The finances of Gov. Jim Justice’s family businesses are once again drawing national attention.
The finances of Gov. Jim Justice’s family businesses are once again drawing national attention.
Friday morning, financial news magazine Forbes published a new analysis of the Justices’ finances, concluding that Justice-held debts far outweigh assets, which include the Greenbrier and metallurgical coal mines across several states.
As the governor prepares to take his oath of office for the U.S. Senate Monday, the article drew attention to Justice’s foreign-held debts. They include a $20 million defaulted loan now owned by the sovereign wealth fund of the United Arab Emirates. In another case, a helicopter was seized and sold to satisfy debts to a Russian investment firm.
The Justice family narrowly retained possession of The Greenbrier Resort last year after creditors sought its auction to satisfy unpaid loans.
Justice did not comment on the allegations during his final press briefing as governor Friday afternoon.
International migration added more than 2,800 residents. Another 500, and the state would have broken even.
The bad news? West Virginia lost more than 500 residents from 2023 to 2024, according to new data from the U.S. Census. It’s one of only three states to lose population – Vermont and Mississippi are the others – and of those, it lost the most.
“Things are improving,” he said. “We’re not hemorrhaging residents like we were a couple of years ago.”
A large part of the reason: More people are moving to West Virginia, notably, from other countries. International migration added more than 2,800 residents. Another 500, and the state would have broken even.
The total net migration to the state, including domestic and international, was about 7,300. The census data does not break down countries, or states, of origin.
“That is certainly one of the important factors that’s offsetting the higher death rate and lower birth rate,” Humphreys said.
West Virginia had the highest population loss because of deaths than any state but Pennsylvania. The number of deaths, 7,800, was actually higher than Florida’s, now a state of 23 million people.
“Florida is such a much larger state than we are, and to have the same number of deaths just tells you how unhealthy the population in West Virginia is,” Humphreys said.
Humphreys noted that West Virginia’s high death rate and declining birth rate aren’t likely to change. Therefore, any chance that the state will reverse its overall population decline depends on migration from other states and other countries.
“It’s going to be highly dependent on that migration, because the declining birth rate and pretty high death rate,” he said. “Those are long-term trends that don’t change easily.”
Texas and Florida led the country’s population gains in 2024, partly due to their location, Humphreys says. That could put states like West Virginia at a disadvantage.
“Anywhere in the Sun Belt.” he said, “That’s a big overall migration trend is people want to live where it’s warm.”
West Virginia’s total population remains over 1.7 million, which ranks 39th out of 50.
The West Virginia Economic Development Authority approved $75 million for the Nucor site, Gov. Jim Justice said Thursday.
Justice said the funds would be used for infrastructure upgrades such as port improvements and water treatment systems.
That’s in addition to the $800 million Nucor has committed to the project, which Justice called the largest in state and company history.
“I’m proud to continue building on our record-breaking investment with Nucor, because they’ve been rockstars in my book,” Justice said in a statement. “Nucor has been everything you could want in an economic development partner, and this additional funding shows the confidence we have in them and the confidence they have in West Virginia.”
Local chef Paul Smith was in rare form recently, teaching basic kitchen skills to a small group of West Virginians who are hoping their luck is about to change.
At the heart of his message: there are plenty of rules in the kitchen – and in life. But most mistakes can be fixed with a little hard work.
“You can overcook the crap out of green beans,” he said. “You just gotta add some bacon fat and stuff to it, and then it’s, then it’s country style.”
His students are in the first of four cohorts planned for the state’s first ever “Prepped To Serve” program.
Chef Paul Smith told students in the Prepped to Serve program that most mistakes in the kitchen and in life can be overcome.
Photo by Maria Young/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Ten applicants – some in recovery, others with felony convictions or struggling to find work – were chosen for the program which started in October and paired them with Smith, the state’s only James Beard award winner to date.
Now they’re about to graduate with training followed by two months’ worth of paid restaurant experience under their belts, thanks to Smith.
He knows a lot about cooking – but he also understands some of the challenges his cohort has faced.
“I had a private chef business. I was a corporate chef for a food service company, Buzz food service. I was making good money. I had a house, I had a car, and I was literally on the brink of losing everything,” he said.
It’s been five years since Smith confronted his addiction to alcohol, which flourished for years in an industry known for its tolerance of substance abuse. Since then, he’s found a level of success he never expected.
He’s opened his first restaurant – which is thriving – and is now an owner or partner in more than half a dozen more. He’s also been chosen as finalist in the elite national James Beard culinary awards for two years in a row, and this year took first place in the Best Chef Southeast category.
“That’s North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia. Think about how many big cities are in that market. Think about what an accomplishment that is for a small state and a small town like Charleston, West Virginia,” Smith said.
He is acutely aware that his is a story of success that might have never been.
“I know in my heart that I wouldn’t be here. Number one, I would be dead. I was drinking myself to death. I was doing other things after you drink and you lose those inhibitions,” he said.
He took control. And five years later, he takes that control again – every single day.
“So what I do is come into the restaurant. I sit at the bar. I literally look at all the bottles of alcohol, and I basically give them a mental middle finger and say, you know, ‘You’re not going to beat me today,’” he said.
In a state and a region in the midst of a massive addiction crisis, Smith eventually realized that he wanted to do something more than focus on his own recovery. He joined forces with West Virginia Health Right – a charitable clinic that offers free healthcare to the working poor.
Angie Settle is the CEO. She says mental health treatment and recovery are often affected by the cost of health insurance.
