W.Va. Ad Disclosure Law Remains Under Fire

West Virginians for Life has joined the fight against reporting requirements for independent election-time political ads, The Charleston Gazette and others report.

The group has filed a separate federal lawsuit from the one launched earlier this year by the Center for Individual Freedom. The newer challenge seeks a judge's order blocking, at least temporarily, the spending disclosure provisions that became state law Oct. 1.

"James Bopp Jr., an Indiana lawyer who is representing (WVFL), said the new law limits his client's rights to free speech because it is afraid to publicize former state Supreme Court Justice Margaret Workman's authorship of a 1993 ruling that made the state pay for abortions for Medicaid recipients," The Gazette reported.

"We're objecting to being regulated in any way by this law," Bopp told that newspaper. "We don't want to be prohibited, we don't want to file [financial] reports, we don't want to do anything under this law."

The Times-West Virginian of Fairmont and The Associated Press also have items.

Election 2008: Legislature

Democrats running for the Legislature enjoy a three-to-one margin both for money raised and cash on hand over their GOP rivals for the last campaign finance filing period, an analysis by The Associated Press shows.

"Reports posted by the Secretary of State's office show legislative candidates collected more than $600,000 between May 26 and Sept. 21," the article said. "With most campaigns reporting cash left over from the primary, spending during the filing period left a collective balance of more than $1.5 million."

The Journal of Martinsburg, meanwhile, takes a closer look at the finance reports of Eastern Panhandle legislative hopefuls.

FSU to Host National Pundits

Bay Buchannon, political commentator and sister of Pat, will debate nationally syndicated columnist and radio host Roland S. Martin 7 p.m. Monday at the Turley Center Ballroom of Fairmont State University. The Times-West Virginian has additional details.

They Voted For You: The Bailout, Revised

U.S. Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, voted for the Senate-passed version of "historic legislation providing $700 billion in government money to bring stability to reeling financial markets," as The Associated Press reports.

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, opposed the measure, which prevailed 263-171.

AP reports that before the vote, "Member after member went to the well of the chamber to voice discomfort and displeasure with many aspects of the bailout legislation. But they also said said they would vote for it anyway. And nearly 30 who voted against it on Monday said they had changed their minds."

Update: Capito was among 108 Republicans to vote against the bill. They were joined by 63 Democrats.

Update II: President Bush signed the measure Friday. Those with coverage include Public Broadcasting (with audio), The Charleston Gazette and MetroNews.

Revisiting The Bailout: Update

Under debate in the House, the Senate-passed version of the bailout bill "advanced past a key hurdle on a 223-205 vote" Friday, The Associated Press reports.

The roll call lists Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, voting for "providing for consideration of the Senate amendments." Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, voted against.

Manchin Weighing Wall Street Lawsuit

Gov. Joe Manchin tells The Associated Press that "West Virginia could end up suing investment firms at the center of the national financial crisis, and perhaps some of their former executives."

"Manchin says the firms should be held accountable if they breached their duties to shareholders," the article said. "He says the state may also target firm executives who pocketed hefty exit packages."

The state had holdings in all of the major firms that have been bought out, bailed out or bankrupted in the ongoing financial turmoil: Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, AIG and Washington Mutual.

The article also notes that these investments amount to a fraction of a percent of the state's nearly $11 billion portfolio.

In advance of Friday's possible House vote on a revised bailout package, Public Broadcasting (with audio) and MetroNews (also with audio) each hear from different West Virginia University economics professors on that proposal and the roots of the crisis.

Update: Manchin tells the Charleston Daily Mail that the "Wall Street turmoil is hampering the state's ability to raise money for a variety of needs ranging from highway projects to improvements at community and technical colleges."

U.S. House Revisits Bailout

Public Broadcasting reports that "Representative Shelley Moore Capito is signaling she may change her vote on a bailout package, as her chamber takes up the Senate-passed version (audio here).

Capito, R-2nd, has cast the sole "nay" vote among the state's five-member delegation on the bailout issue. But as The Associated Press reports, "Republicans and Democrats were jumping aboard the bailout as the House sped toward a make-or-break vote — a much-anticipated do-over after the plan met with a stunning defeat Monday, triggering a historic stock market plunge."

"It was still unclear, though, whether leaders would have the dozen or so supporters needed to pass the measure," the AP article continues.

That dispatch did not include Capito among those commenting on whether they may change their vote. She also did not appear in a roundup of House member views from Politico, or its earlier list of a dozen representatives who could help pass the revised legislation.

MetroNews hears from both Capito and Anne Barth, her Democratic challenger, in advance of Friday's expected vote.

Election 2008: Shorts

• The Mountain Party's candidate for governor, Jesse Johnson, has sued to get in on the West Virginia Broadcasters Association's gubernatorial debate set for Oct. 13, The Associated Press reports. Its 2004 nominee, "the Charleston actor and director failed four years ago in an attempt to get a court injunction to be included in that debate," AP notes. The Charleston Gazette and MetroNews also have items.

• U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-3rd, weighs in on the bailout issue with The Register-Herald of Beckley.

• U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, explains her vote on the bailout issue to a Capital High School audience, The Charleston Gazette reports.

• Public Broadcasting interviews Mike Teets, the GOP nominee for agriculture commissioner. With audio.
  

They Voted For You: Bailout, Part Deux

U.S. Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., each voted for the latest version of the $700 billion bailout/buy-in/rescue legislation sought to aid the financial services sector.

The measure prevailed 74-25. Fifteen Republicans, nine Democrats and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont voted against it. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., did not vote.

"Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, made rare appearances to cast 'aye' votes, as did Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware," The Associated Press reports.

The Senate Banking Committee has the complete text of the bill, as well as a one-page summary and a section-by-section analysis.

Though dubbed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, what passed the Senate late Wednesday also includes an "Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008," and a "Tax Extenders and Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008."

As AP explains, "senators loaded the economic rescue bill with tax breaks and other sweeteners before passing it," including "$110 billion in tax breaks for businesses and the middle class, plus a provision to raise, from $100,000 to $250,000, the cap on federal deposit insurance."

But the measure's core contains what helped kill the House version on Monday: language that "lets the government spend billions of dollars to buy bad mortgage-related securities and other devalued assets held by troubled financial institutions," the AP article said.

"In the House, leaders were working feverishly to convert enough opponents of the bill to push it through by Friday," AP also reports. "President Bush issued a statement praising the Senate’s move."

