Hiram Considers Adding Hat to Hypothetical '08 Ring

Republican Hiram Lewis told the Charleston Daily Mail that he's testing the waters for a 2008 run for attorney general.

Lewis is among 95 West Virginians who have filed (free and non-obligating) pre-candidacy papers for legislative, statewide or undeclared offices.

The official filing period runs Jan. 14-26, and several offices carry hefty filing fees. Filing for attorney general, for instance, is $950.

More than a third of these filers did not declare an office, including incumbent Attorney General Darrell McGraw. A Democrat, McGraw filed his pre-candidacy paperwork in April 2005.

More than half the pre-candidates are incumbent legislators. Another five lawmakers filed pre-candidacy papers for 2010 races.

The Daily Mail reports that Lewis is "getting ready to set up a Web site and start fishing for campaign money." I did find this web site for his law practice, though it may pre-date his unsuccessful 2006 bid for U.S. Senate.

Lewis lost in the GOP primary that year. The Daily Mail cites how he fell to McGraw in 2004 by about 5,000 votes.

Upshur County Lands Romney's Son For Event

Tagg Romney, a son of former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, is slated to appear at the June 22 Lincoln Day Dinner in Upshur County.

West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon will host the event. A former executive in the L.A. Dodgers organization, the younger Romney is a senior advisor to his father's campaign.

The state Republican Party offers additional details.

Howard Dean coming to Charleston

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is the scheduled headliner for the 36th annual convention of the National Federation of Democratic Women, slated for May 30- June 3 in Charleston.

The former Vermont governor and 2004 presidential candidate will help open the convention with a Thursday speech before returning to Washington, D.C., the Saturday Gazette-Mail reports today.

Dean last visited West Virginia for a Democratic Party rally in January 2006.

Critics Decry Pro-Table Game Ads - Updated

Freshly kicked out of state court and looking to rebound, the West Virginia Family Foundation is crying foul over the appearance of three Kanawha County-area police chiefs _ two of them in uniform _ in direct mail flyers promoting table games.

"We think it's a crying shame that we have law enforcement actually getting involved in the promotion of gambling in the county," Foundation Executive Director Kevin McCoy told the Charleston Daily Mail. "We're appalled that law enforcement would get involved in promoting an issue that ultimately comes back to haunt them."

The flyers address the argument by gambling foes that crime will follow full-blown casinos into West Virginia. " (T)he police chiefs and the state Fraternal Order of Police president say they don't see crime increasing," the Daily Mail reports.

The Associated Press has a story drawn from the Daily Mail article.

The Washington Post, meanwhile, has a lengthy story on table games and the upcoming special elections _ but apparently still thinks that all four will be held on June 9...

Update: The Daily Mail follows up on its story with an article today citing Senate Bill 526. Passed during the recent legislative session, the new law says that "A member of a paid police department may not" engage in certain political activities including " the wearing by a municipal police officer of his or her uniform for the purpose of interfering with or affecting...the passage or defeat of any ballot issue."

Signed by Gov. Joe Manchin on April 4, the legislation also says that "Any member of any such paid police department violating the provisions of this section shall have his appointment vacated and he shall be removed."

But, as the Daily Mail article notes, the new law does not take effect until June 8 _ two days after the table games legislation becomes law.

Quote of the Day

"I guess I come from a small place and quite frankly I'm just not used to the scrutiny that I guess comes with the job... I'm a little bit more of a country boy than I am a city boy."

-- State Sen. Randy White, D-Webster, to the Charleston Daily Mail, about sideswiping a car Jan. 30, while in Charleston for the legislative session, and then leaving the scene.

State Senator Pleads Guilty In Hit & Run

Sen. Randy White, D-Webster, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Charleston Municipal Court to a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident from a January incident, the Charleston Daily Mail reports.

"White sideswiped a car with his pickup in the 1600 block of Virginia Street near the state Capitol Complex," the article said. "White told city police it was too late to look for the car's owner or report the accident, so he left the scene."

White has agreed to pay a $100 fine and $57 in court costs within six months, and also could lose six points on his driver's license, the article said.

DOJ v. Daily Gazette - The Bray Cary Connection

As part of an extensive follow-up to the U.S. Justice Department antitrust lawsuit against the Daily Gazette Co., West Virginia Public Broadcasting interviewed Bray Cary.

The president of West Virginia Media Holdings said that DOJ contacted his company as they investigated the 2004 purchase of the Charleston Daily Mail, but "we never had any formal interviews."

The lawsuit alleges that a $55 million bid by "an experienced third-party newspaper company" for the PM newspaper in late 2003 spurred parent company of The Charleston Gazette to match the offer.

DOJ cites a December 2003 letter of intent between the unnamed company and MediaNews Group, the Daily Mail's then-owner and a co-defendant in the lawsuit.

Cary told Public Broadcasting that while he had "preliminary discussions" with MediaNews about buying the Daily Mail, he ultimately ran into the Federal Communication Commission's current ban on cross-ownership of different media in the same market.

"I can unequivocally state that at not time did West Virginia Media Holdings ever make a formal offer for the Charleston Daily Mail," Cary said.

Besides audio of today's piece and a transcript, Public Broadcasting also offers an interview with Dean Corley Dennison of Marshall University's journalism school, who "discusses the history of Justice Department enforcement in the news, and explains how joint operating agreements work."

The links are also available on Public Broadcasting's new blog, while DOJ offers both the lawsuit and a press release on the web pages for its antitrust division.

Feds Sue Gazette Parent Company - Updated

The U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit Tuesday against the owner of West Virginia's largest daily newspaper, The Associated Press reports.

The DOJ's antitrust division is focusing on the Daily Gazette Company's 2004 purchase of the Charleston Daily Mail, the capital city's afternoon newspaper. The allegations are framed by the protections afforded that newspaper and The Charleston Gazette under a circa-1959 Joint Operating Agreement.

The lawsuit alleges that after the purchase, the Daily Gazette Co. "stopped all Daily Mail promotions, halted delivery to thousands of customers, discontinued publishing a Saturday edition and cut the editorial budget by almost half, forcing reporters to leave the newspaper," the AP's Tim Huber reports. "As a result...the Daily Mail's daily circulation plummeted from 35,076 in February 2004 to 23,985 in January 2005."

MediaNews Group, which sold the Daily Mail to the Gazette's parent company, is also a defendant in the lawsuit.

Update: The Gazette offers a take on the lawsuit against its parent company. West Virginia Media News, which has sought to buy the Daily Mail, has a story as well.

Justices Turn Down Table Games Challenge

Well, that was quick.

Looking for Ugly

West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin is among the listed speakers for Mudslinging in Judicial Campaigns: Beginning to Look a Lot Like Congress, a Wednesday conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

"In 2006, an estimated $16 million was spent on advertising in Supreme Court races in 10 states, more per race than ever before, with an escalation in fierce and often misleading attack ads," says the event's co-sponsors, the Annenberg Public Policy Center and FactCheck.org.

