West Virginia Blue
The Best Blogging Community in West Virginia Democratic politics, progressive policies, the good life and free living in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.
-- Ever heard of Ice Mountain? The Nature Conservancy's Ice Mountain Preserve in Hampshire County looks like a beautiful place to visit.
-- Just as well we all got too busy to challenge an Ohio blog this past week. Still, WVU did itself proud this season, even if couldn't put Xavier away in OT. Now, if you only count points scored by Xavier players not named BJ Raymond, than WVU takes it in overtime.
-- Celebrate Earth Hour. Turn off all your lights from 8-9PM local time tonight. Heck, go ahead and turn off your computer, too... it could use a break.
Aside from the Eastern Panhandle, Joe Hatfield says foreclosures have not increased in West Virginia like other parts of the country, which have been hit hard by falling housing prices. [snip]
Hatfield says West Virginia is doing better because it has fewer complex mortgages than other parts of the country.
House prices are definitely down in the Eastern Panhandle and time to market is way, way up. How is the real estate market in your neck of the woods?
West Virginia University law professor Bob Bastress doesn't think the state Supreme Court is "as accessible or as good" as it was 10 years ago.
He said he is seeking a seat on the court this year to bring back the luster and respect he feels the court has lost.
"Part of my decision to run is based on my concerns about the current board," Bastress said. "It's not as accessible or as good as it was in the past.
"Its reputation has taken a hit in recent years, and I believe the people with ability should step forward."
He pointed out that the court has taken fewer cases up for review in recent months. "And not the ones they should have," Bastress said.
"The number of their signed opinions is way down," he noted. "The court lacks the luster is had 10 to 12 years ago. It had better judgment when (former justices) Tom Miller and Frank Cleckley were on the board."
U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and David Leach, farm manager at the Kearneysville Tree Fruit Research and Education Center, point Monday to where the new four-lane W.Va. 9 will come through part of the center's property. (Dave McMillion/Bureau Reporter)
Quick aside... why isn't the third person in the photo named? Oh... because they're another local reporter. They're supposed to report the news, not make it... remember?
Point #1: The power of incumbency to manage the press
Whatever newspaper editor approved this powder puff story deserves to be mocked for professional incompetence.
Is there any news being made? No. Not even a pretense of news. No money being doled out. No federal official visiting to tout a failed administrative policy. Not even a flimsy excuse for news.
Is there some compelling human interest angle? No. No interesting background story. Capito visits a fruit research station. That's the beginning and end of the story.
Is there some vital public interest served? None. There's no tie-in to a "remind readers to wash their fruit" initiative or anything else that might serve the public interest. Just: Capito visits fruit research station.
Does the institution in question--Kearneysville Tree Fruit Research and Education Center--deserve press coverage? Absolutely. So write a story about the research station and don't dilute the impact with a Congresswoman in the way.
Point #2: Republican Rep. Capito is out of touch with her district
Capito, R-W.Va., said she wanted to tour the facility after passing it regularly along W.Va. 9 and being curious about its operations.
Conservative Republican Capito (WV-02), 8 years after starting to travel in the Eastern Panhandle regularly, decides to find out more about this facility. If they were a corporation or catered to the wealthy, do you think it would have taken this long?
Instead...
The facility helps growers understand practices such as how to use pesticides to control pests in the most "highly technological way," officials at the center said.
But an increasing number of growers also are interested in how to grow fruit organically, said Alan Biggs, professor of plant pathology at the facility.
Members of the West Virginia State Horticultural Society approached center officials about organic growing concepts, Biggs said. The Horticultural Society represents about 60 growers, most of whom are in the Eastern Panhandle region, Biggs said.
Research center officials are working on the effort and hope the center can eliminate pitfalls growers might face with organic operations. This will allow center officials to "take the technology right to the grower," Biggs said.
Although the number of orchards has dropped significantly in the Eastern Panhandle over the years, it seems to have stabilized, Biggs said.
Biggs said the decline of orchards has stabilized as growers turn to niche operations like organic products and other fruit crops.
And there are new growers buying land in areas like Hampshire County and specializing in fresh food sales, Biggs said.
The fruit research station, which is affiliated with West Virginia University, has been in operation since 1930 and has an annual budget of roughly $350,000 to $450,000, Biggs said.
Wow. Right here in our district, a research station that helps keep jobs in our district. Sounds like something our Representative in Congress should be very interested in. Too bad she's eight years too late.
Of course, the press who covered the event didn't find the time to ask her why she didn't visit the research station long ago... maybe then we have a real story.
