West Virginia
New West Virginia Senate president naive to think 'social issues' will be taken care of quickly • West Virginia Watch
Incoming Senate President Randy Smith told a TV news station this week that he plans to address “social issues” right away in the 2025 session.
“I would like to get anything like that out of the road so we can concentrate on economic development, creating jobs…” Smith told the station.
I couldn’t help but find his comments naive. Quaint, even.
“Social issues” are one of the right’s dog whistles for legislatively bullying everyone from trans kids to librarians. If Smith thinks he will ever be able to get them out of the way to focus on substantive issues, he’d better think again.
I hate to break it to the Senate president-elect, but once you start trying to appease the anti-liberty movement, they won’t let you stop. You’ll never reach a point where their agenda is “out of the road.” Once they’ve clawed back rights from one group, they’re immediately on to the next.
Ban trans kids from playing sports? Up next is policing cisgender girls’ femininity.
Ban gender affirming care for kids? Up next is restricting health care for trans adults.
Ban abortion? Up next is electronically tracking people’s menstrual cycles.
Ban same-sex marriage? Up next is eliminating no-fault divorce for everyone.
This is the defining feature of a movement that lacks real-world solutions for our real-world problems.
West Virginia is 48th in education. We have the third highest health insurance premiums in the country despite also being one of the poorest states. Tens of thousands lack access to clean water. Our twin crises of addiction and foster care continue to spiral out of control. Our jails are overcrowded and among the deadliest in the nation.
But rather than find solutions to these complex problems, it’s much easier to demonize our fellow citizens and pit neighbor against neighbor. Somewhere out there, there is always going to be someone who simply has too much freedom.
But Smith should also be aware that we are every bit as relentless as our opponents.
While they never stop searching for a group to oppress, we never stop looking for ways to expand the sacred promise encoded in the Bill of Rights.
Where the other side looks at the world and sees an excess of liberty, we will use every tool at our disposal to get the government out of people’s lives and personal decisions.
We and our allies have been on the front lines of this fight for more than 100 years and we aren’t going anywhere.
And we’ll be ready for the Senate president on day one.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
West Virginia
Report: West Virginia to hire ex-Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez
Former Arizona Wildcats football coach Rich Rodriguez is expected to become the next head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers, joining the Big 12 conference with UofA and Arizona State, according to the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy.
The Sun Devils will host Rodriguez’s Mountaineers next season, while West Virginia will play Arizona in 2026.
Rodriguez spent seven seasons as West Virginia’s head coach from 2001-07, leading the program to a 60-26 record with wins in the Sugar Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl before leaving for Michigan.
He coached Arizona for six seasons and led the program to five bowl games, including the Fiesta Bowl. The Wildcats and Sun Devils had some memorable battles with Rodriguez leading Arizona and Todd Graham at Arizona State.
Arizona fired Rodriguez after the 2017 season following a notice of claim filed with the state attorney general’s office alleging he ran a hostile workplace. A lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and a hostile workplace environment was later dismissed.
Rodriguez has since made stops at Ole Miss, Hawaii (working with Graham) and Louisiana Monroe before Jacksonville State hired him as head coach ahead of the 2022 season. The Gamecocks made the jump to FBS in 2023 and won the 2024 Conference USA championship game over Western Kentucky.
His career comes full circle to West Virginia, which has won six or fewer games in five of the last six seasons. Rodriguez replaces Neal Brown.
West Virginia
State Board Of Education Approves More School Closures – West Virginia Public Broadcasting
School consolidations and closures continue to be the leading issue facing West Virginia education as the West Virginia Board of Education approved the closure of six more schools in four counties at their monthly meeting Wednesday.
Educational leaders from Clay, Preston, Wetzel and Wood counties all told the board declining enrollment, shrinking budgets and aging buildings are contributing factors that require closure and consolidation. A release from the West Virginia Department of Education stated that declining enrollment has led to 25 proposed or approved school closures this year.
The action comes just a month after the board approved the closure of six schools in Kanawha County.
In Preston County, the closure of Fellowsville Elementary School and its merger into South Preston School was approved, as well as the closure of Rowlesburg School and its merger into Aurora School.
In Wetzel County the consolidation of Hundred High School into Valley High School was approved, as well as the consolidation of Paden City High School into Magnolia High School and New Martinsville School.
Much of the public comment at the start of the meeting was directed at the closures in Wetzel County. Paden City High School has been the source of controversy since a court blocked its emergency closure earlier this year.