As the program notes, Benjamin was "elected 2004 in a race with record-setting third-party negative ads."

Blair's Logan County Connection

Today's Charleston Daily Mail touches on a (perhaps) little-known West Virginia political factoid: Tony Blair's 1986 visit to the Mountain State and resulting friendship with Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, D-Logan.

The article quotes Tomblin's executive assistant, Raamie Barker, and Charleston lawyer Brad Crouser, seen in the above photo with Blair, then a Member of Parliament and a "shaggy-haired, 33-year-old." The pair served as Blair's chaperones during his tour of the southern coalfields.

"We were apologetic about how rough some of the places were," Crouser recalled. "But he represented a coal mining constituency and was familiar with the country and its folks."

Table Games - Updated

Jefferson and Ohio county voters have begun casting ballots in their respective special elections on the table games question.

Both the Wheeling News-Register and The Journal of Martinsburg found racetrack employees among the early voters.

The Journal also reports on the debate it sponsored last week on the issue in Jefferson County. "Four community leaders took center stage on the pros and cons of table games. Retired businessman Walt Pellish and Jefferson County Board of Education member Alan Sturm argued in favor of the issue, while Delegate John Doyle, D-Jefferson, and the Rev. Douglas Fraim spoke against table games," the article said.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting also covered the debate, and offers audio as well as information on a pro-table games group in that county.

The state Supreme Court, meanwhile, is expected to decide later this week on whether to consider a constitutional challenge to the table games legislation.

Update - The Associated Press offers this roundup of the early voting and related issues -- including a rise in registered voters in the racetrack counties. Get-out-the-vote efforts in both Ohio and Jefferson counties by table games supporters includes driving track workers to the polls. But opponents are also rallying, with one Jefferson County group setting up this web site to educate would-be voters.

U.S. Chamber vs. W.Va.

The latest battle in the ongoing war over lawsuits in West Virginia pits the U.S. Chamber of Commerce against its usual foes _ the state's trial lawyer _ as well as some unexpected opponents.

As The Associated Press reports, The Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce and a bipartisan group of Northern Panhandle state senators are among those critical of the recent U.S. Chamber ad campaign targeting the Mountain State's legal climate.

(As I reported earlier for AP, the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce lodged a similar complaint with its national counterpart over the campaign.)

These local complaints are somewhat buoyed by a recent FactCheck.org analysis that labels as "false" and "misleading" a key component of the U.S. Chamber ad campaign.

While not necessarily disagreeing with the U.S. Chamber's critique of the state's judicial system, the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce has adopted a different approach: seeking compromises with the trial bar.

The recently redubbed trial lawyers' association remains the U.S. Chamber's leading foe on the issue. Member Scott Segal recently exhorted the State Bar's governing board to take a stand, as AP reports.

A major hurdle in this debate has been the lack of statistics that sufficiently map the terrain of West Virginia's civil court system. In the initial AP story, I cited figures showing that "the number of general civil filings began declining in 2004 and has dropped by more than 6 percent from five years ago. The nonpartisan National Center for State Courts, meanwhile, puts West Virginia's civil filings on par with its population, ranking both at 38th nationwide in its most recent report."

The May 11 FactCheck analysis, meanwhile, said that the U.S. Chamber ignored key findings in the study that it misstates in the ad campaign:

"U.S. tort costs grew by 0.5 % in 2005. This was much lower than the growth rate of 5.7 % in 2004, and was the smallest increase in tort costs since 1997...The 0.5 percent rate of growth in tort costs in 2005 was less than overall economic growth of 6.3 percent. Since 1950, growth in tort costs has exceeded growth in GDP by an average of 2 to 3 percentage points."

The U.S. Chamber stands by its ad, and plans to follow up on its West Virginia campaign today with a survey of small business owners.

Plan C: Aug. 11

That's the new date for the table games special election in Kanawha County. The Associated Press is among those with the details.

Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center in Nitro had suggested June 30, after an advertising snafu forced the county from holding the vote on June 9.

The Kanawha County Commission wanted to ensure that with Aug. 11, it also met a 90-day requirement for scheduling an election.

But that time frame still allows Hancock County to hold its special election, as requested by Mountaineer Racetrack & Gaming Resort in Chester, on Jun 30.

Ohio and Jefferson county met the 30-day prior notice requirement, and so still plan to hold their special elections June 9.

The Charleston Gazette and Charleston Daily Mail both covered Thursday's Kanawha County Commission meeting, as did MetroNews.

Both AP and the Daily Mail, meanwhile, report on plans by gambling opponents to capitalize on the delays in their quest to defeat table games at the polls. Several of these foes have united to host a web site.

June 30 As Plan B

The Kanawha and Hancock Counties plan to meet today to decide whether to reschedule their special balloting for the table games to June 30.

The Associated Press has details, as does The Charleston Gazette, The (Wheeling) Intelligencer, Public Broadcasting (audio link) and MetroNews.

June 30 has become the Plan B for the tracks in these counties, after the snafu over a 30-day prior notice requirement forced them to abandon a June 9 date. Ohio and Jefferson counties met that advertising deadline, and still plan to vote on the earlier date.

Lottery Warned Over Network Takeover

A national group that helps problem gamblers has expressed alarm over the West Virginia Lottery Commission's push to take control of the state program in this area, The Associated Press reports.

State officials tell AP that the plan to give Lottery direct control of the Problem Gamblers Help Network is "is purely administrative and a more efficient way to process bills. Critics, however, allege a conflict of interest that breaks down the checks and balances ensuring good government," AP reports.

Those critics include the National Council on Problem Gambling. Executive Director Keith Whyte told the AP's Vicki Smith that the plan is "extraordinarily troubling" and "almost unprecedented."

"The industry has an important role to play in responsible gaming. But there has always been, for very obvious reasons, a line between industry and treatment," Whyte told AP, adding that the Lottery's plan "obliterates that wall."

Whyte also said that the only state to attempt something similar, Arizona, did so with disastrous results six years ago.

Public Broadcasting has also tracked this plan, and has felt out Gov. Joe Manchin on the question. Audio link here.

Update: Public Broadcasting chronicles a similar warning from another national group involved in treating problem gamblers. "1-800-Gambler is the hotline used by the vast majority of West Virginia callers," Scott Finn reports.

Garrison Detractors Persist

All is not smooth sailing for Mike Garrison, the former Wise Administration official and West Virginia University's president-elect.

Though more than a month has passed since the contentious final phase of the presidential search process, WVU's faculty senate has voted 33-29 to declare "no confidence" in that process, The Charleston Gazette reports.

WVU math department chairman Sherman Riemenschneider wanted the senate to commission an investigation into how the search was conducted. That failed 37-10 with one abstention, the newspaper reported.

Before Garrison's selection by the Board of Governors, the faculty senate had voted 47-5 to endorse the other finalist, former WVU dean and Kansas State Provost M. Duane Nellis.

