Talkline | Dec. 16, 2025 - MetroNews Talkline

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:13):
Good morning, Welcome in Metro News talk Line from the
Cove Insurance Studios. Coming up this morning, we'll react to
yesterday's conversation with US Senator Shelley Moore Capito. Is West
Virginia spending as much as it could for child welfare services?
Plus what about this idea district in Huntington and Dave
Allen will stop by. It's Metro News talk Line.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
R Underway.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
Radio turned off from the studios of w v RC
Media and the Metro News Radio and Television Network. The
Voice of West Virginia comes the most powerful show in
West Virginia. This is Metro News Talk Live with Dave
Wilson and TJ. Meadows.

Speaker 4 (01:04):
Back today to Hello, Jello Switch network control from Charleston to.

Speaker 5 (01:07):
Morning stand By to David DJ. You're on.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
Metro News talk Line is presented by Incovia Insurance, encircling
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Visit Incovia dot com to learn more.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
Good morning, Welcome inside the in COVID Insurance Studios. Dave
Wilson with you in Morgantown.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
TJ.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Meadows is off today, He'll be back on Monday. Ready
to go for Christmas eight hundred seven to sixty five.
Talk is the phone number eight hundred and seven sixty
five eight two five five.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
You can text the show at.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Three or four. Talk three oh four mentioned a couple
of the guests who are on tap later this morning.
You can be part of the program by giving us
a call or shooting us a text. Jay Link is
handling the video stream this morning, and I believe it's
Ethan Collins on the audio side of things today. Right
now in Washington, DC Cabinet Secretary's Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth,

(02:07):
we'll be addressing lawmakers and two separate briefings about the
deadly US strikes off the coast of Venezuela. The United
States Southern Command announced yesterday that the US carried out
a lethal strike, multiple lethal strikes, so multiple vessels operated
by designated terrorist organizations, killing at least eight reported NARCO terrorist. Yesterday,

(02:29):
the US has conducted dozens of those strikes. Again, there
is a briefing today. We talked to Senator Capito yesterday
about her take on the operations involving the drug boats,
the alleged drug boats coming from Venezuela and escalation of
operations in and around Venezuela. Brad mclhinning took those comments

(02:50):
and summarized them and posted them in an article over
at dou WDV metronews dot com. He joins us to
discuss that and more. Brad, good morning, thanks for joining us.

Speaker 5 (03:00):
Oh hi, good morning, Dave, Thanks for having me.

Speaker 6 (03:02):
So.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
Senator Capito kind of dropped on us yesterday there was
going to be this closed door meeting that in fact
is happening scheduled to get started well right about now.
But Senator Capito, I thought, did a very good job,
as she usually does, of being very careful addressing the
situation with Venezuela, the President's authority and Congress's oversight.

Speaker 5 (03:22):
Well, you accidentally, perhaps asked a timely question, because it
was news to me when she said it that there
was going to be an all hands on deck meeting today.
That was a revelation. And so thanks to Senator Capito
for putting us onto that. You know, and so one
would assume that more will be revealed about the United

(03:44):
States intentions in Venezuela. The boat strikes obviously many people
have heard about. They have been contentious on their own,
But where is the United States going in Venezuela. The president,
the President of the United States yesterday said that we're
going to start hitting them on land, which is a

(04:06):
lot easier to do. Frankly, so an expression of intent
to go even further. One of Senator Capito's Republican counterparts,
Ran Paul has said that, you know, if this is
going to go further, Hungress should take a vote. It's
within Congress's congressionally prescribed, constitutionally prescribed powers to declare war.

(04:31):
And so Ran Paul is among those saying, yeah, we
had to take a vote on that if we're going
to have what he calls extra judicial killings on the
boat strikes, but also potentially advanced into even more activity
in Venezuela. And finally, this is a president who campaigned
on many things, but among them was ending forever wars.

(04:54):
So where is this going. Senator Capitol's constituents need to
know more about the the state's involvement in Venezuela.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
We were talking obviously, we're talking about an interview yesterday
with Senator Capitol and this will either evolve or devolve
Brad into a discussion about President Trump.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
But this is either the madness or the genius.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
With President Trump, you take this topic of who does
not want to stop fentanyl from coming into the country,
who does not want to stop drug votes from getting
to the US shores. He puts you in a position where, yeah,
you support the idea, but it's the actions being carried out.
Are they legal? Are they within the presidential authority? Where's

(05:34):
congressional oversight? It brings up, you know, a dozen or
more other questions when it comes to how he is
addressing an issue that he has probably broad support for.

Speaker 5 (05:43):
Brad yes, and you know, even at the top, the
president of Venezuela and Nicholas Maduro, without a doubt, a
strong man who commits human rights abuses. The most recent
election in Venezuela is disputed, but Maduro has retained power.
Uh the top opposition leader, Maria Kaninakarina Machado, was presented

(06:06):
the Nobel Peace Prize, but is in hiding because she
doesn't feel like it's safe to return to her home country.
Without a doubt, a bad guy, but there are a
lot of bad guys in the world, many of whom
the United States does business with on a regular basis.
What singles out Venezuela for this kind of attention. The

(06:27):
drug boats themselves, you know, many questions, are they truly
coming to the United States. Venezuela is known as a
pass through for cocaine, is not known as a supplier
of deadly fentanyl. Fentanyl is truly a problem. We are
against it. That's an easy position to take. But as
Venezuela the culprit, most fentanyl is coming through Mexico. So

(06:49):
a lot of questions here, and I hope that Congress,
the United States Senate is better able to understand the
administration's position after today's all hands on deck closed door meeting,
and maybe Senator Capito can come back and explain to
her constituents more about where the United States stands on
these issues.

Speaker 1 (07:10):
Well, she certainly has an open invitation. Eight Brad mcklheady
joining US Metro News talk Line. You can read Brand's
story at wv metronews dot com. Also Brad the intent. Yesterday,
Senator Capitol announced her reelection campaign running for US Senate.
Once again, we covered a wide range of topics in
that interview. At least that's what I hoped I was

(07:31):
able to accomplish their Brad, but what was your takeaway
from yesterday's discussion and her reelection announcement.

Speaker 5 (07:37):
You know what surprised me overall, and I'm sorry. Speaking
of President Trump, no conversation can go on without him.
Senator Capito has her own thirty some year track record,
first in Congress for many years representing the sort of
center swath of West Virginia, and now already two terms
in the US Senate. A long track record for Senator Capitou.

(08:00):
The main message of her video announcement and her own
language that went with it is alignment with President Trump,
matching her goals in West Virginia's goals along with the
Trump administration. Again, one year into the Trump administration, you
asked her about her continued support for not just President

(08:23):
Trump but his cabinet members. You know, the US Senate
takes votes on appointment of those cabinet members. Many of
them have been involved in controversy after controversy, Robert F. Kennedy, Junior,
Pete Hegseth. But Senator Capito continued to say that she
supports all of them and believes the President deserves his

(08:45):
own team. And furthermore, you know she is running I
think on this at least to a significant degree on
the strength of the Trump endorsement that she got eons
ago back in May, with President Trump saying Senator Capito quote,
doing a tremendous job representing the wonderful people of West Virginia,
a state I love President Trump and one big all

(09:08):
caps in twenty sixteen, twenty twenty. In twenty twenty four, a.

Speaker 1 (09:13):
Couple of thoughts there, Brad I noticed that as well,
one being, look, West Virginia voters overwhelmingly support President Trump
and support his agenda. We have polling data that shows that.
I'm sure her campaign has polling data that shows that
as well. But secondly, Brad, if you are going to
be an effective lawmaker in Washington, DC, you're the fourth

(09:34):
ranking Republican in the Senate, you're certainly not going to
come out and bash the president by any stretch of
the imagination. You have to be very careful about questioning
him and how you do it, how you criticize, if
you criticize this administration, because if you do it, you
could end up like rand Paul. Ram Paul's there, but
ram Paul's ineffective to some degree, right because he's crossed

(09:58):
the administration Marjorie Taylor Green left the House of Representatives
because she was at odds with Well, essentially because she
was at odds with the administration. So I guess my
point is, Brad, if you're going to be an effective
lawmaker in Washington, d c tread carefully with criticism of
the White House.

Speaker 5 (10:17):
I'm going to confide in you and you alone, Dave,
that I am us. I'm not sure where things are
going nationally, particularly in terms of President Trump's sway. You know,
the national public opinion polls show you that the public
regard of President Trump, particularly among independents and younger voters,

(10:39):
is going down, down, down, down down. Now, I will say,
I don't think that is true in West Virginia. And
when President Trump says he won big in twenty sixteen,
twenty twenty, in twenty twenty four, in the state, no
lie is detected. And so you know, there is no
greater political ally at this moment in West Virginia than
President Trump. This prompt to the degree that the incumbent

(11:04):
Senator Capito has any any political challenge, I think it's
most likely to be in the Republican primary this spring
that is a short run to May that's going to
come around quicker than you know it. Even if, even
if public opinion of President Trump in West Virginia begins

(11:24):
to shift, I don't think it's going to occur before May.
And Senator Capito is most likely to have any any
sort of significant opposition from her right, and so this
is a safe position for her to take right now
in alignment with President Trump for a West Virginia primary election.

Speaker 1 (11:44):
Tall gonna mention new statewide correspondent Brad mckleheney. One other thing, Brad,
I had a couple of people yesterday after the interview
say something along the lines of, man, you questioned her
her mental acuity or why did you go that route?
And I had to go back and listen to the interview.
That was not my intent. I asked the question, is
this your last run for political office? Because it's a

(12:06):
six year term, it's a long six years is a
long time in Washington, DC. And she has always been
a hard worker, always put in the hours necessary. And
it was more of a question of do you really
want to do this for six more years? Because when
you do the job correctly, like any job, Brad, it's
hard work.

