacobs said in a statement.
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More W.Va. Rankings
2008-06-05 14:24:00
West Virginia is staying ahead of the national average in the number of its students graduating from high school, and improved slightly over the prior year, according to the latest Diplomas County survey in Education Week.The Charleston Gazette and Herald-Dispatch of Huntington are among those with coverage, drawn from The Associated Press' report.The Journal of Martinsburg, meanwhile, reports that "West Virginia is one of the highest-rated states in the country for domestic violence homicides against women."The West Virginia Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team counts "39 deaths from 2003 were reviewed and determined to be related to domestic violence," the article said. "Of the deaths, 26 were homicides while 13 were suicides."

Election 2008 Shorts
2008-06-04 20:12:00
Gov. Joe Manchin tells MetroNews' Talkline that he's sticking with his plan to "wait until Friday to announce which Democratic Presidential Candidate he'll support as one of West Virginia's ten superdelegates." With audio.The Charleston Daily Mail reports on efforts by Ralph Nader supporters to offer their candidate to Mountain State voters. "Staff and volunteers for the independent candidate have collected more than half of the signatures required in the state to put Nader on the general election ballot," the newspaper reports.The Parkersburg Register revisits one of the more unusual outcomes from the May 13 state primary. "The Democratic Primary for the West Virginia House of Delegates 10th District became a statistical oddity with the third-place tie between Iris McCrady and Tim Fittro; an oddity that Wood County Clerk Jaime Six would like to see studied," that newspaper reports.
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Manchin Joins National Call for Dem Unity
2008-06-04 20:03:00
As chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, Gov. Joe Manchin issued a statement with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean after their party ended their primary season Tuesday."Democrats must now turn our full attention to the general election. To that end, we are urging all remaining uncommitted super delegates to make their decisions known by Friday of this week," the statement said.The Los Angeles Times has an item on the statement.Manchin is among those uncommitted super delegates, as earlier reported. He also headlined a Tuesday rally in Parkersburg "to promote unity of the Democratic party" there, The Parkersburg News reports.Update: The Parkersburg Register also covered the unity rally, where Manchin " announced plans to call for all superdelegates nationwide to make their presidential nomination selections by this weekend."
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DaughterGate Update
2008-06-04 20:01:00
"Five members of West Virginia University's Academy of Distinguished Alumni have told the school's governing board that they deplore the decision to award an unearned degree to Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter, and say WVU President Mike Garrison must resign or be removed from office," The Charleston Gazette reports. MetroNews also has the alumni's "scathing letter."(Update ) The Charleston Daily Mail that two of the alumni "expressed strong displeasure several months ago over the way the school treated ex-coach Rich Rodriguez," while another "was a candidate for the WVU presidency last year before Garrison got the job and continues to criticize the way the WVU Board of Governors conducted the presidential search." It also posts the aforementioned letter. WVU Assistant Vice President for Graduate Education Jonathan Cumming tells MetroNews (audio here) that "claims that as many as 70 eMBA degrees may be in question have not been fully reviewed," and that "discrepancies were found as pa...

Underwood Hospitalized
2008-06-04 13:15:00
Former Gov. Cecil Underwood is in fair condition at Charleston Area Medical Center's Memorial Division after being admitted to the hospital "several days ago," a family friend and a nursing supervisor tell MetroNews.The 85-year-old Republican "has the distinction of being both the youngest and oldest person to serve as the state?s Governor," MetroNews notes. "His first term was from 1957 to 1961. He served his second term from 1997 to 2001."Another West Virginia elder statesman also remains hospitalized. "A spokesman for U.S. Senator Robert Byrd says the senator is going to stay in the hospital for "several more days," MetroNews also reports. " Communications Director Jesse Jacobs says the 90-year-old Byrd is being treated for a mild infection."

