Inside West Virginia Politics

A new recovery center to help with opioid addiction In Segment 1, Rep. Carol Miller, Congresswoman from WV’s 3rd District, discusses West Virginia’s opioid problem. Earlier this week, Miller toured the New Lotus Recovery Facility in Boone County. She says there may be more clinics to open in West Virginia. “Recovery is such an important part of getting over addiction, period,” said Miller. “Becaus...

The Shawnee Sports Complex estimated to bring more than $100M after first 4 years In Segment 1, Ben Salango (D), Kanawha County Commissioner, discusses his contributions around the county, including his involvement in the Shawnee Sports Complex. Salango says the sports complex will bring in more than $100 million in its first four years — money he says is going back to employees, businesses and wo...

West Virginia sees steady rate of unemployment decrease In Segment 1, Steve Roberts, The President of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, recently had an op-ed in the Charleston Gazette-Mail titled “WV coming out of economic slumber.” Robert discusses how West Virginia is seeing some good signs such as an unemployment rate below the national average, steadily-increasing workforce participation...

In Segment 1 , West Virginia COVID-19 Czar, Dr. Clay Marsh to discuss the state of the virus in the Mountain State. As of Thursday, July 22, the state saw a 60% increase in Delta variant cases, going from 22 to 35 cases overnight, and active virus cases continue to climb. Marsh says this increase is “probably just the beginning” of the Delta variant’s impact on the state. He also believes the over...

What is the Hope Scholarship?  In Segment 1, West Virginia’s Treasurer Riley Moore discusses the Hope Scholarship. According to Moore, the Hope Scholarship Program is an education savings account that allows parents to receive $4,600 per-pupil state funding already set aside for their children’s education onto an electronic, parent-controlled fund for educational expenses. Those expenses can inclu...

How the American Families Plan can improve 90% of West Virginian kids’ lives In Segment 1, Congress is returning to Washington on Monday, July 12, and Seth DiStefano, the Policy Outreach Director at the West Virginia Center of Budget and Policy, discusses why Congress should prioritize the  American Families Plan .  In July, families with children will begin to see checks as part of the refundable...

How the infrastructure bill will reconnect West Virginia to the United States In Segment 1, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) talks about the infrastructure bill. Manchin is in the bipartisan group.  He said the $1.2 trillion investment will go into repairing bridges, making the Cardinal Rail system ready for daily use, expanding broadband, installing charging stations for electric vehicles and upgr...

In Segment 1, former long-time West Virginia legislator Rick Staton (D) joins us to talk about the “For the People Act.” Staton says he is in favor of the “For the People Act” and believes its provisions would stop states from making alleged attempts at voter suppression and create more uniformity in the voting process. He also says he hopes that should the bill pass, it will be upheld by the cour...

How to make people stay in West Virginia In Segment 1, Delegate Dana Ferrell (R) Kanawha County makes his first appearance on Inside West Virginia Politics and discusses economic development possibilities in West Virginia after an AP article was published saying West Virginia had gone down population-wise. He also discusses his association with Phillips Global, a company that says they have 150 jo...

‘Much needed’ $150 million to fix West Virginia roads In Segment 1, Del. Lisa Zukoff (D) from Marshall County discusses Governor Jim Justice’s request to move $150 million from the general fund to the road fund. She says the money is “much needed” in her district. “We are a big county; we have oil and gas development still going on. A lot of big trucks in our community, which takes its toll on the...

‘Will rates go up? Of course they will’: The impact of Mitchell Power Plant closure In Segment 1, U.S. Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) from West Virginia’s 1st District visited Charleston to testify before the Public Service Commission regarding the potential closure of the Mitchell Power Plant in Marshall County. At this time, there are two options: shut down in 2028 or shut down in 2040.  McKinley sa...

What has changed in WV since George Floyd’s death? In Segment 1, 13 News Reporter Moriah Davis shares Charleston’s black community’s thoughts on what has changed what hasn’t changed since the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. Tuesday, May 25th marked the first anniversary of Floyd’s death. The horrible incident was caught on video and police body cameras, which...