Speaker 5 (12:25):
I mean the timing was because she had just she
was doing sort of a celebratory splash of her campaign.
And I can understand people thinking, why are you asking that?
Why are you asking six years ahead? You know the
age of our elected leaders has been a significant issue
in American politics over the last many years. You know,

(12:47):
you think about the issues of President Biden's age, now
emerging issues over President Trump's age. Chuck Schumer, the Senate
Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is leaving the House of Representatives.
Senator Capito appears to be in great shape. I don't
doubt that, but she is seventy two years old. You

(13:09):
think to yourself, all right, how much of this wear
and tear mentally, physically, everything else do you want to
take being in the US Senate. Famously, Senator Manson, her
former counterpart, said, you know, the Senate sucks, and he
decided to give it up and leave. So I think,
you know, it was a natural question to ask. She

(13:30):
was committing to run again for six more years, and
I think, you know, good for you just asking the
question and letting the people of West Virginia know what
her mindset is.

Speaker 1 (13:43):
Hey, look, we're all going to reach that poot one day,
we are going to sign that final contract. I don't
mean the final final contract, Brad, but one day you're
going to go, you know what, this is my last contract.
I'm going to finish out the next five years. That's
all of us are going to do that one day.
I just wondered if she had given that any thought yet.
That's so you can read the story. By the way,

(14:03):
Brad has a recap of the reelection announcement plus the
thoughts on Venezuela over at WDV metronews dot com. Brad
always appreciate it, buddy, Thanks for stopping by this morning.

Speaker 5 (14:14):
Hey, thanks Dave.

Speaker 1 (14:15):
Coming up, we'll get an update with Tonny J. Powers
Fox News Radio the latest on the Rob Reiner murder investigation.

Speaker 2 (14:20):
We'll do that.

Speaker 7 (14:21):
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Speaker 3 (15:53):
Were to care for here at the Hobday.

Speaker 9 (16:02):
From all of us here at the health plan. We
want to make your season bright, whether you're wrapping gifts
or planning next year's goals, We're here for you. Happy
holidays and Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Speaker 10 (16:19):
Here.

Speaker 3 (16:34):
Metro News talk Line is presented by Encova Insurance, encircling
you with coverage to protect what you care about most.
Visit Encova dot com to learn more.

Speaker 1 (16:44):
Yesterday we learned of the murders of Rob and Michelle Yner.
Rob Ryner, of course, the actor and director thirty two
year old Nick Reiner.

Speaker 2 (16:52):
His son is being held without bail.

Speaker 1 (16:54):
Joe Records previously indicati he's being held on four million
dollars bail. For the latest on the investigation into Rob
and Michelle reiners murders, Please welcome to the program, Fox
News Radios, Tanya Jay Powers, Tanya, good morning.

Speaker 10 (17:07):
What do we know today, Well, we know that the
bail has somehow gone away. He is being held on
no bail at this point, and you're right, initially he
had been It was announced that he had been held
on four million dollars bail. Somehow that got changed to
no bail. So that's kind of where things stand with
at right now. The LA District Attorney could announce charges

(17:31):
as early as today. I think when you look at
the timeline the police laid out as to how all
this happened, and when it looks like the DA's office
could have until tomorrow to charge him, we understand that
that decision may be announced today instead, so we were

(17:52):
I'm monitoring that story today to make sure that we don't,
you know, miss any information or any announcements that are
made with that. That's kind of what I'm expecting is
then to come out with some more information on charging today.
He was booked on suspicion of murder yesterday morning. You know,
Nick Reiner is thirty two. He had apparently been at

(18:13):
a Christmas party on Saturday night at Conan O'Brien's house
along with his parents, and some people who were there
have reported that the two that Rob Reiner and his
son Nick argued at some point during that event, And
you know how that plays into everything. We don't yet know,

(18:34):
but that is what we're hearing from people who actually
saw this.

Speaker 2 (18:37):
What do we know about Nick Reiner?

Speaker 1 (18:39):
I understand he had had trouble with substance abuse to
some degree and may have had mental health issues.

Speaker 2 (18:45):
What do we know about him?

Speaker 10 (18:48):
Well, we know that in the past he and his
family have been pretty open about his struggles with drug addiction.

Speaker 11 (18:55):
There was a.

Speaker 12 (18:56):
Film that he and his dad did together about ten
years ago, and when they were talking about it and
promoting this film, It's on Being Charlie and Nick wrote
the script with a friend of his that he had.

Speaker 10 (19:08):
Met in rehab and it's come sort of loosely based
on Nick's life. But when they were discussing the film
and talking about this, that is when I think Nick
explained that he had been in and out of rehab
like more than a dozen times since he was fifteen.
So this is something that he has long struggled with.

(19:31):
Now again, what role that may have played in any
of this, that is a whole different, you know, matter,
But the family has been open about the fact that
that he has had struggles with this.

Speaker 1 (19:41):
Fox News Radio is Tawny J. Powers joining us Metro
News talk Line. In the meantime, Tanya Tributes for Rob
Reiner and right his wife Michelle have been pouring in
from not just Hollywood but across the world.

Speaker 10 (19:55):
Oh yeah, there have been so many people who have
talked about it. Matter of fact, I think The Times
is reporting today that Michelle Obama was on Kimmel I
believe last night and has had said that they she
and her husband were supposed to have had have had
dinner I think with the Rhiners that day when you know,

(20:19):
all of this happened on Sunday. I think she was
she was on with him maybe last night, and she said,
you know that they were supposed to have had plans
on Sunday. You know, this is just it's something that
we've seen when this immediately in the aftermath of it,
of it coming out that there had been an incident
at their home, and you know, it was widely you know,

(20:40):
speculated at that point that this indeed was them. I
mean you started seeing stuff on social media immediately where
you know, people were just couldn't seem to to believe
that this is just this actually had happened. I mean,
you know, he's a beloved director, but also she was
a photographer and a producer in her own right. She

(21:02):
is the person who shot if you've ever seen the
book Trump's books, The Art of the Deal, She's the
one who took the cover photos of that book. So she,
you know, she's kind of you know, we don't know
as much about her her career and stuff as we
do obviously about his. He's been in the spotlight since,
you know, forever. But she also, you know, it is

(21:23):
kind of important to mention that she also had had
her own, you know, life, and her own things going
on as well.

Speaker 1 (21:29):
Fox News Radio is Tony Jay Powers Tania.

Speaker 2 (21:31):
Thank you for the update. We appreciate it, sure, thank you.

Speaker 1 (21:34):
Coming up, what if I told you West Virginia has
been giving back millions of dollars meant for foster kids.
This is talk Linel Metro News, the voice of West Virginia.
It is ten thirty time to get a news update.
Let's check in on the Metro News radio network. Find
out what's happening across the great state of West Virginia.

Speaker 4 (21:56):
West Virginia Metro News and Jeff Jenkins. A well liked,
talented basketball player at West Virginia State University, junior Ishmael
Smith has tragically died. Yellow Jacket's head coach Brian Porr
says he was found unresponsive in his dorm room Sunday.
Course says the team had practiced earlier in the day
and everything seemed normal.

Speaker 13 (22:12):
He was one of the last players in the locker
room actually playing pac Man that we have in our
locker room, and I had the all time high school
on their So he was talking trash to me about,
you know, trying to beat my all time high score,
and so we were joking around.

Speaker 4 (22:27):
Of course, says some other players found Smith on the
response that Ms. Cruis responded, but can never get a
pulse at two thousand dollars stipend for all teachers in
school service personnel in the Ohio County School System be
distributed in March. The Ohio County Boe approved the stipeend
last week to help workers off set a PIA health
insurance premium increase that'll begin next July. First Ohio County
School Superintendent Kim Miller tells Metro News the system has

(22:49):
a bunch of surplus and this is good use of it, just.

Speaker 14 (22:52):
The way that we could we could help our people.
We know that it's just a supplement. It is a
one time supplement as we never know, you know, what
the finances looked like here to year in our carryover money.
We just knew it was the right thing to do
for our people right now.

Speaker 4 (23:07):
More in the stipend at our website. The State Public
Service Commission we'll start hearing testimony tomorrow and West Virginia
American Water Companies latest request for a base rate increase.
There was a public hearing last night. We covered it
more at wv metronews dot com. You're listening to Metronews
for forty years, the Voice of West Virginia.

Speaker 15 (23:23):
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Speaker 17 (24:20):
While some wise.

Speaker 4 (24:21):
Last, Charleston police are investigating a late night shooting. A
man says he was robbed and then shot in the
stomach on Breem Street. That's on the city's west side.
He's in the hospital. No arrests have been made. Huntingdon
Fire department authorities say there were no injuries in an
early morning fire that destroyed a home. The five am
blaze destroyed a house on Auburn Road. The house of

(24:42):
the next door neighbor to sustained some heat damage. Where
the forecasters say we'll get to the forties today. From
the Metro News anchored desk, I'm Jeff Jenkins.

Speaker 1 (25:11):
Three or four Talk three or four. That is the
text line. You can always give us a call in
eight hundred and seven sixty five Talk eight hundred seven
sixty five eight two five five coming up, talk about
the hour. Tony Stroud will join us Marshall University. We'll
talk about the idea district in downtown Huntington and yes,

(25:31):
Dave Allen will stop buy Dave and I and Amanda
yesterday got into a discussion on Metro News midday. We
ran out of time and I said, hey, Dave, won't
you homp on the show? We'll continue that conversation, and
he reluctantly said yes, he'll join us.

Speaker 2 (25:45):
Coming up one hour from now.

Speaker 1 (25:48):
Three or four talk three or four and eight hundred
seven sixy five talk those the numbers. We'll get some
text messages coming up in just a bit. Governor Morrisey
is holding a news conference next hour at the state Capitol.
He's expected to talk about initiatives to improve the child
welfare system.

