Hoppy Kercheval

When it comes to federal money, West Virginia receives more than it gives… a lot more. The Rockefeller Institute of Government’s annual report looked at four major categories of federal spending: direct payments for individuals under programs such as Social Security and Medicare, federal grants to state and local governments, federal contracts and wages paid

A MetroNews West Virginia Poll suggests that the state’s voters view the abortion issue differently than their elected representatives. Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and sent the abortion issue back to the states in 2022, the West Virginia Legislature voted overwhelmingly to ban abortion except in rare circumstances. The

About 400 unionized employees of The Greenbrier Resort were shocked to learn this week that they are in danger of losing their health care coverage as soon as next week because the Justices had fallen four months behind on payments to their health fund. (Read more here from Brad McElhinny.) A statement on behalf of

  In 1987, a few folks in Boone County got together to see if they could raise some money to help one of their local students attend West Virginia University. The story goes that ten people put in $100 each and they gave away one $1,000 scholarship. The money also helped buy a trumpet so

Steve Williams started his campaign for West Virginia Governor as a long shot, and the most recent campaign finance reports do nothing to change his status. If anything, Huntington’s Democratic Mayor is even farther behind in his effort to upset Republican nominee Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. Williams’ campaign financial statement shows he raised $46,010 in

  Babydog is now permanently enshrined in West Virginia’s history and architecture. The image of Governor Jim Justice’s beloved English Bulldog appears, surprisingly, in one of the murals recently unveiled in the upper rotunda of the West Virginia State Capitol. Babydog is seated among individuals depicting dance, music and art with Seneca Rocks in the

It has been two years this month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The decision eliminated the federal right to an abortion and sent the issue back to the states. Since then at least 14 states, including West Virginia, have passed laws prohibiting all abortions, except in very limited circumstances. However, that

The news last week about the death of Jerry West was a stunner. Jerry West, dead? Of course, West, like the rest of us, faced mortality, but he was not like the rest of us, was he? Unless we stopped to think about it, it just felt as though West would always be there. He

The Voice of West Virginia

I have talked with several people in the last few days who worry about a “wasted vote.” The argument is that voting for a candidate who has little chance of winning has no value. It is better, the argument goes, to vote for an individual who can win. I understand that argument from a statistical