The Board of Governors has since agreed on a contract for Garrison, 38, the Charleston Daily Mail reports. The package includes $255,000 starting in July, a five-bedroom home with dining space for 150 guests, and vehicles for him and his wife. The perks also include health coverage and "an automatic pay raise each year that will match the average percentage increases handed out to faculty and administrators," the newspaper reports.

But the Daily Mail also notes that "According to a report from the College and University Personnel Association, a median salary for university presidents in 2004 was $290,000... Garrison's salary would place him 170th out of 183 public university presidents, based on a 2006 earnings scale from the Chronicle of Higher Education."

Update: AP reports that in crafting the contract for Garrison, WVU's Board of Governors has sought to rule out moonlighting by Garrison while he's officially president-elect (July 1 - Sept. 21). A lawyer for the Spilman, Thomas & Battle firm, Garrison has also been a lobbyist with one of the largest client lists at the Legislature.

Table Games: Counting from 30 - Updated

Two of the four counties slated to hold special elections June 9 failed to publish notices 30 days in advance, The Associated Press reports today.

The enabling legislation required each county to put legal ads in two newspapers by May 10. Kanawha County missed the deadline completely, while Hancock County got an ad in one paper in time but not a second, Secretary of State spokesman Ben Beakes told AP.

(Update: The track in each county has asked for rescheduled elections so the requirement can be satisfied, Secretary of State Betty Ireland said in a statement this afternoon. The AP has a story on the development.)

Ohio and Jefferson counties met the requirement, Beakes told AP.

"Conservative Christian activist Kevin McCoy, head of the West Virginia Family Foundation, said his group will likely petition for a postponement," the AP's Vicki Smith reports. The group has a constitutional challenge to the overall legislation pending before the state Supreme Court.

Both the Charleston Daily Mail and The Charleston Gazette have stories on the apparent snafus, as does MetroNews Radio. MetroNews also has audio of McCoy regarding possible additional legal action by his group.

Warner Waiver Urged

Editorials in both The Charleston Gazette and the Charleston Daily Mail today call on former U.S. Attorney Karl "Kasey" Warner to waive his right to keep private the reasons for his August 2005 firing.

The U.S. Justice Department essentially dared Warner to sign a waiver after he told The Associated Press last week that the White House fired him in 2005 in the middle of a corruption and vote-buying investigation but never told him why. (Blogged details here.)

Warner "declines to say whether he'll sign a waiver and allow the Department of Justice to publicly release its reasons for firing him," the Charleston Daily Mail reported today.

"The Department of Justice's credibility on the U.S. attorney departures is a matter of public record," Warner told the newspaper via email. "If an appropriate, unbiased governmental entity contacts me concerning my governmental service, I will - like any responsible citizen - cooperate fully."

Massey In Federal Crosshairs - Updated

Add a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging massive Clean Water Act violations to the legal woes besetting Massey Energy Co., the nation's fourth-largest coal producer by revenues and a major employer in southern West Virginia.

The Associated Press first reported last week that federal prosecutors had sued Massey and 27 subsidiaries. Filed on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the lawsuit alleges the coal operations exceeded average monthly or maximum daily discharge limits 4,633 times within the last six years, for about 69,071 days worth of violations.

Depending on when the illegal discharge occurred, seven Massey subsidiaries face fines of $27,500 or $32,500 per day of violation.

Massey responded to the lawsuit Monday afternoon, several hours after news of the lawsuit threatened to reverse the recent growth in the company's stock value:

* The AP quoted Daniel W. Scott, an analyst at Banc of America Securities, who estimated a "worst case" cost to Massey of $2.24 billion. Scott said Massey faced a sort of double-whammy between the Clean Water Act lawsuit and the recent federal ruling rescinding valley fill permits at four Massey operations.

* Massey shares fell 14 percent, or $4.26 at $26.07 per share, before trading was halted, Reuters reported. "The stock was the worst percentage decliner on the New York Stock Exchange."

Reuters also quoted an analysis from Credit Suisse First Boston that pegged the potential fines at just below $2 billion.

"Even if this most recent lawsuit ultimately results in an immaterial adverse impact on Massey Energy's financial position, we believe the uncertainty associated with the outcome suggests investors would be better served investing in U.S. coal companies that are not the direct target of such an extensive lawsuit," the analysis said.

* Also drawing on the Credit Suisse analysis, Bloomberg reported that the stock's drop was the worst for Massey since July 28. "Before today, the stock had jumped 31 percent this year."

"Considering the theoretical scope and magnitude of this most recent federal lawsuit, in our view this cannot be good from a Massey Energy shareholders perspective,'' Credit Suisse's David Gagliano said in the Bloomberg piece.

The followup AP article reflects both Massey's response and the Banc of America analysis. Both it and the original story note some of the coal operator's other legal troubles: $1.5 million in federal and $70,000 in state fines for violations stemming from last year's fatal Aracoma Mine fire; a federal criminal probe into that Logan County accident; a lawsuit filed by the widows of the two miners killed at Aracoma; and the ongoing lawsuit targeting the four Massey mountaintop removal operations.

Update: Massey disputes the analysts' estimates of potential civil penalties and alleges that prosecutors inflated the number of violations in a story today from AP Business Writer Tim Huber.

Foxes And Henhouses

That's the analogy that critics invoked to The Associated Press' Vicki Smith as she details the ongoing push by the Lottery Commission to exert greater control over the state's program for problem gamblers.

"The Help Network provides unique, customized treatment on demand to callers to its toll-free hot line, which has counseled more than 5,000 gamblers and their families in seven years. The network assigns local counselors, scheduling appointments and following up on visits within 24 hours," Smith found.

Public Broadcasting reported on the Lottery's plan earlier, and also offers audio on its main web site. Public Broadcasting outlines the story and links on its new blog page as well.

W.Va. Surfaces in U.S. Attorney Firings Story

Former U.S. Attorney Karl K. "Kasey" Warner told The Associated Press last week that he sees political fingerprints on his 2005 ouster as southern West Virginia's chief federal prosecutor.

Warner's statements raise questions as to whether he belongs on the list of U.S. attorneys whoses firings since President Bush's re-election have fueled investigative hearings on Capitol Hill.

But they also prompted this response from U.S. Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd: ‘‘We encourage Mr. Warner to provide the department with a written privacy waiver and we will be happy to provide you with the reason for his removal.’’

I sought to chronicle the circumstances surrounding Warner's abrupt departure at the time (will link to any of the other articles if I can find them online), and contributed to last week's story. I also note the recent testimony of former Deputy Attorney General James Comey (YouTube link above).

Comey told the House committee that he oversaw the firing of two U.S. Attorneys during his 2003-2005 tenure. "Both had engaged in what I considered serious misconduct," Comey said.

But while one agreed to step down (following a phone call from Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis, known as "The Turk"), "The other insisted on being fired by the president. And so we had the president actually fire him by letter," Comey told Congress.

Warner said before his firing that he had no desire to resign, but that he knew that he served at the will and pleasure of the president.