“A lot people are faced with, ‘Do I quit my job so I can qualify for Medicaid and get these thousands of dollars for the medications that I need every month? Or do I take this job and then maybe go without care because I can’t afford the insurance?’” she said.
Together the chef and the CEO put together the Prepped To Serve program which offers a month’s worth of culinary training and guarantees a paid job with oversight for two months. After that, success depends on each of the students.
“This is like a trampoline Jumpstart is basically what this is. They’ll come out with the food handler certificate, that they completed a program with the James Beard award winning chef, and can basically take that anywhere,” Settle added.
That was appealing to people like John.
“Let’s see, just graduated drug court. I’ve got about 21 months sober. And I’ve been cooking there at the fellowship home for the past year,” he said. “I think a huge part of sobriety is finding something you’re passionate about. And I’m very passionate about cooking. You know, I found a purpose which I never had.”
Gil has an old felony conviction he said made it hard for him to find work.
“I just couldn’t find a job. I applied everywhere. That ‘felony’ underneath my name,” said, shaking his head. “Now I don’t even have, like, a minor traffic ticket or anything. And I want to learn, get new skills, because maybe this might be my way.”
Lisa told the class she’s looking for a life change.
A student in the Prepped to Serve program works on proper chopping and slicing techniques.
Maria Young/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“I have three kids. I’m not in recovery from substances, but kind of life recovery,” she said. “I worked with [the] restaurant industry a lot when I was younger. And then Covid happened, and I kind of got put back in there, and it just kind of reignited my love for it.”
The program is funded through a WorkForce West Virginia grant through the Division of Commerce. Former Commerce Secretary James Bailey helped make the arrangements.
“It’s a lot easier for a small business to take a chance on somebody who might be needing their second chance when they are coming out of a program like that, as opposed to right off the street,” Bailey said.
“What it’ll do for a workforce is exciting to me, because there’s a gap there for our small restaurant businesses in filling their workforce needs. It’s a challenge for restaurants. It’s been cited by some of the ones that have closed down as one of their challenges,” he added.
If it seems risky to take participants – some in recovery – and place them in a restaurant position, Chef Paul said his restaurants and many others have shifted focus from the old days when substance use and sometimes abuse often took place on the job.
“Of course, this is a stressful business, and with that stress comes excuses, right? ‘Oh, my God, I had a tough day, I should have a drink.’ ‘Oh, I had a great day. I should have a drink.’ ‘Oh, someone yelled at me.’ ‘Someone didn’t like that dish.’ ‘Someone loved that dish.’ There’s always a reason or an excuse to figure out a way to do whatever we were doing.
Removed from that environment, participants in the very first Prepped To Serve cohort are hopeful they can find a new level of success, just like their celebrity chef instructor did.
With online shopping increasing around the holidays, scammers try to take advantage of consumers by sending fake, urgent emails or texts with a link to supposedly get your shipment or update shipping preferences.
Officials continue to warn consumers to exercise caution this holiday shopping season, particularly a scam revolving around undelivered packages.
The West Virginia Attorney General’s Office is warning consumers to be wary of emails or text messages about an undeliverable package.
With online shopping increasing around the holidays, scammers try to take advantage of consumers by sending fake, urgent emails or texts with a link to supposedly get your shipment or update shipping preferences.
Consumers are advised to never click on unsolicited links.
Instead, go directly to the website where you made your order and check the status of your shipment or contact the shipping company using a phone number or website you know is real. Do not rely on the information in the message.
Anyone who believes they have been the victim of a scam should contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 800-368-8808 or file a complaint online at www.ago.wv.gov.
The advice comes as part of the Attorney General’s Holiday Consumer Protection Week.
“Online shopping is convenient and brings many retailers to our fingertips,” Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a press release. “Scammers will try to take advantage of increased online commerce during the holiday season so consumers should be extra cautious if they receive notifications about an undeliverable package.”
Morrisey’s office said the undeliverable package scam surfaces throughout the year but is especially prevalent during the busy holiday season. No matter what time of year it is, consumers need to take precautions to protect their personal information.
West Virginia collected 1 percent less revenue in November 2024 than in November 2023. Figures for the fiscal year as a whole show a more significant decrease.
West Virginia took in roughly 1 percent less revenue last month than it did in November 2023, according to new data from the West Virginia State Budget Office.
The state collected slightly more than $400 million last month, roughly $4 million less than it did in November 2023. November’s revenue still exceeded State Budget Office estimates for the month by more than $18 million, and the state is on track with estimates set for the fiscal year.
While the latest figures show only a slight decrease from last November, longer-term data suggests a more significant revenue decline. The state has collected 5 percent less revenue this fiscal year than it did this time last year.
In part, the decline comes from recent reductions to the state’s personal income tax, which is collected as part of the state revenue. In 2023, West Virginia slashed income tax by more than 20 percent, the largest cut in state history.
Critics of the tax cuts have said reducing state revenue means reducing funding on hand for state programs and social services. Proponents say lower costs make the state more enticing for prospective businesses and residents.
Meanwhile, population decline across the Mountain State means fewer people paying taxes to the state government. West Virginia lost more than 3 percent of its population between 2010 and 2020, according to the United States Census.
As his tenure comes to a close, Gov. Jim Justice has pursued further tax reductions for the state, though their implementation would be overseen by his successor, Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey.
Most recently, that included an additional 4 percent reduction to the state’s personal income tax in August that will take effect Jan. 1.
