Eric is WVPB's News Director. He's a native of Kanawha County and graduated from Marshall University with a degree in journalism. He has written for newspapers and magazines throughout his career. He is also an author, writing both nonfiction and fiction, including a series of thriller novels set in locations around the world.
On Nov. 11, 1918, at 11 a.m. the guns of World War I fell silent with a lasting armistice between the warring sides. The war officially came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles the next summer.
President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11, 1919 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
In 1938, Congress passed a law making the date an official federal holiday. In 1954, the name of the holiday was then changed from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to include veterans of World War II, the recently ended war in Korea and future conflicts.
Medal of Honor recipient Woody Williams stands with former Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin at the dedication of the first Gold Star Memorial in the state.
Eric Douglas/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation,” which stated: “In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all Veterans, all Veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.”
In recognition of the holiday, local communities across the state, and nation, celebrate with remembrance events and parades.
Follow West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s statewide coverage of the 2024 general election through our live blog.
Updated on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at 9:49 p.m.
The 2024 general election has been full of twists and turns at the state and national level. During the primary season, it appeared to be a contest between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Then, after a shaky debate performance, Biden withdrew from the race setting up an all new contest between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. In just a little more than 100 days, Harris and her team have barnstormed throughout the battleground states.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., choosing to retire instead of running again threw shockwaves into the competition for the Senate seat and even control over the chamber.
At the state level, many pundits predicted Gov. Jim Justice would take Manchin’s seat, but former Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliot decided to run against him on the Democrat ticket.
In the governor’s race, with Justice term-limited, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is running against Huntington Mayor Steve Williams.
Four of the five offices known as the Board of Public Works will have a new office holder. That includes the attorney general, the state auditor, the state treasurer and the secretary of state. The state’s agriculture commissioner, Kent Leonhardt, is running for reelection against Democratic challenger Deborah Stiles.
For up-to-date information on election results, visit the secretary of state office’s website, and stay tuned to this live blog from West Virginia Public Broadcasting. For a full list of candidates running for election in West Virginia, visit the secretary of state office’s candidate search webpage.
Polls close at 7:30 p.m.
Follow the WVPB Newsroom on Instagram @wvpublicnews.
Election Results
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Corrupted Data
Corrupted Memory Stick Slows Kanawha Reporting
At 9:10p.m, the Kanawha County’s Public Information Office found that a data stick that held information about early voting numbers was corrupted.
“It certainly could potentially make for results to take a little bit longer than normal, but we don’t have an exact timeline on that at this time,” Kanawha County Commission Public Information Officer Megan Bsharah told WVPB.
Bsharah said updates will be released on the Kanawha County’s social media pages and website, kanwha.us
The statewide ballot measure on constitutionally banning medically assisted suicide has also yet to be called. There’s currently a tight margin among reporting counties, and Kanawha which is one the biggest outstanding counties.
Gov. Jim Justice will be the next U.S. Senator from West Virginia.
The two-term governor will head to Washington in January, bringing Republicans one seat closer to controlling the chamber.
Justice spoke at his victory celebration at the Greenbrier Hotel and Resort, which he owns.
“We did it,” he said. “And how we did it? We pulled the rope together. All of you. All of you with me.”
Justice will succeed Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent who declined to seek re-election.
Justice, 73, was elected governor in 2016 as a Democrat with Manchin’s support, but publicly switched parties with then-President Donald Trump at a Huntington rally.
Justice defeated Democrat Glenn Elliott, the former mayor of Wheeling.
Gov. Jim Justice addresses attendees at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s annual business summit in August.
Photo Credit: West Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Student News Live At Marshall University
This year, Marshall University’s campus television studio is a hub for the national election reporting initiative called Student News Live.
This project brings together 24 hours of reporting from universities across the United States, documenting college student perspectives on the presidential race and issues affecting first-time voters. Students at Marshall’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications will anchor coverage including contributions from more than 70 universities and other national organizations.
You can access Student News Live’s coverage below.
Stories From Around The State
Scroll through stories from around West Virginia as West Virginia Public Broadcasting reporters speak with voters statewide.
Boone County
Everything From Faith To Gas Prices Drive Voting In Boone County
Voters in Boone County were almost completely united behind former President Donald Trump in his bid for a new term. But their reasons were varied; from morals and ethics to the cost of living.