Manchin Gets Pro-Life Nod

Gov. Joe Manchin has won the backing of West Virginians for Life heading into the final month of the general election season, the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington reports.

Having a similar stance on the subject as Manchin, GOP challenger Russ Weeks has sought to raise abortion as an issue in their race. Weeks argues that the governor "has been paying 'lip service' to anti-abortion forces since taking office in 2005," The Associated Press reported earlier.

Update: The Register-Herald of Beckley reports that "Weeks is disappointed the state’s largest anti-abortion vehicle, West Virginians for Life, has snubbed him in this year’s gubernatorial election in favor of Gov. Joe Manchin."

West Virginia & Wall St.

Gov. Joe Manchin and other state leaders have planned a Wednesday press conference at the Capitol "to address concerns over the financial health of West Virginia following this week's failure of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout proposal," The Associated Press reports.

Manchin has repeatedly sought to offer assurances regarding the state's "Rainy Day" fund and its annual budget, as The Intelligencer of Wheeling, the Charleston Daily Mail, WOWK-TV and others have reported.

The executive director of West Virginia's Investment Management Board earlier told AP that the the state's diversified portfolio has helped insulate it from the woes of Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the like.

MetroNews, meanwhile, has interviewed each of the state's U.S. House members about Monday's rejected bailout bill. It offers audio of Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st; Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd; and Nick Rahall, D-3rd.

The Charleston Gazette has the reaction of Democrat Anne Barth, Capito's challenger, to the current economic crisis.

Public Broadcasting (with audio) and The Intelligencer also report on the delegation's votes on the bill.

Looking ahead, AP has details of the pending Senate version of the bailout measure.

Election 2008 Roundup

• Gov. Joe Manchin has nearly $2 million on hand heading in to the final weeks of the election season, The Associated Press reports. AP has campaign finance figures for other Board of Public Works races, while both The Charleston Gazette and WSAZ-TV have items on the gubernatorial contest.

• Manchin's GOP opponent, Russ Weeks, talks to The (Shepherdstown) Observer about his campaign.

• AP also reports that while Manchin may have raised more cash, the candidates for state Supreme Court have spent more in that two-seat race. Republican Beth Walker begins the home stretch with a 2-to-1 cash advantage over both Democrats, Margaret Workman and Menis Ketchum.

• MetroNews interviewed Ketchum about that contest, and also hears from GOP agriculture commission candidate Mike Teets and (update) GOP candidate for attorney general Dan Greear (with audio).
  

They Voted For You: The Bailout

U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, helped defeat the $700 billion bailout proposal meant to help Wall Street weather the latest financial crisis.

Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, voted for the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008," which failed 205-228.

As President Bush had proposed the original bailout language and championed the bill's passage, "Monday's mind-numbing vote had been preceded by unusually aggressive White House lobbying," The Associated Press reports. "When the critical vote was tallied, too few members of the House were willing to support the unpopular measure with elections just five weeks away. Ample no votes came from both the Democratic and Republican sides of the aisle."

Update: The House Rules Committee offers both a summary and the full text of the failed measure.

Update II: Others with coverage include The Charleston Gazette, MetroNews and WOWK-TV.

Judge Allows W.Va. Electioneering "Fix" -- For Now (UPDATED)

A federal judge has agreed to rescind his earlier order blocking West Virginia's reporting requirements for certain independent political ads.

Secretary of State Betty Ireland had asked U.S. District Judge David Faber to dissolve the April decision, citing the recent special session legislation that aimed to address his constitutional concerns.

(Update) But as The Associated Press reports, "Monday’s order does not say the legislative fix passes constitutional muster. It instead notes that a Virginia group fighting disclosure can seek a new ruling."

The electioneering communications law mandates spending reports for individuals and groups not already covered by such requirements, for ads in an array of formats that refer to a clearly identified candidate.

Though the requirements cover ads within 60 days of the general election, the recent legislation does not take effect until Wednesday.

The Charleston Gazette also report's on Monday's ruling from Faber.

W.Va. and The Bailout

The Associated Press queried each member of West Virginia's congressional delegation about a dozen of the more prominent provisions of the various Wall Street rescue proposals under discussion on Capitol Hill.

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., proved the most specific with his responses. Of the rest, there appeared a consensus that any bailout plan "should require independent oversight of its spending, and impose some limits on executive compensation at the banks seeking rescue," AP reports.

Of the challenger candidates this year, only Republican Marty Gearheart answered each question posed.

AP also details the bailout (or "buy-in") agreement, with a House vote expected Monday and the Senate's on Wednesday.

The Parkersburg News also hears from Rockefeller about the pending legislation.

Friday Election Roundup

• The Associated Press finds an almost-unheard of 25 write-in candidates approved for West Virginia's general election, including 14 for president. While their names won't appear on the November ballot, votes for them will be counted if they're written in. AP's Tom Breen found the write-in roster included an imprisoned felon, a Pennsylvania man "whose platform includes requiring all public businesses to have restrooms," and a man who has legally changed his name to Santa Claus.

• Secretary of State Betty Ireland has sounded the alarm over hundreds of bogus voter registrations submitted to clerks in at least three counties. As AP reports, the likely culprits are workers hired to register new voters who forged registrations to up their pay. The Charleston Gazette and MetroNews also have coverage (the latter with audio).

• Public Broadcasting interviews Marty Gearheart, the Mercer County businessman challenging U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-3rd. With audio.
  

Energy in W.Va.

• Environmental groups have commissioned a statewide poll that found a majority believing in climate change and favoring "solar and wind power and more conservation over coal, oil and nuclear power," The Charleston Gazette reports.

• A left-leaning state think tank is raising questions about the value of recent special legislation that will freeze an upcoming scheduled increase to the state's gas tax, The Associated Press reports. The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy calls the move a "short-term solution, and in part cites "similar freezes in Indiana and Illinois, where the bulk of savings from gas taxes went to gasoline vendors in the form of higher profits," the article said.

Rasmussen: McCain 50%, Obama 42% in W.Va.

Rasmussen Reports surveyed 500 likely voters Wednesday, with 4% undecided and a margin of error of +/- 4.5%.

Among other highlights:

• 63% viewed McCain favorably, while 61% did for running mate Sarah Palin.
  

• Obama garnered only a 50% favorability rating, and Joe Biden only 46%.

• 54% considered Palin the "right choice," compared with 33% for Biden.
  

• Half ranked economic issues as their primary interest regarding the presidential race, followed by 24% for national security.

