WVCBP in the News in 2009
Century shutdown, Meth topped news stories in ’09
December 31, 2009 -- Well, we made it. When the clock strikes midnight tonight, we’ll close the book on the year that was 2009 and begin to pen a new chapter for 2010. Read
Health care reform: What's in the bills?
December 27, 2009, The Sunday Gazette-Mail -- For 13 years, Susan Corbin has run the cash register, made hoagies and swept the floor at the Stony Creek Country Store near Paw Paw. "Everyone comes through, sooner or later," she said. "They come in for a pop and stay to talk." Read
Study: Jackson County leads state in unemployment rate
December 24, 2009, Jackson Star-News -- A new report out this week confirmed a sobering fact that most county residents have felt in the past year: Jackson County has had the fastest growing unemployment rate of any county in the state. Read
Groups want stimulus funds targeted to needy
December 23, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- The state should do more to help poor West Virginians, including using what it can of federal stimulus money, advocates for the needy said. Read
W.Va. loses 25K jobs in recession
December 22, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- A new report says West Virginia has lost more than 25,000 jobs since the recession began in December 2007. Read
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New report looks at impact of the great recession on West Virginia workers and families
December 22, 2009, Huntingtonnews.net -- After dodging the early months of the national recession, West Virginia workers experienced its full force during 2009, according to a new report by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Read
W.Va. lost 25,000 jobs to recession, report finds
December 21, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- The number of unemployed West Virginians doubled this year as the state lost 25,000 jobs amid the recession, according to a report released Monday. Read
Report: WV Expects Sluggish Economic Recovery
December 21, 2009, Public News Service -- A new summary of West Virginia's employment picture predicts the national economic crisis will cause more lingering pain in the state, even as it eases in other parts of the country. The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy report, The State of Working West Virginia, says the state is just beginning to see the full impact of what it calls The Great Recession. Read
Ember restaurant hosts food drive
December 16, 2009, The Pocohontas Times -- Ember Restaurant and Snowshoe Foundation hosted a canned food drive at Snowshoe Sunday night. The cover charge was canned goods and patrons enjoyed free refreshments, courtesy of the restaurant. Read
Analyst: WV Saves a Bundle Under House Health Care Reform
December 7, 2009, Public News Service -- Health care reform plans as passed in the U.S. House of Representatives would, in one part, expand the government medical care program for the poor to cover those making up to 150 percent of the poverty level - high enough to include a family of four with an annual income of $33,000. An analysis of the implications for West Virginia says that would cover forty percent of the state's uninsured. It would eventually cost the state more, but would also save many times as much. Read
Budget officials to meet
December 2, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- State officials are weighing a host of options to balance West Virginia's budget this year and next, including mid-year budget cuts, the elimination of programs, increased use of federal stimulus money and putting a hand into the state's surpluses. Read
Rahall discusses poverty in southern West Virginia
December 2, 2009, The State Journal -- Poverty has been a pervasive problem in some regions of West Virginia for decades. It is a problem state and federal leaders have been trying to address and remedy for years. One area that has garnered a lot of attention has been southern West Virginia, which has gone through cycles of high unemployment, poverty and declining population as local coal mines and other employers have opened and closed. Read
Seminar on health disparities scheduled in Charleston
November 12, 2009, The Herald-Dispatch -- Dr. Camara Jones, research director on social determinants of health for the United States Centers for Disease Control, is among those scheduled to speak on the root causes of health disparities at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, in Charleston. Read
West Virginia backs off Medicaid expansion plans
November 10, 2009, PhillyBurbs.com -- West Virginia's plans to expand its Medicaid program have been put on hold while Congress debates overhauling the nation's health care system. Read
Trying to Move Mountains
November 5, 2009, The State Journal -- Forty people line up outside the Operation Charity Food Bank in Matewan on a cool Friday afternoon. Read
CHIP on chopping block again?
