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July 15, 2016 by
Legalized Marijuana and the WV Budget

At this week's Lunch and Learn, Tara Holmes, our Summer Research Associate, presented the potential benefits to West Virginia if marijuana were to be legalized for medicinal and recreational use in the state. Her research shows that legalizing marijuana for recreational use would bring in between $26 and $45 million a year in tax revenue…

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June 22, 2021 by
Rutherford County Reported the 12th Largest Population Growth in the U.S.

WGSN Radio - For the first time ever, California posted a population decline in 2020, and the United States as a whole didn’t fare much better. Its growth has decelerated to 0.35% year-over-year, the slowest growth rate since the Great Depression. Read the full article. Population experts blame the slowing growth rate on three big…

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July 25, 2016 by
Two Great Events This Week in Buckhannon and Martinsburg!

Join Us for the First Evening of the 2016 Summer Policy InstituteThe Inaugural 2016 Summer Policy Institute (SPI) will be held July 29-31, 2016 at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon.Students from across West Virginia will be a part of this first-ever event.The first evening of 2016 Summer Policy Institute is free and open to…

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April 15, 2022 by
What is Tax Day For?

With Tax Day just around the corner and West Virginians across the state filing their taxes, it’s a great time to remember what our contributions pay for and why it is important that we create a tax system that is equitable, transparent, and provides adequate resources to fund the public services and investments that allow our communities to thrive.…

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July 26, 2021 by
US Suffers Population Decline, So Does California & Illinois

Big Sky Business Journal - For the first time ever, California posted a population decline in 2020, and the United States as a whole didn’t fare much better. Its growth has decelerated to 0.35% year-over-year, the slowest growth rate since the Great Depression. Read the full article. Population experts blame the slowing growth rate on three…

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November 19, 2013 by
Evidence Counts…But Apparently Not In Newspaper Editorials

The lead editorial that ran in the Charleston Daily Mail on Monday was...well, a bunch of malarkey. Or maybe it was hogwash. Either way, it was an inaccurate and misleading piece of partisan hackery (yes, I made that word up*) that was better suited for late-night talk radio and had no business being run in…

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April 22, 2013 by
West Virginia Tries to Tackle Childhood Hunger and Obesity

Charleston Gazette, The State Journal, Centre Daily Times, Boston Globe and Boston.com - In West Virginia, about one-quarter of kids live in families with income below the federal poverty level. About half of kids live in families with income below double the poverty level, generally estimated to be the level at which a family can get…

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March 3, 2023 by
Call to Action: Contact Your Legislators and Tell Them to Reject HB 2526

Last weekend, the Senate Finance Committee unveiled and passed their second attempt at a tax cut without discussion or questions and then suspended rules to pass it out of the chamber. The legislation, HB 2526, looks very much like the plan they passed earlier this session (SB 424). Both versions overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy, contain a workaround for the tax cuts rejected…

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April 21, 2023 by
How Tax Cuts for the Rich Trumped Public Investments: The West Virginia Fiscal Year 2024 Budget

During the 2023 West Virginia legislative session, lawmakers had the opportunity to use available revenues to address longstanding needs like ensuring PEIA and Medicaid solvency, filling crisis-level staffing vacancies across state agencies, or increasing investments in neglected areas like higher education and child care. But instead, the FY 2024 budget debate was dominated by creating…

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April 25, 2024 by
Summer Policy Institute Application Deadline Extended

Summer Policy Institute 2024 is almost here! SPI is a convening focused on policy, where participants learn the ins and outs of policy change through a research and data lens, as well as crucial skills rooted in community engagement and grassroots mobilization. Attendees will meet West Virginia leaders from government, non-profit advocacy, and grassroots organizing spaces to…

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