‘We’re giving it the old college try’ Sen. Capito discusses President Biden’s infrastructure bill In Segment 1, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) is the Republican lead for President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill and how they are trying to aim for bipartisanship on the bill. “We’re giving it the old college try,” said Sen. Capito. While Biden wants to spend $2.3 trillion on the bill, Repu...

Gayle Manchin becomes first West Virginian to co-chair Appalachian Regional Commission In Segment 1,  Gayle Manchin , new co-chair of Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) thirteenth federal co-chair, talks with hosts Mark Curtis about what ARC is about and how it began after former President John F. Kennedy visited West Virginia.  Manchin was the former First-Lady of West Virginia, former Presi...

What political issues currently affect West Virginia citizens? In Segment 1, Gary Zuckett, Executive Director of the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, talks about key political issues that affect citizens of the Mountain State, including the Reclaim Act, For the People Act, and Medicare. For more information, you can visit the official WV Citizen Action Group website . The new common COVID-19 va...

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — This week on Inside West Virginia Politics, officials from West Virginia and beyond discuss President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, how West Virginia is expanding broadband, and how a donation to a university in West Virginia will help undergrad students.  Is Biden’s infrastructure bill a pork barrel spending bill?  In Segment 1, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R) Kentucky share...

In Segment 1, Brad McElhinney of WV Metro News joins us, with a surprise appearance from his dog, to talk about the “weird” differences in covering this year’s legislative session, which was closed to the public during the pandemic. This year, the news media covered the session from above in the galleries for social distancing, a major change from years past when reporters were stationed on the gr...

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — On this week’s Inside West Virginia Politics, many government officials wrap up the 2021 legislative session, including discussing Gov. Jim Justice’s personal income tax reduction plan and how it failed to pass through the House with 0 yeas to 100 nays. In Segment 1, Del. Roger Hanshaw (R) Clay, Speaker of the House, discusses the highlights of the West Virginia 2021 legisl...

In Segment 1, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin discusses the ‘human crisis’ at the U.S./Mexico border after visiting there last week. Manchin suggests what needs to be fixed with the immigration problem, pointing to the criminal element of immigration in which the Cartel is profiting off human suffering. The Senator also talks about why he’s against a single infrastructure bill that would incorporate ever...

In Segment 1, Bishop Michie Klusmeyer of the West Virginia Diocese makes an appearance as he shares this Easter theme of finding hope and keeping faith during the pandemic. Visit the West Virginia Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston website here. In Segment 2, Rabbi Victor Urecki of the B’nai Jacob Synagogue in Charleston speaks of the significance of the story of Passover in the Jewish faith and how,...

In Segment 1, Delegate Joey Garcia (D-Marion County) stops by to talk about an op-ed he co-wrote with John Williams (D-Monongalia) called “If You Build It, They Will Stay,” and what it means for the state. The delegates say they want to work toward keeping young West Virginians in the state and that starts with rebuilding, specifically in roads, broadband and education. Garcia says they include ro...

In segment one, Jim Kaufman, President and CEO of the West Virginia Hospital Association, joins us as we overview how hospitals are doing during the pandemic after the miscount of reported COVID-19 deaths. Early in March, Health officials have identified 165 deaths related to COVID-19 that were unreported. Kaufman says paperwork flow and human error were the main causes of the unreported deaths. K...

In Segment 1, Jim Justice joins us to discuss his tax plan. The goal of that plan is to eventually phase out the state’s income tax beginning with a 60% cut next year and then gradually phasing out over the next three years. The plan would also mean raising the state’s sales tax from 6% to 7.9% to make up for the lost income tax revenue. West Virginia would then have the highest sales tax of any s...

In Segment 1, Josh Sword, president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations of West Virginia, joins us to discuss the lack of access the public has to the state legislature due to the pandemic. Sword says, given pandemic restrictions, the organization is not asking that the doors be opened completely, but that the legislature allow a restricted number of people to...

In Segment 1, we take a look at West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s latest town hall meeting on the state income tax. The governor’s goal for these virtual town halls is to discuss his proposal to eventually phase out or eliminate the state income tax. He says with the state’s current strong economics, now is the time to move forward with removing the tax. While some taxes may raise slightly to o...