Mike Pushkin
Second lawmaker calls for investigation into DHHR’s handling of Sissonville abuse, neglect case
Del. Mike Pushkin, lawmaker and chair of the state Democratic Party, called on the governor to launch “an immediate and thorough” investigation into how the state handled a child welfare case where two children were found living in a shed. A Republican lawmaker already made a similar appeal for additional scrutiny. Public records, obtained by […]
PSC opens investigation into Charleston’s West Side gas outage
The West Virginia Public Service Commission said Friday it has opened an investigation into a gas outage that left more than a thousand residents on Charleston’s West Side without heat, hot water or the ability to cook. The announcement came a day after West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency in Kanawha […]
Proposed PEIA increases draw criticism; Justice says he’ll propose pay raise to offset cost
A proposal to raise health insurance premiums for West Virginia state employees for the second year in a row is drawing criticism from state Democrats and from a union representing West Virginia teachers and school personnel. The Public Employees Insurance Agency is proposing to increase premiums for state employees by 10.5% for fiscal year 2025, […]
If Justice expects transparency in his administration, then he needs to lead by example
A couple of weeks ago, the West Virginia Democratic Party sent out a news release calling out Del. Elliott Pritt in response to a paraphrased quote I included in a commentary. “Delegate Pritt needs to disclose unlawful partisan bias in state agencies,” the headline states. Pritt, R-Fayette, told Politico in an article from August, that […]
The League of Women Voters in WV releases scorecard for 2023 Regular Session
For the first time this year, the League of Women Voters of West Virginia created and released a scorecard to analyze key votes from legislators in the 2023 Regular Session. Only 11 legislators — all Democrats — scored higher than 50% on priority issues set by the League, according to the scorecard. Those priorities — […]
Dems call for investigation into WV Department of Transportation over alleged conflicts of interest
The West Virginia Democratic Party on Tuesday called for an investigation in the state Department of Transportation after recent allegations that Secretary Jimmy Wriston awarded millions of dollars in state and federal road contracts to an engineering firm that employs his son. Recently, news outlets have reported that Wriston was involved in the awarding of […]
Former minority leader Doug Skaff resigns from House
Kanawha County Democrat Doug Skaff has resigned from the House of Delegates. Skaff was the House minority leader until last month, when he resigned the leadership position, saying he intended to take a few weeks to decide his political future. Skaff said Friday he had contemplated resigning from the House last month, but chose to […]
State tries to address growing number of foster kids in residential care
The number of West Virginia foster kids in residential care is increasing, despite a federal mandate to reduce the number of children in facilities, some who are housed out of state. There are currently 511 kids in residential care, state data shows. State health department leadership told lawmakers Tuesday that the department developed a new […]
Lack of diversity, views on opioid board a concern for some
West Virginia’s local governments have chosen who will represent them on a board overseeing the majority of the state’s opioid litigation funds, but the directors’ lack of diversity is cause for concern from some people watching the process unfold. The six people elected to represent the state’s cities and counties include three physicians — Dr. […]