What has changed in WV since George Floyd’s death? In Segment 1, 13 News Reporter Moriah Davis shares Charleston’s black community’s thoughts on what has changed what hasn’t changed since the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. Tuesday, May 25th marked the first anniversary of Floyd’s death. The horrible incident was caught on video and police body cameras, which lead to nationwide outrage demanding justice for police reform, including here in West Virginia. Pe...
May 31, 2021•21 min•Ep. 122
‘We’re giving it the old college try’ Sen. Capito discusses President Biden’s infrastructure bill In Segment 1, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) is the Republican lead for President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill and how they are trying to aim for bipartisanship on the bill. “We’re giving it the old college try,” said Sen. Capito. While Biden wants to spend $2.3 trillion on the bill, Republicans, including Capito, want to spend $568 million. Capito says the infrastructure bill should on...
May 23, 2021•22 min•Ep. 121
Gayle Manchin becomes first West Virginian to co-chair Appalachian Regional Commission In Segment 1, Gayle Manchin , new co-chair of Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) thirteenth federal co-chair, talks with hosts Mark Curtis about what ARC is about and how it began after former President John F. Kennedy visited West Virginia. Manchin was the former First-Lady of West Virginia, former President of the Board of Education, and is currently the first ARC federal co-chair from West Virginia. Ho...
May 18, 2021•22 min•Ep. 120
What political issues currently affect West Virginia citizens? In Segment 1, Gary Zuckett, Executive Director of the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, talks about key political issues that affect citizens of the Mountain State, including the Reclaim Act, For the People Act, and Medicare. For more information, you can visit the official WV Citizen Action Group website . The new common COVID-19 variant in WV In Segment 2, Dr. Clay Marsh, the COVID-19 Czar in West Virginia, discusses the latest c...
May 10, 2021•22 min•Ep. 119
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — This week on Inside West Virginia Politics, officials from West Virginia and beyond discuss President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, how West Virginia is expanding broadband, and how a donation to a university in West Virginia will help undergrad students. Is Biden’s infrastructure bill a pork barrel spending bill? In Segment 1, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R) Kentucky shares his concerns about the $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill proposed by President Joe Biden on top of t...
May 03, 2021•23 min•Ep. 118
In Segment 1, Brad McElhinney of WV Metro News joins us, with a surprise appearance from his dog, to talk about the “weird” differences in covering this year’s legislative session, which was closed to the public during the pandemic. This year, the news media covered the session from above in the galleries for social distancing, a major change from years past when reporters were stationed on the ground floor closer to the legislators. McElhinney says the overriding headline of the session was the...
Apr 29, 2021•22 min•Ep. 117
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — On this week’s Inside West Virginia Politics, many government officials wrap up the 2021 legislative session, including discussing Gov. Jim Justice’s personal income tax reduction plan and how it failed to pass through the House with 0 yeas to 100 nays. In Segment 1, Del. Roger Hanshaw (R) Clay, Speaker of the House, discusses the highlights of the West Virginia 2021 legislative session, including: Passing state budgeting within 60 days with no extra expense to taxpayers ...
Apr 20, 2021•23 min•Ep. 116
In Segment 1, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin discusses the ‘human crisis’ at the U.S./Mexico border after visiting there last week. Manchin suggests what needs to be fixed with the immigration problem, pointing to the criminal element of immigration in which the Cartel is profiting off human suffering. The Senator also talks about why he’s against a single infrastructure bill that would incorporate everything in one package. “We need to separate it — we need to get back to regular order. We need to ge...
Apr 12, 2021•22 min•Ep. 115
In Segment 1, Bishop Michie Klusmeyer of the West Virginia Diocese makes an appearance as he shares this Easter theme of finding hope and keeping faith during the pandemic. Visit the West Virginia Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston website here. In Segment 2, Rabbi Victor Urecki of the B’nai Jacob Synagogue in Charleston speaks of the significance of the story of Passover in the Jewish faith and how, through that story, important it is to know your history and your identity, as well as the importanc...
Apr 08, 2021•22 min•Ep. 114
In Segment 1, Delegate Joey Garcia (D-Marion County) stops by to talk about an op-ed he co-wrote with John Williams (D-Monongalia) called “If You Build It, They Will Stay,” and what it means for the state. The delegates say they want to work toward keeping young West Virginians in the state and that starts with rebuilding, specifically in roads, broadband and education. Garcia says they include roads in this because of the shape of some of the state’s secondary roads, some of which are almost im...