November, 3, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- For the second time in a month, 14 million children in the Children's Health Insurance Program, including at least 25,000 West Virginia kids, are slated to be shifted into private insurance plans that are not required to provide equal benefits. Read
'Bad-for-Business' rankings draw criticism
October 31, 2009, The State Journal -- Is West Virginia such a bad place to do business? Yes, according to Forbes.com. The business news Web site has twice listed the Mountain State as the worst state to do business. It's only recently that West Virginia moved up in the eyes of the site's editors, although only by a few spots. Read
Coalfield lawmakers seek bigger share of funds for counties
October 28, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- West Virginia coalfield counties need a greater share of severance taxes to prepare for the day when the industry's jobs have dwindled, say southern lawmakers. Read
Health Care Activists: Big Insurance Companies Committing A Crime
October 19, 2009, Public News Service -- Wendell Potter used to be the head of public relations for health insurance giant CIGNA, but he quit because he says he became disgusted with the company's tactics. Read
Create West Virginia Conference Underway in Huntington
October 18, 2009, WSAZ-TV -- Hundreds of people from around the state have come to Huntington for the Third Annual Create West Virginia Conference. Read
Insurance industry is anti-reform, ex-CIGNA exec says
October 16, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- Wendell Potter, who retired last year as vice president and chief spokesman for the insurance company CIGNA, said CIGNA has been part of the "well-financed lobbying campaign every time Congress thought about reforming health care." Read
Slump: Painful decline
October 15, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- One-fourth of West Virginians -- and one-third of this state's children -- now live below the poverty line, a local study by the state Center on Budget & Policy finds. Read
College Trains Workers for Green Jobs in the Ohio Valley
October 13, 2009, Public New Service -- One of the few American industries actually growing right now is the manufacturing of wind, solar and other renewable-energy equipment. Read
'Green jobs' focus of Huntington forum
October 9, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- A statewide forum, "Good Jobs, Green Jobs," will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Big Sandy Arena in Huntington. The purpose of the event is to accelerate knowledge and action in the "green" economic sector. Read
Calah Young: Stimulus plan fact and fiction
October 2, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- Has the American Recovery and Re-Investment Act of 2009 has been successful in lessening the impact of the recession and stimulating the economy? Read
Bluefield Census data: Uninsured up, poverty rate down
October 2, 2009, Bluefield Daily Telegraph -- New census data is suggesting the number of families in the Bluefield area living in poverty is down slightly. However, the census numbers released by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy also found that the Bluefield area had the lowest median household income in 2008 when compared to other cities, and had among the highest percentage of families without health insurance. Read
Quarter of West Virginians live in poverty, study says
September 14, 2009, USA Today -- A new report shows a fourth of West Virginians are or will soon be living in poverty. The situation is even worse for children. West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy analyst Paul Miller said the recession could push the percentage of children in poverty to 34%. The government considers a family of four earning $21,910 or less to be living in poverty. Read
September 13, 2009, The Sunday Gazette-Mail -- Census figures won't show whole picture, analysts say. About a quarter of West Virginians are now or will soon be living in poverty -- and the situation is even worse for children in the Mountain State, according to a new report. Read
Census estimates are no surprise to W.Va. clinics
September 10, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- Margret Grassie is like most patients at the West Virginia Health Right clinic in Charleston -- she's got a job and no health insurance. Read
Latest changes to W.Va. tax code saved $132M
September 6, 2009, Sunday Gazette-Mail -- With Gov. Joe Manchin relaunching his West Virginia Tax Modernization Project, consumers and businesses will save at least $132 million this budget year from the last round of changes to the state's tax system, according to estimates from state revenue officials. Read
West Virginia Tax Refund Loans Called into Question
August 26, 2009, WBOY-TV-- Some tax services offer instant refunds, which are really short-term loans. The Center on Budget and Policy says those loans are costing state tax payers too much. Read
Low Wage West Virginians Lose Millions In Refund Anticipation Loans
August 25, 2009, Public News Service -- So-called refund anticipation loans work like payday loans, but are based on expected tax refund checks from Uncle Sam. Non-profit groups studying Internal Revenue Service figures say tax preparation companies charge low-income West Virginia families millions in fees for such loans. Read
Unemployment checks may take several weeks
August 17, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- West Virginians who qualify for extended jobless benefits will have to wait about a month before they get their checks, the state's unemployment compensation chief says. Read
Health care reform proposals have large implications for coverage
August 13, 2009, WOWK-TV -- Regina Lorenzen of Summersville was only 35 when she was diagnosed with a rare and incurable lung disease. Despite the bad news, she and her husband had one reassurance -- they had health insurance. Read
Senator's remarks at health care forum
