High School Football 
- Class AAA
- Class AA
- Class A
Teacher, Staff Shortage Worsens in WV, Across the Country
The state Department of Education will release figures later this fall on teacher vacancies in West Virginia. The department reported 1,196 vacancies last school year and Dr. Carla Warren, Director of Education Development and Support, warned during an appearance on Talkline recently that the number this year will be even greater. “We’re still dealing with
Undefeated vs. Winless…2021 vs. 2022 In or Out
For high school football fans around the state, week #7 of the 2022 high school football season is officially in the books. That means, there are only four more weeks left in the regular season! Looking at some numbers as we exit week #7, we still have 12 teams that are undefeated and, we have
Governor Jim Justice says he will propose a five percent pay raise for school teachers and public employees when the legislature meets early next year. The Gazette-Mail’s Ryan Quinn reported Justice initially made the promise during a meeting with county school superintendents while discussing his opposition to Amendment Two, and then confirmed those comments later
Prices are Going Up, and Wages Can’t Keep Up
Not this again. The decision by OPEC and its oil-exporting allies to reduce oil production by two-million barrels a day is expected to cause gasoline prices to rise. They had been trending down toward $3 a gallon, but GasBuddy.com’s Patrick De Haan says now prices could increase as much as 30-cents a gallon. That is
Get Ready for Winter Heating Bill Sticker Shock
For months now, West Virginia’s severance tax collections for energy production—primarily coal and natural gas—have been running way ahead of estimates. The state finished the fiscal year June 30th with $769 million in severance tax revenue, 233 percent ahead of estimates. The state has collected $272 million in severance taxes the first three months of
Hope Scholarships and Public Schools Can Co-Exist
The West Virginia Supreme Court now has before it the question of whether the Hope Scholarship violates the state Constitution. The Legislature created the program to award state taxpayer dollars to students who choose to leave the public school system for private school. The money can also be used for other educational expenses, such as
The West Virginia state treasury is flush with cash. Figures released by the state Senate Finance Committee show the state collected $639 million in taxes in September, $193 million ahead of estimates. Revenue has exceeded expectations by $427 million for July, August and September. The state has already collected one-third of the projected $4.6 billion
Week #7 Is Here and Comparisons Can Be Fun!
As we get set to head into week number seven of the 2022 High School Football season, we are headed into that time of the year when winning is very important! If you take a look back at the teams that were in the football playoffs last year, Class AAA is almost a mirror image
When your child is in the hospital you are worried sick, but you have hope. My son was born at the old WVU Hospital 35 years ago with a medical condition that required surgery. After the operation, he needed specialized care for about two weeks. The “step-down” intensive care unit was in a repurposed utility
Mon County Schools Embroiled in Flag Controversy
A controversy is roiling Monongalia County schools over gay pride flags. It began when Superintendent Eddie Campbell sent a letter to remind school administrators that the election season is quickly approaching and that, “While you may be tempted to engage in conversations with staff, families and students about related topics, you may not realize the
Joe Manchin took a chance. He signed off on the partisan Inflation Reduction Act, and even appeared with President Joe Biden at the bill signing ceremony, knowing it would cause heartburn among Republicans and many of his constituents. However, Manchin had an ace in the hole, or at least he thought he did—a side agreement
We are a plus-size nation, and we’re getting heavier all the time. The annual report on The State of Obesity by the Trust for America’s Health found that “Obesity rates have been rising for decades across states, ages, sexes and racial/ethnic groups, with continued increases during the Covid-19 pandemic.” (The Trust defines obesity as “an
Clean Up Electoral Count Act to Help Prevent Another Jan. 6
How can the United States avoid the political chaos and near constitutional crisis that followed the last presidential election in future elections? One way would be for the loser to accept defeat graciously and, for the good of the country, not interfere with the peaceful transfer of power. However, given Donald Trump’s refusal to follow
A Respectful Number of Undefeated Teams!
With week #5 of the high school football season now officially in the books, we have only six more weeks of the regular season left to be played! And, with that said, we have a respectful number of undefeated teams remaining, especially in Class A. Looking at the specific numbers, in Class AAA there are
Justice, Manufacturers at Odds Over Amendment 2
West Virginia’s personal property tax on machinery, equipment and inventory has long been a sore spot with the business community. For decades, various business groups have lobbied against the tax and produced studies showing how the tax inhibits economic growth. Governor Cecil Underwood’s Commission on Fair Taxation report way back in 1999 was blunt in
America is being poisoned. That poison is taking hundreds of lives a day, one pill or one injection at a time. The poison is fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid produced by the Mexican cartels, trafficked across the border and then spread throughout the country, including West Virginia. The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reports
Senior Scammers Fake Romance, Steal Millions
An investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of West Virginia revealed a romance fraud scheme that defrauded 200 victims, many of them elderly, of at least $2.5 million. Multiple defendants, one of them based in Huntington, “participated in a series of romance and other online scams designed to coerce vulnerable victims
Halfway Mark Coming Up – Still 25 Teams Undefeated!
I know, we say it every year, but the high school football season is really flying by! It almost seems impossible, but after play this weekend, more than half of the teams that play high school football in WV will have played five of their allotted ten games! And, as we near the half way
Is the Pandemic Over or Are We ‘Just So Over’ the Pandemic?
Is the Covid pandemic over? That depends on who you’re listening to, and your definition of “over.” President Biden said in an interview with 60 Minutes Sunday that the pandemic is over. “If you notice, no one’s wearing a mask. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape,” Biden said. Biden is right in a
Capito and Manchin: Political Siblings Clash Over Energy Regulatory Reform
Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin are kind of like sister and brother. They are bound by a lifetime of politics and policy making in West Virginia. Despite belonging to different political parties, they are typically cooperative and collegial. However, occasionally there emerges a rift between these political siblings that spills out into the
