Mountain State Spotlight, Beckley Register-Herald, My Buckhannon - As he sat in a car, speaking to a camera shortly after gallbladder surgery, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice wanted to make it clear that the past few days have been tough. But there was one thing that was keeping him in good spirits: an official $1.8 billion budget surplus.…
Tax and Budget
Center Square - West Virginia will finish the year with $1.8 billion more in tax and fee collections than budgeted, something Gov. Jim Justice called a record for a second straight year. Read the full article. But the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy says that is because Justice gamed the system with budget…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - For West Virginia to thrive, we need great schools, safe communities and quality infrastructure. With the end of the state’s fiscal year upon us, the upcoming days will undoubtedly be inundated with news releases and news coverage of West Virginia’s revenue surplus. Unfortunately, rather than the surplus signaling a thriving economy, it…
WOWK - On this week’s episode of Inside West Virginia Politics, we go “back to the island” with an island-themed fundraiser for CAMC. Read the full article. In Segment One, we talk to Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R-WV) about the HALT Fentanyl Act. In Segment Two, we talk to Del. Daniel Linville (R-Cabell) about economic…
Higher Ed Dive - West Virginia University announced Wednesday a merger of its College of Creative Arts and the Reed College of Media, heralding it as a “creative and innovative collaboration.” Read the full article. But in the same breath it cast the consolidation as inventive, it acknowledged it was staring down “a challenging collegiate landscape,” which…
The Intermountain - West Virginia University has been facing financial challenges for years. This year it will be dealing with a projected $45 million deficit. According to one in-state think tank, lawmakers dropped the ball by failing to maintain steadier state funding for higher education over the past few years. Read the full article. The…
WOWK - West Virginia University is dealing with a serious budget short fall, but right now there is no agreement on how to fix it. There is plenty of finger-pointing going on, and that means a solution is not on the table right now. Read the full article. As West Virginia University gears up for…
WTRF - The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy has been holding meetings across the Mountain State to educate communities on the state’s finances and where state dollars are going. Read the full article. Monday night the presentation made its way to Ohio County to inform about how one-time monies like severance taxes, for…
In West Virginia over 95 percent of fire departments are staffed by volunteers or mostly volunteers. Volunteer Fire Departments (VFDs) protect 85 percent of the state’s population serving as the bedrock of first response across our state. Despite the clear need to keep these life-saving services available, VFDs have seen stagnant state funding that has failed…
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