• President Bush's favorability rating was 36%, with 49% rating his performance as "poor."
  

Election 2008 Shorts

• The Mountain Party's candidate for governor, Jesse Johnson, has been shut out of an Oct. 13 debate hosted by the West Virginia Broadcasters Association, but "hopes to use the courts - or the court of public opinion - to crash the party," The Charleston Gazette reports.

• Debate inclusion was also the topic of Ralph Nader, an unaffiliated candidate for president, during his Wednesday appearance in Morgantown. The Associated Press and MetroNews have coverage.

• MetroNews also reports on a visit to Charleston by the " Bush Legacy Tour," a 45-foot bus that seeks to chronicle "what Americans United for Change call the president's failed policies and misdeeds." Bush supporters picketed outside the bus, MetroNews said. The Gazette has photos.

• Democratic congressional candidate Anne Barth is questioning the pacing and details of the proposed Wall Street bailout legislation now on Capitol Hill, the Charleston Daily Mail reports.

• Public Broadcasting interview U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-3rd, as he seeks re-election. With audio.

• U.S. Sen Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., "is applauding the Senate for passing a measure that extends the alternative fuels credit another three years," The Register-Herald of Beckley reports.
  

They Voted For You: Drilling

All three of West Virginia's U.S. House members voted for a $630 billion government spending bill that would "end a quarter-century ban on oil and natural gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts," The Associated Press reports.

The measure passed 370-58 with the help of U.S. Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd.

AP reports that extending the oft-debated ban on offshore drilling was kept out of the bill in the face of a veto by President Bush and the specter of a resulting government shutdown.

"The decision to avoid a fight with the White House over offshore drilling marks a major shift by Democrats on energy policy and a reflection that the GOP argument for more domestic energy production had found a support among voters this election year, even though coastal states long have worried that offshore drilling might cause spills, soil beaches and threaten their tourist businesses," the article said.

W.Va. Media: McCain 52%, Obama 41% in W.Va.

The survey of 600 likely voters, conducted "this week" by Orion Strategies for W.Va. Media and W.Va. Wesleyan College, found 51.7% for McCain and 40.7% for Obama.

Another 4.5% said neither and 3.2% were undecided.

When asked about Hillary Clinton, 52% said they would have voted for her.

The poll also found such Democratic incumbents as Gov. Joe Manchin, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller and state Attorney General Darrell McGraw ahead of their GOP challengers.

Update: From the article: "When asked what accurately represents Obama's religious beliefs, 49 percent of those polled believed he was a denomination other than Christian."

CNN/Time: McCain 50%, Obama 46% in W.Va.

Conducted with Opinion Research Corp., the Sept 21-23 survey of 694 likely voters by telephone found 3% undecided and had a margin of error of +/- 3.5%.

The polling began with 876 registered voters, and also apparently asked about third-party candidates.

That part of the survey broke: McCain 49%, Obama 44%, Nader 5% and McKinney 1%.

CNN has a story on the results and that of other state polls.

Presidential Campaigns Scramble over Coal (Updated)

Republican John McCain and Democratic Barack Obama are each trying to assure voters that they support "clean coal," The Charleston Gazette reports.

After McCain recently expressed qualms about mountaintop removal mining, his campaign was joined by Rep. Shelley Moore Capito and fellow Republicans to attack the other ticket on the topic.

In a Tuesday conference call with reporters, the group seized on comments made by Obama running mate Joe Biden at an Ohio campaign appearance.

Biden said "We're not supporting 'clean coal," and "No coal plants here in America," when asked about the issue.

The Obama campaign has sought to explain Biden's comments, while touting its proposal "to invest $150 billion over 10 years on a variety of energy programs - everything from plug-in hybrid vehicles to biofuels and 'low-emissions coal plants,'" the article said.

The McCain-Capito conference call, meanwhile, touted the need to protect coal jobs. "But both (campaigns) provide few details for their plans, and have not explained how they would overcome a long history of hurdles that have hampered the government's clean-coal program for decades," the article said.

The Gazette had earlier noted that both McCain and Obama had "agreed that mountaintop removal coal mining should be stopped," but that "no one really attacked them for saying so."\

Update: The Charleston Daily Mail follows up with reaction from West Virginia Democrats to Biden's comments. MetroNews does as well, with a separate item (and audio) quoting Obama's in-state director.

MetroNews also reports on the McCain-Capito coalition, while offering audio of Biden's remarks.

Manchin on Bloomberg

Gov. Joe Manchin talked to the financial news network about West Virginia's economy, the current Wall Street crisis and the federal administration's proposed bailout.

Election 2008: Tuesday Roundup

• For the first time since the May primary, Republican John McCain attracted more West Virginia cash than Democrat Barack Obama last month, The Associated Press reports.

• AP also reports that a National Rifle Association film crew sought to include West Virginia miners in a national anti-Obama ad campaign deemed false by FactCheck.org. Alleging the NRA tried to coerce its members into "bad-mouthing" their endorsed candidate, the United Mine Workers Union has called for a localized work stoppage for next week in protest. MetroNews also has an item, with audio.
  

• The State Elections Commission has balked at certifying additional touch-screen voting machines that had been ordered by Ohio, Hancock and Summers counties, The Charleston Gazette reports. The manufacturer had said "the new machines have different parts than the machines ordered by the state in advance of the 2006 elections."

• Democratic Congressional candidate Anne Barth stumped in the 2nd District's Eastern Panhandle corner, with the help of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., The Journal of Martinsburg reports.

• The GOP's candidate for governor, Russ Weeks, has joined critics of the state's bid to revamp its Medicaid program, The Register-Herald reports.

• (Update) All three candidates for state Supreme Court opined on its workload and other topics before the editorial board of the Charleston Daily Mail.
  

More on W.Va. Foreclosures

After finding five times as many foreclosure sales in West Virginia as had been reported by a national marketing outfit, The Charleston Gazette reports that "big out-of-state lenders carried out" most of them.

In comparison, West Virginia community banks foreclose rarely, Joe Ellison, CEO of the West Virginia Banking Association, told the newspaper.

Large national lenders hold the majority of the state's mortgages, the article said.

Public Broadcasting has details from The Gazette's weekend special report on foreclosures, with audio.

The Associated Press, meanwhile, reports that "West Virginians pay the lowest housing costs in the country," with a median monthly housing cost of $881 compared to the national median of $1,464.