"The two I was involved with...were not close calls," Comey said. "As soon as you read about it, you said, 'This guy's gotta go.'"

Update: As I noted back in March, "While trying to figure out why Warner was forced out of his post in August 2005, I actually went through the list of 93 U.S. attorneys to see who else among Bush's picks was gone."

That research had allowed me to write that "As President Bill Clinton had done before him, Bush replaced all but one of the country's 93 U.S. attorneys after taking office in 2001." Yet, folks apparently remain confused on this point.

But I was also confused, when I discounted the allegations that since the 2004 re-election, the Bush Administration contemplated firing all 93 of its U.S. attorney appointees.

I was unaware of evidence showing that "then-White House counsel Harriet E. Miers suggested...in February 2005 that all prosecutors be dismissed and replaced," as The Washington Post reported in March.

The Hill: No '08 Senate Bid For Capito

As the pundits continue to search for interesting and competitive 2008 election races, The Hill has scratched off U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito as someone willing to take on Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

A spokesman for the Charleston Republican said Capito instead plans to run for a fifth, two-year term representing the state's 2nd House District.

The pundits, meanwhile, haven't really changed their assessment of Capito's shoo-in status since the name of state Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, emerged as a possible challenger. I do see, however, that Roll Call has opined that Capito "could face a tough challenge, however, from state Sen. John Unger (D), who is being heavily courted by national Democrats but hasn’t yet committed to the race."

In the absence of Capito, The Hill mentions Secretary of State Betty Ireland and Rockefeller's 1984 nemesis, Morgantown business owner John Raese among the GOP's remaining prospects.

"Raese, whom Rockefeller originally edged to win the seat, received little help from the national party and lost to Byrd in 2006 by more than 30 points," the newspaper reports. "He has the ability to self-fund, however, and some speculate that the 2006 cycle was a warm-up for a rematch with the senator he really wants to face."

Update: Shortly before his 2006 loss, Raese speculated on a 2008 campaign in an interview with The Register-Herald of Beckley.

Jessica Lynch

Last week's Capitol appearance by the Wirt County native and rescued Iraq POW prompted a New York Times op-ed reply from retired Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong.

The former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command accuses West Virginia politicians of pressuring the military to award Lynch the Medal of Honor after her 2003 capture.

"They called repeatedly, through their Congressional liaison, and pressured us to recommend her for the medal, even before all the evidence had been analyzed," DeLong wrote. "I would not relent and we had many heated discussions."

(DeLong also apparently echoes these allegations in a 2004 book, Inside CentCom, which was republished in paperback as A General Speaks Out in March.)

DeLong told The Associated Press on Monday he was referring to staffers for one of the state's U.S. senators and one of its "congressmembers."

DeLong also told me he was not referring to then-Gov. Bob Wise or other state-level officials.

However, the offices of Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller told AP that neither pressed the military for medals; Byrd's office also released a letter to a constituent stressing that the military makes the call regarding medals.

The office of U.S. Rep Shelley Moore Capito, whose district includes Wirt County, said that it, too, did not lobby the military for a medal. At best, staffers asked asked others on Capitol Hill (perhaps the House Armed Services Committee) about the procedure for awarding medals.

DeLong told me he wrote the op-ed because he believed U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., had taken "a cheap shot" at the military with his committee's inquiry into the military's handling of the Lynch and Pat Tillman cases. His intent was not to attack the state's politicians, he said.

"I've got to assume that their heart was pure," DeLong told me. "The congressmembers, at the end of the day, were trying to do the right thing."

The Charleston Daily Mail also spoke to the retired general and the state's delegation for a story.

Update: Public Broadcasting interviewed Lynch for this week's Outlook program, which airs again Sunday. The web page links to YouTube video of the interview, and a related news segment from public radio is here (audio link).

W.Va. Board of Ed Facing Lawsuit Threat

Citing their region's pricey housing market and booming student enrollment, Eastern Panhandle educators plan to sue state school officials over their cost-of-living allotments, The Journal of Martinsburg reports.

The state Board of Education was given 30 days' advance notice of the proposed class action lawsuit, the newspaper reports.

"The lawsuit is the latest development following long-simmering complaints from teachers and school service personnel in Berkeley, Morgan and Jefferson counties who have seen the purchasing power of their salaries erode as the Eastern Panhandle’s cost of living and student populations continue to climb."

W.Va. Finds Crowded Market For Tobacco Bonds

After several failed attempts, the 2007 Legislature gave the state the green light to scoring some quick cash by selling bonds backed by future tobacco settlement payments.

But as West Virginia prepares to issue about $800 million in bonds, other states have already sold investors on $9.4 billion in such securities since January, The Charleston Gazette reports.

The Associated Press also has a story.

Manchin: All-broadband W.Va. by 2010

The Associated Press' Tom Breen reports on Gov. Joe Manchin's his goal of extending high-speed Internet access throughout the Mountain State, with the help of Cisco Systems CEO (and W.Va. native) John Chambers.

Manchin says the prospects from this developing public-private partnership helped prompt him to veto legislation in this area following the recent regular session.

Quote of the Day

“You’ll win the election.”

-- U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. and chairman of the Democratic Congressional Caucus, to state Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, while urging Unger to challenge Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, in 2008, as quoted by Hoppy Kercheval of MetroNews.

Unger v. Capito in 2008?

MetroNews' Hoppy Kercheval considers the possibility in his online column today.

He cites a recent phone call to the Berkeley County Democrat from U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. and chairman of the Democratic Congressional Caucus.

"Unger is an intriguing choice by the DCCC," Kercheval writes. "The three term senator has always been somewhat of a misfit within the state party structure. He’s frequently a thorn in side of state senate leaders who prefer team players to independent voices."

Emanuel is a key figure in a new book on the 2008 election, The Thumpin'. But Capito, R-2nd, was one of the few November successes for the GOP in West Virginia, avoiding the wave evoked by that title.

Few national pundits have yet weighed the hundreds of U.S. House races slated for 2008. Those that have, including The Rothenberg Political Report and Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, don't include Capito's (or either of the other two W.Va. seats, for that matter) in their rankings.

"Any seats not listed are currently considered to be at limited risk for the incumbent party," Rothenberg notes.

DC's Political Report, meanwhile, lists several other potential Capito challengers: Delegates Cory Palumbo and Carrie Webster, both D-Kanawha; Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha and a physician; and Gat Caperton, son of the former governor and an Eastern Panhandle business owner.

This report also notes the speculation that Capito may be recruited to take on U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller in 2008, and so lists former state Sen. Steve Harrison, R-Kanawha, as a possible successor in her House district.

Update: The Charleston Daily Mail reported earlier on entreaties to Unger from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Gun Control & Mental Health - Updated

The Associated Press' Tom Breen has found that West Virginia is among 28 states unable or unwilling to supply the mental health records needed to enforce a federal 1968-era ban on selling guns to anyone "adjudged mentally ill."