“I’m a Trump voter, of course,” Jessica Stowers, 43, said.
“For me it’s good versus evil. My faith is a big part of my vote.”
Alexandria Justice said she was hoping to vote before the polls closed Tuesday evening.
“It’s inflation, gas prices, groceries. It’s hard to feed three kids,” she said.
Frank Adkins, 75, is bothered by the shutdown of a pipeline, and with it jobs, that he says left under President Joe Biden.
“We need a change in the White House,” Adkins said.
Johnny Sayre agreed.
“Kamala Harris is driving me to the polls. Can’t let her become president,” he said.
Sayre said he is alarmed by the number of undocumented people crossing the border and, he believes, bringing in drugs like fentanyl. He sees that getting even worse if Harris is elected.
A handful of voters said they were also focused on the governor’s race, but few local elections caught their attention.
Putnam County
‘People That Don’t Vote Shouldn’t Really Voice Their Opinion’
As America headed to the polls Tuesday, so too did residents of Putnam County.
For election day, Monte Bledsoe arrived at his polling location with his family. For years, they’ve made it a point to vote together – despite differing political beliefs.
“We all come out,” Bledsoe said. “They vote however they want. I vote however I want. We’re just, it’s our civic duty. We feel like, as an American, we come out and we vote.”
While visiting the polls in November is a tradition for some, for young voters like Chloe Beckner, it’s their first general election. She said it felt good to cast her ballot.
“It’s just important to get out and vote and, you know, put your voice out there,” Beckner said.
Mary Brim is a lifelong voter and says she was raised to exercise her right to vote.
“People that don’t vote shouldn’t really voice their opinion, because they don’t make their opinion to be known at the ballots,” Brim said. “That’s how I was raised. I might be old school.”
A polling location in Putnam County.
Photo Credit: Emily Rice/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Eastern Panhandle
Environment, Identity, School Issues Pushing Some Eastern Panhandle Voters Left
This year, several closely watched races in West Virginia’s general election come from the fastest growing region of the state, its Eastern Panhandle.
The area has a significant Republican majority. But some residents on the left hope a growing influx of newcomers to the state could help swing local elections in the Democratic Party’s favor.
Some voters backing local Democratic candidates say they want better pay for teachers, more environmental protections and inclusivity for immigrants, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community.
Democratic values like these are part of the reason Shepherdstown resident Stewart Acuff votes blue year after year.
“It’s the Republicans on the county council who now want to cover this green landscape with tract housing and industrial solar,” Acuff said. “As long as people like Jim Justice and Patrick Morrisey try to run the state like a coal operator — like they make all the decisions and they get all the money — then West Virginia is going to be stuck in poverty.”
Stewart Acuff, a resident of Shepherdstown, said he voted Democrat across his entire ballot during the Nov. 5 general election.
Photo Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Shepherdstown resident Karene Motivans said she was excited to vote for “youthful, energetic new candidates” for local office.
But Motivans said she also wanted to cast a vote against ideas expressed by candidates on the right, like anti-LGBTQ and anti-immigrant positions.
“I come from parents that are immigrants. It makes me emotional,” she said. “They add so much to our country.”
No Republican voters agreed to speak to West Virginia Public Broadcasting in Shepherdstown on Election Day.
But some residents supporting a Republican ticket spoke with the newsroom last week during early voting. They said they want candidates who can minimize government spending, reduce property costs, decrease the local cost of living and protect freedom of speech.
See an extended version of this story at this link.
Monongalia County
Voters In Morgantown Feel Motivated By National Politics, But Keep Focus Down The Ballot
Many West Virginians like Kevin Hamric see voting as their civic duty and a way to express themselves.
“I have an opinion, and I want to make sure that I’m involved in the decisions that we’re making going forward for this community, the state, nation,” he said.
Both national and local races drove Hamric to the polls Tuesday, but he emphasized the importance of local politics.
“There’s a lot we can do locally and work outward, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have our opinion be counted on the national stage as well,” Hamric said. “I think locally we can look at each other and usually cut through some of the mess a little bit more and get things done. Because we’re working hand in hand, we’re usually working a little more face to face, and I think we see each other as people a little bit more when we’re on the local level.”
Hamric attended his local polling place at Morgantown High School with his young son, who he said is interested in the process.