But the the state's median income level is also low, as is the value of its housing stock. "West Virginia tied Mississippi for the lowest median home value, at $96,000, while Hawaii had the highest, at $555,400," the article said. "The national average was $194,300."

Election 2008: Governor

While race has emerged as an issue among state residents in the presidential contest, "quietly, discreetly, with practically no one paying attention, the West Virginia gubernatorial race has swept away the last remnants of some old and ugly notions," The Associated Press reports.

"For the first time ever, both major party candidates for the office are Roman Catholics, members of a church whose members make up barely 4 percent of West Virginia's population," AP's Tom Breen reports. "(Gov Joe) Manchin, the first Catholic elected governor of the state, is running for a second term against former Raleigh County state Sen. Russ Weeks, a fellow Catholic."

Their shared faith also contributes to their views on such issues as abortion, though "Weeks argues Manchin should do more to limit the procedure, such as supporting legislation to reduce Medicaid funding for abortions."

West Virginia's Hidden Foreclosure Problem

Nearly 4,500 West Virginia homes and properties were amid or beginning foreclosure proceedings last year, a rate that puts it in the middle third of states, according to Mortgage Bankers Association figures cited by The Charleston Gazette.

The numbers starkly contrast often-cited figures from online foreclosure marketer RealtyTrac, which had ranked West Virginia as the third-lowest for foreclosure sales, counting just 473 that year.

"That ranking is widely cited by state officials," The Gazette said. "Lobbyists have used it at the Legislature to help kill anti-predatory mortgage proposals, arguing that it proves West Virginia has no foreclosure problem. Federal dollars for housing relief are increasingly keyed to foreclosure rate."

But the actual rate of foreclosure sales is at least five times higher, the newspaper found, after it collected numbers from the state's 55 county clerk's offices to find that "at least 2,550 West Virginia homes and businesses were sold in foreclosure in 2007."

That equals about one out of every 344 housing units in the state (or about one out of every 217 owner-occupied housing units, according to Census estimates; either figure reflects less than 1 percent of total or owner-occupied units)

The article notes that "the courthouse count does not include homes lost to bankruptcy, homes sold or given back to the bank to avoid bankruptcy, mortgages tied up in court proceedings or, for the most part, mobile homes."

RealtyTrac explains that as it starts with the most densely populated counties to perform its research, "West Virginia - and other sparsely populated rural states - are low priority."

"West Virginia's foreclosure situation, while it's not terrible, is not as good as everybody has been claiming it to be," Edward Prescott, vice president of research for the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank, told The Gazette. "It's generally in the middle."

The Gazette's special report also offers a map with county-by-county details, a graphic the highlights RealtyTrac's underreporting, and a chart showing a doubling of mortgages since 2000. There's also audio.

Weathering Wall Street

The most recent figures from West Virginia's investment portfolio suggest that "the estimated exposure from stocks in the likes of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers and AIG amounted to $10.9 million by Friday's market closing," The Associated Press reports.

That's a fraction of a percent of the state's more than $11.2 billion in invested assets, and the state Investment Management Board has told Gov. Joe Manchin and other state officials that its widely diversified holdings help insulate from such turmoil.

"That is important in times like this, because diversification is the primary means of protection for a long-term investor when markets go south." Craig Slaughter, the board's executive director, told AP, adding that ""We also know that the U.S. economy is not going to be in a permanent recession. There will eventually be a recovery, and you have to be invested in the markets when that happens to accrue the benefits."

The article also notes that this month's tumult among Wall Street institutions "comes on the heels of a disappointing fiscal year for West Virginia's investments. The year ended in June with a $643 million decline in portfolio assets, a 6 percent loss. The target had been, and remains, a 7.5 percent return on investment."

Echoes of Keystone

West Virginia is home to the nation's 12th failure of a federally insured bank so far this year, The Associated Press reports.

"Federal regulators have shut down Ameribank Inc.," based in McDowell County, "saying it overextended loans for the rehabilitation of distressed properties," AP reports.

Appointed receiver of the bank, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. "said Friday the bank's insured deposits will be assumed by Pioneer Community Bank Inc. of Iaeger, W.Va., and Citizens Savings Bank in Martins Ferry, Ohio," the article said.

The Charleston Gazette notes that Ameribank had previously taken the assets and branch offices of The First National Bank of Keystone, which "collapsed after federal investigators discovered massive embezzlement and risky investments there" in 1999.

"No one is accusing Ameribank officials of wrongdoing, but risky investments brought down both banks," The Gazette added.

Keystone remains among the top-1o worst U.S. failures to tap the U.S. Bank Insurance Fund. Three top executives were convicted and sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms. They included the then-longtime mayor of Keystone, the late Billie Cherry, whose former properties outside Keystone are the subject of an entirely different Gazette article.

Race, West Virginia and the Quest for the Presidency

Marshall University hosted a weekend forum on race and politics that explored the possibility that West Virginians rejected Barack Obama in May -- and will do so again in November -- because he is black.

Panelists included former Delegate Arley Johnson, D-Cabell, who "advised the Obama campaign after the primary that to bring the candidate back to West Virginia would be a waste of time," The Associated Press reported.

The article said Johnson and "other panelists said the primary laid bare the uncomfortable fact that many West Virginians will never vote for a black presidential candidate simply because of his race."

But AP's Tom Breen also noted that "About 50 miles away, state Democratic Party Chairman Nick Casey was roaring out at a crowd of party faithful at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Charleston, 'Do you have a problem voting for him because he's part black?,' to which the crowd yelled back, 'No!'"

And the Herald-Dispatch, in covering the Marshall forum, reported that some panelists "spoke about the education levels of West Virginians:"

Gerald Beller of West Virginia State University said the determining factor in Sen. Hillary Clinton's easy win over Obama in the state's Democratic primary was voters' education levels. When Clinton campaigned in the state, she reinforced her connection with the white working class, Beller said.

The younger generation with either a college or high school diploma has favored Obama while Clinton received strong support from the white working class. West Virginia, Beller said, is not unique in its voting preferences.

But the Huntington newspaper cited comments as well from panelist Simon Perry of Marshall, who said three forms of racism, "blatant, modern and invisible, "all affect the perception of Obama in the state.

Meanwhile, AP is reporting on its national poll conducted with Yahoo News and Stanford University, which "found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks — many calling them 'lazy,' 'violent,' responsible for their own troubles."

The survey "suggests that the percentage of voters who may turn away from Obama because of his race could easily be larger than the final difference between the candidates in 2004 — about two and one-half percentage points.," that AP article said.