The Mountain State "does not report involuntary psychiatric commitments to the FBI because the state doesn't know how many such commitments there are," Breen reports.

The state Supreme Court is developing a computer system to record these commitments, handled by the counties, but it won't be online until at least 2010, the AP story said.

The Virginia Tech massacre has prompted the review of existing gun laws, and Breen reports on possible congressional action in this area.

Update: Public Broadcasting's Scott Finn has also focused on this topic, with a piece that aired on National Public Radio's Morning Edition on Wednesday (with audio link).

215

That's the number of Morgantown residents who cast ballots in Tuesday's city election, out of nearly 14,000 registered voters, The Associated Press reports.

Turnout hit 1.55 percent even though the voting was for "mayor and seven council members to lead one of the fastest growing communities in West Virginia that is also home to West Virginia University," the AP notes.

W.Va. Donors Flock To Edwards

Democrat John Edwards has collected $72,100 from West Virginia contributors, or about $19,000 more than the rest of the 2008 presidential field combined, The Associated Press reports.

Three other candidates have received at least $10,000 each: Republicans Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

All told, West Virginians have given to 10 of the 19 declared presidential candidates for 2008. But their combined $125,000 is a mere fraction of the $127 million these campaigns amassed as of March 31. The state ranks 42nd for contributions, with donations topping $1 million in 21 states and Washington, D.C.

Jay in GOP crosshairs? UPDATED

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is the target of a video ad that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has posted on its own section of YouTube.

But the spot appears to be of a cookie-cutter variety, as nearly identical ads on the NRSC page similarly attack such other Democratic senators as Tom Harkin of Iowa and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

The ads seize on comments attributed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., regarding Iraq.

The NRSC set up its YouTube page April 3, and added the anti-Rockefeller video Monday.

The NRSC launched the first attack ad of the 2006 election cycle with an online (and later TV) spot targeting Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va. The NRSC appeared to be singling out Byrd with that effort, however, in an purported attempt to dissuade the 80-something senator from seeking a ninth term.

The NRSC also recruited _ but then seemingly abandoned _ an opponent to challenge Byrd, who won his record term with more than 64 percent of the vote.

The Charleston Gazette touches on the new NRSC video.

Update: The pundits are already handicapping the race for Rockefeller’s seat in 2008:

• Cook Political Report - “solid Dem” as of April 11.
• CQ Politics – “Safe Democratic”as of April.
• Larry Sabato – “Solid Democratic” as of April.
• Rothenberg Political Report – “currently safe” as of April 20.
• The Hotline (National Journal) – 27^th most vulnerable seat out of 33 as of Feb. 12. “Republicans still have some hope Rockefeller may retire, but if not, he's probably a lock.”

Virginia Tech

I will remain on the story for at least one more day. I was allowed to return home for the weekend, but must travel back to Blacksburg later this evening.

The Associated Press dispatched someone from my bureau because Charleston is closer to Richmond. We knew of only one death but multiple injuries when I headed out, just after noon. I was crushed when my radio picked up the initial press conference and word of 20+ fatalities. My despair only increased when they upped the death toll further, just as I crossed into Virginia.

I was the 2nd AP reporter to reach the scene, following our Roanoke-based correspondent. I was also the 2nd reporter overall to visit the nearby Montgomery Regional Hospital, where 17 of those shot and injured were taken.

Throughout Monday afternoon, I interviewed friends and, later, family members of those wounded by the shooter. Details were still sketchy, and I often had more information than the VT students I was interviewing. But to a person, they were all very patient with me.

Only one chose not to go on the record, a Korean student who smoked pensively outside the ER as he awaited word on a wounded friend, a fellow Korean.

I visited the hospital several more times over the course of the week, fielding updates as the wounded continued to recover and were discharged. I wrote this brief about one of these students, the quick-thinking senior and former Eagle Scout, Kevin Sterne.

I spent most nights that week staffing the briefing center set up at The Inn at Virginia Tech, an impressive new building that houses a hotel, conference facilities and the school's alumni center. Standing-room only during the day, I found myself sharing the room with only a couple of Australian reporters and a handful of Asian media during the early morning hours.

The number of Asian reporters, thought, would sometimes swell to between 25 and 30, however, during the overnight. I still can't get my head around the scale of the media coverage: more than 30 video cameras ringed the rear of the briefing center during those press conferences. I once walked around part of The Inn to count the satellite trucks, and stopped at 60. Reporters from Canada, France, Japan and the UK sat immediately around me in the room.

I spent part of each night walking the campus. VT is a very attractive place to go to school. It has grand, Gothic style stone buildings with engaging architectural features. It seems to have a nice lay out, and ample green space (it also has a solid radio station).

Monday night, I traced the route between Ambler Johnston and Norris halls. The walk took less than 10 minutes. At that point, we had no idea what Cho did for the 2+ hours between the shootings. Even with the mailed "multimedia manifesto," we may still not have the complete picture. But I wondered that night what else he had done that final morning.

Later on in the week, I walked around the exterior of Norris Hall. It's been cordoned off, of course, and the public is not allowed near that entrance that Cho apparently chained shut before he opened fire. It is the only entrance visible, though Norris is attached to another building.

As best I can tell, we still don't know why Cho targeted Norris Hall. Looking at it that night, I wondered whether he saw it as a killing zone he could control: by chaining the door and then starting on the opposite side of the hallway, perhaps he figured he had trapped everyone in all those classrooms.

I also spent that first night identifying those killed, with help from VT's web site and the school's sizable online community. The school's site also helped me pinpoint three of the Norris classrooms that Cho attacked, and that the office of one of the professors killed was one floor up.

My duties also took me to the drill field. Mourners lit candles, left flowers and wrote prayers and condolences at several spots on and around the field. The solemn, graceful war memorial nearby also hosts one of these shrines.

I interviewed students and others there late Wednesday night, but by then the canceled classes had shifted the media-to-student ratio to, well, unhealthy levels. As I prepare to return to Blacksburg, I understand that the VT student government has asked all media to leave the campus by Monday morning.

Say A Prayer

I was sent to Blacksburg shortly after noon Monday, and I don't expect to resume blogging until I return to Charleston.

Quote of the Day

“I didn’t come here to put on a show, but I am as Popeye. That was Popeye the Sailor Man. He said 'I am what I am and that’s all that I am.''’

-- U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., at a hearing Thursday on Capitol Hill, as quoted by The New York Times. Byrd also said he plans to run in 2012, when he turns 95, "the Lord willing."

Byrd 2012?

U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., declared at a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday that "I will run in 2012, the Lord willing," according to The New York Times.

Byrd, 89, became the longest-serving senator in U.S. history several months before he handily won a record ninth term in November. He would be just shy of 95 on Election Day 2012.

Garrison Picked As WVU President

West Virginia University's Board of Governors made the announcement around 12:20 p.m., and The Associated Press' Vicki Smith was there.

The AP story is also here.

MetroNews was also in the boardroom for the announcement, as was The Charleston Gazette.