Mar 30, 2021•22 min•Ep. 113
In segment one, Jim Kaufman, President and CEO of the West Virginia Hospital Association, joins us as we overview how hospitals are doing during the pandemic after the miscount of reported COVID-19 deaths. Early in March, Health officials have identified 165 deaths related to COVID-19 that were unreported. Kaufman says paperwork flow and human error were the main causes of the unreported deaths. Kaufman addresses the issue, saying that the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (...
Mar 23, 2021•22 min•Ep. 112
In Segment 1, Jim Justice joins us to discuss his tax plan. The goal of that plan is to eventually phase out the state’s income tax beginning with a 60% cut next year and then gradually phasing out over the next three years. The plan would also mean raising the state’s sales tax from 6% to 7.9% to make up for the lost income tax revenue. West Virginia would then have the highest sales tax of any state in the country. The governor says even with increases to other taxes, the plan would put money ...
Mar 19, 2021•22 min•Ep. 111
In Segment 1, Josh Sword, president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations of West Virginia, joins us to discuss the lack of access the public has to the state legislature due to the pandemic. Sword says, given pandemic restrictions, the organization is not asking that the doors be opened completely, but that the legislature allow a restricted number of people to where socially distancing is still possible so the public can still discuss bills with the legislato...
Mar 12, 2021•22 min•Ep. 110
In Segment 1, we take a look at West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s latest town hall meeting on the state income tax. The governor’s goal for these virtual town halls is to discuss his proposal to eventually phase out or eliminate the state income tax. He says with the state’s current strong economics, now is the time to move forward with removing the tax. While some taxes may raise slightly to offset the state income tax removal, Justice says his goal is for West Virginians’ net tax burden to ...
Mar 05, 2021•23 min•Ep. 109
In Segment 1, State Director of AARP West Virginia Gaylene Miller talks about the organization’s legislative agenda for 2021. She says one of their biggest concerns this year is a bill that would limit the liability of nursing homes and businesses such as restaurants where someone may have contracted COVID-19. Miller says their main issue with the bill is that it would give nursing homes, assisted living and other residential care facilities a “blanket immunity for COVID-19.” She says the reason...
Feb 26, 2021•25 min•Ep. 108
In Segment 1, House of Delegates Majority Leader Amy Summers (R-Taylor County) joins us to talk about tax reform and the conversation of possibility eliminating the state income tax. She says if the tax were eliminated or phased out, it would bring more people to the Mountain State and put more money in the pockets of those who are already here. Summers also says the Education Savings Account, which would allow parents to set aside money for their child’s education, tax-free, and possibly send t...
Feb 19, 2021•22 min•Ep. 107
In Segment 1, President of the West Virginia State Senate and Lieutenant Governor Craig Blair (R-Berkeley) stops by ahead of the state’s legislative session. Blair talks about the possibility of phasing out the state’s income tax as part of the upcoming session. He says if the tax is eliminated, there is no defined timeline and it could still take several years to fully remove the tax. He says eliminating the tax would help bring people to the Mountain State rather than seeing them move to state...
Feb 12, 2021•25 min•Ep. 106
In Segment 1, Autumn Long, West Virginia Program Director for Solar United Neighbors discusses the potential benefits of bringing solar energy to West Virginia. The national nonprofit, also known as SUN, is an advocate for solar energy. Long says bringing solar energy to the Mountain State would help diversify the state’s energy economy and maintain West Virginia’s relevance as an energy-producing state. She says West Virginia has an opportunity to be part of a changing energy economy where rene...
Feb 05, 2021•24 min•Ep. 105
In Segment 1, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice talks about being sworn into a second term in office and how the Mountain State leads the nation in distributing and administering COVID-19 vaccines. The governor shares the importance of bringing more COVID-19 vaccines to the Mountain State and how quickly the state has been putting its current supply into the arms of the people, especially the elderly. He also talks about bringing students back to the classroom while keeping both the kids and th...
Jan 29, 2021•25 min•Ep. 104
In Segment 1, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) discusses the second impeachment of then-President Donald Trump. He says while he does agree Trump’s actions leading up to riots at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 are impeachable, but that it is the wrong timing and that he felt the focus should first be on the transition of power to the new administration. He says it is also important to first remove doubts that Joe Biden won the election and to prove to Americans the election was fair and secure. Manchin ...