An accompanying graphic charts the findings that "more than a third of all white Democrats and independents — voters Obama can't win the White House without — agreed with at least one negative adjective about blacks, according to the survey, and they are significantly less likely to vote for Obama than those who don't have such views. "

The article notes further that "Republican John McCain has his own obstacles," listing several, and notes that "lots of Republicans harbor prejudices, too, but the survey found they weren't voting against Obama because of his race. Most Republicans wouldn't vote for any Democrat for president — white, black or brown. "

Politico has also tackled the race factor. Noting the AP poll results and some of the reactions to it, it reports that "the national conversation appears to have arrived. Racial considerations that have long been palpable in southern Ohio and other crucial regions are again in the foreground."

Politico has a separate article more focused on the poll results.

Election 2008: Roundup

• Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and other high-profile Democrats sought to drum up enthusiasm for presidential nominee Barack Obama and other candidates on the party's ticket in West Virginia, during Saturday's annual Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner. Those with coverage include The Associated Press and The Charleston Gazette.

• The Gazette reported earlier that "fewer tickets sold for this year's Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner and the lack of a national candidate as speaker at the dinner don't mean national Democrats are writing off West Virginia this year."

• Public Broadcasting set the stage for the weekend's forum on race and politics by asking random West Virginians "who do you support for president and what do you like and dislike about Obama and the GOP candidate, Senator John McCain." The resulting article drew from 12 of those interviews that "represent the people we met. Seven supported McCain, four wanted Obama, and one was leaning toward McCain but basically undecided. The reasons they give are as complex and varied as the people of our region." With audio.

• ABC News talked to Mountain State residents earlier in the week to ask them their views on the presidential contest, and also offers video. MetroNews noted the national visit.

• (Update) The Register-Herald of Beckley takes an early look at pre-election voter registration figures, and notes the growing ranks of the unaffiliated.
  

Election 2008: Congress

• Politico marked the debut of a new television ad by Democrat Anne Barth, in which she enlists her former boss, U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, to aid her challenge of Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd. "Byrd doesn't say much, but he offers an endorsement, a powerful message from the longest-serving senator in U.S. history and one of the most recognized figures in his home state," the article notes.

• But political analyst Stuart Rothenberg includes the Barth-Capito race among several in which the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee "is running a risk by promoting some candidates who have little or no chance to win in the fall, and by lumping together very strong contenders with second-tier campaigns." Rothenberg calls Capito "wildly popular," and refers to an as-yet-unseen polling he says shows she "holds better than a 2-1 lead over Barth. And to no one’s surprise, McCain is clobbering Obama in the district."

• Barth is expecting a boost next week when House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., visits Martinsburg to stump with her, The Associated Press reports.

Crime in West Virginia

The latest FBI figures suggest West Virginia has the nation's 14th lowest crime rate, but "19 of the state's municipalities have violent crime rates higher than the national averages for cities and towns their size," the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington reports.

Charleston topped that list of 19. "Charleston's mark and Huntington's rate of 754.07 (per 100,000 inhabitants) surpassed the crime rates of Louisville, Ky., Los Angeles and New York City," the article said.

Local and state officials responded to the newspaper about the statistics.

Statue Approved to Honor W.Va. Women Veterans

Nearly a decade after sculptor P. Joseph Mullins was commissioned to craft the monument, the third committee to be involved in the process has approved both the design and a Capitol siting for a female veterans' memorial, The Associated Press reports.

AP notes that "the project has been held up by criticism that the statue was too masculine and should be wearing a skirt instead of fatigue pants and a T-shirt," but that at Wednesday's committee meeting, "Mullins explained the thinking behind the design."

This latest committee, featuring women who range from World War II veterans to active service members heading to Iraq, will now weigh in one some of the statute's finer details and help find it a specific spot on the Capitol campus, state officials said.

MetroNews also has an item.

Election 2008: Governor (Corrected)

• Gov. Joe Manchin was the target of his GOP opponent, Russ Weeks, at a Capitol press conference Wednesday, The Associated Press, The Charleston Gazette and WSAZ-TV (with video) report.

• Manchin's unsuccessful challenger in their party's primary, Delegate Mel Kessler of Raleigh County, has followed through on his pledge to support the Republican by starting "Democrats for Weeks," The Register-Herald of Beckley reports. "Kessler said he is attempting to attract the 90,000 Democrats who voted for him in the primary," the article said. (Correction: Kessler was about right with his figure; the previously posted certified results contained a typo, and undercounted his Kanawha County tally by 10,000 votes. The corrected figures make that county Kessler's best showing, more than double what he received in his native Raleigh.)
  

ARG: McCain 49%, Obama 45% in W.Va.

American Research Group surveyed 600 likely voters on Sept. 14-16. The results have a 4 percentage point margin of error.

Among the key findings: 31% of Democrats said they would vote for McCain, while only 9% of Republicans would cross over to support Obama. But Obama had 53% of independents, to McCain's 39%.

Overall undecideds totaled 7%.

Election 2008 Roundup

• As he runs for a fifth term, "Attorney General Darrell McGraw plans to explain the differences in fuel prices to the Raleigh County Commission on Aging" on Sept. 25, in response to the perception of disparate treatment in that region, The Register-Herald of Beckley reports.

• Republican Jay Wolfe discusses his challenge of U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., to Public Broadcasting. With audio.

• The Charleston Gazette hears from the Democratic nominees for Kanawha County's two state Senate seats up this year, Sen. Dan Foster (corrected. D'oh.) and Delegate Corey Palumbo.

• Candidates from both parties in the county's 32nd House District spoke to the Charleston Daily Mail.

• WSAZ-TV continues its coverage of a 911 call from the home of Huntington Mayor David Felinton, a Democrat seeking re-election this year. Public Broadcasting also has a piece, with audio.
  

McCain Endorses End to Mountaintop Removal Mining (Updated)

The Charleston Gazette cites (and posts) video from a recent campaign stop by John McCain in Florida to report that the GOP presidential nominee said "I do" when asked whether he supports "eliminating mountaintop removal mining and the practices like that."

"McCain went on to say that he's 'seen a dramatic improvement in the behavior of the coal companies,'" the article also said.

Update: Public Broadcasting has a story, with audio. It also reports that "Now, his campaign won’t say whether McCain stands by his statement supporting an end to that controversial mining practice."