“He’s got questions, and it’s great to be able to talk about those and for him to see what we’re talking about, instead of just explaining it to him,” he said.
Kevin Hamric brough his son to the polls at Morgantown High School Tuesday morning. Hamric said his son is interested in the electoral process, and it was a good opportunity to show him how elections work.
Photo Credit: Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Pictured on the left, Kylie Cannon voted early this year. But she came to the polling location at Morgantown High School to support her friend, Jill Descoteaux, who voted on Election Day “to be a part of the day of excitement.”
Photo Credit: Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
For Chris Lituma, he sees voting as a privilege not shared globally.
“I think the system works and has worked and can continue to work,” he said. “I don’t think it’s flawless, but for now, it’s working, hopefully.”
Voting in Morgantown, a Democratic outlier in the broader Republican stronghold of the state, Lituma said he feels his vote matters more.
“The local politics, I think they are more split than they are nationally,” he said. “And so that’s really important for me, because I think our vote does matter here locally more than it would statewide.”
Jill Descoteaux said she comes out to vote in every local election, but admits it is difficult to find information about local races.
“It’s really easy to be motivated about the national headline because we’re bombarded with information about those candidates and everything they do,” she said. “I would say that I put more energy into voting down ballot, to doing my research, but the motivation to come out here is very like, ‘Rah rah, everyone, come together and get get who you want in office at the top of the ticket.’”
Descoteaux, who described herself as a “news junkie,” said she opted to wait and cast her vote on election day rather than vote early to feel more a part of the process.
Despite the expressed enthusiasm for local races, in many local elections this year voters were faced with not much of a choice on their ballots.
Of the 100 House of Delegates races on ballots across the state in this election, nearly half were unopposed, as were one third of all state senate races.
In Monongalia County, where races for surveyor and prosecutor were also unopposed, voters like Robin Cheung said seeing one name on the ballot is a shame.
“There’s no new ideas that come out of there,” he said. “You’re gonna have the same person, the same ideas, same thoughts, same thought process. It’s always good to have someone else to run against, you can kind of brighten things up and freshen things up a little bit.”
Lituma said he’s bothered by unopposed races, enough to consider running in the future.
“It’s a challenge to find people, especially in West Virginia because there’s a party that dominates the state,” he said. “
At the state level, Larry Pack is unopposed for the position of state Treasurer.
Morgantown voter Grace Hutchens said it made her sad to see solitary names under so many races.
“That’s the whole point of this process, is to have people running against each other and to give you a choice to see who you would prefer to represent you in that certain field,” she said. “It’s always kind of a little tragic just to see somebody running unopposed. It’s probably nice for them running unopposed, but as far as the process goes, it’s a little sad.”
West Virginia voters will decide on a new amendment to the state’s constitution this election.
Amendment 1 asks voters to decide whether or not to change the state’s constitution to prohibit medically assisted suicide.
But voters like Hutchens said the wording of this and previous ballot amendments feels intentionally confusing.
“I’ve seen a couple amendments that have been proposed in elections, and both times the language was very confusing,” she said. “You really had to look and put time and effort into seeing what they were trying to say and accomplish.”
Kylie Cannon said she voted early but came out to support her friends as they voted. She said she has sick friends who would be directly impacted by the amendment, agrees that the wording of the amendment is tricky.
“I think that’s something that’s really important to educate yourself about, rather than just going in, voting for the top of the ticket and then just going home,” Cannon said.
Assisted suicide and euthanasia are both already illegal in West Virginia.
Kylie Cannon, left, voted early but walked her dog to the polls while her friends Robin Cheung, Jill Descoteaux and Chris Lituma voted in the general election at the Morgantown High School polling location Nov. 5, 2024.
Cabell County
Schools, Libraries, Parks And A New Mayor On The Ballot In Huntington
In Cabell County, a three-pronged levy affecting schools, libraries and parks and selecting the first new Huntington Mayor in more than a decade joined presidential politics in bringing voters to the polls.
Debra McCallister said voting doesn’t necessarily run in her family’s history. However, she said this time, the stakes, both nationally and locally, compelled her to go to her voting precinct, which was across the street from her home.
