Legislature 2009: Day 7

• Gov. Joe Manchin is seeing progress from his bill to bar a repeat of the pension draw-downs executed by two circuit judges last year, The Charleston Gazette reports.

• The Charleston Daily Mail reports that "state officials are considering moving the start of buck gun season to a Saturday, a move likely to reignite the debate over Sunday hunting."

• Both The Associated Press and The Gazette examine the budget proposal from West Virginia's higher ed system, where efforts to improve funding are likely stymied by the recession-threatened state budget.

• MetroNews gets legislative reaction to a decision by the parent company of Charles Town Racetrack in Jefferson County not to seek a table games ballot issue this year, having lost the 2007 vote.

• The Daily Mail also focuses on Manchin's proposal to equalize treatment of veterans in West Virginia's main retirement program for public employees.

• The Gazette and MetroNews (with audio) each fielded Manchin's reaction to Monday's public employee rally at the Capitol. " Manchin says those workers should be thankful they have jobs," the latter reports.