"McCain’s stance on mountaintop removal mining has been a mystery for most of this campaign," that report said. Ditto that of Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama: "Tuesday, a woman at the Obama headquarters in Charleston declined to say what his position is on the practice."

Update II: The Gazette expands its article, and reports that a McCain spokeswoman "confirmed McCain's support for ending the practice" while also touting his support "of coal and that clean coal is a vital part of his energy policy."

An Obama spokesman told The Gazette that "the Illinois senator has said publicly that he does not support mountaintop removal," adding that he "comes from a coal state and understands its importance to our economy."

Update III: U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, tells MetroNews that McCain's response "caught me off guard," and said "such a stance could hurt McCain in West Virginia."

Quote of the Day

"(A) judicial officer should be subject to FOIA as a 'state officer' and member of a 'public body.'"

-- Kanawha Circuit Judge Louis "Duke" Bloom, largely ruling in favor of The Associated Press as it appealed the state Supreme Court's denial of Freedom of Information Act requests made in the wake of the Monaco photos scandal.

They Voted For You: Energy (Updated)

U.S. Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, helped pass the "Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act" late Tuesday.

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, opposed the measure, which prevailed 236-189 on a largely party-line vote.

Among other provisions, the bill would "open waters off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to oil and gas drilling but only 50 or more miles out to sea and only if a state agrees to energy development off its shore," The Associated Press reports.

"Republicans called the drilling measure a ruse to provide political cover to Democrats feeling pressure to support more drilling at a time of high gas prices," AP said.

The legislation also includes "tax credits for wind and solar energy industries," alternative source requirements for utilities, and a gradual rollback of $18 billion worth of tax breaks for the five largest oil companies, the article said.

It also contains a gift ban and ethical rules in response "to a recent sex and drug scandal involving the federal office that oversees the offshore oil royalty program,"AP reports, and would "require energy companies to pay billions of dollars in royalties they avoided because of an Interior Department contracting error."

Capito had been part of an informal, bipartisan working group that worked over the summer on energy legislation. She joined all but one of its identified Republicans to vote against Tuesday's bill.

That member, Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., voted with all but one of the group's identified Democrats in favor of the bill, including co-chairman Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii. The remaining Democrat, Rep. Nick Lampson of Texas, did not vote.

Capito called the bill "misguided" and a "partisan ploy" in a press release. Her Democratic challenger, Anne Barth, alleged that Capito had sided with "Big Oil" and "against lowering gas prices and against West Virginia coal."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a similar attack.

Update: MetroNews Talkine asks Capito and Rahall about the bill and Tuesday's vote. With audio.

Tuesday Election Roundup

• U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, and Democratic challenger Anne Barth appeared before the Charleston Daily Mail's editorial board.

• The Charleston Gazette hears from Attorney General Darrell McGraw and his GOP opponent, Dan Greear.

• Agricultural Commissioner Gus Douglass and Mike Teets, the Republican nominee, also met at The Gazette's offices.

• Public Broadcasting interviews U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., about his re-election bid. With audio.
  

Election 2008 Roundup

• The Associated Press reports on the reticent approach to public debates displayed by some candidates this year, particularly incumbents.

• Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine will headline this year's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, held by the state Democratic Party and slated for Saturday in Charleston. AP has details, while The Charleston Gazette noted earlier that the Democrats had tried to land Barack Obama or Joe Biden. (Gov. Joe Manchin told AP earlier that he had gotten Kaine to commit to speaking while he was on Obama's VP short list. Obama spoke at the 2006 dinner, while former President Bill Clinton headlined it last year.)

• The Gazette scrutinizes polling in the state Supreme Court race, with a noted national political analyst questioning one recent survey.
  

Gambling in West Virginia: Kanawha County

The Charleston Gazette takes another look at allegations that Kanawha County's indoor smoking ban has hurt video lottery revenues at participating bars and clubs.

Lottery Commission figures show a countywide dip in activity in June and July but a gradual rise since then. "That seems to suggest that Kanawha County will follow the pattern of other localities across the country that have enacted smoking bans - after an initial drop-off, business rebounds, and frequently goes on to exceed pre-smoking ban levels as the businesses attract more customers from the non-smoking majority," the article said.

Lottery officials also question the role high gas prices may have played in the early summer decline.

W.Va.'s New Approach to Medicaid Remains Under Fire

Health care providers in southern West Virginia are adding to the concerns voiced earlier over West Virginia's federally approved plan for revamping its Medicaid insurance program for the poor and disabled, The Register-Herald reports.

“Medicaid managed care and the new Medicaid redesign are a hindrance to the stability of persons with chronic mental illness,” Mike Mays, CEO of regional behavioral health provider FMRS Health Systems Inc. told the newspaper.

The Beckley newspaper also has a separate article in which legislative leaders weigh in.

“For some reason, that has become an extremely bitter battle between the providers and the department,” said House Health and Human Resources Chairman Don Perdue, D-Wayne.

Election 2008 Roundup

• Secretary of State Betty Ireland has asked a federal judge to withdraw his April ruling that blocked parts of West Virginia's election advertising disclosure requirements. As The Associated Press reports, Ireland argues the recent special session legislation cures the flaws targeted by that ruling, but the group the challenged disclosure considers the new law as bad as the old one.

• A national group hopes to help elect Democrat Natalie Tennant as West Virginia's next secretary of state, according to the Center for Public Integrity. The nonpartisan research center includes the state among four where the Secretary of State Project is starting to raise funds for Democrats running for that office. It's goal is “to protect our elections from dirty Republican tricks."

• The Charleston Daily Mail hears from candidates running for seats in Kanawha County's 30th House district.

• MetroNews touts a Republican pollster's surveys in the state Supreme Court and attorney general races, with audio.
  

Gambling in West Virginia: The Greenbrier

Urged on by the union representing workers at the historic resort, the Greenbrier County Commission has voted to place the question of allowing casino table games at The Greenbrier on the November ballot, The Associated Press reports.

A 1999 law allows the local option election, but county voters defeated such a measure in 2000.

The Register-Herald of Beckley was among the first with the story, and earlier reported on the union taking the issue to the commission. MetroNews has a story as well, and audio. The latter also interviewed union officials about the gambit (with audio as well).

In other gambling news, Kanawha County bars and clubs complain of a deline in their limited video lottery revenues they blame on the county's smoking ban, The Charleston Gazette reports.

McHugh to sit in for Albright

Retired Supreme Court Justice Tom McHugh will hear cases for Justice Joseph Albright while Albright spends the rest of the year recovering from recent surgery, the court has announced.