Jan 22, 2021•23 min•Ep. 103
In Segment 1, Chief Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Evan Jenkins discusses the plans for what they’re calling the New Court. He says they hope to continue moving forward from the “problems of the past,” and continue the work of the past two years to bring back the public’s trust and confidence through accountability and transparency from the Court. He says even amid the pandemic, the court was never able to fully close, providing access to those in emergency situations. Jen...
Jan 15, 2021•22 min•Ep. 102
On this week’s episode of Inside West Virginia Politics, reporters from around the state join our host and Chief Political Reporter Mark Curtis for an annual “free for all” to discuss the top stories of 2020. Reporters weighing in include Brad McElhinny of WV Metro News, Joe Stevens of WMOV Radio, WOWK 13 News Morning Anchor Lily Bradley and Steven Allen Adams of Ogden Newspapers. In Segment 1 , we discuss the biggest story of the year – the COVID-19 pandemic . Our guests discuss how West Virgin...
Jan 08, 2021•24 min•Ep. 101
In Segment 1, Bishop Michie Klusmeyer of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia talks about having hope in the Christmas season and how important holding on to hope has been throughout the pandemic. Klusmeyer says while churches are going virtual, it’s a time when people are more connected with people from across the world joining local churches on live-streamed services and yet more isolated. He says this Christmas and Advent season is a time to be quiet and listen to the voice of God for comfo...
Jan 01, 2021•22 min•Ep. 100
In Segment 1, Chief Political Reporter and host Mark Curtis talks COVID-19 response in an exclusive interview with White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx during her visit to the Mountain State earlier in the week just as vaccines started arriving in West Virginia. She said the rising COVID-19 numbers in the state prompted her visit. “Well, that’s why we wanted to come because obviously, you can see West Virginia right now, rising test positivity, rising cases, rising hospi...
Dec 24, 2020•23 min•Ep. 99
In Segment 1, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard, Maj. Gen. James Hoyer talks about vaccine distribution in the Mountain State. He says there will be five hubs where the vaccine will be brought into the state and roughly 525 providers who have already signed up to assist with distributing the vaccine. The first phase of distribution is to stabilize the healthcare system to allow workers to continue providing healthcare and to protect the most vulnerable in nursing homes and ass...
Dec 18, 2020•24 min•Ep. 98
On this week’s episode of Inside West Virginia Politics, Charleston and the Mountain State grieve their fallen hero, Charleston Police Department Patrolman Cassie Johnson, who was shot in the line of duty Dec. 1. Also in this episode, a congressman gives an update on the battle for a new stimulus package in Washington D.C. and AARP explains what they would like to see happen in Congress, especially in regards to transparency about COVID-19 in nursing homes. In Segment 1, Congressman Alex Mooney ...
Dec 10, 2020•25 min•Ep. 97
On this week’s episode of Inside West Virginia Politics, our guests join host Mark Curtis to talk about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the anticipated vaccines awaiting approval from the FDA and the need in West Virginia for a second stimulus package. In Segment 1, West Virginia National Guard Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, an integral part of the governor’s COVID-19 response team, talks about retiring from his position as Adjutant General , West Virginia Joint Forces Headquarters-West Virginia to becom...
Dec 04, 2020•23 min•Ep. 96
On this week’s Inside West Virginia Politics, we discuss why everyone should be careful over Thanksgiving, we learn more about WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital, and find out how some are working to help those impacted economically by the pandemic. In segment one, Dr. Sherri Young, chief health officer with the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, explains why everyone should take caution with their Thanksgiving plans this year, the concern medical officials have over people crossing into West V...
Nov 26, 2020•24 min•Ep. 95
On this week’s Inside West Virginia Politics, we get to meet this year’s Miracle Network Champion Child, delve into West Virginia Wesleyan College and West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine’s Go D.O. program, and get an update on the state’s Jobs and Hope program. In segment one, Amy Bush Marone, COO of WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital gives an update on the new facility’s construction, explains the benefits of partnering with Children’s Miracle Network, and introduces us to this year’s Mi...
Nov 26, 2020•23 min•Ep. 94
On this week’s Inside West Virginia Politics, we discuss the recent Presidential Election, how to make broadband more accessible in the Mountain State and priorities during upcoming legislative sessions. In segment one, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) explains what she thinks should be the first thing on the agenda when she gets back to Washington D.C., how she views the ongoing process concerning the 2020 Presidential Election, and what needs to happen to make broadband more accessible through...
Nov 26, 2020•23 min•Ep. 93