Speaker 2 (26:02):
But what if I told you, yeah, I'm doing.

Speaker 1 (26:05):
A thirty for thirty set up here. What if I
told you that there are existing programs and funding already
in place to help children in foster care, specifically help
teens transition out of the system and establish themselves as adults,
but those programs are being underutilized or not at all.
Erica Peterson does a deep dive and a piece published

(26:26):
today at Mountain statespotlight dot com. Since twenty ten, more
than seven million dollars in federal funding has been sent
back to the federal government intended to help kids transition
into adulthood. You have my attention. Joining us on mechro
Ne his talk line this morning from Mountain State Spotlight
is Erica Peterson. Erica, good morning, glad you can join us.

Speaker 19 (26:46):
Good morning. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (26:48):
Talk about grabbing a person's attention. Here we are in
West Virginia talking about foster care and the child welfare system,
and we're sending money back to Washington.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
What gives?

Speaker 19 (27:00):
Yeah, well that was what initially caught my attention when
I started looking into the subject. Right, we've for a decade,
more than a decade, we have been in various stages
of a foster care crisis, and there just never seems
to be enough of anything we need to help address it.
But it turns out we've been getting a lot of

(27:21):
We've been getting a lot of money every year from
the federal government to help pay for things like helping
foster kids live independently, helping them even before they age
out of foster care, learn some life skills they need
to live on their own, like budgeting, like cooking, you know,
those kind of things that make life a lot easier
when you go out on your own and also to

(27:41):
pay for college, to pay for training, things like that.
We get this pot of money every year to spend
and as our investigation found out, we've given back about
seven million dollars of that money since twenty ten, and
that's about a fifth of the money we've gotten over
that time period. So it's a pretty big chunk of change.

Speaker 1 (28:01):
What are and I think I'm saying this right, chaffee
grants or chaffy grow What are those?

Speaker 19 (28:06):
Chaffy chiefy and yeah, their grants. Every state gets one
of these. They are grants that the federal government gives
specifically to help kids age out of foster care. Kids
can be eligible for them before they age out of
foster care, but under certain circumstances, they can keep getting
access to this kind of support after the age out

(28:27):
of foster care. It's I mean, it's the point is
to help them build a life and succeed as adults,
and then ideally not have children that enter the foster
care system not end up homeless, not end up in jail,
and improve the outcomes for this really vulnerable group of
kids that that need some extra help.

Speaker 2 (28:46):
So what did you find.

Speaker 1 (28:48):
We're talking to Erica Peterson Mountain State Spotlight this morning.
What did you find about why these funds are being
returned and they are not being utilized.

Speaker 19 (28:58):
Well, there are a lot of reasons. I mean the
reason I talked with a lot of kids who just
weren't even aware that they could access these kind of services.
There seems to be a big disconnect with the with
knowledge about what programs are out there and you know,

(29:19):
kids there. I looked at some data that.

Speaker 1 (29:21):
Found we froze up there for a second, go ahead, Erica.

Speaker 19 (29:27):
I looked at some data that found that in West Virginia,
only thirteen percent of the kids who aged out of
care in between twenty eighteen and twenty twenty three were
able to access some of these services. Nationwide, that's like
eighty one percent, So there's a big disconnect there. Some
people told me it was directly attributable to kind of
the CPS worker caseload crisis we've been seeing when CPS workers,

(29:52):
you know, no matter how good they are at their job,
when they have a lot on their plates, there are
things that fall by the wayside. And some people said
that this kind of t transition planning and hooking kids
up with these services were you know, one of those
things that often just fell out of there.

Speaker 1 (30:06):
There was one example of a couple of kids you
talked to. I guess they are adults now, but they
were in the foster care system. What the girl was
going to college and she was getting helped through I
guess Modify is the program, and her foster brother she
had to ask the caseworker, well, can he get this
as well? He had no idea. He wanted to go

(30:26):
on further his education establish himself, and that's the only
way he found out was she happened to ask about it.

Speaker 19 (30:34):
Yeah, exactly, And that's really I mean, it's great that
somebody eventually told him and connected him with these funds
and he's now a student at WVU and wants to
be a social worker himself. But that's not the way
it's supposed to happen. His CPS worker was supposed to say, hey,
you'd be eligible for this program. Do you want to
explore it and help walk them through that process?

Speaker 1 (30:56):
I inferred from reading your article this kind of goes
back to a core issue that we have talked about
over and over here in West Virginia. The CPS workers,
the case workers are overworked. Maybe they're undertrained, and it
kind of boils it for me. It boils down to
a personnel issue. We need more people to handle these
tremendous caseloads. Am I in the ballpark.

Speaker 19 (31:20):
Yeah, I mean, the state didn't answer questions about what
the current caseloads are. We know that they've made progress
in closing some of those vacancy rates. The vacancy rates
of CPS workers are much better than they were a
couple of years ago, But people are still telling me
that the caseloads are just too high. When you've got
thirty cases and each case possibly has multiple kids in it,

(31:44):
you're supposed to visit every kid once a month. You're
also supposed to be thoughtful about doing things like transition
planning and hooking them up with services. It's really, it's
really just an impossible job. I also spoke with caseworkers
who just weren't even aware that these services were out
there or how to connect kids, which seems like, you know,
a basic thing that the state needs to make sure

(32:08):
that everyone is kind of on the same page about
what these resources are and how to help kids get them.

Speaker 1 (32:13):
Erica Peterson joining US Mountain State Spotlight she did a
deep dive into the foster care system and the money
and the programs that are either being underutilized or not
used at all. There was another element there, Erica, that
I hadn't thought of or didn't give much thought to
the foster kids themselves. They don't necessarily trust the system either,

(32:33):
so the first chance they get to get out of
but many are taking that opportunity and then missing out
on these other opportunities where they could get money for college,
get money for rent, get money to help them establish life.

Speaker 19 (32:46):
Yeah, and that was honestly one of the things. One
of the most heartbreaking things I discovered in reporting this
story was there were multiple kids and also I spoke
with lawyers who had worked with hundreds or thousands of
kids and told me the same thing that they the
first chance they have when they age out of the system,
they want nothing more to do with it. Many kids

(33:08):
have experienced really traumatic things while in the foster care system.
Even in the best cases, there is a lot of
trauma involved with being removed from your home, and so
they were not voluntarily signing the contract that they need
to to access some of these independent living funds. Also,
some of them were given in correct information about what
signing that contract meant, which meant they turned it down

(33:30):
and kind of missed this opportunity.

Speaker 15 (33:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (33:33):
Again, I go back to workers who are trying to
do so many things, to handle so many cases. I mean,
do you spend your and you've got to prioritize right,
Erica said, you spend your time? Well, you've got a
five year old and an abusive home over here that
you've got to find care for. Or do you help
a fourteen year old develop a transition plan. I certainly

(33:55):
wouldn't want to be in their position, I guess, is
my point.

Speaker 19 (33:58):
No, it's putting out, it's put out fires. And you know,
one thing that this reporting I think has revealed is that,
I mean CPS workers, I can't even imagine doing the
jobs they do in West Virginia. It is an increasingly
difficult job, and they're dealing with They're dealing with a
lot of stuff, but they absolutely need more support in

(34:19):
order to make sure that every kid gets the kind
of attention that they need.

Speaker 1 (34:24):
My other takeaway was we talk about needing new initiatives,
we need new programs. Sounds like we need to use
the programs we've got available because they're out there, there's
money available, There are programs out there to do the
things that we talk about, helping kids learn a vocation,
helping kids go to college, all these things that they
need to be successful and flourish as adults.

Speaker 19 (34:46):
Right, And I mean using the money is kind of
the lowest rung of that ladder, right, Like, we should
absolutely not be spending money back, And in asking questions
about this story, the Department of Human Services said that
this current administration, it was committed to not doing that,
though they couldn't tell me how much of this current grant,
which wrapped up in September has been spent. So we're

(35:09):
going to keep following up on that. But it's not
just using the money. It's using the money in a
way that gets the services to these kids and make
sure that every kid who qualifies and really could benefit
has a chance to take advantage of that.

Speaker 1 (35:23):
And that's worth pointing out. You went back to what
twenty ten, So this is over multiple administrations. This isn't
one particular administration or another. This has been a long term.
This has been going on for a while.

Speaker 19 (35:34):
It has and there are some years where we give
no money back and then there here's where we give
money back multiple years in a row. I mean, the
most recent pot of money that we know about was
a big COVID grant that we gave back in twenty
twenty three, and it was about five million dollars that
we had to really, you know, kind of boost this

(35:55):
program during that period from the federal government that we
just didn't take advantage of.

Speaker 1 (36:00):
Erica Peterson Mountain State Spotlight. You can read her deep
dive over a Mountain Statespotlight dot com.

Speaker 19 (36:05):
Erica, go ahead, I would just say it's Mountain Statespotlight
dot org dot org.

Speaker 2 (36:10):
I'm sorry, my apologies.

Speaker 1 (36:12):
Mountain Statespotlight dot org to read her story. Nice work,
good investigative journalism. It's still out there. People didn't believe
me yesterday when I said it it's still out there.

Speaker 2 (36:22):
Good job.

Speaker 19 (36:24):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate you having.

Speaker 2 (36:26):
Me on absolutely again.

Speaker 1 (36:27):
You can read her story Mountain Statespotlight dot org. To
read Erica's full story Your thoughts coming up through a
four talk through a four and eight hundred seven to
sixty five talk eight hundred seven six five eight two
five five talk line from the in COVID Shurch Studios.

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Speaker 1 (38:04):
Again, that's Mountain Statespotlight dot org. If you want to
read Erica's entire piece, it's good read. It's a good read,
deep dive there, and this gets to something that kind
of it seems like a no brainer. I don't want
to call a no brainer, but utilizing the programs that
already exist, utilizing the funding that already exists. We have

(38:26):
these issues in West Virginia. Are we doing everything with
the current resources that are available before we start to
worry about new initiatives, new programs, new layers of bureaucracy
that make it that much harder, even on.