Besides the court's press release, those with coverage include The Associated Press, The Charleston Gazette, MetroNews and The Intelligencer of Wheeing.

Election 2008: Governor

Gov. Joe Manchin and one of his November opponents, Mountain Party nominee Jesse Johnson, squared off on energy, health care and other issues in front of the editorial board of The Charleston Gazette this week.

The Register-Herald of Beckley, meanwhile, reports that Manchin and his challengers are expected to appear at four debate-like forums before Election Day:

• Oct. 13 in Charleston, before the state broadcasters' association;
• Oct. 16, at The Journal of Martinsburg;
• Oct. 19, to be televised by state public broadcasting and co-sponsored by The Associated Press;
• Oct 21, at the Dominion-Post of Morgantown.

They Voted For You: Mexican Trucks, Veterans

West Virginia's delegation in the U.S. House helped passed several measures this week by unanimous or near-unanimous margins:

• A 395-15 vote advanced legislation that would "prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the United States-Mexico border unless expressly authorized by Congress."

• With no dissent, the House passed a bill to expand health care options for rural veterans through a pilot program, and approved a Senate measure that would boost veteran disability payments to meet inflation.

Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st; Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd; and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, voted for all three bills. The Register-Herald of Beckley heard from the latter two on the veterans measures.

Election 2008 Roundup

• The Charleston Gazette asks this year's Supreme Court candidates whether they support automatic appeals in cases involving punitive damages (among other questions).

• The Gazette earlier quizzed U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, and Democratic challenger Anne Barth on Iraq and other issues in their race.

• The Associated Press reports on complaints filed or planned by Attorney General Darrell McGraw targeting third-party attack ads as the Democrat seeks re-election.

• The Charleston Daily Mail reports both on booster groups supporting the presidential candidates in West Virginia, and on a Republican pollster's numbers for their in-state race.
  

Justice Albright Out for Rest of the Year

Still recovering from surgery on his esophagus and citing the advice of his doctors, West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Joseph Albright has recused himself from the rest of the fall term, The Associated Press reports.

The Charleston Gazette and MetroNews also have reports. The court has posted both a release on his decision, and the letter he sent.

The New York Times Adds Its Voice to Caperton v. Massey Case

An editorial in the Sunday New York Times echoes the American Bar Association and other groups in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review the ruling by its West Virginia counterpart overturning a $76.3 million judgment against Massey Energy Co.

The Times (registration required) opines further that the court should toss the "tainted" decision, citing the $3 million spent by Massey CEO Don Blankenship to help elect Justice Brent Benjamin.

W.Va. RNC Delegation Makes Late Night TV

The tail end of this video from NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien features special correspondent Triumph the Insult Comic Dog shadowing West Virginia's delegation to the Republican National Convention.

W.Va. Coal Plant Project Loses Federal Funding

The U.S. Department of Energy has dropped plans to fund a $416 million power plant that would burn coal and coal waste in western Greenbrier County, The Charleston Gazette reports.

"Developers have for more than five years struggled to come up with private money to match DOE funds, and environmental groups have complained that the project would pollute local air and water," the article said. "DOE spent more than $8 million on project planning, and the West Virginia Economic Development Authority lost $3 million in a loan guarantee approved in 2004 by the Wise administration."

Four Years Later

West Virginians attending the Republican National Convention are contrasting their treatment with what they experienced at the 2004 event, The Charleston Gazette reports.

"Last time, the delegation was assigned a five-star hotel in midtown Manhattan, within walking distance of Madison Square Garden, where they had prime seating on the convention floor," the article said.

But with West Virginia no longer a battleground state (but instead considered safe McCain territory), "This time, they've been relegated to a second-tier hotel in Bloomington, Minn., a good 20 miles away from the convention center in St. Paul, where the delegation's seats are pushed off to the side of the stage."

Quote of the Day

"I don't think she saw me until she hit me. At least I saw the car. It was in slow motion. You realize this is going to happen and it does."

-- First Lady Gayle Manchin, recounting her weekend bicycle mishap to the Charleston Daily Mail.

W.Va. Supreme Court Begins Fall Term (Updated)

The Associated Press highlights some of higher profile cases slated to appear before the justices during the term that begins Wednesday.

"The fall term marks the last few months on the bench for both justices Larry Starcher and Spike Maynard," MetroNews notes in its preview. "Starcher decided not to seek reelection while Maynard was defeated in the May Primary Election."

MetroNews reports further that while not in person, Justice Joseph Albright "planned on participating despite remaining hospitalized after recent esophagus surgery."

Update: Public Broadcasting interviews Ted Olson, the former Bush Administration solicitor general who is now pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to review a ruling by the state justices on conflict-of-interest grounds. With audio.

Update II: AP reports on Wednesday's arguments before the state court in the dispute over the language of Huntington's residency ordinance for city employees.

Covering the Republican National Convention

• MetroNews Talkline is broadcasting daily from Minneapolis-St. Paul, and offers photos and audio along with interviews and other dispatches.

• Political science professor Robert Rupp is again filling in as a special correspondent at the convention for The Intelligencer of Wheeling.

• The Republican Gazette has photos and updates.
  

Health Care in West Virginia

West Virginia's attempt to improve the health of its residents on a statewide scale over the course of this decade "shows a gradual progress in many areas that add up to some good news," but "some of the plan's goals still seem unlikely to be met in the next year and a half," The Associated Press reports.

AP health care writer Tom Breen examines the objectives of the "West Virginia Healthy People 2010" initiative to gauge its progress so far. While obesity is actually down since 2000, and more residents are checking their cholesterol regularly and exercising more, "goals are far from being met in a wide range of other categories, including cigarette smoking, colorectal cancer screening and hypertension rates," Breen found.

The Charleston Gazette, meanwhile, cites a new study to report that "West Virginia has the second-highest percentage of children with chronic health problems in the nation, a troubling statistic that highlights the state's need to expand health coverage for kids."

Quote of the Day

"He's a bully. He treats people terribly."

-- U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, regarding GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting John McCain, at the Labor Day rally at Racine as reported by The Associated Press.

(The West Virginia Democrat prefaced his lengthy attack on his Senate colleague by promising the Boone County crowd that "I will nail him, without mercy.")

Election 2008: Labor Day Roundup (Updated)

• Labor Day marks the traditional start of fall campaigning in West Virginia, and The Associated Press (updated) was among those covering such events as the 70th annual United Mine Workers rally at Racine, Boone County.

