State Government Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

W.Va. Budget Surplus Spending Destinations Defined

In a Wednesday media briefing, Gov. Jim Justice and Revenue Secretary Dave Hardy defined, and added to, earlier released details on how the state will spend some of its more than $1.8 billion budget surplus.

Hardy said a little over $1.1 billion is designated as surplus section spending. He said that covers 32 different 2023 budget items passed by the legislature and signed by the governor.

He said $40 million goes to the School Building Authority to cover the inflationary rise of school building costs, and $125 million toward the construction of a new consolidated state laboratory.

“Our state laboratories are deficient,” Hardy said. “Our state police, our health department and our agricultural secretary have all stated that our laboratories are ancient and obsolete.”

Hardy made note that another $282 million is set aside for deferred maintenance for state colleges, universities and correctional facilities.

“This is taking the benefit of the surplus and applying it to deferred maintenance, that’s gone on sometimes 20 or 30 years that it’s been neglected,” he said.

Hardy said $400 million goes to the personal income tax reserve fund, to pay income tax refunds as they come due. Other items include a one-time $50 million payment to the West Virginia University Cancer Institute and $29 million to the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg.

“The surplus section has become the way that we take the benefit of holding down our expenses, holding down our base budget, waiting till the fiscal year is over and then allocating dollars toward unmet needs,” Hardy said.

Find a more detailed listing of Fiscal Year 2023 surplus section spending here.

Young Leaders From 2022 Mountaineer Boys State Speak Out On Issues

In its 83rd year, the American Legion’s Mountaineer Boys State has more than 200 West Virginia rising high school seniors who are learning political decision making this week.

Boys State replicates the judicial, legislative and executive branches of state government. The young elected leaders traveled to the State Capitol in Charleston Thursday, to meet with their real counterparts.

Will Behrens thought he’d run for a Supreme Court seat, then decided to go big or go home. Elected governor, Behrens – from Notre Dame High School in Clarksburg – said back home he and his friends don’t really talk about issues. He said at Boys State, people were voicing new concerns and perspectives.

“Talking about things like infrastructure, and the expensive cost of medicines like insulin,” Behrens said. “Along with the stigmatization around getting rehab for drug problems. It’s things like that I may never have even thought of.”

Elected Secretary of State, Berkeley County and Spring Mills High rising senior Samuel Stotler was put into the Nationalist Party. He said one of its pillars was renewable energy. Stotler led the stand for nuclear energy, deciding that by far, it’s the cleanest source.

“I actually just came from the Naval Academy summer seminar session last week,” Stotler said. “We actually spoke to their nuclear professor and he explained to us how this was, hands down, the easiest and most efficient and renewable source that we could possibly have.”

Behrens said being 17 years old is tough when it comes to taking action on political issues.

“We’re in an awkward spot, because we can’t vote and we can’t run for elected positions,” Behrens said. “So that’s why Boys State is a really important opportunity. Because all of these thoughts and opinions that we’ve been keeping for all this time, we can finally kind of put those into action.”

Stotler said discussing different viewpoints at a young age is teaching him what all governments need right now: compromise.

“We’re so polarized and nobody’s willing to give in, to stretch their point of view,” Stotler said. “Compromise is direly important to move forward and progress in society.”

The 2022 Mountaineer Boys State continues through the week at Jackson’s Mill in Lewis County.

Gov. Justice Pleads For Rep. Mooney To ‘Get Involved’ In W.Va.

Updated on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 4:40 p.m. The governor supported Rep. David McKinley over Mooney in this week’s 2nd Congressional District Republican primary. Gov. Jim Justice is pleading with U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney to get involved in working with him and his office to help West Virginia.

Updated on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 4:40 p.m.

Gov. Jim Justice is pleading with U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney to get involved in working with him and his office to help West Virginia.

The governor supported Rep. David McKinley over Mooney in this week’s 2nd Congressional District Republican primary.

Federal redistricting caused by population loss gave West Virginia two congressional districts instead of three, prompting the incumbent vs. incumbent race.

Mooney, backed by former President Donald Trump, defeated McKinley by 18 points.

Justice said while he supports Trump, he thought McKinley made a bad move by voting for a January 6 insurrection investigation – but he thought McKinley made the right vote for President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, bringing $6 Billion to West Virginia.

Mooney opposed both.

Justice said he works with McKinley on a near daily basis but has minimal, if any, contact with Mooney.

The governor is now pleading with fellow Republican and Trump ally Mooney to get involved in helping West Virginia.

“I’ve met with him one time since I’ve been in office,” Justice said. “Congressman Mooney should call me and let’s work together. I’ll try to do anything and everything I can to help him.”

In an email to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Mooney fired back on the governor’s comments: “Gov. Justice needs to stop spreading his disproven lies from the primary. He needs to get over the fact that his candidate got only 35 percent of the vote. I am always willing to work with anyone to stand up for West Virginia families and fight the Biden-Pelosi agenda that is fueling runaway inflation.”