The official word from WVU is here.

And WVU's Next President Is...

West Virginia University's Board of Governors plans to choose the school's next president at its 8:30 a.m. meeting today in Morgantown.

Update: The Associated Press has a story setting the stage for the day's events.

Opinions abound as to whether the board will pick M. Duane Nellis, Kansas State University provost and former WVU dean, or recent Higher Education Policy Commission Chairman Mike Garrison.

Those opining include Hoppy Kercheval of MetroNews, in his online column today.

WVU's faculty senate has endorsed Nellis, with a resolution also seen as a no-confidence vote of Garrison's candidacy. WVU student government leaders are backing Garrison, a former student body president.

The Higher Education Policy Commission has scheduled an 11 a.m. special meeting at its Charleston office to approve the board's selection and compensation offer.

Garrison, who was a cabinet secretary and chief of staff to then-Gov. Bob Wise, resigned as commission chairman when he was selected as a finalist for president.

W.Va. To Appeal Teacher Pension Ruling

State officials want the Supreme Court to overturn the January ruling that nixed the planned merger of West Virginia's two teacher pension funds. The Associated Press has a story about yesterday's decision by the Consolidated Public Retirement Board.

The board voted to appeal the Kanawha Circuit Court ruling after some expressed concerns about the chances of prevailing.

Quote of the Day

"I think his candidacy - if he were successful - it does make us in some ways continue to look rather insular and provincial."

-- West Virginia University associate professor of English Gwen Bergner on Mike Garrison, one of two finalists for WVU presidency, quoted by The Associated Press' Vicki Smith.

WVU Faculty Senate: We Want Nellis

West Virginia University's Faculty Senate has endorsed M. Duane Nellis over Mike Garrison as the state's largest public university prepares to select its next president, The Associated Press is reporting.

The AP's Vicki Smith counts today's vote as 47-5 with two abstentions.

Smith also notes that though it was an emergency meeting, the turnout (54 of 114 senate members) is considered typical for regular meetings.

"The qualities the Faculty Senate demanded were 'visionary leadership with global perspective,' a proven ability to lead a large organization with many constituencies, and an ability to attract and recruit nationally and globally recognized scholars," the AP story said,

Student Body President David Kirkpatrick and Vice President Jason Parsons, meanwhile, endorsed Garrison as "the best choice to lead WVU into the future," Smith reports.

MetroNews was also on hand for the faculty vote.

Nellis worked with the faculty as dean of WVU's Eberly College of Arts and Sciences for seven years, before taking his current post as Kansas State University provost.

Garrison, former Higher Education Policy Commission chairman and Wise Administration official, answered questions from faculty, students and staff during separate forums at the Morgantown campus yesterday.

WVU's Board of Governors is scheduled to choose the new president on Friday.

WVU Search Coming Down To The Wire

Mike Garrison told faculty at West Virginia University why he wants to be WVU's president on Tuesday, and the Charleston Daily Mail was there to cover the candidate forum.

So was Metronews. It also offers audio from the 1 hour-plus exchange between faculty and the former Higher Education Policy Commission chairman.

Public Broadcasting, meanwhile, aired a story setting the stage for Garrison's on-campus meetings with students, faculty and staff. The transcript is here.

(Update: Public Radio also aired a segment on Garrison's appearance.)

The search, and Garrison's candidacy in particular, has been a recurring topic on MetroNews' statewide (but Morgantown-based) Talkline program. Host Hoppy Kercheval opines on Garrison's performance in his online column today.

Hoppy discussed it on the program today, but also heard from Gary Abernathy on the topic.

Hoppy saw a strong showing by Garrison (dubbed "The Fortress" by nickname-happy Hoppy back when Garrison joined the Wise Administration).

"A few faculty members said afterward that Garrison won them over, or at least they were not as worried about him as they were before they heard from him," Hoppy writes today.

Hoppy also believes that "Garrison nailed a question about why he returned home before receiving a degree from Oxford when he said his grandfather died, his father was out of work and he thought it was time to come back and get a job."

A GOP consultant, blogger and state Republican Party executive director, Abernathy sees Garrison benefiting from low expectations.

Another conservative voice to weigh in on Garrison's candidacy has been Alice Click, who is/was director of the state chapter of Concerned Women for America.

Click has questioned Garrison's fundraising credentials while praising those of M Duane Nellis, the other remaining candidate for president.

As I reported when Nellis was named a finalist last month, the former dean of WVU's Eberly College of Arts and Sciences "Nellis helped guide the $50 million Life Sciences Building project and was credited for reviving the WVU Press. He also oversaw the creation of WVU's National Geospatial Development Center."

Nellis' seven years as dean has also contributed to his candidacy's support among faculty members.

(Update: As a reader points out, Portland State University President Daniel Bernstine has accepted a job in charge of the group that administers the LSAT since dropping out as a WVU finalist. PSU's student newspaper has the story.)

Previous posts on this topic include my attempts to provide context to the various connections among those involved in the process, and my reporting on the letter from Judge Robert B. King.

With the on-campus forums and visits complete, WVU's Board of Governors expects to chose the successor to David Hardesty on Friday.

Table Games Polling

Landings Research of Fort Collins, Colo., is polling likely Kanawha County voters in advance of the special June 9 election on table games, The Associated Press reports.

The survey tests statements both pro and con to gauge what might sway voters. It also asks about the direction of the state, Kanawha County and their economies.

The poll is also asking residents whether they feel safe walking in downtown Charleston at night. The survey includes several statements linking gambling to increased crime.

One of the first sets of questions, though, seeks to measure the favorable/unfavorable ratings of several public officials (without their titles) and groups:

- Kanawha County Commissioner Dave Hardy;
- Sen. Vic Sprouse, R-Kanawha;
- West Virginia Family Foundation;
- the Legislature;
- President Bush;
- Gov. Joe Manchin;
- Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center;
- Charleston Mayor Danny Jones;
- Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper.

At least one of the other three tracks, Charles Town Races & Slots, has done polling since the table games legislation passed. The initial results helped prompt its parent company to petition the Jefferson County Commission for the special Saturday vote.

Vowing to sue over the new law and block these four local elections, the family foundation expects to have its legal challenge ready this week, its lawyer tells AP.

Redrawing W.Va.'s Judiciary

With some circuit judges juggling twice the caseloads of their colleagues, the state's court system is facing a real crunch, as The Associated Press reports.

Gov. Joe Manchin wants the Legislature to redraw the state's 31 circuits to shift workloads and ease driving times for judges and staff. With anemic or declining population growth, Manchin and others consider this route preferable to hiring more judges.

Lawmakers had chosen the latter path, prompting one of the governor's 16 vetoes from the recent regular session.

But as the AP story points out, the same Supreme Court-commissioned study that told lawmakers where to add judges can also tell them how to re-carve circuits.

Manchin says he will consider convening a special session on the issue -- but only if the Legislature agrees to a bill beforehand. Otherwise, the state constitution will not allow a realignment of the circuits until 2015.