As an insomniac, it is always nice to scroll the local papers, sports sites, news sites, and political blogs to get a head start on my day. I ran across this interesting article at ESPN.com regarding the Rich Rodriquez fallout.
I think in this whole mess, William Stewart turns out to be the class act and selfless individual. He reminds me of a guy that just does his job and does it superbly in the face of controversy. I wish him well in the coming seasons.
The downside is that as I surf the web and was going to prepare this post I saw that (yes I admit I look at the red blogs) Sick Vic had tuned into it! Ugh! Anyway, Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com is a great writer of college hoops and football.
Again, hats off to Stewart and the young men who pulled together and beat the odds. Hats off to the House for their recognition of such a great feat. And finally, hats of to Clem for putting his neck and blog on the line on a WV victory!
Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez, who is being sued by West Virginia in an attempt to collect on a $4 million buyout clause in his old contract, received a $287,000 incentive payment from his former school yesterday for goals reached during the 2007 season.
Rodriguez's contract stipulated that WVU had 30 days from his resignation to make the payment. . . .
This is a politics blog, not a sports blog. I want to consider the potential political fall out here.
The Manchin administration is aggressively pursuing a $4 million settlement from Rodriguez.
How will it look if West Virginia settles for significantly less? Could the handling of this case become an issue in the Attorney General race? What's the third question I should be asking? [There's always supposed to be 3 questions. :-)]
This is a little off topic, but this was too good not to share.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the essence of Wabi-Sabi, the imperfectly beautiful, the 2008 Fiesta Bowl Champion West Virginia University Mountaineers!
On a lighter note, as an homage to Todd Haynes recent biopic I'm Not There about the life of Bob Dylan, here is my Todd Haynes vision of the different incarnations of former WVU coach, Rich Rodriguez.
Governor Joe Manchin statement regarding the impending departure of Rich Rodriguez from WVU to become Head Coach at Michigan actually says a lot about the state of big business and big money in our country today.
Dec. 16, 2007
STATEMENT FROM THE GOVERNOR REGARDING WVU FOOTBALL COACH RICH RODRIGUEZ'S RESIGNATION
Contact: Lara Ramsburg, 304-558-2000
The last seven years that Rich Rodriguez has been football coach at West Virginia University brought great excitement to our fans and tremendous and positive notoriety to our state, and I am truly sad that he has made the decision to move on.
I have known Rich for most of his life, from a boy whose only wish was to play football at WVU to a young man whose only wish was to coach at WVU. His dreams came true, and he brought back with him to West Virginia a love and a loyalty for our state that I thought would never change.
But, unfortunately, over the last two years, I have seen Rich become a victim of a college coaching system driven by high-priced agents that has turned those dreams into just another back-room business deal. Something is wrong with the profession of college coaching today when a leader’s word is no longer his bond, and it does not bode well for the student-athletes who entrust these coaches with their futures.
I wish Rich and his family nothing but the best, but I challenge everyone in our state and across this country to start looking more closely at the system that we’ve allowed these agents to create, because in the end, it serves no one well but them.
I can’t say enough about the WVU fans and financial boosters who have made such tremendous commitments to this football team, and I commend President Garrison and Athletic Director Ed Pastilong for having a program that is truly worthy of the national spotlight. I also trust them and the WVU Board of Governors completely with the coaching search that now lies ahead.
In the meantime, I encourage the people and fans of West Virginia to continue to show their support and respect for our tremendous student-athletes as they prepare to compete in front of a national audience in the Fiesta Bowl.
- Gov. Joe Manchin III
Terse words... leaders not keeping their word, and back room business deals.
I keep about half of half an eye on college football, so maybe someone with more expertise can answer this question. Has there been a season that was this competitive? I can't remember a recent season where there was such a constant flux in the top of the rankings.
The good news for West Virginia fans... when it matters the most: Missouri, West Virginia Are Sitting Pretty in the BCS. Both Missouri and West Virginia control their own destiny on the road to the national championship game.
ROCKEFELLER ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR UPWARD BOUND PROGRAMS
~Over $2.6 million for Colleges and Universities in West Virginia~
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded a total of $2,695,529 in TRIO funding targeted to assist low-income students in West Virginia pursue higher education.
“Education is the key to a young person’s future. These types of grants help some students open the door to an education that they might otherwise be locked out of,” Rockefeller said. “By giving these students the opportunity to pursue higher education we will, in turn, develop a highly skilled workforce that can take on the challenges of the new global economy.”