“I think it’s an important vote,” McCallister said. “You need to speak up for what you think and what you believe. On the national ticket, the immigration, taxes, and the economy. Locally, a vote for the Huntington mayor and city council, and I think it’s important to know the people that are on those seats.”
In Cabell County, partial funding for the county’s public libraries and the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District comes from the Cabell County Schools Excess Levy.
In February, 2024, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled the school district no longer needed to provide funding for parks and libraries. The district cut funding to both groups on the May primary levy renewal.
Voicing displeasure with the decision, Cabell County voters said no to the levy renewal. which included the cuts.
But then, with a new school superintendent, the Cabell County Board of Education adopted a plan to fully restore funding to both the libraries and the parks.
Allyson and Sam Ransbottom came out to support the revised school levy.
“We’re hoping that it goes through this time,” Allyson said. “I work for the library, so we were working really hard before to make that happen. It will be really good for the schools and libraries.”
“We’re both from here,” Sam said. “We’ve lived here pretty much all of our lives. I’ve used the library, as she has, since we were little kids, so it’s really important to us.”
Rick Reed said he had one key reason to vote today.
“I want my country back,” Reed said. “I think the Democrat Party has just totally destroyed it.”
Daniel Beahm said he had several reasons to vote, with one hoped-for outcome.
“I believe in democracy among all the main issues,” Beham said. “But mostly I just felt that it was necessary to come out and support Kamala.”
Huntington will also elect the first new mayor in 12 years.
Gov. Jim Justice has issued a proclamation calling for the West Virginia Legislature to convene for a second Special Session of the year starting Monday, Sept 30, 2024. Both chambers will gavel in at 11 a.m.
There are 27 items on the call, including one to pay for costs of the session itself. Most of the remaining 26 items are supplemental funding requests with excess revenue from the 2024 fiscal year. Those funds must be appropriated to state programs or sent to line items like the rainy day fund.
The first five items on the call are of special note.
1. Calls for an additional 5 percent personal income tax reduction over and above the 21.25 percent decrease last year and the triggered 4 percent from this summer that was included in the previous cut.
3. Allows public charter schools to apply for School Building Authority money.
4. Authorizes the state to work with the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission to create a system for the control of sources of radiation for the protection of the public.
Despite numerous calls to address issues relating to homeschooling, Justice said Friday that would be better left to the regular session which begins in February 2025. Justice will no longer be governor at that time.
Once the session gets underway, bill status may be found here.
Justice released the following statement:
“As I call this Special Session, the goal is clear that we need to help the hardworking people of West Virginia. I’m hopeful that we can get another personal income tax cut across the finish line. I’ve said it time and again: nothing will help our population grow, create new opportunities, and drive economic progress in West Virginia like eliminating our personal income tax. We’re on the right track, but we need to keep pushing forward. The growth and momentum we’ve built during my time as governor is off the charts. It’s truly been a rocketship ride. We’ve also minded the store, and because of that we now have the opportunity to get these things done.
“We also need to do something to help hardworking families afford childcare. Right now, families across the country are struggling with extreme childcare costs, and we can’t sit on the sidelines and watch it happen in West Virginia. We need to step in and help. That’s why I’m again asking for a childcare tax credit to lower costs for families. This will make things a lot better for working families.
“There are additional things to address, such as more money for our schools and our nurses and getting major water, sewer, and infrastructure projects across West Virginia completed.”
One hundred and ten years ago, there was a murder, payroll robbery and posse chase through the hills of Mingo County.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting has reached back to the golden age of radio to create a radio play of the event called “The Last Train to Glen Alum.” News Director Eric Douglas wrote the play and Landon Mitchell produced it. This audio drama stars a number of local voice actors and volunteers.
Douglas sat down with state historian Stan Bumgardner to discuss the event and the atmosphere in Mingo County at the time.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Douglas: Let’s talk about the atmosphere in West Virginia in 1914.
Bumgardner: 1914 is in some ways, a pivotal year in West Virginia. There’s no way to quantify this, but certainly one of the deadliest coal mine strikes, or strikes period, in U.S. history was at Paint Creek and Cabin Creek in Kanawha County. At the time of the Glen Alum robbery, prohibition had just come into effect in West Virginia, which happened nearly six years before it happened nationally.