Like many speakers at meetings before, Charles Goff, mayor of Hundred, West Virginia said the effects of school closures goes far beyond the academic.
“The importance of Hundred High School can’t be summed up in two minutes,” he said. “In fact, most towns die after a closure of a high school. They lose incorporated status, losing elected officials in town, and it leads to fire departments closing and town charters being revoked.”
In Wood County the closure of Fairplain Elementary School and merger into Martin Elementary School; and the closure of Van Devender Middle School and its merger into Jackson Middle School and Hamilton Middle School were approved.
The closure of Clay County Middle School and consolidation into Clay Elementary School, Big Otter Elementary School and Clay County High School was approved, contingent upon West Virginia School Building Authority (SBA) funding for an addition to the high school.
Phillip Dobbins, superintendent of Clay County Schools, told the board the county has lost almost a third of its enrolled students in less than 10 years.
“Our projections show the grim reality that our enrollment will continue to decline,” he said. “Next year’s numbers project our total enrollment to be at 1375 total students, that’s down from 1,999 in 2016.”
He said the consolidation of Clay Middle School into existing county schools will save $500,000 in operational costs.
Victor Gabriel, board vice president, asked Dobbins to quantify the financial loss such a decline represents.
“According to our treasurer, state aid formula’s about $7,500 per student,” Dobbins said. “So, do the math, it’s several million dollars that we’re down.”
Gabriel went on to urge the legislature to revise the funding formula for West Virginia’s schools.
“It hasn’t been done for years and years and years,” he said. “As a former educator, I saw this evolve. We just don’t have the money, people. And it’s getting worse. Every time we lose students, we lose dollars. It all equates to dollars. And I mean, I don’t know how you resolve that.”
Gabriel said that counties still have to pay staff and to maintain buildings with ever-dwindling funding. He said student enrollment across the state is down 4,000 from last year, representing close to $30 million in lost funding for local schools.
West Virginia
Coach's Take: Tyrell Russell a steal for West Virginia
Steve Ayers already knew the type of speed he was inheriting in new West Virginia commitment Tyrell Russell when he took the head coach job at Beechcroft this past season.
That’s because Ayers served as the track coach at Walnut Ridge and Russell is a four-year letterman.
“You can’t coach speed. That’s just one thing you just can’t coach. The way he puts his foot in the ground and explodes. And the way he shows a different gear, we just knew we had something special,” Ayers said.
Russell is a versatile athlete who can play multiple positions ranging from running back, wide receiver, kick returner and on the defensive side of the ball. And while he is likely to end up on defense with the Mountaineers, Ayers believes that over his 28 years Russell fits high on his list.
“He’s just an all-around football player,” he said.
But Ayers believes that Russell still has plenty of room to grow on the field as he adjusts from splitting his time between track and football and focuses solely on the latter. The head coach expects him to add some good weight to his frame and become even more intriguing as a prospect.
“Once he fills out with his speed it can be really, really scary,” he said.
The one area that he wants to see him continue to grow is handling the physicality of the college game because it is different from what he has experienced to date. But he has the toolkit to do just that.
“Once he figures that out he’ll be fine. Speed wise he can run with anybody in my eyes,” he said.
But while the physical attributes are there, Ayers has perhaps been just as impressed with how Russell has carried himself in terms of his character. The senior has embraced a leadership role on his team and has made a strong impression with how he goes about his business.
That especially showed itself in moments of adversity as Russell bought into the new leadership and the message that they were trying to pass onto the team.
The decision to commit to West Virginia didn’t necessarily surprise Ayers once Russell elected to take the visit and he is excited that he will have the chance to showcase what he can do at the highest level in Morgantown.
“He’s a kid with great character, great grades and will have an opportunity to shine at the next level. He has it. He is a kid with a good head on his shoulders and honestly I think they got a steal,” he said.
-
World1 week ago
Freedom is permanent for Missourian described as the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman in US
-
Technology5 days ago
Struggling to hear TV dialogue? Try these simple fixes
-
Business3 days ago
OpenAI's controversial Sora is finally launching today. Will it truly disrupt Hollywood?
-
World1 week ago
Brussels denies knowledge of Reynders's alleged money laundering
-
Science1 week ago
All raw milk from Fresno dairy farm will be cleared from store shelves; cows have bird flu
-
News1 week ago
Read Representative Jerrold Nadler’s Letter
-
Politics1 week ago
Oklahoma measure seeks to make school district superintendents an elected position
-
Science1 week ago
How the FDA allows companies to add secret ingredients to our food