August 13, 2009, The Lincoln Journal -- Following a meeting with West Virginia families, Senator Jay Rockefeller today, August 11, delivered remarks at the University of Charleston and held a question and answer dialogue on proposals for fixing a broken health care system. Read
Rockefeller stumps for health care plan
August 12, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., wasn't all doom and gloom during the meeting on health care reform, but he acknowledged Congress has its work cut out for it. He said Tuesday that national health care reform is a moral imperative and that "spiritually and as a person" he needs to help get it done. Read
Passions Over Health Care Reform Take to the Streets
August 11, 2009, WOWK TV -- Both sides turn out about fixing health care in America. The health care reform debate spilled out onto the streets at a forum in Charleston Tuesday. Read
Number of uninsured 'a family tragedy,' Jay says
August 11, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- Speaking to a group of about 200 residents on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller defended Democratic plans for health-care reform. He called the number of uninsured West Virginians a "tragedy." Read
Sen. Rockefeller meets with West Virginians about health care reform
August 11, 2009, WSAZ-TV -- Sen. Jay Rockefeller sat down with several families in West Virginia Tuesday to talk about the need for health care reform. Read
Manchin to call special session on jobless benefits
August 6, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- West Virginians who have lost their jobs may receive longer unemployment benefits under a proposal state lawmakers will take up next week. Read
Residents running out of jobless benefits
August 3, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail --Hundreds of West Virginians have run out of unemployment compensation benefits and will have to wait until next year to get more help unless the state changes the method it uses to trigger extended benefits. Read
State's stimulus Web site among nation's best, report shows
August 2, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- West Virginia's stimulus-tracking Web site is one of the nation's best, according to a national non-profit research group. Read
W Va Medicaid redesign working largely as planned
July 30, 2009 The Charleston Gazette --After months of taking hits from critics, West Virginia's redesigned Medicaid program can now point to evidence showing success in a number of areas, including getting enhanced benefits to the unhealthiest adults. Read
Supporters believe minimum-wage hike is ‘going to put money into the economy’
July 26, 2009, Times West Virginian -- “I want to congratulate the people out there getting a pay raise,” Kenny Perdue, president of the West Virginia AFL-CIO, said of the federal minimum wage increase that went into effect at the end of last week. Read
Minimum wage goes up for state today
July 24, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- The West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy estimates more than one in 10 workers across the state will benefit from an increase in the federal minimum wage. Read
Federal minimum wage goes to $7.25/hour
July 24, 2009, WTRF-TV -- Mike Morgan, 50, works for Goodwill Industries of the Kanawha Valley, and is seeing a little more in his paycheck. He's one of thousands of West Virginians to benefit from the Federal Minimum Wage increase. Read
Minimum wage goes up today
July 24, 2009, Parkersburg News-Sentinel -- The new federal minimum wage increase, which goes into effect today, is almost a Catch-22 for the economy, according to the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley. The increase, which makes the wage $7.25, up from $6.55 per hour, has generated discussion because it could either put more money into the economy or place an additional burden on employers... Read
Report: West Virginians “Priced Out” Of Health Insurance
July 8, 2009, Public News Service -- Health insurance premiums in West Virginia have risen more than seventy-five percent since 2000, according to figures from Families USA. Renate Pore with the West Virginia Center On Budget And Policy says it's reached the point where a health plan on the open market costs more than thirty percent of the median annual income in the state. Read
Group proposes two plans to pay for health reform
July 7, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- A national tax policy research and advocacy group says expanding the Medicare tax or limiting itemized deductions for the wealthy could cover costs without hurting middle- and low-income people. Read
Forum focuses on health care reform
June 29, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- Kanawha Valley residents interested in the future of American health care should talk to their neighbors, write letters to the editor and contact their local representatives in Congress, organizers said at a public forum on healthcare Monday night. Read
Critic of W.Va. Medicaid plan gets federal job
June 6, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- Critics of West Virginia's ambitious Medicaid revamp hope to see significant changes to the program now that one of their own occupies a key federal post. Read
State budget work speeds along: Some complain about lack of transparency
May 27, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- West Virginia lawmakers moved closer to finishing a state budget Wednesday, keeping in place about $200 million in cuts sought by Gov. Joe Manchin. Read
House debates budget cuts
May 26, 2009, W. Va. Public Broadcasting -- A budget with more than $200 million worth of cuts is already moving through the WV Legislature, but federal stimulus money is helping to blunt the impact of some of those cuts. Read
Health care advocates, providers call for more public outreach
May 25, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- Better communication with doctors and office staff and more public outreach to Medicaid members are among recommendations for helping low-income West Virginians who are eligible for enhanced health care coverage actually get it, advocates and providers say. Read
