BB&T gives millions to colleges that teach philosophy of Ayn Rand

By Clark Davis

cdavis@wvpubcast.org

Last week the charitable arm of BB&T Bank announced it’s donating $1 million to Marshall University’s business college.

The money will go toward teaching courses based on the economic philosophy of deceased writer Ayn Rand. The money is also being used to create what will be called the BB&T Center for the Advancement of American Capitalism.

Since 2005, the BB&T Charitable Foundation has given several million dollars to at least 25 colleges and universities to start similar programs dedicated to Rand, whose free-market laissez-fair philosophy is a rallying cry for many libertarians and CEOs.

• Read transcript – BB&T donations/Ayn Rand
• Listen to story

WV GOP prepares for Super Tuesday convention

By Anna Sale

WV’s GOP holds its first presidential convention next week. The 1,200 or so delegates will pick one candidate to receive 18 of the state’s 30 GOP delegates to the national convention. Convention CEO Bob Fish explains how it will work.

• Listen to story 
• Get WV Super Tuesday results

Child custody laws debated at Capitol

By Tom Miller 

WV’s child custody laws were the subject of a public hearing at the Capitol Weds. Three bills were up for debate before House Judiciary members, but most of the attention was on the bill that would make 50/50 shared parenting the default in custody battles.

• Listen to story

Presidential candidate profiles: Mitt Romney

By Sara Sciammacco, Capitol Hill Bureau

It’s no surprise that the Democratic presidential candidates are running on a platform of change. But Republican Mitt Romney is too.

• Listen to story

John Grisham disses Blankenship and WV courts

By Scott Finn 

West Virginia’s judiciary is getting national attention from one of America’s best-selling novelists, John Grisham. In a recent interview, he referred to West Virginia’s 2004 Supreme Court election as an example to show that what happens in his latest book, “The Appeal,” isn’t far from reality.

• Click here to read the rest of Grisham story
• Listen to story

Rahall calls for more wilderness in WV national forest

By Anna Sale

Congressman Nick Rahall introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives yesterday that would designate 47,000 more acres in the Monongahela National Forest as wilderness. A wilderness designation by Congress permanently protects forest areas and restricts activities like mining, timbering, road-building, and mountain-biking. Hiking, hunting and fishing are allowed.  Rahall explains why he introduced the bill.

• Listen to story

Weston hospital plans include casino, name change

By Anna Sale  

Morgantown contractor Joe Jordan bought the 150 year-old Weston state hospital last August. Now, his daughter, Rebecca Jordan, has moved up from Florida to oversee renovations on the property. The first step is installing a new roof on the building, but there are big plans – including shops, tours, a hotel, and a casino. She also says they have renamed the hospital the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, which was also the name of the hospital in the 19th century.

• Listen to story

Presidential candidates profile: John McCain

By Jodi Breisler, Capitol Hill Bureau

Arizona Senator John McCain plays a unique role as the institutional rebel who is also part of the DC establishment.

• Listen to story

Inside Appalachia – Jan. 26, 2008

The West Virginia Supreme Court votes to rehear a case involving Massey Energy after photos emerge that show the chief justice in the French Riveria with the CEO of the coal company. Also, the return of the Wheeling Jamboree, and casino gambling legislation in Kentucky.

• Click here to listen to program

Wheeling’s Capitol Music Hall could reopen

By Keri Brown

A local non-profit organization announced earlier this month that it was working on a plan to reopen the Wheeling Jamboree after being on hiatus since Dec. 2005. The future of the Capitol Music Hall, however, is still uncertain. Discussions are underway to get the theater open once again.

• Read story
• Listen to story

Presidential candidate profiles: John Edwards

By Eric Niiler, Capitol Hill Bureau

So far, John Edwards has not won a Democratic primary in any state, but he refuses to quit. He says he’s the only candidate who can transform Washington. He is declaring an all-out war on corporate lobbyists.

• Listen to story

WV Senate bill would eliminate business franchise tax

By Scott Finn 

State Senators have introduced a bill that would completely eliminate the business franchise tax. It was co-sponsored by 31 of the 34 members, sending a strong message that the Senate is serious about reducing business taxes. 