• AP also examines Barack Obama's fortunes in the Mountain State, in the wake of his historic nomination at last week's Democratic National Convention.

• One of the Legislature's three black members tells The Register-Herald that "in West Virginia, race is a major handicap for Barack Obama in his quest to woo enough voters." The Beckley newspaper also hears from Gov. Joe Manchin on the subject.

• All three candidates for two seats up this year on West Virginia's Supreme Court made their pitches to the state Chamber of Commerce at its annual meeting last week. AP has a report, as does The Register-Herald.

• U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, has coal as the focus of her latest campaign ads, highlighted by the Charleston Daily Mail.
  

• The Daily Mail has a separate item on third-party ads popping up in the Supreme Court and attorney general races.

• (Update) WTRF-TV elicited some positive comments from Manchin regarding John McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

• (Update) Manchin's GOP opponent, former state Sen. Russ Weeks, is "critical of the state's role in the $800 million coal to liquid fuel plant CONSOL plans to build in Marshall County," MetroNews reports. With audio.
  

Driver Not Cited in Bike Mishap with W.Va. First Lady

West Virginia First Lady Gayle Manchin was briefly taken to a hospital Sunday after a vehicle struck her while she and her husband were bicycling near the state Capitol, The Associated Press reports.

The first lady was later released following the morning incident, and the vehicle's driver was not cited, AP reports.

West Virginia at the Republican National Convention

The state GOP has posted its roster of delegates and alternatives to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The convention web site also has a section for West Virginia, but it does not yet appear to list delegates or where they are seated at the Xcel Energy Center.

West Virginians also have yet to appear in the schedule of events for the convention. But that part of the site appears dated, as it lists speakers who have withdrawn amid concens over Hurricane Gustav.

The convention has posted a lengthy memo outlining changes prompted by Gustav.

Election 2008 Roundup

• The Register-Herald of Beckley hears from Barack Obama supporters on such issues as guns, coal, military and foreign policy and southern voters as they tout his chances in West Virginia.

• State Democratic Party Chairman Nick Casey tells The Charleston Gazette that either Obama or running mate Joe Biden could headline the party's annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner this fall. (Gov. Joe Manchin had earlier told The Associated Press that he had signed up Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine for the gig -- but back when Kaine considered himself on Obama's veep short list.)

• The Charleston Daily Mail reports that Republican Dan Greear took repeated aim at his Democratic opponent, Attorney General Darrell McGraw, during the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce's ongoing annual Business Summit.

• Gov. Joe Manchin has incurred the wrath of the West Virginia State Firemen's Association for failing to attend its recent Charleston convention, "held just a week after the governor traveled to Las Vegas for a national firefighters' function," the Daily Mail also reports.

• Poised to begin accepting public campaign funding next month, presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain came close to outraising Obama among West Virginians in July, AP reports. McCain attracted about $51,800 and Obama around $53,300 from Mountain State residents that month, bringing their in-state totals to $172,700 and $302,500, respectively.

Ask Joe Manchin

From the Democratic National Convention, Gov. Joe Manchin will answer viewer questions on behalf of party leaders this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. (EST) on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS.

Folks can submit their questions here.

Rockefeller at the Dem Convention

The Democratic National Convention offers both text and video of Sen. Jay Rockefeller's speech there Wednesday.

West Virginia's junior senator told both The Associated Press and The Charleston Gazette beforehand that presidential nominee Barack Obama should not write off the Mountain State.

Update: Rockefeller also spoke to The Journal of Martinsburg, The Register-Herald of Beckley, Public Broadcasting (with audio), MetroNews (ditto) and the Charleston Daily Mail.

Public Broadcasting also has audio of his convention speech.

West Virginia, By The Numbers

• Though it remains well below the national level, median household incomes grew in West Virginia last year at a much higher rate than seen nationally, according to the latest U.S. Census estimates. The 8.3 percent increase equals about $3,129, bringing the median to $40,800 and a 45th ranking. The national median was $49,901, a 2 percent increase.

• The Census also released estimates on poverty rates, which also shows slight improvement for the Mountain State.

• Health insurance coverage estimates rounded out Tuesday's data release from the bureau. Public Broadcasting reports on all three topics (with audio), while The Associated Press focuses on the results for the 13-state Appalachian region.

• AP reports on a legislative audit that estimates that the state has saved less than $300,000 in drug costs from the efforts of the four-year-old Pharmaceutical Cost Management Council. State officials dispute some of the findings. The Gazette also has coverage.
  

• AP and The Gazette reported earlier on a uptick in medical malpractice claim filings, citing the West Virginia State Medical Association.
  

Manchin Speaks At Dem Convention

Gov. Joe Manchin addressed the Democratic National Convention during the 7 p.m. (EST) hour. The convention has posted video, while C-SPAN has a link as well.

The Associated Press has an article and text from his prepared remarks. Others with coverage include Public Broadcasting (with audio), MetroNews and MSNBC.

West Virginians at the Democratic National Convention

• MetroNews Talkline is broadcasting from the convention all week, and has posted numerous articles along with audio and photo galleries;

• The Parkersburg News is posting dispatches from a Wood County attendee;

• The Intelligencer of Wheeling has Robert Rupp as its special convention correspondent;

• West Virginia Blue is blogging from the convention, and had photos as well;

• A contributor to the above's coverage is also posting at Wabi-Sabi.

(Will update if more are found.)

Saving Rocky in West Virginia

The West Virginia northern flying squirrel is coming off the federal endangered species list today, but not without some controversey, The Charleston Gazette reports.

"Two of three academic experts brought in by the Interior Department recommended against the delisting," the article said. "Those outside scientists backed wildlife advocates who said the agency had little data to support its claim that the squirrel has recovered."

Taking the squirrel off the list "would remove the general prohibition against killing the squirrels or seriously damaging vital habitat," The Gazette explains. "It would also relieve developers of various projects - from housing developments to wind farms or strip mines - from going through Endangered Species Act reviews or writing habitat conservation plans."

Besides the third academic reviewer, "the U.S. Forest Service backed the delisting, as did West Virginia's Divisions of Forestry and Natural Resources," the article continued. "Plum Creek Timber and the owners of Snowshoe Mountain Resort also submitted letters of support."

The Gazette also has photos, while Public Broadcasting (with audio) and The Associated Press have items as well.