Speaker 2 (38:41):
The best of intentions.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
Doesn't make it harder on case workers who again are
trying to sort through this system, sort through numerous number
of cases, and you got to prioritize, as Eric said,
you're putting out fires. Do you address the five year
old over here, the fourteen year old over there?

Speaker 2 (39:01):
Anyway, it's a good piece.

Speaker 1 (39:02):
Go check it out Mountain Statespotlight dot org. Let's get
some text in here. Three or four talk three oh four.
That's the text line eight hundred and seven to sixty five.
Talk Texter says, Dave Allen has never once been reluctant
about sidling up to a microphone.

Speaker 2 (39:17):
That's probably true three or four Talk three oh four.

Speaker 1 (39:21):
The seventy two year old capitot is the best choice
for a senator in our technologically advancing economy who knows
new tech and how it should be regulated, better than
someone who'll be seventy eight when the term's over. I
know one thing, the person who's been working for twenty
years on getting West Virginia reliable internet access is definitely
the person.

Speaker 17 (39:38):
For the job.

Speaker 1 (39:39):
Heck Manternet only goes out three out of seven days now,
Thanks Shelley. I detect a touch of sarcasm in that text,
but I will say this, She's the fourth ranking Republican
in the US Senate that's got a lot of pull,
and that can be an advantage for state like West Virginia.

(40:03):
For being no bigger than we are, we have had
some pretty influential senators in my lifetime, some very influential
senators in my lifetime recently for no bigger than we are,
So think about that before you want to run somebody
else in there, and I did ask the question. I
asked the question, is this year last run? Because she'd

(40:25):
be seventy eight at the end, and we all want
to retire at some point or most of us do.
Sit back, relax, take it easy.

Speaker 2 (40:33):
That's why I asked the question. Three or four talk
three or four.

Speaker 1 (40:37):
Just want to say all voters need to look at
Capitol's record before it's time for her to run again.
She has really hurt our state. We lost federal jobs,
We're about to lose healthcare, and snap program may be
social Security, all of our grant funds, this is under
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Speaker 1 (42:22):
Here three or four talk three or four of the

(42:43):
text line at eight hundred and seven sixty five eight
two five five the phone numbers. A couple of stories
I've been watching over in the Northern Panhandle. One is
Marshall County Schools. This is from Agnate Newspapers. Marshall County's
Board of Education will decide on suspend without pay for
a pair of administrators at its Tuesday evening meeting. That

(43:03):
would be, of course tonight Tuesday, John Marsha High School Commons.
Among its personnel decisions are two suspensions without pay for
administrators during a period of investigations starting December fourth. The
administrators are not named in the document, says the story
there in Ogden newspapers, So keeping an eye on that

(43:27):
story out of Marshall County, also out of Hancock County,
very top of the Northern Panhandle. There was a story
earlier this week from WTV nine television the Hancock County
schools could run out of money by February first. That's
one of the findings from the state's education officials and
local leaders scrabbled to solve developing financial issues there in

(43:47):
Hancock County. Last night, the Board of Education met officials
from Hancock County Schools, continuing to sort through the district's
financial woes. The superintendent, Dan Enich image shed some light
on how year have disorganized accounting left the district in
the dark, and I mean they were really in the dark.
According to this story from last night's meeting, they have

(44:11):
hired a consultant, Educational Associates out of Tyler County to
go over the district's of finances and what they found
was apparently deeply concerning. They still don't have a full
picture of what was going on. The superintendent said, the
accounting of this year was so disorganized, scattered, and unreliable
that it's taken the consultant and his partner this long

(44:35):
just complete on site visits and he's on site.

Speaker 2 (44:37):
With the Board of Education. There.

Speaker 1 (44:39):
So couple of public school stories we're keeping an eye
on in Marshall and Hancock Counties over in the northern
Panhandle today three four talk three or four is the
tax line at eight hundred seven, eight hundred seven to
sixty five talk eight hundred seven sixty five eight two
five five Dave, We apparently do not have enough employees
if this much money was overlooked. What was my main

(45:00):
takeaway from reading Erica's article Erica Peterson Mountain State Spotlight
read it at Mountain Statespotlight dot org. With regard to
sending back seven million dollars in federal funding over the
course of several years, there several administrations when you have
CPS workers and caseworkers who did not know about these programs,

(45:23):
didn't know that funding was available, or the simple fact
they did not have the time to sit down with
a fourteen year old in the foster care system and
work with them so that the foster child knew that
these funds were available, knew that these programs were available
to help them go to college, go to vocational school,

(45:46):
go to trade school, pay their rent while they are
holding down a job, so that they can better themselves
and give themselves an opportunity to get out of the system.
That was my main takeaway, and we come back to
kind of that quot issue, kind of that core problem
when we're talking about the foster care system. We can
talk about programs, we can talk about funding, we can

(46:08):
talk about the opportunities that are available, but really it
comes down to that one on one interaction, either between
the caseworker and the child in the foster care system
or the caseworker in the foster family, whatever the situation is.
That is where we need to make some progress. And
I don't have a simple answer on how to recruit.

(46:29):
It is a tough job, it's a thankless job. Often
I don't have an answer on how you recruit and retain.

Speaker 2 (46:36):
But that is.

Speaker 1 (46:37):
Where I see the core The real core problem is
you just don't have enough people. Don't have enough people
to help in what is a growing situation here in
West Virginia. And we've talked about it. We've talked about
it in the past. Coming up top of the hour,
we'll take a break. Tony Stroud will join us, vice
president of Marshall University. We'll talk about the Idea District.

(47:00):
What's the idea behind the Idea District. We'll get into that.
Jared Halpern stops by. Yeah, we'll talk about the post. Yes,
I'll ask him about Susie Wiles's interview Infanity Fair Dave
Allen At the bottom of the hour. Why not It's
talkline on Metro News for forty years. The Voice of
West Virginia.

Speaker 3 (47:28):
Metro News Talkline is presented by Incova Insurance, encircling you
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Speaker 1 (47:38):
Our number two metro News talkline. Hope you're having a
great Tuesday morning. TJ is off. He is roasting chestnuts somewhere.
I'm certain of it right now. Eight hundred and seven
to sixty five Talks the Phone Number three or four
Talk three or four is the text line. Jake Lnker,
video producer e Than Colin's handling the audio side of things.
You ever write things down wrong?

Speaker 2 (47:58):
Ever happened to you? Happened to me?

Speaker 1 (48:00):
Tony Stroud will join us bottom of the hour. Let's
talk about the idea district, Marshall's idea District. Bottom of
the hour. But never fear, We've got it all covered
for you anyway. Dave Allen, mister versatil. You know him
from Metion News Midday twelve to three across many of

(48:20):
these same Metion News radio stations.

Speaker 2 (48:22):
He joins us from the Charleston studio this morning.

Speaker 1 (48:25):
You ever write something down wrong and then realize at
the last minute you wrote it down wrong?

Speaker 17 (48:29):
Well, my biggest problem is, Dave, is I write things down,
then I can't read my handwriting, and then I have
to go to other people like my wife or my
co workers and say what does this look like to you?
That happens to me more often than you would think.

Speaker 1 (48:43):
It's like that been in Seinfeld where he's trying to
figure out the note he scribbled down from the dream.

Speaker 2 (48:49):
He goes to tour Eckman. Nobody can figure out what
it is.

Speaker 17 (48:52):
That happens to me all the time. I write down
guests frequently, you know, just I'll jot it down a
guest for one of the shows and then add it
to the calendar later and then I go back and
I go, well, I've got somebody name Glad you schedule
for the show on Thursday. And then I just look
at the door and wait to see who comes in.

Speaker 1 (49:10):
So Tony Tony Stroud will join us Bott of the
Hour VP at Marshall Universe. We'll talk about the Idea district.
Jared Halpern, Fox News Radio coming up here in a bit.
So yesterday I had the commentary yesterday about and my
point was basically this with the commentary, is that we
have all this handwringing, Dave about social media TikTok, Instagram.

(49:32):
Kids are getting their information, the utes are getting their
information from influencers from TikTok, and fewer and fewer going
to legacy media sources for information, and the concern being
that you know, influencers are just that they're influencers. There
are people trying to push agenda, spin narratives, that we
live in echo chambers.

Speaker 2 (49:52):
And I kind of went back and.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
Looked to history and said, well, this has been going
on since media mediums, media were you know, invents it,
since man put rock to stone and started chiseling things out.

Speaker 2 (50:04):
He was using media to push a narrative.

Speaker 1 (50:07):
So when we started the conversation on this show, had
a little bit of the conversation yesterday you and I
and Amanda on your show, and we ran out of time,
so I wanted to continue it because I think we
were going down a little bit divergent paths.

Speaker 2 (50:20):
I'm not worried, Dave. I'm not worried about the future.

Speaker 1 (50:22):
I'm not worried about the kids growing up and they're
not going to be able to figure out fact from
fiction and they're going to live in these echo chambers
that's foreign to us because we grew up with legacy media.

Speaker 2 (50:32):
That's why it's legacy.

Speaker 1 (50:33):
These kids are going to be savvy media consumers when
they become adults. I'm just not all that worried as
some are who wrote commentaries last week.