Meanwhile, other businesses can expect to pay more taxes next year when “combined reporting” goes into effect. The state Chamber of Commerce is raising doubts about combined reporting, but one Senator says it should survive the Legislative session with only minor changes.

• Read story
• Listen to story

WV central fill pharmacy begins dispensing drugs in Feb

By Suzanne Higgins 

West Virginia Rx is scheduled to be up and running over the next few weeks. It is a paperless, electronic system of dispensing donated pharmaceuticals from drug manufacturers to the state’s uninsured, working poor. It will also be an online clearinghouse of information for both providers and patients. Partners say it will mean better health in West Virginia, and a savings of hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

This story was produced as part of our series Aging with Grace and Dignity.

• Listen to story

Presidential candidate profiles: Barack Obama

By Todd Zwillich, Capitol Hill Bureau

Fresh after his big win in South Carolina, the Capitol News Connections looks at the view of Barack Obama from Congress.  This is part of a series examining what people in Washington, including WV’s Congressional delegation, think about the leading presidential candidates. 

• Listen to story

Veterans ask state for help with brain injuries

By Scott Finn 

An estimated 20 percent of veterans of the Iraq war suffer from a traumatic brain injury. But soldiers and their families often don’t realize there’s a problem until long after they return home. 

Veterans and their supporters testified about traumatic brain injuries today in the Senate Military Committee. They say there’s a lot more that state officials, and the Legislature, could do to help. 

Kay Miller of Sod testified before the Senate Military Committee Thursday. She remembered when her husband, Master Sgt. Jeff Miller, boarded the plane for Iraq. 

“I need to tell you now, when you kiss them goodbye…that the life you had at that point will never be the same,” she said…

• Read rest of story
• Listen to story

WV Sup Court votes 5 to 0 to reconsider Massey decision

By Anna Sale 

The WV Supreme Court voted unanimously on Thursday to reconsider a decision in favor of Massey Energy, after Chief Justice Spike Maynard recused himself from the case. In November, the court voted 3 to 2 to wipe away 76 million dollars in damages against Massey, but the 5 to 0 vote voids that decision. Now, lawyers for plaintiffs Harman Mining are calling for both Justice Brent Benjamin and Justice Larry Starcher to recuse themselves.

• Read story
• Read WV Sup Court order
• Read statement from Massey Energy
• Read statement from Hugh Caperton and Harman Mining

People with disabilities rally at Capitol

By Scott Finn 

More than 100 people with disabilities and their supporters rallied at the Capitol Thursday for Disability Advocacy Day. Their message for lawmakers: eliminate the long waiting lists to get help from state programs, and help people with disabilities stay in their own homes. They also remembered a fierce fighter for the disabled who died last year. 

People with disabilities in West Virginia lost one of their leading advocates when Ken Ervin died. But he’s left a mark on the state Capitol, from his portrait in a Capitol conference room to the impression he’s left on Gov. Joe Manchin…

• Read rest of story
• Listen to story

Presidential candidate profiles: Hillary Clinton

By Elizabeth Wynne Johnson, Capitol Hill Bureau

In the first of a series of profiles of presidential candidates, the Capitol News Connection looks at what Washington insiders and West Virginia’s Congressional delegation think of Hillary Clinton.

• Listen to story

Paper trail shows months of discontent before Rodriguez departure

By Anna Sale  

WVU football coach Rich Rodriguez’s departure last month may have taken fans by surprise, but months before his resignation, he was demanding a “culture change” at the school. E-mails obtained by The Associated Press show those changes included a shakeup of the athletic department and a struggle for more control over the football program. Emails show Rodriguez’s agent also had complaints about Governor Manchin’s involvement in the program. AP Morgantown Correspondent Vicki Smith says news stories that relied heavily on anonymous sources motivated her to request the emails through a Freedom of Information Act request.

• Listen to story

Parents fight to keep open Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy

By Keri Brown

Last week, officials at Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy in Wheeling announced plans to close the school in May. The 160 year-old institution is the only all girls high school in the state. Now a group of parents is scrambling to keep the doors open. A public meeting was held at the school Wednesday night.

• Read story
• Listen to story