Eric Douglas, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

White Supremacist Group Marches Though Downtown Charleston Saturday

On the same day the YWCA Charleston had a Race to End Racism in the capitol city, a group of men from the white supremacist group Patriot Front marched through the streets of downtown.

Witnesses reported the seeing the men unload two U-Haul trucks at Daniel Boone Park and marching to the Capitol in front of the statue of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, on Kanawha Boulevard and California Street. They then marched down the boulevard and turned onto Capitol Street.

The group marched carrying a banner that read “America is not for sale.” They chanted slogans and handed out the organization’s propaganda.

According to the Anti Defamation League, the “Patriot Front is a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them alone. They define themselves as American fascists or American nationalists who are focused on preserving America’s identity as a European-American nation.”

They often use flash demonstrations like toady’s event around the country.

The men were all wearing matching khaki pants, hats and dark colored polo shirts. They were also wearing masks over their faces from the moment they jumped out of the back of the trucks.

Mayor Amy Goodwin put out a statement that said, in part, “It is important for our community to celebrate coming together and stand up against hate. When our city team learned of a national hate group demonstrating earlier today, we acted quickly and appropriately to make sure all in our community remained safe.”

The Charleston City Police stayed close by to avoid any trouble and the march appeared to be peaceful. It is unclear if the group had a permit for the march.

State Budget Revenue Healthy, Officials Unsure About Tax Cut Trigger

State revenue is solid for the year, and over estimates, but down from last year because of personal income tax reductions and severance taxes.

West Virginia tax collections are higher than estimated, but it is unclear if another personal income tax cut will happen in 2025.

Legislators heard Monday from Mark Muchow, the deputy secretary of the state Department of Revenue, about 2024 budget revenue numbers.

“After nine months, the state has collected more than $4.07 billion. That’s $522.9 million above estimate,” Muchow said. “It’s down from last year by 11.6 percent, which is pretty good considering that we cut the income tax by 21.25 percent and some reductions occurred in the severance tax as well.”

Muchow said personal income tax collections are $184.1 million above estimate for the year. He explained that it is down 9.4 percent year to date over last year.

“Again, 9.4 percent is pretty good considering that we cut the tax rates by 21.25 and the income tax as a whole was over 40 percent of general revenue fund collections,” Muchow said.

Severance taxes on coal, gas and oil were budgeted for just $22.1 million for this fiscal year to date. So far, the state has collected $48.129 million. That sounds promising, except the previous fiscal year brought in nearly $85 million at this point in 2023 and is off more than 43 percent.

Since taking office, Gov. Jim Justice has maintained relatively flat budgets and kept budget estimates low as well. That has guaranteed annual budget surpluses. Over the last few years, they have topped $1 billion each fiscal year.

Last year, when the West Virginia Legislature passed the personal income tax cut, the bill included triggers that would further reduce those taxes. The triggers are tied to budget surpluses.

Del. Larry Rowe, D-Kanawha, asked about the trigger mechanism during Monday’s meeting.

“Are you able to project whether the August trigger is going to come into play or not?” he said.

“It’s too early for us to do that type of projection. There’s a lot of revenues outstanding. I do believe that the income tax is going to trend lower over the final, at least over the April, May period, [it] may bounce back in June,” Muchow said. “But there’s too many variables out there to make a good, firm analysis on the trigger.”

“When do you think you’ll comfortably be able to make that calculation?” Rowe asked.

“We will not have a complete idea till the end of June,” Muchow said. “But we’ll have a better idea for the end of April. And even better at the end of May. So by the end of May, things will be a little bit better in focus than they are today.”

“So if we were to have a special session in May, and that has been discussed, then you may have the numbers you need to calculate whether the August trigger will come into play?” Rowe asked.

“We’ll have a better idea, but not a perfect idea,” Muchow said. “Again, there’s a number of variables outstanding that we’d have to consider in that equation.”

The Legislature is expected to return to Charleston for a special session on the budget in mid-May following the election but before the end of the month.

Governor Widens State Of Emergency; Storm Clean Up Continues

A total of 26 counties in West Virginia are now under a state of emergency declaration following heavy rains, tornadoes and storms last week, and the heavy rains and storms that hit the state on April 11.

Gov. Jim Justice has amended last week’s State of Emergency to include Boone, Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Jackson, Logan, Mingo, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wayne and Wirt counties.

The initial group included Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln and Nicholas counties on April 2, and then two days later, the governor added Barbour, Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Wetzel, and Wood counties. On April 8, Justice added Pleasants County.

West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) road crews continue to work to assess and clean up damage caused by a massive storm that moved through the state on April 11.

Most of the state had been under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Thursday. Tornadoes did not materialize, but high winds and a largely stationary storm front dumped record amounts of rainfall on the Kanawha Valley and other parts of West Virginia, leading to mud and rock slides, downed trees and flash flooding.

Some parts of the state received five inches of rainfall in the space of several hours.

WVDOH Chief Engineer of Operations Joe Pack said the worst of the flooding was concentrated north of Interstate 64.

As of 2 p.m. Friday, April 12, multiple roads remained closed by high water in Kanawha, Cabell, Jackson, Clay, Mason, Lincoln, Pleasants, Wood, Doddridge, Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Morgan, Brooke, Marshall, Ohio, Tyler and Wetzel counties.

In Kanawha County, record rainfall overwhelmed storm drains on Interstate 64 near the Greenbrier Street exit, flooding the interstate. WVDOH work crews waded into the rushing water with rakes to clear the drains by hand.

