West Virginia Public Broadcasting - A study of land ownership, a documentary about a long-running music show, and positive stories about West Virginians --- these are your favorite posts from 2013 on wvpublic.org. Read Here's my personal take on what you like: You like in-depth stories that explain West Virginia to you (Who Owns West…
WVCBP in the News
The State Journal - When the West Virginia Capitol was completed in 1932, it housed every office of state government. Read Every single office of state government … in one building. That's unthinkable today. Barring another mid-year budget adjustment, West Virginia state government is an $11.47 billion enterprise that employs about 43,000 people directly and…
The State Journal - Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, a liberal think tank, responded to the question, "What do you think the role of state government should be?" Read "Our public investments in schools, health care, transportation, innovation and public safety are not only essential to our…
"Future Funds" Could Spur Economic Development in Central Appalachia The Appalachian Voice - As Central Appalachian coal production declines, many realize the need to maximize tax revenues from coal and natural gas extraction. For the past three years, a movement to establish a permanent natural resource trust fund has grown in West Virginia. Ted Boettner,…
WDTV - Minimum wage workers in a handful of states will be ringing in the new year with an automatic pay raise. It is a trend that reflects growing concerns about the spread of low wage jobs here and across the U.S. Read Of the 13 states making the move to increase the minimum wage,…
Beckley Register-Herald and Parkersburg News and Sentinel - After months of meetings and discussions, the "Our Children, Our Future Campaign to End Child Poverty" coalition's approved 2014 state legislative agenda focuses on issues ranging from increasing the minimum wage to adding 30 minutes of physical activity to each school day. Read The coalition will also support…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - According to a recent report, the top 25 landowners in West Virginia own about 20 percent of the surface in the state. And perhaps not surprisingly, most of those landowners live elsewhere. The report, released by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, is the first to take a…
Martinsburg Journal - In its recently released report titled "Who Owns West Virginia?", the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy shows that in parts of the state, especially in the southern part, private lands are held by very few landowners and most are out-of-state companies. Read For instance, more than 51 percent of the…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - It could be argued that West Virginia has never been "owned" by her inhabitants. Before European settlement, of course, ideas of land ownership were not in vogue. Then King Charles II rewarded many loyal friends with large swaths of land and by 1730s, 800,000 acres in what would become West…
Charleston Gazette - In six West Virginia counties, the top 10 landowners control at least 50 percent of the private land. Not one of the state's 10 largest landowners is headquartered in West Virginia. Read These findings in a new report from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and the American Friends Service…