Speaker 17 (50:41):
Well that makes one of us, Dave, because I think
we're screwed. I'm going to be real. I say all
the time that I'm fifty five and I'm so glad
I'm going to be dead in twenty years because I
don't know what this society is going to look like. Look,
I think you know, you and I have had a
conversation about this this morning, and you said to me, said,
I don't know if we agreed or disagreed. I said, well,

(51:02):
I think we did both. H on austome D during
the conversation, along with the bandy yesterday, because I think
that there's just more of it now. You are right,
there has always been, you know, you go back to
and you throughout the term yellow journalism, that's that that
that's always gone. But there's just so much more of
it now. And I watched a video this morning, UH

(51:25):
and our good friend of the program, friend of your
program as well, Steven Allen Adams, who posted it from
from the New York Post. He posted it on the
X and I felt like I got dumber for watching this,
but I but I still watched it. And it was,
you know, this tragic situation with actor director Rob Reiner
and his UH and his wife, and it was some
sort of a media influencer that was having an argument

(51:46):
with police because they basically and I don't know exactly
what it was that they called him down for this influencer,
but he was you know, he wasn't just outside the house.
He was doing something that looked like that, you know,
maybe he's a little too close or whatever, and he
just started yelling about you know, rights and things of
that nature to the police officers and kind of don't
you know who I am kind of a thing. And

(52:07):
I think we just have a lot of that right now.
We have people that that have taken to platforms like
TikTok and these others, and they think they are a
lot more important than there really are. And I know
that sounds like the most elitist statement that I've probably
ever said on the airwaves, but I think it's true,
and I think it's I mean, now we have to

(52:30):
know what this person thinks about it, or what that
person thinks about it, and I just I just I
just don't. I just don't understand it all. Dave, I'm old,
I'm old.

Speaker 1 (52:40):
That is that is fact. You You've hit the nail
on the head with that observation. But I think over
time what happened to yellow journalists Eventually it faded away.
Eventually people caught on to the sensationalism of the headlines.
Eventually other reporters and journalists, there was a backlash. Certain
a new third law applies to everything. I've always thought that,

(53:02):
So if for this action there's an opposite, equal reaction,
I am maybe this is wishful thinking, Maybe this is
wish casting, Dave. With these types of influencers, with the
echo chambers, there'll be more of a push from journalists,
from media organizations, from others who independent journalists for more objectivity.
And we can get into a long discussion about my

(53:24):
thoughts on actual objective reporting, but objectivity, fairness, balanced reporting.
Maybe we see that pendulum swing because you have these
nutcases who are just trying to get clicks, who are
just going out in these situations. You know, these people
they go into parking lots and try to film and
try to instigate fights just so they can post and
get the clicks. Maybe we have that opposite reaction where

(53:46):
we get more of that because as my co host,
my usual cost would say, the marketplace will eventually take
over and the marketplace will win.

Speaker 17 (53:54):
Yeah, I agree with that somewhat, but I would also
say that there are those people and you know, you
get text to your show and calls is like we
do to our show and my local show as well,
where people say, well, thank goodness for filling name here,
because that's where you get the real news, you know,
and it could be news Max, it could be somebody
that's totally on the left wing, although there are not

(54:14):
many of those out there, at least as far as
you know, the many of those out there well no, no, no,
I mean as far as like on television systems and
things like that. That's what I mean. I meant like
major like your CNN type things like that. D aren't
as many of those out there. But I think as
as consumers sometimes of the media, and let's take ourselves

(54:34):
out of it, I think that what happens is is
we go online and we look for things that best
align with us. And in any time that we have
a tragic situation, take a school shooting, take a mass shooting,
what's the first thing people do? Now they want to
go out and they want to find out what was

(54:55):
his or her ideology? You know, who did they cite?
You know, and we've seen it's time and time again.
Who who led them?

Speaker 2 (55:03):
Were they?

Speaker 17 (55:03):
Were they mag him? Were they some sort of Islamic extremist?
Were they uh, super you know, gun people whatever. And
then we go out and we look and we try
to find these things so for the sole purpose of
playing a gotcha moment.

Speaker 2 (55:19):
Because you got the other side.

Speaker 17 (55:21):
Until that changes, though, and I don't know how you
change that. I don't know how we get out of that.
I mean, I really really don't. And that's not necessarily
something that is That's something that is a little bit
new in my opinion, is that we go out and
we try to find it again, you know as well
as I do, as soon as it happens. We got
to find out their background. Well he he was a

(55:41):
registered Republican, but he also hated Trump. Uh he he
was he was Muslim, but he did this or she
did this or whatever and that. And I think until
that changes, I don't know. I don't know that we're
going to get anywhere.

Speaker 2 (55:53):
Who's going out to find that?

Speaker 1 (55:55):
That's my question. Who is going out to find that information?
Are we seeking that out as consumers or are the media?
And Chris Tarrant you there's no such thing as the media.

Speaker 17 (56:04):
It's one of my big things too, like there's.

Speaker 1 (56:05):
A big really are they going out whoever they are?
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (56:09):
Who they are.

Speaker 1 (56:09):
Are they going out for looking for that information because
there's a narrative to push.

Speaker 17 (56:13):
I think that sometimes media is, but I also think
that sometimes the average person is is too. I mean, again,
it's all about owning the other side, and I think
media does it to a certain extent because this race
to the I call it. It's not a race to
the top. It's a race to the bottom that some
media outlets are. And this is why we have incorrect
information that's put out there. We because we got to

(56:33):
beat the competition. And you know, this happens in all
forms of media, but I think it's also with the
individuals as well that we got it with. And everybody
thinks that they're a reporter now, and we talked about
this a little bit on the show yesterday. Your your
social media, your Facebook, your ex, Instagram, whatever, but whatever
you want to on that. But as journalists, and I'm

(56:54):
quick to point out I am not a journalist. I
don't know what you call me, but I'm not a
You can call me a lot of things, but I'm
not a journalist. Okay, I don't pretend to be, all right,
but I think that a lot of people in the
media are, and I'm sorry not in the media think
that they are and that they haven't gone through the

(57:15):
training true journalists, not me, but true journalists have gone
through in the past, and whether it's college or they've
learned on the job about you know, citing your sources,
making sure you have at least three people reporting the
same thing, making sure it's on public record before you
post something about a horrific auto accident or something like that.
They haven't gone through that to know what the proper

(57:35):
channels are.

Speaker 2 (57:37):
We don't have time to get into that subject today.

Speaker 1 (57:40):
I've got multiple thoughts and I would probably irritate all
my reporter friends that on this.

Speaker 2 (57:46):
End we got to loose.

Speaker 1 (57:48):
Competition is not a bad thing, and it should make
you re evaluate how you do your job. And if
you don't like the way somebody else is doing it,
how are you doing your job and how can you.

Speaker 2 (57:58):
Do it better?

Speaker 17 (58:00):
Is the way I look at it.

Speaker 2 (58:02):
So they have a point.

Speaker 1 (58:03):
Why are people going to these other places? Why are
they going there and not coming to, you know, my organization.
If that's the case, if I'm the reporter, why are
they doing that? And if it's because, well, it's sensational
and it's tabloidy over here.

Speaker 2 (58:17):
Well, I'm not going to do that. I get that, Dave.
If it's because.

Speaker 1 (58:21):
I'm not doing my job to the best extent I
can do my job if I'm not doing investigative peace.
I mean, look what Erica Peterson does did with that
story about the foster care system and the money. Is
she able to do that if this environment does exist
where the information's easy to disseminate. We have social media,
we have these platforms available.

Speaker 17 (58:42):
Probably not, yeah, And I think that there are, you know,
those of us that are in quote unquote legacy media.
I think that sometimes people think that we frown upon
those others, and I don't because I think there's some
amazing stuff being done out there.

Speaker 5 (58:56):
Now.

Speaker 17 (58:57):
I mean West Virginia specifically has got some amazing people
do and some amazing things out there, and and there
are those in the rest of the country as well.
But then there are those that are just interested in
the clicks and and everything that comes along with it.
But there that's not too that's not too to say
that there's not people like you said, Peterson and some
of these others that are doing amazing work out there

(59:17):
because because they really are. But again it all gets
back to people want news that I think a lot
of people in this country, uh want news that the
best fits with their with their outlook on things. And
that's what they say. Oh yeah, absolutely, that's why. Well
you won't get the truth, but you need to. I mean,
go go read the comments on any news story. Well

(59:39):
you know you're not going to get the truth on
Fox News, go get it. You know you got to
learn the truth on CNN or CNN Are you kidding?
You know you got to go to news Max and
and all and all these others when in reality, people
should just have it on Metro News and there wouldn't
be an issue.

Speaker 1 (59:53):
Did we accomplish anything?

Speaker 17 (59:55):
There not a dang thing, Mische Wilson. Not a dang thing.
Although I do I like this this idea we talked
about on the show yesterday that the text to Metro
News Midday said that we need to put together this
holidays calendar that we could do for the holidays, maybe
for next year with you and Weekly myself and Dave Jacklin.
This holiday's calendar. It's money, buddy, it's money.

Speaker 1 (01:00:16):
Well, we got Ter Malone, he's our official company photographer.

Speaker 2 (01:00:20):
We can make this happen, Dave.

Speaker 17 (01:00:21):
I mean just the image of us in a ski
lodge somewhere, drinking brandy, smoking cigars, doing a little baby
it's cold outside, if you can still do that song,
because it's been banned in so many places because you
can't do that. But I think it's money, Wilson.

Speaker 1 (01:00:34):
I think you're onto something there. Don't steal our idea
and post somewhere on social media.

Speaker 17 (01:00:38):
I'm onto something or I'm on something. I don't know
which one it is.

Speaker 1 (01:00:41):
So either way, what do you got coming up at
noon today Metro News Midday.

Speaker 17 (01:00:44):
We are going to there's a tragic story here and
we've talked about it on the air, as you have
as well, with this West Virginia State University basketball player
who just suddenly passed, and we're going to talk to
the athletic director of West Virginia State University, Dave Hicks,
on the show today. Howardman n Row is going to
join us on the show. We're going to have a
segment with some folks from the West Virginia Chamber Commerce

(01:01:05):
on the show today, and of course the always entertaining
Open Line West Virginia After two thirty and Jeff Jenkins
with the news.