New tax report released on West Virginia coal reserves
May 23, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- Taxing coal reserves continues to be a controversial issue in West Virginia. In recent months, some property owners have received notices stating their taxes are going up. Taxable coal reserves include coal that might be mined in the future, not reserves that are part of current mining operations. Taxes on those reserves are higher. The West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy in Charleston and Downstream Strategies in Morgantown make these points in "Taxing West Virginia's Coal Reserves: A Primer," which was released last week. Read
Study finds W. Va. union workers earn higher wages
May 19, 2009, Institute for Southern Studies -- While the majority of service workers in West Virginia have seen their wages decline or stagnate over the last couple of decades, a new study shows that belonging to a union could boost pay for the state's service-sector employees. Read
Study Shows Union Workers in W.Va. Earn More
May 18, 2009, WSAZ-TV -- A new study shows West Virginia service workers make nearly $6 more an hour if they're represented by a labor union. Read
Study shows W.Va. union workers earn higher wages
May 18, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- A new study shows West Virginia service workers make nearly $6 more an hour if they're represented by a labor union. Read
Study shows workers gain from unionization
May 16, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- West Virginia service workers represented by unions make nearly $6 an hour more than those not represented by unions, according to a new study. Read
Organizations Warn Against State Budget Cuts
May 14, 2009, The State Journal -- A coalition of community organizations are urging state leaders to be wary of any proposed budget cuts as the state faces a potential revenue shortfall. Read
New Law Allows Limited-Benefit Health Plans
May 14, 2009, The State Journal -- Legislation passed earlier this year gives insurance carriers the authority to offer affordable health insurance plans to those who can't otherwise afford coverage, but there are doubts it will work. Read
Health costs hit West Virginians hard
May 13, 2009, WV Public Broadcasting -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi is promising the House will have a major health care bill on the floor by July, and the organization Families USA says reform is long over due. Read
W.Va. should avoid cuts, advocates say
May 12, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- Protecting children and families and helping low-income and unemployed residents should be guiding principles for lawmakers as they consider state budget cuts, several advocacy groups say. | Read
Tough budget choices await legislators: Budget director says no layoffs, education cuts
May 11, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- State employees probably won't face layoffs in the upcoming fiscal year, and federal stimulus money could fill budget gaps for schools and colleges -- but West Virginia lawmakers will still have tough choices when they return to Charleston later this month. Read
Ted Boettner: Federal funds buy time for long-term budget solutions Advertisement
May 10, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- Lawmakers will have a ready tool when they reconvene at the end of the month to pass a budget for the coming fiscal year. The federal Recovery Act provides almost $2 billion to West Virginia - more than enough money to fill the projected $200 million budget gap. While some of the funds are earmarked for new projects, such as highway and bridge repairs, Congress intended for states to use a portion of the money to avert cuts in state spending. Read
Groups Urge Leaders to Carefully Approach State Spending Cuts
May 10, 2009, WTRF-TV -- “West Virginia’s crisis is one of revenue, not spending,” according to Ted Boettner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. “Our current problems were caused by a global recession we didn’t create and not by out of control state spending. Almost all states are taking advantage of stimulus funds to weather the storm” Read
Witnesses at mental health hearing say state needs more community services
April 30, 2009, The West Virginia Record -- More than a dozen people testified during two days of an evidentiary hearing into problems in West Virginia's mental health system, but most of them on both sides of the case expressed one recurring theme: The state needs to restore the types of community-based mental health services it once had. Read
Jobless bill backed by coalition; hearing sought
April 6, 2009, Register-Herald -- “Something is burning, and this is no time to fiddle around,” Rick Wilson declared in support of Gov. Joe Manchin’s bill to shore up the struggling unemployment fund. Read
Accept stimulus money for unemployed, advocates say
April 6, 2009, WV Public Broadcasting -- West Virginia is currently leaving $22 million in federal stimulus money on the table. That’s because to accept the money, the state would have to expand who’s eligible for unemployment compensation. Read Download MP3
State Could Expand Unemployment And Help Families, For Free
April 6. 2009, Public News Service -- West Virginia lawmakers are proposing to use only $11 million of the $33 million in unemployment funding available through the federal stimulus. Some church and family groups say expanding unemployment coverage enough to use the rest of the stimulus money would be a good idea... Read
Agency director doubts study's findings
February 20, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail -- A recent study that criticizes the state Economic Development Authority's direct loan program for an alleged lack of transparency and accountability is not a fair representation, the authority's executive director said. Read
Money for Nothing: Do Business Subsidies Create Jobs or Leave Workers in Dire Straits?