The Charleston Daily Mail has also reported on the situation, while the Bluefield Daily-Telegraph hears from Manchin about his veto. The study ranked Mercer County Circuit Court among those with the heavier caseloads per judge, and the nixed bill had included it among those offered relief.

VA Responds to Rockefeller

A U.S. Veterans Affairs official responds to Public Broadcasting after Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., alleged low morale and staffing problems at its medical center in Beckley.

The transcript is here. Rockefeller has also alleged that the center's administrator has provided false information to VA officials to counter his allegations.

Public Broadcasting also has a companion piece alleging a clampdown on press interviews at the center, “because of the Walter Reed thing.” Transcript here.

20/20 Lets Whittaker Tell His Story

This evening's edition of the ABC News program related the saga of West Virginia's record Powerball jackpot winner, Jack Whittaker. The segment offers the story largely from his perspective and is presented by Martin Bashir, of Living with Michael Jackson fame. Online version includes video clip.

Who Knew Wisteria Lane Was In West Virginia?

Or in Charleston, for that matter.

Mike Callaghan has become the latest state political figure to see his private life spill onto the public stage.

As the Charleston Daily Mail reports today, Callaghan's estranged wife took to the street outside his law office in an apparent protest stemming from their pending divorce.

(Photo Courtesy of Charleston Daily Mail)

Through his lawyer, Callaghan responded with a statement. "It greatly pains me that our children must endure her public exploitation of our private pain, and I ask for your prayers for my family in this difficult time period," it reads in part.

"The Callaghans have been married for 17 years and have three children, ages 10 to 16," the article said.

Callaghan unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, last year. He was previously state Democratic Party chairman, Environmental Protection secretary under then-Gov. Bob Wise and chief criminal prosecutor for southern West Virginia's federal court district.

Callaghan has also been touted as a possible 2008 candidate for state attorney general, as the article notes.

Friday's news comes one day after thrice-divorced state Sen. Vic Spouse, R-Kanawha, announced that he would not run for re-election in 2008. His most recent divorce, and the surrounding circumstances, have also become public fodder.

And then there's former Delegate Jon Amores, D-Kanawha, whose divorce made the news before he quit the Legislature to take a post in the state Commerce Department.

In a recent column in The Charleston Gazette, Phil Kabler wrote that "It was pretty obvious to everyone at the statehouse that (Amores) was running around with a legislative intern last session, and continues to date her to this day, and presumably, that was a precipitating factor leading up to his divorce."

National Press Picks Up WVU Search Story

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a 440-word online article today (subscription required), with the headline "Critics Say West Virginia U. Presidential Search Was Rigged, Despite Open Process."

It is the national publication's 2nd-most emailed article of the day.

Here's the free teaser:

"Some public universities, including the University of Iowa, Indiana University, and the University of Delaware, have been criticized recently for keeping aspects of presidential searches secret. By contrast, West Virginia University has run an exceptionally public presidential search, posting regular updates on its Web site, including the résumés of three finalists, all of whom were scheduled to appear in public forums on the campus.

But the transparency has not helped West Virginia avoid being bashed by critics who say they suspect the search has been rigged."

The article also mentions Thursday's withdrawal of candidate Daniel Bernstine, president of Portland State University, and calls it "a blow to the search process."

Bernstine Withdraws

As West Virginia University searches for its next president, candidate and Portland State University President Dean Bernstine dropped out of the running late Thursday, The Associated Press reports.

Bernstine concluded "the job was not the right fit for him at this time," AP quotes search committee chairman Steve Goodwin as saying.

"That leaves Kansas State University Provost M. Duane Nellis and Mike Garrison, chief of staff to former Gov. Bob Wise, in the running," the AP article said.

Quote of the Day

"You really are a paradox, because you're a charming guy, and I say that not as a man crush. But you're also deeply flawed, but you know that. You must know that."

-- Hoppy Kercheval, host of MetroNews' Talkline program, to Sen. Vic Sprouse on the Kanawha County Republican's decision not to seek re-election in 2008.

Sprouse Out In '08

Sen. Vic Sprouse, R-Kanawha, will leave the Legislature in 2008, the Charleston Daily Mail reports today.

Sprouse, 38, cites "financial obligations" for his decision not to seek re-election. He operates several fitness clubs.

The former minority leader "said today he has started his own consulting firm and plans to be heavily involved in political campaigns and fundraising," the newspaper reports.

MetroNews also has a story, and Sprouse spoke to Hoppy Kercheval this morning on Talkline.

In the Daily Mail story, Sprouse comments on "attacks on his personal life" as a factor in his decision.

"Considerable controversy has surrounded Sprouse’s recent divorce from Amy McKinley, his third wife, who has publicly accused Sprouse of not helping out enough with the medical bills for their ill son," the newspaper reports.

Such allegations had helped fuel recent speculation about his political future.

On the blog devoted to their son, McKinley posted Wednesday that their divorce is final (the case is sealed in Kanawha County Family Court).

She also recently opined on Sprouse's political situation in an email to Charleston Gazette columnist Phil Kabler.

Sprouse has responded at length to several recent Kabler columns on his personal web site. He also posted about his decision not to seek a fourth Senate term late last night.

Manchin Splits On Judicial Bills

Gov. Joe Manchin had signaled displeasure with the Legislature's decision to add 6 judges to the circuit court system. He followed through Wednesday by vetoing the bill.

But in that veto message, the governor explained why he opted to sign a companion measure increasing the number of family court judges by 10.

That latter bill also redrew boundaries for nine of the system's 26 districts while creating a new one. By shifting caseloads and cutting driving times for judges and staff, lawmakers were able to reduce the number of additional judges needed for the five-year-old family court system.

New family court judges are destined for:

* Wirt, Mason & Jackson (redrawn 5th district);
* Logan;
* Lincoln & Boone (10th district);
* Kanawha;
* McDowell & Mercer (12th district);
* Raleigh, Summers & Wyoming (redrawn 13th district);
* Harrison & Doddridge (redrawn 18th district);
* Monongalia & Preston (redrawn 20th district);
* Berkeley & Jefferson (24th district);
* Webster & Pocahontas (new 27th district).

But the circuit judge bill did not touch boundary lines. Manchin concluded that lawmakers should have similarly reduced the need for more judges as they had in the family court bill.

The vetoed bill would have added circuit judges in Kanawha, Mercer, Mingo, Monongalia, Wayne and the circuit composed of Hampshire, Hardy and Pendleton counties.

Some lawmakers had warned that Manchin would never approve a bill that added too many circuit judges, given the costs involved.

The '08 Money Race Comes to W.Va.

Though his term is not up until 2008, Gov. Joe Manchin has begun raising funds for his next campaign, MetroNews' Hoppy Kercheval observes today.

The “Committee to Re-elect Joe Manchin” collected about $170,000 at a Morgantown event late last year, Kercheval reports, and has a "Friend Raiser" (am I allowed to wince?) set for mid-April at the Charleston Marriott.