Speaker 1 (01:01:10):
Of course, Dave Allen, he joins a man of Baron
for Mention News midday noon to three on many of
these same Metro News radio stations and the Metro News TV.
Thanks Dave, appreciating it all right, buddy. Jared Halpern, a
real reporter, joins us next.

Speaker 23 (01:01:22):
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(01:01:44):
State's best days are ahead, and in Taro Resources is
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learn more.

Speaker 20 (01:01:52):
Hospitals drive West Virginia's economy. They produce jobs and create
opportunities while keeping our communities healthy. Employing nearly fifty four
thousand people, West Virginia hospitals rank among our state's largest
and most dependable employers. They provide more than one billion
dollars in community benefits and generate nearly seventeen billion dollars
in total economic impact each year. Hospitals are investing wear counts,

(01:02:13):
advancing health, ensuring access to care, and powering West Virginia's
economic future.

Speaker 21 (01:02:18):
A message from the West Virginia Hospital Association on MINA
WVJ dot org.

Speaker 1 (01:02:40):
Your texts coming up at three or four. Talk three
of four. Let's go to Washington, DC. Fox News Radio's
Jared Halper Jared Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State
Marco Rubio meeting with bipartisan lawmakers today to discuss the
strikes on.

Speaker 2 (01:02:54):
Alleged drug boats.

Speaker 1 (01:02:56):
Do we know anything about what exactly will be discussed
or what we expect come out of those meetings.

Speaker 24 (01:03:01):
Well, the first one's already over. So both Rubio and
Hegseth met with senators first this morning. They made some
brief remarks to the press on their way to that
house meeting, both of them reiterating these strikes are within
the laws of armed conflict, that these operations, these drug cartels,

(01:03:25):
in the words of Secretary of Rubio, are killing Americans,
poisoning Americans is and this has been a highly successful
mission that's ongoing and continues, Secretary Hegseth made a little
bit of news in basically shutting down any option of
releasing that unedited video of that double tap strike that

(01:03:48):
happened back in September. Second that is one that has
raised a lot of concerns where there were survivors and
then a second strike was ordered. The Secretary saying that,
in keeping with long standing Department poll see, we are
not going to release a top secret, full unknitted video
to the general public, but says that the Armed Services
committees in both the House and Senate will see it,

(01:04:11):
but not the general public.

Speaker 1 (01:04:13):
Fox Days Radios Jared Halper and joining US President Trump
declared fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction. How how does
he do that?

Speaker 24 (01:04:23):
Well, he basically is saying that in his view, fentanyl
and the chemical components are closer to a chemical weapon
than they are a narcotic. This doesn't have kind of
an immediate effect. What it does is it directs the
Department of Defense, That directs the Justice Department to basically

(01:04:45):
act accordingly. So is prosecutors. Federal prosecutors are putting charging
documents together as they are pursuing prosecutions and sentences. It
could potentially heighten those types of those type penalties, right,
you would use perhaps weapon of mass destruction type charges
instead of just drug trafficking charges. So that's the impact

(01:05:09):
it probably has in the immediate future. We'll see if
it carries any weight. Obviously, as the Pentagon appears to
be expanding these strikes on alleged drug boats, the President
again has reiterated that these are going to happen on land.
Last week in the Oval Office, I asked the President

(01:05:30):
what that would look like in Venezuela. He kind of
waved off the idea that this is isolated to Venezuela.
He said, it's not just Venezuela. It could be any
place that is sending these drugs to the US. And
I think that's notable because a lot of analysts have
pointed out that very few of these illicit drugs actually
begin the production phase in Venezuela. A lot of that

(01:05:50):
happens in Colombia, a lot of that happens in other
South American and Latin American countries. So it is clear
that President Trump is looking beyond a Venezuela as he
considers his options here for this ongoing operation.

Speaker 1 (01:06:03):
Have you had a chance to read the Susie Wiles
Vanity Fair article.

Speaker 24 (01:06:06):
Yet I've only got yeah, listen, I think that one.
It's extraordinary the access that this reporter was given a
series of interviews that begin even before inauguration day. Obviously,
there has been a lot of raised eyebrows about how
Wiles has described her relationship with the President, how she

(01:06:28):
has described various cabinet officials, even the Vice President. She
has put out a statement this morning that basically criticizes
the piece, calls it a disingenuous hit piece that left
out a lot of context, and she feels was written
really just to push a narrative of chaos, which they
are pushing back on. So the White House has read

(01:06:50):
the Vanity Fair piece as well, does not appear to
agree with the crux of it. And now you are
saying administration officials up and down the hierarchy come out
in support of Susie Wilds. We have not heard from
President Trump about it, and I am sure he will
have an opinion if he is asked.

Speaker 1 (01:07:10):
Got about two minutes here, Jared. The one comment that
seems to be making a lot of or getting a
lot of attention is Susie Wild's comparing the president's personality
to that of a functioning alcoholic, and I'm not certain
I read that as is is she comparing him to
this or is she just using that as a comparison
for the big, kind of bombastic, you know, I can

(01:07:32):
do anything in the world type personality.

Speaker 2 (01:07:35):
It's tough to read between the line.

Speaker 24 (01:07:37):
It's important to understand the history of Susie Wiles. Her
father is past summer All. She talks about this in
the piece. It goes into her childhood and the piece
she had a sometimes very challenging relationship with her father,
who was during her childhood an alcoholic. They came together
later in life he was clean and sober. But the

(01:07:59):
way that she just fribes it in the interview, I think,
kind of drawing on her upbringing with her very famous father,
Pat summer All, is that, you know, it is an
all in kind of approach. There's there's no like, there's
it oftentimes misses some nuance, right, You're you're one hundred
percent one hundred percent of the time, And that I
think was kind of the characteristic she was trying to

(01:08:21):
draw on again, kind of reflecting on her father, and
in that part of her life. But the quote just
is a pull quote. Does not look flattering. Oh does
think to the president?

Speaker 1 (01:08:34):
Fox News Radios Jared Halpern Never a dull moment in Washington,
d C. Jared, Always appreciated, buddy, Thank you, sure thing.

Speaker 24 (01:08:40):
Take care.

Speaker 1 (01:08:41):
Tony Stroud going to join us. Coming up Vice President
Marshall University with information and an update on the Idea District.
What's the idea behind the idea District. We'll get to
your texts coming up as well. Three or four Talk,
three or four and eight hundred and seven to sixty
five talk. This is talk line from the Cove Insurance Studios.
We have more coming up in just it's a moment
talk line on Metro News. Metro News for forty years,

(01:09:04):
the voice of West Virginia. It is eleven thirty and
time to get a news update. Let's check in on
the Metro News radio network. Find out what's happening across
the great state of West Virginia.

Speaker 25 (01:09:18):
West Virginia Metro News, I Am Chris Lawrence. As expected,
the twenty twenty five harvest for hunters during the two
week buck firearm season was down significantly. The DNR this morning,
releasing the total harvest for the year and revealed hunters
during that two week buck season killed thirty three seven
hundred and seventy five that's an eighteen and a half
percent dropped from last year. Now, the d AT aren't

(01:09:38):
expected the kill would be down dramatically due to an
abundance of mast in the woods and an outbreak of
hemorrhagic disease in western counties of the state both impacted
the harvest. The top ten counties were all in the
eastern half of West Virginia. West Virginia State University campus
in morning today for a late member of the basketball team,
leading scorer Ishmael Smith found dead in his dorm room

(01:10:01):
by teammates Sunday. No indication from university officials on a
cause of death, but coach Brian por says after Sunday's
practice everything was fine.

Speaker 20 (01:10:09):
He was one of the.

Speaker 13 (01:10:09):
Last players in the locker room actually playing pac Man
that we have in our locker room, and I had
the all time high score on theirs. So he was
talking trash to me about, you know, trying to beat
my all time high score, and so we were joking around.

Speaker 25 (01:10:24):
Poor said after a thorough physical they had no health
concerns about Smith at all. He was in his first
year at State after transferring from a neuro community college
in Rochester, New York, and was the team's leading scorer.
State Public Service Commission heard from the public regarding a
proposed rate increase by West Virginia American Water Company last night.
You're listening to matrenews for forty years the Boys of

(01:10:45):
West Virginia.

Speaker 5 (01:10:47):
Hi.

Speaker 26 (01:10:47):
I'm Josh Strand, safety coordinator for Civil and Environmental Consultants.
Some companies talk about profit first, but at CC we
put safety first. It's not just a slogan, it's how
we live. We invest in top notch safety gear in
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I like knowing that at CEC, my safety matters. So
why settle for less when you can work for safety
truly comes first. At CEC, we engineer progress in the

(01:11:10):
great state of West Virginia.

Speaker 6 (01:11:11):
Find out what CEC can do for you. Visit CECI
NC dot com.

Speaker 18 (01:11:17):
With steel batteries are included this holiday season, give a
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(01:11:40):
Holidays from Steel offer vevid for a limited time only
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Speaker 25 (01:11:45):
Last the SBA has approved forty nine million dollars in
funding for worthwhile projects around West Virginia to improve schools.
Executive Director of the SBA, Andy Neptune says, it's never
an easy decision because a lot of good ones also
got turned down the way.

Speaker 17 (01:12:00):
Have you a person like myself coming from education world
that I came from, know the needs of those counties
and so you just you tried to do the best
of what you can.

Speaker 25 (01:12:08):
The SBA had forty nine million dollars to allocate and
request for more than one hundred and seventy million from
the Metro News anchored Ask game, Chris Lawrence, We'll.