February 18, 2009, AFSME Information Highway -- Evidence abounds of private companies cutting jobs after receiving state tax credits and low-interest loans. Read
Money for nothing: Incentives require scrutiny
February 17, 2009, Charleston Gazette -- The South Charleston stamping plant received a $15 million state loan in May 2007. Subsequently, the company installed 45 robots and cut employment to 25, down from 1,000 workers several years ago. Read
Billionaire oil man and West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy have their say
February 13, 2008, Tax Justice Digest -- Billionaire George Kaiser, head of Kaiser-Francis Oil Co., recently did something unusual for someone in his line of work. He told the truth about the subsidies that the oil and gas industry receives... Read
Report examines West Virginia business subsidies
February 8, 2009, WVNS-TV -- A press release from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy claims that the state provides millions of dollars in tax credits and low-interest loans to private companies each year in hopes of creating good-paying jobs. Yet little is known, and less is published, about the outcomes of these public investments. Read
State funds given to firms that later cut jobs
February 8, 2008, Charleston Gazette-Mail -- West Virginia has given taxpayer-funded incentives to private companies that have later cut jobs, according to a report released today by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Read
Community residents talk stimulus at UC meeting
February 3, 2009, Charleston Gazette -- If West Virginia expects a $1.4 billion shot in the arm from the federal government, why not let citizens at the grass-roots level help decide where to spend that money? Read
Group Holds Town Hall Meeting Over Economic Stimulus Plan
February 2, 2009, WCHS TV -- As President Obama's economic stimulus plan makes its way through Congress, members of West Virginians United for Social and Economic Justice held a town hall meeting to talk about what the plan would do for the state. Read Link to site with video
Town hall meeting tonight to focus on stimulus package
February 2, 2009, Charleston Gazette -- A coalition of community, labor and faith groups will hold a town hall meeting tonight to discuss what the U.S. economic stimulus package means for West Virginia. Read
Kids Count seeks higher quality child care
January 30, 2009, Charleston Gazette -- West Virginia children need better child care, and the state should help give it to them, according to a report released Wednesday. Read
More childcare money would pay off
January 24, 2009, Charleston Gazette -- The average childcare worker in West Virginia makes $7.33 an hour. The average parking lot attendant makes $8.33, and an animal trainer makes $14.39. Don't even think about health insurance. Read
WV Lawmakers to Consider Economic Stimulus 'In the Neighborhood'
January 26, 2009, Public News Service -- "Neighborhood-level economic stimulus." That's what advocates of a state version of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) propose as they outline ways in which updating state tax policy could help thousands of low- to middle-income families. Read
State should expand Medicaid
January 27, 2009, The Charleston Gazette -- West Virginia has a unique opportunity to give insurance coverage and health care to about 22,000 uninsured parents through the State Medicaid Program. Read
Group battles for tax credit
January 20, 2009, The Martinsburg Journal -- Members of the West Virginia Alliance for Sustainable Families hope legislators will approve an Earned Income Tax Credit at the state level this year, something they say would help working families, especially in light of the trying economic times. Read