But what was happening in southern West Virginia was just massive change. And I mean, everything was changing. Before the Civil War, and even after the Civil War, you know, this had been a sparsely populated area, just some scattered farmland, and really not much of that because of the terrain. If you look at the census numbers, very few people lived in Mingo County, and in certain parts of McDowell County, very few people lived there until the railroads came. The railroad started coming in the 1880s and then by the 1890s, the Norfolk and Western had reached what’s now Mingo County. At that time it was part of Logan County. Mingo County is our newest county. It came in in 1895 and it’s almost solely due to the arrival of the N&W, the Norfolk and Western, and the opening of coal mines. Towns were being built, seemingly overnight, they were all over the place in that part of the state, and places where almost nobody had lived.
N&W train coming around the bend in West Virginia.
Curtis Tate/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Douglas: I’ve always wondered about that. I knew Mingo split off from Logan, but I always wondered why, and so it was just growing so fast that somebody decided, no, we need a separate local government.
Bumgardner: The area that’s now Mingo County was kind of an isolated part of Logan County before the N&W arrived. However, when the N&W arrived,there was such an influx of people.The old rule was that you were supposed to be able to get to the county seat and back in a day. That’s how they determined county borders. And that’s why today, it seems ridiculous sometimes that we have counties with county seats that you can drive to, they’re 20 minutes apart, right? But back then you might need a whole day or more. The influx of population into Mingo County was incredible at that time period. The other thing is that you had competing railroads, competing coal companies. The Norfolk and Western was a little different from other railroads that came through. They had watched what had happened with the Chesapeake and Ohio, which came in the 1870s and when that railroad came through southern West Virginia, you had a lot of what I’d call freelance coal operators who just came in and took advantage of the fact that there was this railroad now that they could get the coal to market. That’s what was holding back the coal industry, mainly in southern West Virginia, is just, how do you get it out of there?
So when the Chesapeake and Ohio, the C&O came through, there were examples of miners who just became rich, who figured out how to run their own operations. There were coal operators who moved into the region. By the time the N&W came around, the organizers realized, “We’re missing out on half of the money.” The railroads were making a lot of the money, but there’s a lot of money to be made in mining the coal. So the N&W with a decade of knowledge about what has happened with the C&O, the N&W’s leaders went in and bought massive amounts of coal land adjoining the railroads and adjoining the branches of the railroads. So, Mingo County was very much an N&W county. If you’re in control of the economy and you can control the government, then you’ve got the whole shebang.
Douglas: Why was prohibition in six years before national prohibition? How did that happen?
Bumgardner: Men were getting paid on Friday, and by Saturday, the money was all gone on alcohol. And there were problems associated with alcohol and towns that cater to that. You had some now legendary drinking and red light districts and things in southern West Virginia that were being called to attention. Essentially, they had just gotten enough votes by 1914 but this was a movement that was sweeping the country. There were many states that were going dry before it happened nationally. It should be noted that there was a kind of a racist component to some in the temperance movement and they did this very publicly. They associated drinking and the problems with drinking, particularly with immigrants, and so that became a target. It was kind of an anti-immigrant movement as well as an anti-drinking movement.
Douglas: I’ve often wondered, this massive influx of immigrant populations coming into work in the mines and on the railroads, was there a lot of pushback among the native born, or did they remember that they were just one or two generations removed themselves and didn’t worry about it a whole lot?
Bumgardner: It was an interesting situation. There was a very anti-immigrant philosophy that was happening all across the country, that the immigrants were coming in, particularly from Eastern Europe, and that they were taking jobs away from native born West Virginians and native born Americans. But there weren’t enough laborers to fill the jobs. West Virginia’s economy was really booming. That sounds like something we can’t relate to because of what West Virginia’s economic situation has been for so long. But people were pouring into West Virginia to fill jobs, and they couldn’t fill the job fast enough, whether it was in coal mines or factories wherever. And so there was a need for all of this labor. But this gets into some of the trying to stop the labor movement from developing is that coal mine operators would one of them, Justus Collins even referred to it as a judicious mixture, which was, “We want the right balance of native born whites and blacks and immigrants to help balance off each other,” and it was successful at times. They fomented this resentment toward these other groups so they wouldn’t pull together in union.
Members of the Black Hand arrested in Fairmont. West Virginia Archives
Douglas: Let’s talk about the Black Hand for a second. So as my understanding, a lot of that was up in the northern part of the state, in the Italian community. But give me the short version of what the Black Hand was.