Mooney said that he has met with Justice on at least four in-person occasions: Oct. 2018, Jan. 2020, Aug. 15, 2020 and Aug. 19, 2020.

WVPB Names McCormick Webmaster, Digital Coordinator

West Virginia Public Broadcasting has named Liz McCormick as its Webmaster and Digital Coordinator.

McCormick started with West Virginia Public Broadcasting in 2014 as an intern. She was hired as a freelance reporter in July of that year, and then hired full-time in December 2014 as the Eastern Panhandle reporter/producer.

In August 2020, she added the education beat to her newsroom responsibilities.

McCormick is also associate producer and a reporter on WVPB’s television program, The Legislature Today.

McCormick graduated from Capital High School in 2010 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and New Media with a concentration in Digital Filmmaking and a minor in Theater from Shepherd University in 2014.

Yohe Joins West Virginia Public Broadcasting News Team

West Virginia Public Broadcasting has hired Randy Yohe as its Government Reporter. He began his full-time duties with WVPB this month.

Yohe brings decades of reporting experience in television, radio and print. He has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri. He has worked locally at WSAZ-TV and WOWK-TV in the Charleston/Huntington market.

“Before coming to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Randy has had a long history of reporting the news in our region and his contact list is deep. He understands that all news is local. As our Government Reporter, he plans to make sure that every story answers the question, ‘What does this mean for me?’ Eric Douglas, WVPB’s Interim News Director, said. “We think that makes Randy a perfect fit for our news team and we are excited to have Randy on our team.”

“I’ve always thought my skill set, my journalistic demeanor, my passion for good storytelling and my commitment to local and regional concerns makes me a great fit for Public Broadcasting,” said Yohe. “As the WVPB Government Reporter, no issue is too small or too big, if it will make a difference in a West Virginian’s life. I’m a team player and thrilled to be working with a group of bright, insightful, helping and caring colleagues.”

“I will strive to adhere to the WVPB motto – ‘Telling West Virginia’s Story’ – in every story I tell,” Yohe added.

Yohe hails from Detroit but has lived in Huntington since the late 1980s.

For more information and links to Yohe’s archived stories, visit https://www.wvpublic.org/randy-yohe

Fight Against Human Trafficking Continues Throughout W.Va.

The Human Trafficking hotline reports there were 19 cases of trafficking throughout West Virginia in 2016, but what about the undiscovered cases? The U.S. State Department defines human sex or labor trafficking as forceful or fraudulent recruitment, harboring, transporting, providing or obtaining a person for labor or commercial sex.

It can and does happen everywhere. The Department of Homeland Security said watching out for signs can save someone’s life. Signs like noticing someone is being denied food, water, sleep, or medical care; or if someone appears to be coached on what to say.

New laws in West Virginia aim to prevent and penalize human trafficking as well as provide protection and coordinate services for victims. According to this new law, trafficking is potentially a 300,000 offense that could land you in prison for up to 20 years.

West Virginia Delegate Barbara Fleischauer sponsored the bill that became law.

“So these people maybe have committed crimes that they shouldn’t necessarily be judged for they may need to clean their criminal record if they are ever gonna get a job. They may want to move someplace else… there gonna need housing they don’t have any many money.. They are gonna need a whole lot of services.” Fleschauer said

Fleischauer says services need to be developed for victims of all ages, so West Virginians can distinguish the line between prostitution and human trafficking.She added that existing services today are largely the result of the Congregation of Saint Joseph in Wheeling.

Fleischauer said,“What they did was they provided funding for a half-time position to figure out what we have and what we don’t have.”

The congregation of St. Joseph works to spread community awareness buying, informational billboard ads about human trafficking, and picking outside of various events. They also create little bars of soap with the human trafficking hotline number on it and place them in various hotels and truck stops to allow victims to reach out for help.

Barbara Fleischauer said it’s been complicated to figure out how to help victims of all ages, but according to the new law, those who are deemed human trafficking victims can receive criminal immunity.

“Maybe they wanna go home, maybe they wanna go near home, or maybe they need to make a new home.. So we need to have people that can help them to figure out what services are available so they can do what they wanna do.”- Fleischauer

The state Attorney General’s office is taking on initiatives as well, encouraging officers throughout the state to participate in special training programs.

Officer Les Clifton a patrolman in Fairmont, said he’s been trained to look for details instead of the overall circumstances.

“ You know everything from nationality to maybe things they said they were doing, their lifestyle while they’re here doing the certain things they’re doing whether it’s panhandling or odd jobs.” Clifton said

Clifton’s police department was the first to take part in this training. He and other officers learned how to gather data that will help track state arrests and prosecutions, which will in turn hopefully raise awareness and reduce demand of trafficking.

Clifton adds,“You can’t just look at it and think it is just what it is. You really have to dig in and really have to find the root of why someone’s there and what they are doing.”

Officer training to better detect, report and respond to human trafficking is planned for north central West Virginia in the fall.

Human Trafficking Hotline Number: 1-888-373-7888