Some of our earliest WV Strong Blog Posts dealt with the topic of the 2018 Teachers strike. Here we are just a year later, with teachers back on strike due to the Senate's version of SB 451.

The coal industry has made up such a large part of West Virginia's economy and culture for so long, that sometimes the coal miners and the companies they work for get lumped in together. The fact is that throughout our states history, that hasn't been the case. We have a rich history of conflict between the coal workers who make the industry run and the companies who profit from them. 

In 2019 broadband internet is as important as power or phone service. Online communication is essential to small and large businesses hoping to open or expand into the mountain state. Tele-medicine opens new healthcare options for rural West Virginians. Poor broadband connectivity is yet another issue West Virginia must overcome to be on an equal playing field with other states if we're going to truly compete on a national level. 

Education has once again become the centerpiece of the Legislative session, and rightfully so. Our children are the future of our state, and if they don't have a good school system surrounding them, that future can never reach its full potential.

It is true that West Virginia has a Budget Surplus for the first time in years. This offers our state an opportunity to re-fund programs that had been cut, or try something new to help struggling West Virginians make it in the mountain state. Instead, our leaders are again showing their loyalty to big businesses, by rolling back a tax exclusive to them.

For a state famous for it's "Country Roads," our roads have some serious issue. The jokes about WV's potholes are never-ending, and while the Governor's road bond passed over a year ago, there still is much work to be done. The "Country Roads" that we proudly sing about after every mountaineer game have been allowed to degrade to the point that many are unsafe to travel.

While the issue of teacher pay took center stage in most coverage of the 2018 WV Teachers Strike, those on the picket lines were also very concerned about the rising cost and restrictive policies of their PEIA Healthcare Coverage, and with good reason. It's hard to live a full and free life, when you don't even have the freedom to be keep yourself healthy.

Earlier this year we reported that the United States Supreme Court had issued a ruling that would open the door for WV to collect Sales Tax on online purchases made in WV from out of state retailers. This wouldn't really be a new tax, it would just put out of state retailers on a level playing field with in state retailers who were already required to collect sales tax.

How Do We Keep People Engaged In Democracy?

Charleston, WV – It won’t be confirmed until some time, but if early numbers hold up, the 2018 midterms may well prove to set a historic high for voter turnout. Former Greenbrier delegate Ray Canterbury – who lost a close election two years ago – says “this year’s anger” has brought people out in huge numbers, but the question for him is what’s happening to long-term engagement in the democracy by citizens.

It’s archery season, which means a lot of people in West Virginia are sitting in tree stands waiting for deer to happen by.

It’s also election season.