Speaker 1 (01:12:33):
Get to your texts coming up. Three oh four Talk
three oh four. Phone lines are always open as well.
Eight hundred seven sixty five Talk eight hundred seven sixty
five eight two five five. About a half hour ago,
Montague County Delegate John Williams, Democrat, announcing that he will
run for the state Senates in the thirteenth district. That

(01:12:54):
is the seat currently held by Republican Mike Olavero. He's
also running for reelections, so that that could be interesting
in November when I I don't think we're going to
have a lot of interesting general election races when it
comes to the legislature in November. A lot of those
are going to be in May. That's where the real

(01:13:14):
action is going to be in the primary this year.
But that race could be interesting in November. But that
breaking this hour. John William's going to run for the
thirteenth Senate seat. That is the seat currently held by
Mike Olaveria, who's also seeking reelection. Oliver Aia the Republican,
Williams the Democrat. More on that in a bit Yesterday.

(01:13:35):
Marshall University officials had an update on the ongoing development
of its Idea District. What is the Idea District? Well
to explain, Tony Shroud. Tony Stroud, Marshall University Vice President
of Strategic Initiatives and Corporate Relationships, joins us on Metro
News talk Line. Tony, good morning, thanks for joining us.

Speaker 15 (01:13:55):
Good morning, Dave. Always a pleasure to talk to you.

Speaker 11 (01:13:57):
My friend.

Speaker 2 (01:13:58):
I'm glad you could come on.

Speaker 1 (01:13:59):
So, the idea districts This would be downtown Huntington, right
next to campus.

Speaker 2 (01:14:04):
What is the idea district?

Speaker 11 (01:14:07):
So, Dave, this is a district we just started developing
three four years ago, and the goal here was to
connect Marshall University's campus to downtown Huntington. And you know,
we towyter around with different names and came up with
Actually the president that I was in these offices one
day and he said, you know, why did we not
call this the idea district? Which stands for it impossible
doesn't exist anymore.

Speaker 17 (01:14:29):
I like it.

Speaker 1 (01:14:30):
I like it because, Tony, we often here in West
Virginia for some reason, we always kind of throw our
hands up and go, well, we can't do that. We
can't do that because why well it's because we'll come
up with any reason. Just the acronym alone tries to
take that attitude out.

Speaker 11 (01:14:45):
That's right, you know, I think for the longest time,
you know, we've struggled a little bit with with immy gissues,
and we're really trying to change that here in West
Virginia and you know, we've always been you know, West
Virginians have done a lot of great things for the
country over the years, and we really think this district
is to really help set us apart and really help,
you know, bring.

Speaker 15 (01:15:03):
Some notices to West Rgnia. If the district is going to.

Speaker 11 (01:15:05):
Create opportunities for jobs, research opportunities, opportunities for our students,
and uh, you know, I think a lot of great
things are going to happen with this district.

Speaker 1 (01:15:15):
So at one end of the districts the Brad Smith
Center for Business and Innovation. On the other end, you
have this forensic center that is under construction and when
it is finished, Tony, this is going to be a unique,
state of the art facility.

Speaker 11 (01:15:30):
Absolutely, it's going to be a center we're going to
be training, you know that next generation students will be
helping protect the critical infrastructure of the United States. It's
a fabulous booking facility, you know, very futuristic. It's going
to be very high in technology, thirteen different labs in it,
including the drone lab, a couple of other things. Is
going to have a two story security operations center and

(01:15:53):
and you know, one of the things we want to
do davi is with this district is also throw in
some retail space, some some living space, and some restaurants.
And we also announced yesterday our first tenant from a
restaurant standpoint of Via Lombardo, an Italian cafe that's going
to be opening in the district.

Speaker 1 (01:16:09):
Tony Stroud joining US marsh University Vice President Strategic Strategic
Initiatives and Corporate Relationships. So you have these two anchors
on either end of the district. Tony, what will be
in between? What's that development look like?

Speaker 11 (01:16:21):
What we announced eartly this year that there's going to
be Intu. It's going to put a Prosperity hub in
that's going to employ two hundred and two hundred and
fifty of our students here at Marshall University, where those
folks will be assisting with customer support for tober Attax
and other Intuit products. We're going to have a private
building that a developer is putting in. It's going to
be sixty thousand square feet that's going to have twenty

(01:16:43):
thousand square feet of retail in other space, and in
the top two floors of that facility will be office space.
We're in discussions with a lot of different companies wanting
to move in this district. The partnership with the Cybersecurity
Institute has been significant. Companies wanting to come in and
partner with.

Speaker 2 (01:16:58):
Them run this out.

Speaker 1 (01:17:01):
Why is this district significant not just for Marshall University,
but potentially for the entire state of West Virginia.

Speaker 11 (01:17:08):
You know, good question, David. You know, one of the
things that I'm so excited about is the collaboration going
on throughout West Virginia with private industry, with higher education,
with government, and you know, the Cybersecurity Institute is a
great reflection of that. We're part of Westginia University on
this we're part of state University. So it's a collaborative
effort and it allows us to bring everything together every morning,

(01:17:30):
working toward the same goal and all those this is
in Huntington, West Virginia.

Speaker 15 (01:17:33):
This district. He'll be a resource and asset for the
entire state and region.

Speaker 1 (01:17:37):
Tony Stroud, Marshall University, vice President of Strategic Initiatives and
Corporate Relationships. Also locally for the city of Huntington. You
mentioned them, They are a partner in this and Mayor
Patrick Ferrell hit the nail on the head. When the
university thrives and grows, so does the city.

Speaker 11 (01:17:54):
That's right. You know, you won't find a closer town
and gun relationship than you do with the City of
Huntington and university. And we are an economic driver for
the region.

Speaker 15 (01:18:03):
You know.

Speaker 11 (01:18:03):
Right now, for every dollar that comes into the university,
we return eighteen to the local economy and our goal
is to get that up to thirty and this Innovation
District will help do that. And Mayor Ferrell and his
team has been so helpful parting with us, is helping
us with infrastructure needs and other things that we're going
to need as the district continues to grow.

Speaker 1 (01:18:21):
Well now, Tony with all the growth, how do you
get students? You got to get students there, don't.

Speaker 14 (01:18:25):
You We do.

Speaker 11 (01:18:27):
And you know one of the things, you know, our
enrollment has been up over the past three years here
at Marshall about twenty two percent, and I think it's
creating these in demand jobs in the future, you know, cybersecurity. Statistically,
they're about nine hundred thousand open jobs in the world
right now in cybersecurity. So we're trying to find one
of those in demand jobs. And how can we provide

(01:18:49):
that educational opportunity to the students. You know, the cybersecurity alone,
I think you may have heard the President mentioned yesterday
has increased fifty nine percent enrollment in this program since
we made this announcement about this new instance. So they've
trying to find those programs that are in demand and
find out how we can provide that education on demand
with a distinct value proposition.

Speaker 15 (01:19:07):
That's what we're trying to do here at Marshall University,
and I.

Speaker 2 (01:19:10):
Think that's it.

Speaker 1 (01:19:10):
We're seeing this with other institutions as well, Tony, but
identifying not just the needs of today, but what will
be the needs five years now, ten years from now,
twenty years from now, and giving students the skills necessary
to get into those jobs to have a career forward.
That's what you hear people complain that colleges are not doing,
but we're seeing that done right here in West Virginia.

Speaker 2 (01:19:31):
In my humble opinion, you.

Speaker 11 (01:19:34):
Are, You're absolutely correct. It's going on throughout the state
and we're trying to find you know, what are those
jobs and what educational requirements are those and you know
it may not necessarily be a four year degree, although
there's a tremendous demand in need for those It may
be a certificate, it may be at a credential, it
may be something at a community college. So that's what
I really have seen happen in West Virginia. We're all

(01:19:55):
partnering together just trying.

Speaker 15 (01:19:57):
To identify those needs and how we can.

Speaker 11 (01:19:58):
Provide the best education opportunities so that our students, so
that our residents can stay.

Speaker 15 (01:20:03):
Here in the state of West Virginia.

Speaker 11 (01:20:05):
And we never want to hear another student say I
left here because there was no opportunity. We want to
create those opportunities for jobs right here in the state
of West Virginia and.

Speaker 2 (01:20:13):
To bring us around full circle. Tony. It all comes
back to that attitude.

Speaker 1 (01:20:17):
Shutting, that attitude of it can't be done because whatever reason,
shutting that attitude number one opens up the possibilities.

Speaker 11 (01:20:26):
Absolutely, you know, getting people in that mindset, look, we
can do this, we will do this, and we are
going to do that as a gift. Can We're seeing
that happen here in West Virginia.

Speaker 1 (01:20:34):
Tony Stroud Marshall University, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and
Corporate Relationships. Tony, always a pleasure, appreciate you coming on.

Speaker 11 (01:20:41):
Thank man, Well, thank you Dave.

Speaker 1 (01:20:43):
Have a great day you as well. Three or four
Talk three or four is the text line. Eight hundred
seven sixty five Talk in one hundred seven sixty five eight
two five five your text and thoughts the rest of
the way. Eight hundred seven sixty five talk in three
or four talk three oh four. This is talk line
from the in COVID Insurance Studios.

Speaker 23 (01:21:00):
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living in our state's growing natural gas industry, including thousands
for in Taro Resources, west Virginia's top natural gas producer,
and Taro's investments are boosting our local workforce in small businesses.
We're proud to give back and invest locally to support
West Virginia workers producing West Virginia energy. But the Mountain

(01:21:21):
State's best days are ahead, and in Taro Resources is
just getting started. Visit and Taro Resources dot com to
learn more.

Speaker 27 (01:21:31):
Some say he's a man of mystery. Others say he's
the holiday hitmaker no one saw coming.

Speaker 2 (01:21:36):
It's showtime.

Speaker 27 (01:21:37):
The holiday hit Maker walks the office halls with West
Virginia Lottery holiday scratch offs and an unstoppable spirit.

Speaker 28 (01:21:44):
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Speaker 7 (01:21:45):
Bringing the holiday hype here?