The Fuel Cost Crunch in W.Va.
2008-06-03 18:28:00
Some 50,000 West Virginia truckers can avoid paying their $1,132.75 annual registration fee for most trucks for two months, in a bid to help them manage rising fuel costs, The Associated Press reports.Gov. Joe Manchin and the state Division of Motor Vehicles agreed to push back the deadline for those fees from July 1 to Sept. 1, AP reports."According to AAA, diesel averages $4.85 a gallon in West Virginia, compared with $4.78 nationally," the article noted.MetroNews reports that "the idea of the two-month reprieve came from talks the governor had with truckers who drove to the state capitol as part of a protest earlier this year. The governor spoke with the truckers by phone that day and later met with some of them."MetroNews also reports that "West Virginia has seen its third straight month of motor fuel tax collections below estimates," with one state official commenting that "people are consuming less gasoline and are a little cautious of their driving habits."The move comes aft...
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Teacher Pension Transfer Approved
2008-06-03 18:15:00
More than 78 percent of Teacher s' Defined Contribution plan members have elected to move to the Teachers' Retirement System and its traditional pension benefit.The Associated Press has details.With 14,871 TDC enrollees approved for the exodus, the rate more than exceeds the 65 percent threshold set by lawmakers. It also triggers the state subsidy provision, as it cleared 75 percent of eligible members.Lawmakers had previously proposed providing $24.5 million to ensure the transfers can receive full benefits under the other plan. They had otherwise faced paying sizable actuarial estimates, as they've been paying less from their wages than their soon-to-be TRS brethren have been toward their retirement.
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Teacher Pension Transfer Results Due
2008-06-03 14:46:00
West Virginia's Consolidated Public Retirement Board expects to get the final tally today from the bid by Teacher s' Defined Contribution plan members to transfer into another pension program."Transfer s will be allowed if the number equals at least 65 percent of TDC members," The Associated Press explains. "That means at least 12,343 teachers, school service personnel and other enrollees must approve the transfer."The state has promised to subsidize payments required to ensure full benefits under the other program, the Teachers' Retirement System, but only if 75 percent or more move.The Charleston Gazette also sets the stage for Tuesday's meeting."One likely issue will be what to do about teachers at a Marion County high school, where the principal submitted transfer forms after the May 13 deadline," The Gazette reported. "At present, the CPRB cannot accept those transfers."An official said "that was the only instance where a supervisor failed to submit collected transfer forms b...
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Cheney Makes West Virginia A Punchline
2008-06-03 14:37:00
Vice President Dick Cheney was wrapping up his Monday appearance at a National Press Club event when the final question from the audience addressed his apparent blood ties to Barack Obama.Cheney went on to explain that research into his family tree revealed Cheneys on his mother's side of the family."So, I had Cheneys on both sides of the family, and we don't even live in West Virginia ," the vice president quipped.The remark drew laughter, and perhaps some groans, from the Washington, D.C. audience."You can say those things when you're not running for re-election," Cheney continued, to additional laughter and slight applause.West Virginia officials were less than thrilled, as The Associated Press and others report."I truly cannot believe that any vice president of the United States, regardless of their political affiliation, would make such a derogatory statement about my state or any state for that matter," said Gov. Joe Manchin. The Democrat issued a statement requesting an apo...

Same-Sex Marriage in W.Va.
2008-06-03 14:36:00
The West Virginia Family Foundation wants a special session, or an item added to the one expected later this month, for "a resolution to let voters decide if a ban on same-sex marriage should become part of West Virginia's Constitution," The Associated Press reports.The group says "rulings in California and New York threaten West Virginia's law," which "bans same-sex marriage and says the state won't recognize such marriages performed in another state," the article said."Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg says the governor believes the group's proposal is better suited for a regular session, rather than a special session," the article continued.
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Manchin Figures in SuperDelegate Mix as Dems End Primary Season
2008-06-03 14:27:00
Gov. Joe Manchin remains one of three West Virginia "super" or unelected delegates uncommitted to either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, The Associated Press reports.He's also chair of the Democratic Governors Association, and so is poised to play a role in the Democrats' efforts to solidify their support after today's primaries in South Dakota and Montana, AP also reports."Officials said that if Obama failed to gain 2,118 delegates by tonight, one possibility under discussion was to have key leaders to issue a statement Wednesday urging superdelegates to state their preferences as soon as possible," that article said. "The leaders suggested were Sen. Harry Reid, the majority leader; Speaker Nancy Pelosi;" and Manchin.AP's count found that "Obama was 41.5 delegates shy of the 2,118, needed to clinch the nomination at the party's convention in Denver," while Clinton had 1917.5.AP also has a separate report on the task that awaits Manchin and other DGA members: "Eleven of the na...
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Byrd Hospitalized
2008-06-03 03:50:00
Quoting a spokesman, The Associated Press reported late Monday that Sen. Robert C. Byrd "has been hospitalized at his doctor's urging after suffering from lethargy and sluggishness at his home.""He was found to have a fever, and at his doctor's request he was taken to a nearby hospital," the report said. "Press secretary Jesse L. Jacobs says the West Virginia Democrat will be there overnight for observation."The 90-year-old's health has been a recurring topic on Capitol Hill. The longest-serving senator in U.S. history "was hospitalized March 5 for tests after a reaction to antibiotics," AP noted. "A week earlier he was hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after a fall at home."The Charleston Gazette also has a report.

