The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Today's Front Page

September 2, 2010

A look ahead

Panel discussion takes on possible governor succession

By Tina Alvey Register-Herald Reporter

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS — More than one legislative leader warned the state Chamber of Commerce Wednesday that “perception is reality” when it comes to economic development in West Virginia.

If that same precept is applied to the topic of a panel presentation — “What to Expect from Your West Virginia Legislature” — the upcoming legislative session might be expected to fulfill the dire prediction of House Speaker Rick Thompson. He told chamber members if the issues surrounding succession, should Gov. Joe Manchin be elected to the unexpired term of late Sen. Robert C. Byrd, are not resolved before the legislature convenes, “it will dominate this session.”

He added, “We have to have an elected governor,” an obvious reference to his predecessor on the podium, Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, who would become acting governor.

The state Constitution provides that Tomblin will assume the governor’s office if Manchin is elected to the U.S. Senate in the fall. But whether Tomblin can continue to serve as a state senator — essentially serving in two branches of state government simultaneously — is less clear.

In his remarks to the chamber, Tomblin said, “All of us have been served notice that a lawsuit is coming (regarding the succession issue).”

Tomblin also addressed the second-most popular issue raised by the legislators on Wednesday’s panel, promising that lawmakers will once again tackle the task of forming an intermediate appeals court.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Jeff Kessler pointed out that legislation creating such a court gained support in his committee, only to die in finance during this year’s legislative session.

“It’s tough to create a court. I’ve never done one,” Kessler quipped.

Stacking the projected $4 million annual budget of an intermediate court against the state’s overall budget, Kessler maintained, “It’s a drop in the bucket.”

Also participating in the panel discussion, staged on the first day of the chamber’s annual meeting and business summit at The Greenbrier, were House Judiciary Chairman Tim Miley, Senate Minority Leader Mike Hall and House Minority Leader Tim Armstead.

The summit continues today with symposia on job creation and the economy, in addition to the group’s general session, and will conclude Friday.

— E-mail: talvey@register-herald.com

Text Only
Today's Front Page
  • Snow Plow NWS issues winter weather warnings, advisories

    Winter weather is here at last, bringing with it up to 8 inches of snow in some parts of southern West Virginia, according to the National Weather Service.

    February 10, 2012 1 Photo

  • Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie, Toby Keith music headliners for The Greenbrier Classic

    Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart with special guest Lionel Richie, and Toby Keith will headline the musical entertainment card for the 2012 Greenbrier Classic.
    Keith will perform on Wednesday, July 4 while Stewart and Richie are scheduled for Friday, July 6. Bon Jovi will wrap up the concert series on Saturday, July 7.
    For more information see Saturday’s edition of The Register-Herald.

    February 10, 2012

  • act Hundreds of students attend ACT career fair

    The Academy of Careers and Technology celebrated National Career Technical Education Month this week with a career fair ending today.
    Academy Principal Charles Pack explained that more than 600 Raleigh County students were scheduled to visit the facility between Feb. 6 and Feb. 10 to view interactive displays and learn about the educational opportunities available through career and technical training.

    February 10, 2012 1 Photo

  • Support grows for texting ban

    You can count House Judiciary Chairman Tim Miley among lawmakers who favor making texting while driving a primary offense.
    And his committee now holds the key to a Senate bill that would outlaw the practice, deemed universally dangerous by professional drivers, and by those who make and enforce the laws.

    February 10, 2012

  • Bill looks to revamp teacher evaluations

    West Virginia is considering expanding a teacher evaluation pilot program in order to seek a waiver from the constraints of a federal education law.
    The House Education Committee advanced a bill Thursday that would require all schools in the state to use the new teacher evaluation system by the 2013-2014 school year.
    The pilot program is in its first year and just 25 schools are participating, prompting questions whether it is too soon to take the program statewide.

    February 10, 2012

  • Pugh puts trust in trustees

    From the vantage point of his office across the street from the Mountain State University campus, Beckley Mayor Emmett Pugh said he has seen the school grow over the years.
    In the early 1990s, he said, it was a small two-year junior college and was nearly bankrupt.
    “Today they are a prime part of our economic development puzzle here in the city. They provide a lot of jobs and a very needed product — higher education — and I think they do a great job,” Pugh said.

    February 10, 2012

  • nursing Nursing program information presented

    Mountain State University Dean of Nursing Dr. Sheila Garland held another forum for nursing students Thursday, but no students attended.
    One nursing student’s mother, Sarita Beckett, who was also present for the previous forum, was in attendance.

    February 10, 2012 1 Photo

  • Committee holds key to texting bill

    You can count House Judiciary Chairman Tim Miley among lawmakers who favor making texting while driving a primary offense.
    And his committee now holds the key to a Senate bill that would outlaw the practice, deemed universally dangerous by professional drivers, and by those who make and enforce the laws.

    February 9, 2012

  • visit Getting technical assistance

    Kristean Hallett, a student at New River Community and Technical College, center, shows Jemeria Toney, left, and Meranda Todd, both seniors at Woodrow Wilson High School, how to use a infrared camera that shows cold spots in a house at the college’s Advanced Training Center in Ghent Wednesday. Fifty students from Liberty, Shady Spring and Woodrow Wilson high schools visited the college to learn about the school’s various training programs.

    February 9, 2012 1 Photo

  • OPEB bill passes without changes

    Republican fears that ingredients of “Obama care” are embedded in it failed Wednesday to sway the House of Delegates from altering a Senate bill retiring the Other Post-Employment Benefits liability.
    One by one, with a few Republicans voting against them, the House shot down amendments that would have eliminated a dozen points of SB469.

    February 9, 2012