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Speaker 4 (01:21:50):
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Speaker 7 (01:21:51):
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Speaker 27 (01:21:52):
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Speaker 28 (01:22:00):
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(01:22:21):
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Speaker 3 (01:22:39):
Metro News talk Line is presented by Incova Insurance and
circling you with coverage to protect what you care about most.
Visit Encova dot com to learn more.

Speaker 1 (01:22:49):
Therefore, Talk three four is the text line. Text or
ask what was the foster Care story about Erica? What
was the foster Care story about? You were talking about
Erica Peters and joined us last hour.

Speaker 3 (01:23:02):
She has a.

Speaker 1 (01:23:03):
Story at Mountain Statespotlight dot org. West Virginia got federal
money t help foster kids succeed as adults, but the
state sent millions of dollars back. Since twenty ten, West
Virginia has returned nearly seven million dollars to the federal government.
The money was meant to help current and former foster
kids transition into adulthood.

Speaker 2 (01:23:22):
The story goes on, she.

Speaker 1 (01:23:24):
Spoke to a couple of individuals who had grown up
in the foster care system. I didn't know about some
of these programs. Talked to some caseworkers who didn't know
that these programs existed. And it's a very in depth piece.
Take you about twenty minutes probably to read all of it,
but really highlighted, highlighted for me in the piece that

(01:23:48):
we still in West Virginia when it comes to our
child welfare system, our foster care program, one of our
biggest obstacles is finding enough people and having enough people
who are properly trained and understand the system, understand what
opportunities are out there, having enough of those individuals to
handle the multitude of cases that are pending here in

(01:24:11):
West Virginia. Because what it comes down to is you're
constantly putting out fires. Do you deal with the five
year old foster child over here, do you deal with
the fourteen year old over here to help them start
to transition out of the system to the foster children
who are working their way through, do they understand the
opportunities that are available? And I get many and Erica

(01:24:32):
points this out in their story. Many of those kids
who are coming through the system, they get chewed up,
they get spit out. They don't trust the system, they
don't want to have anything to do with it. So
at eighteen, first opportunity to get they're gone. They're out.

Speaker 2 (01:24:44):
I don't blame them. And they miss out on.

Speaker 1 (01:24:48):
Programs that are established to help them, to help them
get into or get through a vocational school, help them
pay for college, help them pay for rent so they
can not only survive, but thrive as adults. Many of
them don't know the programs exist. Many of them just
want out of the system. And it comes back to me,

(01:25:12):
is this lack of personnel. Now, I don't have a
silver bullet answer for how you recruit more caseworkers. I
know many of you will say, well, pay them more. Well,
that's part of it. But have you ever heard somebody
say you can't pay me enough to do that job. Well,
that could be one way to recruit them. How do

(01:25:33):
you recruit and retain them? Maybe we do need more
money in the budget. I don't have a silver bullet answer,
but a lot of our core problems, I think come back.

Speaker 2 (01:25:42):
To that issue.

Speaker 1 (01:25:45):
You have just people who are overworked and who are
just trying to manage the caseload rather than be able
to sit down with a fourteen year old, sit down
with an eighteen year old and explain to them so
that they understand what options are available to them. Three
or four, Talk three or four. It's clear that you two,

(01:26:05):
I assume referencing Dave Allen and me are becoming new
members of the styre cult, says the Texter. Start with yourself.
Every you sided, no mention of the left, the most
violent faction, says the Texture Dave. I see that every
time I fly people would think they're more important than
they are. Drives me crazy. Oh flying, it's not the

(01:26:29):
actual flying that bothers me. It's the whole process to
get actually on the plane and off the plane again.

Speaker 2 (01:26:37):
I can do without it.

Speaker 1 (01:26:39):
Three or four, Talk three or four, Um, Dave, talking
about the media, this is not new Hurst papers all
leaned right, Pulitz are left. Click counts are just the
circulation numbers of.

Speaker 2 (01:26:51):
The new millennium.

Speaker 1 (01:26:52):
Every purveyor of any story has at least some bias.
There's no such thing as objectivity. That's a rant for
another day. That Oh, I've got a rant on objectivity,
but I've probably done enough to irritate all of my
reporter friends and former professors. Three of four talk three

(01:27:14):
or four Dave as the chair of the Libertarian Party,
we are strong supporters of the free market and free speech. However,
we oppose the holidays calendar idea on grounds of human decency.

Speaker 2 (01:27:26):
Well, it wouldn't be an indecent calendar.

Speaker 1 (01:27:30):
What do you think we're going to do as far
as the holidays calendar? So this idea is floating out there.
We should do a holiday calendar with all the Daves
at Metro News, me, Dave Allen, Dave Weekly, Dave Jacqueline.

Speaker 2 (01:27:44):
Are there more.

Speaker 1 (01:27:46):
Probably a few more if we can think of, we
should do a Holidave's calendar. I mean, what are you,
you know, sitting around the ski lodge, maybe you know,
out hunting for the November shoot y teram alone We've
got a great photographer.

Speaker 2 (01:28:01):
We can make this happen.

Speaker 1 (01:28:04):
We could even send autographed copies out if we wanted to.
Three or four talk three or four two daves and
both missed it. The Republican Supreme Leader has guided his
supporters toward misinformation in bulk. No other president has worked
so hard to guide their supporters toward unfactual information. It
will require trust worthy leadership with integrity to get us

(01:28:27):
back out of the weeds. As long as voters are
willing to be misguided to this extent, there will be
no coming back from the post truth era, says the Texter.
I don't think it's a one sided issue of people
pushing or people trying to spend their narratives of their agendas,
or pushing false narratives or questionable narratives. Those are politicians

(01:28:51):
run a politician. If I just turned that into a verb,
Trump's the biggest. Everything President Trump does is in fact
probably pushing the limit, the most and the most obvious
at what he does. But to some extent, everybody does it.
That's why we don't trust anybody anymore. Right, he just

(01:29:12):
happens to be the loudest in the room doing it.
But everybody will do it to some degree. Everybody will
do That's why we don't trust anybody anymore. That's why
we don't trust legacy media. That's why we don't trust
what we see on social media. We have a trust
issue what many of us do. Donald Trump is a
dry drunk. To be sure, He's to be commended for

(01:29:34):
not drinking out of love for his brother who died
for alcoholism, but he embraces the behaviors of an active alcoholic,
which is the family illness, says the Texter.

Speaker 2 (01:29:43):
Yeah, the Susie Wiles.

Speaker 1 (01:29:45):
Quote as a pull quote does not look good. They've
addressed that, called it a hit piece. And that's the
other thing. While I'm on that rant, this is what
happens with five minutes left in the show.

Speaker 2 (01:29:54):
I start ranting.

Speaker 1 (01:29:56):
You give an interview and the writer does a two
part article. You don't like what you said. You can't
call it a hit piece. I guess you can. You
can call it hit piece if you don't like it,
but you said it. Choose your words more wisely. Three
before talk, three before God blessed Brad Smith coming back
to West Virginia, and God bless the Space Force for

(01:30:18):
taking proper advantage of the best state in the Union
to protect our nation's critical infrastructure. Can you please stop
kissing Marshall on Huntington's backside all the time. It's a
four year JUCO and Huntington is like a third world country.
Brad Smith is the only president, so they can milk
more and more of his money, says the Texter. He's
done some good things. Brad Smith has increased enrollments at

(01:30:42):
Marshall University. They're growing, they're expanding, they have an aviation program.
And of course, yes I'm a little biased. I have
my degree from there, I went there, still do some
work down at Marshall, So yeah, I'm a little biased.

Speaker 2 (01:30:57):
There, and I will admit that.

Speaker 1 (01:30:59):
But he's done some good work done there, and Huntington
continues to climb out of the depths. I remember, bring
this up. I remember the National Guard helicopters. I remember
when the opioid epidemic was at its peak in Huntington,
and they are climbing out of it down there. They're
certainly making strides. All right, Gotta take a break, wrap
things up back in them all. The talk line from
the COVID shurt studios thousands.

Speaker 23 (01:31:21):
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Speaker 27 (01:31:52):
Some say he's a man of mystery. Others say he's
the holiday hitmaker. No one saw coming.

Speaker 17 (01:31:57):
It's showtime.

Speaker 27 (01:31:58):
The holiday hit maker walks the office halls with West
Virginia Lottery holiday scratch offs and an unstoppable spirit. What
are you doing.

Speaker 17 (01:32:06):
Bringing the holiday Hyope here, enjoy scratch off. It's on
me way ticket.

Speaker 3 (01:32:12):
My work here is done.

Speaker 27 (01:32:13):
Be the surprise hit maker. West Virginia Lottery games fun,
festive and full of flare. Please play responsibly.

Speaker 29 (01:32:20):
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(01:32:44):
Visit WVHTF dot org High Technology Foundation Shaping West Virginia's Future.

Speaker 1 (01:33:09):
A couple more texts here before we clear the way
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h four Talk three oh four. Textra says it's one
week until Festivus Next Tuesday, December twenty third, will be
celebrating Festivus and our anniversary. Eight love, Grand ad Our Hall.

(01:33:54):
I don't know if you want me to give out
your address, I'll skip that, but you'll be able to
find it. There's an elumited poll in the front yard.
The celebration goes from noon until midnights. Are coming and
enjoy good food, friends and good times and be prepared
for the airing of grievances and the feats of strength.
I've got a lot of problems with you people, says
Phil fest of Us a week from today.

Speaker 2 (01:34:17):
Maybe Phil.

Speaker 1 (01:34:20):
Now, if I even suggest Phil coming in to do
the feature of strength on the show, he'll do it.
So I had better watch what I wish for there.
Beta News Midday coming up. Dave Allen, Amanda Baron will
take you through the next three hours on many of
the same Metro News radio stations. We'll talk to you
tomorrow morning at ten oh six. This is talk Line
on Metro News for forty years, the voice of West Virginia.

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