DaughterGate Update
2008-06-03 03:44:00
Forces remain arrayed against West Virginia University President Mike Garrison, in the wake of Friday's Board of Governors meeting.The main opposition group, "Mountaineers for Integrity and Responsibility," has collected signatures from "576 alumni, 263 faculty members, 186 students, 50 staff members and 165 others" for a petition seeking Garrison's ouster, The Associated Press reports.AP also follows up with faculty who have twice voted no confidence in Garrison. Update : so does the Charleston Daily Mail.AP's Vicki Smith was among those was among those reporting Friday that the board "believes President Mike Garrison did nothing to influence the improper awarding of a master?s degree to the governor?s daughter last fall."MIR has planned a 1 p.m. Monday rally at WVU's Mountainlair. "Students, faculty members, local leaders, WVU Administrators and University President Mike Garrison have all been invited to be part of the rally," MetroNews reports.Update: AP reports that the rall...

Quote of the Octennium
2008-06-03 03:32:00
"So, I had Cheneys on both sides of the family, and we don't even live in West Virginia. You can say those things when you're not running for re-election." -- Vice President Dick Cheney, to a National Press Club audience Monday.
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Special Legislative Session Expected for June
2008-06-02 19:28:00
The governor's office tells The Associated Press that supplemental budget measures and possible funding for the proposed teacher pension transfer are on the table for a special session expected to coincide with June 's interim legislative meetings.
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Supco Appeal Refusals, Revisited
2008-06-02 19:26:00
The Associated Press explores the implications from the state Supreme Court's unanimous decisions last month rejecting appeals requests. One stemmed from a high profile coal-contract dispute involving Massey Energy, the other from a fight over natural gas royalties that resulted in a record-high jury award."Parties on both sides of those debates question whether either case fits neatly into the narrative that casts the Mountain State as hostile to business and prone to award 'jackpot' jury awards," AP reports. "So does the author of an upcoming West Virginia Law Review article that examines the continuing push to label the state a 'judicial hellhole.'"But AP also relays views that "what the court's decisions may instead reveal is a potential gap in the state's judicial system, created by the absence of an intermediate appeals court and the absolute discretion wielded by its Supreme Court when considering which cases to hear."Update: An official from Chesapeake Energy, hit by ...
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W.Va. Groans Under Gas Prices
2008-06-02 14:38:00
The Associated Press' Tom Breen highlights efforts by one industry group, West Virginians for Better Transportation, to aid the state's main roadbuilding and repair fund amid rising fuel costs."West Virginia drivers can now log onto http://www.keepwvmoving.org to calculate their daily, weekly, monthly and yearly state gasoline tax bill," Breen writes. "The group worries that high prices are keeping people off the road, which means lower tax revenues. The problem is that the state Road Fund, which pays for maintenance, paving and repairs on state roads and bridges, relies on gas taxes for about 60 percent of its revenue."AP reported earlier that "county school systems need an extra $5 million to keep their 3,000 buses rolling in the wake of record diesel prices, and Gov. Joe Manchin might ask lawmakers for the money this summer during a special session."And the Charleston Daily Mail noted previously that "overall fuel tax revenues for West Virginia have been growing at a steady p...
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Draft Report "Out" on WVU Health Sciences
2008-05-29 14:45:00
MetroNews reports that "confidential interim" findings from a review of West Virginia University's Health Sciences Center identify "a series of problems with the giant health care complex."The review's report details "serious deficiencies in anesthesiology, cardiothoracic surgery, and general surgery," and "also concludes there are management dysfunctions throughout the system that exacerbate the problems," MetroNews said."The general contents of the report were described to Metronews by a source familiar with the report," the item said. "The report has been delivered to WVU President Mike Garrison for review."
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Supco Ruling Dooms $35m Chesapeake Project
2008-05-29 14:32:00
Chesapeake Energy has scuttled plans to "invest up to $35 million to build a futuristic regional headquarters in Charleston," because of last week's Supreme Court ruling upholding a $405 million verdict against it and other gas producers, the Charleston Daily Mail reports.Company spokesman Scott Rotruck "called the state Supreme Court denial 'stunning' because it does not give the companies an opportunity to challenge the verdict," the article said. The denial "sends a profoundly negative message," he told the newspaper.
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Timing Proved Crucial for Record W.Va. Bond Deal
2008-05-29 14:26:00
West Virginia issued bonds last year in exchange for $911 million in up-front cash. It promised the buyers of those bonds future annual proceeds from its multibillion-dollar settlement with major U.S. cigarette makers, whom it had sued in the 1990s to recoup tobacco-related health care costs.As The Charleston Gazette reports, market analysts have lauded state officials for their sense of timing."As it turned out, it was also the last major issue of taxable tobacco settlement bonds on Wall Street before the bond market took a severe downturn, driven by the subprime mortgage crisis," the article said, citing Citigroup advisor Paul Creedon.Subsequent declines in cigarette sales would have also meant diminshed returns for the state from its litigation settlement, had it not diverted them to bondholders in exchange for the up-front cash.
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Table Games Offer New Source of Child Support
2008-05-29 14:04:00
The emergence of table games at West Virginia racetracks present a new avenue for pursuing past-due child support, The Associated Press reports.Along with Colorado, the state is "moving ahead with plans to garnish the winnings of casino gamblers who owe child support," the AP article said. "West Virginia's Department of Health and Human Resources is working on a plan that could be in place within 90 days, while Colorado is rolling out its system July 1."The casino industry opposes the plan, with one lobbyist telling AP "there's no system in place that would compute winning and losing.''"While many states check big winners of traditional lottery games against lists of people who owe child support, the National Conference of State Legislatures believes Colorado and West Virginia would be first to go after casino winnings," the article notes. "Mississippi and New Mexico have statutes allowing casino payouts to be intercepted for child support debts, but neither is doing so."
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Weeks Sues over Legislative Pay Hikes
2008-05-28 14:33:00
Russ Weeks , the former state senator and 2008 GOP nominee for governor, filed his threatened lawsuit Tuesday over the legislative pay raise bill passed earlier this year.As The Associated Press reports, Weeks objects "to both $5,000 salary increases for each member of the Legislature and retroactive increases in daily compensation for some lawmakers."Others covering the Supreme Court petition include MetroNews, The Register-Herald of Beckley and The Charleston Gazette.