Pack said that, once the water recedes, WVDOH road crews can assess any damage to the roadway and plan any repairs.

The State of Emergency declaration is a proactive measure ensuring the allocation of necessary resources and expediting emergency response efforts. It allows state and local agencies to take swift and decisive actions to mitigate the dangers to protect the lives and property of West Virginians.

Residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and monitor official emergency management and local media accounts for updates.

Last week, Justice issued a State of Preparedness for all 55 counties, which is still in effect.

Important links:

Contractor Killed In US 340 Work Zone In Jefferson County

A flagger working for A.L.L. Construction Inc. was killed in a work zone accident on US 340 in Jefferson County according to a press release from the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT).
The flagger had stopped traffic on the US 340 widening project a little before 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 4, 2024, when another car drove up to the work zone at a high rate of speed. The driver swerved toward the embankment to miss the stopped traffic, but struck the flagger, trapping her underneath the car.
Bystanders lifted the car off the flagger, but she died on the way to the hospital.
“I’m very sad for the family and our partner, A.L.L. Construction,” said Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E. “It’s so senseless that we can’t seem to make better choices when we get behind the wheel of our automobiles.

“I implore all drivers to please lay down your cell phone, stay focused, and obey all the rules of the road, especially in the many work zones around the state,” Wriston said.
“We send our condolences to her family and her co-workers,” said J.W. Hawk, project manager for A.L.L. Construction. “They’re just out there trying to do their jobs.
“The traveling public really needs to pay attention when there are work zones,” Hawk said. “They need to slow down and pay attention, and adhere to all signs.”
Five people were killed in work zone crashes in West Virginia in 2023. The WVDOT is working together with its contracting partners, and law enforcement agencies to prevent work zone crashes.
On Thursday, March 14, 2024, a WVDOT worker was struck and badly injured at the scene of an accident in Clarksburg. On Friday, March 29, 2024, a WVDOT worker was patching potholes on Interstate 79 when a driver drove through the work zone and struck him. His injuries were minor.

Anti-Hate Forum Slated For Tuesday In Huntington

Hate crimes remain a problem in our communities, but a forum in Huntington next week will help attendees understand how to identify it.

The United Against Hate (UAH) Community Outreach Program is a nationwide initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat unlawful acts of hate. The initiative aims to improve hate crime reporting by teaching community members how to identify, report and help prevent hate crimes, and by building trust between law enforcement and communities.

UAH shares resources to combat hate and encourages discussion between representatives from law enforcement, community organizations and members of the public. The program emphasizes that while some hate-fueled incidents — standing alone — may not be a crime, people should still report those incidents to local law enforcement and the FBI.

U.S. Attorney Will Thompson and Huntington Mayor Steve Williams along with other community leaders are hosting the event.

“This forum is an excellent opportunity to hear from the community, raise awareness and further education about hate crimes and bias incidents,” Thompson said.

“Huntington is a welcoming community that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion, but there are still individuals who want to tear down the progress we have made,” Williams said. “That’s why I am eager to partner with the U.S. Attorney Will Thompson and engage our community on this important topic.”

The forum will include presentations about United Against Hate and federal and West Virginia hate crime laws as well as a panel session featuring community leaders.

The panel is scheduled to include:

Charles Meyers: past president, Cabell-Huntington NAACP
Hoyt Glazer, J.D.: president, Temple B’nai Sholom
Sue Barazi: vice president, Islamic Association of West Virginia
Ally Layman: president, Huntington Pride
Angela Adams: president and CEO, Mountain State Centers for Independent Living

The event will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 19 at the Marshall Health Network Arena Convention Center. It is free and open to the public. RSVP is not required.

W.Va. First Foundation Picks Director

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey named Johnathan Board as the executive director of the West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF).

The state foundation that will distribute nearly $1 billion in opioid settlement money finally has a director.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey named Johnathan Board as the executive director of the West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF).

“As neighbors, we recognize when there’s a problem in one place of the state, it’s a problem in another place,” he said. “And West Virginians are very good neighbors. And so we’re privileged to look out for each other.”

Board’s background includes external and governmental affairs, program management and substance use disorder (SUD) policy, financial oversight and fundraising.

He has served in many capacities as executive director, CEO, director and chairman of the board of businesses and nonprofits, most recently serving as vice president of external affairs for Vandalia Health.

Board graduated with a law degree from West Virginia University (WVU) in 2009 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Fairmont State University, 2004.

The WVFF board consists of 11 members — six elected by each region and five appointed by the governor. Board will run the day to day operations of the foundation.

“This is a major step toward healing the battered communities in this state caused by the opioid epidemic,” Morrisey said. “I am confident that with Jonathan’s expertise and dedication to this cause, our mission to heal the wounds of the past is on solid ground.”

Through settlements from various lawsuits with opioid manufacturers and distributors, West Virginia stands to gain about $1 billion over the next 10 to 15 years to be spent for recovery and prevention programs.

To ensure the money is used correctly, the West Virginia Legislature created the West Virginia First Foundation to distribute those settlement funds.

The foundation will handle 72.5 percent of the state’s settlement funds, while 24.5 percent will go to local governments. The remaining 3 percent will be held by the state in escrow to cover any outstanding attorney’s fees.

Board was previously elected to the WVFF to represent Region 4. That region includes Barbour, Braxton, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, Randolph, Taylor, Tucker and Upshur counties. That region will now have to pick a new representative.

He was planning to run for the state Senate as well, but his campaign website consists of a letter announcing that he is suspending his campaign.