Earlier this year, Cathy Kunkel announced her candidacy for West Virginia’s second Congressional district in the U.S. House—running as a Democrat, and, if she secures the nomination, challenging Congressman Alex Mooney (R-West Virginia) in November 2020. Read the Full Story >>
Government
Citizens United, and the Making of America’s Frankenstein Monster
Citizens United needs no introduction; it will be forever remembered as the most polarizing Supreme Court decision of the contemporary era—so far. What’s easy to forget is that it began in 2004 when the non-profit organization “Citizens United” filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Michael Moore’s film “Fahrenheit 911.” Six years later, it delivered a cash cow of political influence in the form of paid endorsements, Super-Super PACs, expenditures, ads, dark money, and even worse, a broader legal definition of corporate personhood. Read the Full Story >>
Partisan Gerrymandering is Constitutional
About a month ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that what is called “partisan gerrymandering” passes constitutional muster. But that doesn’t make it right. Read the Full Story >>
Keep the Trains Running!
The Maryland Rail Corporation (MARC) has informed the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) that passenger service from West Virginia will be cut from three trains each way to one in October. This would be a disaster for Jefferson and Berkeley Counties. Read the Full Story >>
West Virginia’s Premature Budget
The state constitution requires that a budget (that is balanced) be passed prior to the beginning of the fiscal year for which it is to be law. Our state’s fiscal year begins on July 1 of each calendar year. Read the Full Story >>
Pipeline Bait and Switch
On March 26, Delegate Sammi Brown and I met with Scott Mandirola, Deputy Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and DEP General Counsel Jason Wandling. We met with them to urge the DEP to make good on its promise to hold a public hearing on the natural gas pipeline coming to Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>
Amendment 1: Government in Reverse
West Virginia Amendment 1, stating that “this Constitution does not protect the right to abortion,” is what I would call “backwards family planning.” We all agree that our goal is to bring children into the world who are wanted and able to thrive. We also agree that government is not just there to protect property, it’s there Read the Full Story >>
The Case for Cannabis in WV
The West Virginia Legislature passed a bill two years ago legalizing the consumption of marijuana for medicinal purposes. But no “weed” may yet be taken as medicine, because the administration of Governor Jim Justice has not been able to get the program under way. Read the Full Story >>
Local Historian Publishes Reaction to Trump with Book of Essays
Dr. Raymond W. Smock is an American historian, currently serving as director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education at Shepherd University. The Observer interviewed him recently to discuss his career, the cottage industry of “Trump books” that has emerged in the last several years, and where his new book, Trump Tsunami: A Historian’s Diary of the Trump Campaign and His First Year in Office, lands in the context of this new literature. Read the Full Story >>
What’s the Dill with the Pickle Bill?
It was a bill that would expand access to healthy, locally grown food. Co-sponsored by Senator Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson), it was legislation that would help farmers preserve and add value to their produce. Senate Bill 27 passed the WV Senate unanimously and the House of Delegates 95-3, yet alcohol and politics killed the "Pickle Bill" in the final hours of the 60th day of the Regular Session. Read the Full Story >>
A Push to Revitalize West Virginia’s Downtowns
A robust movement advocating for greater state tax credits for the rehabilitation of historic properties is spreading throughout West Virginia—and is picking up steam in the state’s legislature. Read the Full Story >>
Brunch Means Business for Jefferson County
On November 8, Jefferson County voters, in addition to voting for their president, governor, and state and elected representatives, will be asked another question: “Shall the beginning hour at which non-intoxicating beer, wine, and alcoholic liquor be sold or dispensed for on premises consumption only in Jefferson County on Sundays be changed from one o’clock p.m. to ten o’clock a.m.” Simply put, can our bars, taverns, and restaurants start serving alcoholic drinks at 10am on Sundays? Read the Full Story >>
The Elk River Spill Two Years Later
The buzzword about Congress these days is gridlock: the left and right are too far apart to get anything done, and compromise (at least among some) is now a dirty word. Yet in December, the U.S. Senate passed a major overhaul of one of America’s most outdated environmental and public health laws, the Toxic Substances Control Act. This follows House passage of a separate reform bill in June. No one can claim that the chemical spill in Charleston’s Elk River two years ago last month triggered reform. But surely, a public health disaster of such magnitude couldn’t go unnoticed, even in the tone-deaf halls of Congress. Read the Full Story >>