Hoppy also relates that Manchin made an appeal to potential donors for the upcoming event at a March 6 gathering at Charleston's Edgewood Country Club. There, "Manchin told a packed house that he’s running for re-election in ’08 and asked for their support."

Manchin's latest campaign finance report, filed Tuesday with the secretary of state, shows a $1.16 million balance. Hoppy's column also reflects that figure.

WVU President Search: Connecting The Dots

In my article for The Associated Press earlier this week, I alluded to the connections among West Virginia University Board of Governors members, candidate Mike Garrison and others involved in the search for the school's next president.

As one of these figures told me when AP first reported on the letter from Judge Robert B. King, "It's a pretty small state. You can connect the dots pretty easily in West Virginia."

You ain't kidding, brother.

Here's a more detailed look at said dots:

1. WVU Board of Governors

From 2001 to 2003, Garrison was Tax and Revenue secretary and later chief of staff to then-Gov. Bob Wise. At least 9 of the board’s 12 current appointee members (besides 3 representative and 2 ex-officio members) were picked by Wise:

- Curtis H. "Hank" Barnette (appointed 2001, reappointed by Wise in 2004)
- Elizabeth E. "Betty" Chilton (appointed 2001, reappointed by Wise in 2003)
- Stephen B. Farmer (appointed 2004)
- Chairman Stephen P. Goodwin (appointed 2002)
- Russell L. Isaacs (appointed, 2003)
- Douglas J. Leech (reappointed, 2003)
- John T. "Ted" Mattern (appointed 2002*)
- Parry G. Petroplus (appointed 2002)
- Robert A. Wells (appointed 2004)

But… Wise appointed Farmer and Wells after Garrison left his administration. Wise also replaced Mattern on the board before leaving office; Gov. Joe Manchin has since reappointed him.

And...classified staff representative Paul R. Martinelli also held that slot when Wise appointed the original board in 2001.

Also...Wise's 2001 appointees were all from WVU's Board of Advisors. Serving solely in the capacity suggested by its title, this board was replaced by the Board of Governors when the Legislature reconfigured the state's higher education system in 2000.

2. Presidential Search Committee

Of the 6 board members on the committee, 5 were Wise appointees:
- Goodwin (committee chairman)
- Farmer
- Leech
- Mattern
- Wells

But...see above notes regarding Farmer, Mattern and Wells. The committee also includes:

- Dean Mary Ellen Mazey, sister of Judge King;
- Joan Corson Stamp, wife of U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp of the state's northern federal court district;
- Morgantown Mayor Ron Justice, who gave Garrison a key to his city, Public Broadcasting reported;

3. Garrison's clients

Garrison became a lobbyist after leaving the Wise administration in 2003. At one point, he had more clients registered with the state Ethics Commission than any other lobbyist.

Garrison has represented:

- Centra Bank (Leech is president and CEO);
- Mylan Laboratories (Dr. Thomas B. Clark, a board member, was a vice president);
- Platinum Properties (Petroplus is manager).

4. The Goodwins and the Kings

- King, of the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, graduated from WVU's law school in 1968. Goodwin graduated from there in 1970;

- Goodwin's brother Thomas R. Goodwin, is a 1969 WVU law school graduate;

- Goodwin's brother and U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin, of the state's southern federal court district, got his WVU law degree in 1970;

- King's nephew (and Mazey's son) is deputy general counsel to Gov. Joe Manchin;

- Goodwin's son is general counsel to Manchin.

CAVEAT: These lists are presented solely to inform the ongoing debate. I welcome additions and corrections.

And for the record, I am Wheeling Jesuit '91.

In related news, the school of candidate Daniel Bernstine has gotten some bad news. Inside Higher Ed reports that Portland State University was erroneously included among the Top 1o electrical engineering programs in the latest U.S. News & World Report graduate school guide ("their rankings are actually so low that the magazine doesn’t give them out," the article said).

Bernstine is president of PSU, which had initially (and understandably) heralded the mistaken ranking.

Short Takes

WVU PRESIDENT: Public Broadcasting aired this story about candidate Daniel Bernstine, president of Portland State University, to the Morgantown campus.

MINE SAFETY: Gov. Joe Manchin signed the latest coal mine safety legislation, among other workplace-related bills, The Associated Press reports.

BECKLEY VA: Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is alleging that administrators at the Beckley VA Medical Center have fed "false information" to federal officials about staffing and conditions there, according to AP. (Public Broadcasting also has the story, with audio that includes an interview with Rockefeller.)

TABLE GAMES: The Ohio County Commission has OK'd the (brief) ballot needed for the special June 9 election for the racetrack table games question, The (Wheeling) Intelligencer reports.

A Trying Week for WVU

Amid the reported loss of mens basketball coach John Beilein to Michigan (different story here), West Virginia University continues the rocky process of finding its next president.

The Parkersburg News checks in with a local member of the search committee on the tumult that has arisen over the selection process. That article also notes that the state Republican Party chairman, Dr. Doug McKinney, has weighed in on the issue.

The Charleston Daily Mail also hears from McKinney, as well as from Gov. Joe Manchin, who defends the search process and those overseeing it.

MetroNews, meanwhile, has audio from an interview with candidate and Portland State University President Dan Bernstine as it focuses on the ongoing visits by the finalists to the Morgantown campus.

WVU proceeds with search for next president

I finally got my hands on the letter from federal Judge Robert B. King, for today's story from The Associated Press.

King has raised concerns about the ongoing process to find a new president for West Virginia University. Several of those involved in the search respond in the AP article to the letter.

Both AP and MetroNews note that the three finalists will begin the final phase of the search process today on WVU's Morgantown campus.

The Charleston Daily Mail, meanwhile, looks at the pay and the perks of the job today.

Manchin Has Plans for Tamarack

The Bluefield Daily Telegraph delves into the possible details of Gov. Joe Manchin's proposal to slim down the West Virginia Turnpike's parent agency by having it shed Tamarack and some of its other economic development endeavors.

The Associated Press looked at the topic earlier, as did the Charleston Daily Mail and the Register-Herald of Beckley.

Thompson Speaks

Sorry, not that Thompson.

House Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne, spoke at length to the (Huntington) Herald-Dispatch for a wide-ranging interview published today.

Table Games Update

With three of West Virginia's four racetrack counties likely to vote June 9 on the casino table games questions, employees at Hancock County's Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort plan to go door-to-door to gather support, the Wheeling newspapers report.

That track is expected to petition its county's commission this week for a special election. The tracks in Kanawha and Ohio counties have already gotten their commissioners to schedule Saturday voting on that date.

The fourth track, Charles Town Races & Slots, meanwhile is polling Jefferson County residents by phone to gauge feelings there, according to The Journal of Martinsburg.

John Finamore, senior vice president of track parent Penn National Gaming Inc., tells that newspaper that initial results have been "very encouraging."

The West Virginia Family Foundation earlier announced plans to sue to challenge the new law and block the local option elections.