The Climate Change Debate and West Virginia
2008-05-27 19:49:00
At least two groups are appealing to West Virginia ns through radio ads as the U.S. Senate weighs "America's Climate Security Act."The legislation seeks to "direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases, and for other purposes. "One of the radio spots comes from AmericasPower.org, sponsored by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. The coalition includes most, though not all, of the major coal producers operating in the state.The Associated Press reports on the other group, the free-market espousing Club for Growth, running ads throughout the country regarding the bill.While both spots raise questions about the legislation, the latter group is also focusing on this year's crop of candidates. They include U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va."The proposed legislation calls for capping carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, transportation and industrial sources with a goal of reducing g...
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Election 2008 Roundup
2008-05-27 19:40:00
The Associated Press starts the week with several items addressing various races in the Mountain State:AP's Tom Breen explores whether Democrats will have to cede West Virginia as well as Kentucky and "the Appalachian counties of key Electoral College states like Pennsylvania and Ohio" if Obama becomes their presidential nominee.AP also assesses the impact of the DaughterGate scandal on the re-election bid of Gov. Joe Manchin.Responding to concerns about coal's role in future U.S. energy policy, "U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-2nd) says creating a viable way to convert coal to liquid fuel has to be a cornerstone," AP reports. "The Republican congresswoman plans to announce new legislation Tuesday in Charleston aimed at promoting the development of such technology nationally."(Update): The Charleston Daily Mail contrasts Capito's position on drilling with that of Democratic challenger Anne Barth. "Capito is for drilling in northeastern Alaska for possible gas and oil resource...
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Manchin Eyes TrAIL Tax
2008-05-27 14:41:00
Gov. Joe Manchin has revealed plans to reap revenues from a $1.3 billion, high voltage power line that's plotted to cross north central West Virginia.The Associated Press and MetroNews are among those reporting on Manchin's proposal, which includes a tax on the Trans-Allegheny Transmission Line."The governor's four-part transmission tax plan calls for rate reductions for West Virginia citizens who receive electricity from the line, extra revenue for counties that house the line, extra revenue for the state that will allow it to provide additional services to its residents and free electricity for all landowners who are affected by the placement of the line," MetroNews reported.The governor's office detailed its proposal after the Sierra Club of West Virginia requested some of the relevant documents in a Freedom of Information Act request.
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Belated Quote of the Day
2008-05-27 14:38:00
?They finally assigned someone to West Virginia three weeks ago. I had a couple of contacts with him and I e-mailed him twice and I never heard back. I finally called and they said that the guy had resigned.? -- Dr. Doug McKinney, chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party, to The New York Times for its weekend report on "disarray" in the camp of presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain.
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Appeal Refused in Record Verdict Gas Royalty Case
2008-05-23 17:08:00
In an active day for the justices, West Virginia's Supreme Court has let stand a nearly $405 million verdict awarded in a Roane County class-action lawsuit, MetroNews reports.In what may be a record verdict for the state, the judgment involves around 8,000 plaintiffs who sued over natural gas royalty payments. Punitive damages account for two-thirds of the verdict.The defendants include NiSource. "President and CEO Robert C. Skaggs, Jr. said the company is surprised and disappointed with the West Virginia Court's decision not to hear its appeal," MetroNews reported."The Court's decision to not even address the substance of an appeal in a case of this significance, particularly in light of the $270 million in punitive damages awarded at the trial court level, is unprecedented and contrary to the most basic principles of fairness. We firmly believe in the merits of our position and will continue to vigorously pursue our arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court," he said in a statement.
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