Bumgardner: The Black Hand is often associated with, it’s even used interchangeably with, the mafia, but it’s not. It’s a variation of all that. They were principally into extortion and it was extortion by Italian immigrants and Italian Americans against Italian immigrants that they would threaten, they would blackmail. There were kidnappings, or threatenings of kidnappings, of murder, and unless you paid up money, unless you paid a percentage of your business. If you were an Italian storekeeper, you were a target. If you were an Italian professional who made money, you were a target of the Black Hand.
Douglas: Irecall reading that if you were the subject of this, you would get a letter. I don’t know if it was in the mail or it was just stuck under your door, and there would be a drawing of a black hand on it, or a couple different other symbols.
Bumgardner: It wasn’t just a one time deal. Once you paid them, you kept paying to them. It was a regular racket, so you had to pay a percentage of what you brought in. It was a very scary time for Italian immigrants. And that’s a key point, it was such a small percentage of people, of Italians, who were doing this to other Italian immigrants that they were taking advantage of these people who had limited knowledge of the laws, of the language, of anything else. And many people felt like, well, the law enforcement is not going to protect us. Our neighbors aren’t going to protect us, so we have to either pay up or defend ourselves.
Douglas: Now we’ve set the stage for the audio drama, “The Last Train to Glen Alum,” let’s talk about what happened.
Bumgardner: Again, it goes back to money. There were tens of thousands of dollars pouring into towns through railroad depots every day just to meet payroll. It was August 14, 1914 and the N&W train was coming into Glen Alum and Mingo County carrying its $7,000 cash payroll. Just like in old movies, they knew. The robbers knew exactly when the train was going to arrive. It always arrived at the same time. They knew how much money was going to be on, because the payroll was the same. It was very easy to plan when things are that scheduled and that regular. It makes it a lot easier to plan a robbery, especially when there’s not a strong law enforcement presence.
The telegram from Glen Alum announcing the murder and robbery that set off the manhunt through the mountains of Mingo County.
Douglas: Sheriff Hatfield didn’t have a half dozen deputies standing around.
Bumgardner: I don’t want to make it sound like a pleasant thing, because there was a lot of corruption. But, it was kind of like on “The Andy Griffith Show” in Mayberry, where there’s one sheriff and a deputy, and they can handle minor problems that occur. But three guys get murdered and $7,000 gets stolen, a handful of law enforcement people aren’t going to track these people down knowing that they’re premeditated murderers and robbers. I mean, this wasn’t a crime of passion. These people had planned this and killed in cold blood, and they certainly would be willing to do it again.
A portion of Sheriff Greenway Hatfield’s posse. West Virginia Archives
He started with they think between 25 and 50 men, but nobody knows exactly. The mines shut down, businesses shut down, and men joined the posse. It eventually built up to hundreds of men. So Sheriff Greenway Hatfield had a small army to go after five men, but still they were looking in one of the most rural, rugged areas of West Virginia.
And so it was easy to hide, but if you look long enough, you’re going to catch them, because the criminals didn’t really have a great escape plan. That’s been my take on it forever, is that they planned the robbery. They planned everything about it, but they didn’t really figure out “How are we getting out of here efficiently?” Maybe they thought word wouldn’t spread. Maybe they thought they had a few days before anyone would find out. But it clearly wasn’t thought out very well.
Douglas: Orland Booten was actually a real character in history. He was the reporter for what was then the Williamson Republican newspaper. He went on to the Williamson Daily News after that and was a reporter in that region for 40-something years. I think it’s kind of fascinating that this was an actual reporter on the ground.
Bumgardner: And that was a very new thing. They didn’t have newspapers in Mingo County because there weren’t many people in Mingo County until around the turn of the century. That they formed newspapers just says something positive here. Although they didn’t always get the stories perfectly correct in their articles, they played an important role throughout the 20th century in West Virginia.
Editor’s note: Booten’s name was spelled different ways, but the version in this story seems to be the most prevalent.
Douglas: When the posse ultimately killed the robbers, they were Italian or appeared to be Italian, but nobody knew who they were. They laid them out in town like you see in the Old West stories. But nobody ever came to claim them. What does that say to you?