The federal funding will provide grants to institutions of higher education through the TRIO’s Upward Bound program. These grants will fund approximately 575 participants from seven different colleges and universities across West Virginia. The colleges and universities receiving funding are:
Concord University, Athens - $390,929
Davis & Elkins College, Elkins - $645,513
Marshall University, Huntington - $344,012
Potomac State College/WVU, Morgantown - $282,211
Salem International University, Salem - $403,961
West Virginia University – Morgantown, Morgantown - $250,000
West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Montgomery - $378,903
Upward Bound provides fundamental support and opportunities to participants to succeed in their pre-college performance and their preparation for college entrance. Increasing the rate at which participants complete secondary education, Upward Bound provides them with 6-week summer programs on college campuses, as well as tutoring and mentoring to support college attendance.
Participants of Upward Bound include high school students from low-income families, high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree, and low-income, first-generation military veterans who are preparing to enter post-secondary education.
Throughout his career, Senator Rockefeller has been a strong advocate of education funding and has fought to promote funding for TRIO programs. In recent years the Administration has sought to limit funding to TRIO while Rockefeller continues to push for increased funding for these vital education programs.
The Hatfield clan poses in April 1897 at a logging camp in southern West Virginia. The most infamous feud in American folklore, the long-running battle between the Hatfields and McCoys, may be partly explained by a rare, disease inherited by the McCoy clan that can lead to hair-trigger rage and violent outbursts.(AP Photo)
Checking in with West Virginia blogs, we provide these recent stories of note:
--- The search for a new President of West Virginia University is generating plenty of controversy. The ever-useful Lincoln Walks on at Midnight notes the story has even gotten some National attention. For a straight-up blogger tell-it-like-they-see it perspective on the controversial background of Mike Garrison, the Fifth Column has all the details. I didn't live in the W.Va. during the Bob Wise administration, yet I have no reason to doubt his story of exploiting political power for personal advancement.
--- Back Porch Politics caught a "breaking" story of Sago and Darby mine windows appearing in front of Congressional committees. [The Gazette-Mail article has since moved here.] Ken Ward Jr. writes (emphasis mine):
Widows of the miners killed in last year's Sago and Darby disasters led the call for tougher enforcement by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration.
"Despite Congress' good intentions, I have to wonder if little has actually changed," said Deborah Hamner, whose husband George was among 12 miners killed at Sago. "I fear that miners would fare no better today in an explosion than my husband and his co-workers did."
Melissa Lee, whose husband Jimmy died in the May 20, 2006, Kentucky Darby disaster, testified with Hamner at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Education and Labor.
Wanda Blevins and Betty Riggs, whose husbands died in the 2001 explosion at the Jim Walter Resources No. 5 Mine in Brookwood, Ala., also attended Wednesday's hearing.
"Somebody has to keep speaking for the miners," Melissa Lee said. "These men were not just coal miners. They were husbands and fathers and grandfathers."
--- I'll leave it to smarter people than me around here to say if a new book about West Virginia economic development, 'Unleashing Capitalism' Dissects State's Economy (Book provides some suggestions to trigger prosperity in Mountain State), has anything useful to say or not. I'm more than a wee bit skeptical when it's put out by a new "free-market" think tank with website links to right-wing welfare organizations (e.g., State Policy Network) and Heritage Foundation affiliates(e.g., PolicyExperts.org). The only effects I've seen of "free-market" policy is increased corporate profits, higher government debt, and rampant consumer debt--all achieved through greater government subsidies of large corporations. Any arguments that Republicans have never--in the many years of complete federal government control--properly implemented free-market control are as convincing as the argument that communism was never properly implemented in Russia, China or Cuba. Perhaps someone with greater fortitude than I can check out free links to the first four chapters.
How about you, found anything interesting on the web this week?
Senator Rockefeller's Reaction To The Departure of Robert M. D'Alessandri, M.D., Head of WVU Health Sciences
"Bob D'Alessandri has been an incredible friend to West Virginia University, and he has been an incredible personal friend to me and real guiding light.
"From the beginning, Bob had a vision for WVU and medical research that transformed the University and our State. He created new learning opportunities for students and new hope for people battling diseases. He pioneered successful rural outreach that touched the lives of thousands of West Virginians. He is squarely responsible for putting Health Sciences on the map.
"I am extremely grateful for his work on the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute -- we wouldn't be where we are today without his commitment and foresight.
"Bob D'Alessandri has left and deep and lasting legacy on West Virginia and WVU.
"WVU Health Sciences will continue to grow incredibly strongly and swiftly, but we will remember that it is in large part due to Bob D'Alessandri and his partnership with David Hardesty."
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