Bumgardner: Especially with immigrants in the early 20th century in West Virginia, the head of the family would come over first and establish himself, and then send for their families. And sometimes they never sent for their families. Sometimes, bad things would happen to them like, as we discussed with the Black Hand. So when you have so many new people pouring into an area, it’s hard to document who’s there.
Mingo County’s population doubled between 1900 and 1910. There’s certainly a 1910 census that shows us who was there. But then, by 1920, it increased more than 50 percent again. And so there are people who are in and out of West Virginia between the censuses that nobody knew and that and that they probably didn’t have family, maybe not in this country. So when crimes like this happened, or people were killed, and you see this with miners, a lot with immigrant miners, is many of them were unidentified, or there was nobody to claim the body.
The five men from the Glen Alum payroll robbery.
West Virginia Archives.
And that worked, also, if you’re a criminal. That worked to your benefit, because if nobody knows you, then they can’t identify you. That was happening with prohibition. Right after prohibition was enacted in West Virginia, almost the exact same time, you have an influx of criminals who are just essentially jumping from state to state, who are taking advantage of prohibition by selling bootleg liquor, and if something happens to them, you know, they don’t have family, they don’t know anybody around. They’ve just disappeared, or they’ve run off with somebody.
Another place you see that was the Hawks Nest tunnel disaster, not because they’re criminals, but you had hundreds and hundreds, some have estimated nearly 1,000 people over the years, died building the Hawks Nest tunnel. So many of them were anonymous because they had migrated to West Virginia, either from other countries or Blacks in the South. If they just disappeared, didn’t return home, didn’t send word home, the thinking was, well, maybe they just ran off, right? They went and got killed, and their identities were lost to history.
The cost and availability of child care has been in the news a lot lately as care centers close and parents choose not to work, rather than pay for it out of pocket.
The cost and availability of child care has been in the news a lot lately as care centers close and parents choose not to work, rather than pay for it out of pocket.
To better understand how these problems are affecting state businesses, the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) is launching the West Virginia Child Care Economic Impact Survey. The survey is in collaboration with the West Virginia Association of Regional Councils,and supported by the WV Economic Development Council.
“The survey aims to gather valuable data to determine how the availability of child care impacts workforce participation, employee retention and overall business productivity,” said Jina Belcher, the authority’s executive director. “Child care is a growing priority for existing and new businesses throughout the Mountain State. We want to support the decisions being made by the governor, state agencies and the legislature with real-time data around the issue.”
Belcher said the information being collected will help identify the specific needs and concerns of businesses regarding child care so everyone can work together to develop targeted solutions that support both the workforce and economic growth in West Virginia.
“Child care funding is facing a looming cliff with pandemic-era funding ending soon,” she said. “These surveys will help assess and convey the extent to which West Virginia businesses encounter hurdles to child care and also highlight any concerns that prospective businesses looking to branch into the area may have.”
The survey will be open until the start of the legislative session. The authority and the WV Association of Regional Councils are open to sharing data with state and federal agencies that can use it as part of their decision making.
“There are many facets to the child care dilemma facing West Virginia and the nation,” Belcher said. “We developed the survey instrument as a means for providing current, real-time data to policymakers in the forefront of making decisions that will have both short- and long-term impacts on business and economic development leaders, parents and children.”
Two months into fiscal year 2025, the state is reducing its revenue estimates.
Two months into fiscal year 2025, the state is reducing its revenue estimates.
Mark Muchow, deputy secretary for the Department of Revenue, told members of the Legislative Joint Standing Committee on Finance Monday that revenue for the year is expected to be nearly 8 percent lower than estimated in the spring.
That is a difference of $446 million compared to original estimates. The higher numbers were used to create the current fiscal year’s budget.
Muchow explained that several factors are contributing to the reduced estimate. They include:
The phase-in of the personal income tax cuts, specifically the property tax rebate credits, which are expected to reduce personal income tax collections.
The 4 percent personal income tax rate reduction scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2025. In 2023, when the legislature passed the 21.25 percent personal income tax cut, it set up triggers to further reduce tax. The first trigger has been met and will reduce personal income taxes further.
Additionally, corporate income tax collections and lower interest income projections due to expected lower interest rates and the timing of capital improvement project expenditures.
The state ended the 2024 fiscal year with a budgetary excess of $632 million dollars.
