Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
It's Metro News talk Line.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
We are live in the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College.
We'll find out today the winner of the West Virginia
Scholar Program. Got a lot to get to today. Let's
jump in Metro News talk Lines underway.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
You turned off from the studios of w v r
C Media and the Metro News radio and television network
of Voice of West Virginia. Comes the most powerful show
in West Virginia. It's Metro News talk Line with Dave
(00:46):
Wilson and TJ Meadows.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
So it's new cant from Charleston.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Stand by to David, TJ.
Speaker 5 (00:55):
You're on.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Metronews. Talk Line is presented by Encova Insurance, encircling you
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Speaker 2 (01:11):
Good morning, we are on the campus of West Virginia
Wesleyan College. Today again we will learn the winner of
this year's West Virginia Scholar Program. Dave Wilson along with
TJ Meadows. We got Jake de Link back in the studios,
work in the video stream, Mia Hinkins on the phones,
Kyle Wiggs handling radio duties today.
Speaker 5 (01:29):
Big Day, t J.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
This is one of the events you and I were
both looking forward to as when we were offered the
opportunity to take over for the Dean, and today we'll
get to be part of what is an optimistic and
encouraging event.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
As you look at these finalists for.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
This West Virgia Scholar program, they're impressive. It's an impressive group.
And that's kind of the same year in you're out.
Actually turn your Michael on tek you No, I could
turn you off too, Just keep that in mind.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
It's probably a good thing that you have that ability.
Speaker 6 (01:57):
Now.
Speaker 7 (01:58):
I mean, look, it's a.
Speaker 8 (01:59):
Day of celebrating young people and their accomplishments and to
your point, reveling in their success with them and frankly
gives you a lot of hope for the future. So
you know, we have a one kids here today. One
of them is going to walk away the ultimate winner.
But this is a real group of winners all around,
very impressive group of young people.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
And even just being a finalist for this honor opens
doors and opportunities down the.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Road, yes as well.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
So looking forward to that the lunch in about two
hours from now, we hope to meet some of the
finalists as this program unfolds this morning. Well, of course,
we've been partnered up with West Virginia Wesleyan College for
this program for well over a decade, now more than
a dozen years. Joining us here on set this morning
is the president of West Virginia Wesleyan College, doctor James Moore.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Doctor Moore, Good morning, Good morning, my friends.
Speaker 5 (02:46):
We're so excited to have you here, as we.
Speaker 9 (02:47):
Always are you excited about today. This is one of
my favorite days. I just get such a charge out
of meeting these young people. You know, I appreciate you
saying that that this day gives you some hope in
the future. All these young people are really special to
have even gotten this far in this process.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
Of course, we always say.
Speaker 9 (03:06):
To them, you know, all of you are winners for
having made it this far. That's that's that's Sometimes we
make sure we say that because somebody's gonna win today
and a whole bunch of other people aren't, and they'll
be disappointed maybe, but we always try to reinforce that
we're going to have all these students backs if they
decide they want to try to come here and make
it affordable, make it accessible. So this is a special
(03:28):
day because we've got some of the brightest kids in
West Virginia right in front of us, And yeah, they
do give me hope.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
I have a lot of hope for the future because
of these young people.
Speaker 8 (03:36):
And I would think we want to seed that hope
because one person today, you know, they're going to get
the full rock right, it's going to be smooth sailing
at least financially for them. They'll still have the riggers
and the academic challenges of college to deal with. But
college is expensive. Yeah today, professor, it is so helping
these kids realize a dream and being able to have
(03:58):
an education and one we're they're not saddled is important,
I know to you.
Speaker 9 (04:02):
Yeah, well, we're proud of the fact that our donors
for many generations. I mean we're we're one hundred and
thirty five year old college. We've been around for a
long time, and our donors have always given generously to
our scholarships programs to make this college affordable and accessible.
You know, almost every student that comes to West Virginia
(04:23):
Western College is receiving significant financial aid and most of
our students are graduating with not a lot of debt.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
We have a pretty good rating.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
As far as that goes.
Speaker 9 (04:33):
You know, our loan default rates are I won't get
into the weeds on all the higher ends, but we're
you know, our students leave here prepared for a successful
life and career and they're not saddled with a lot
of debt. But yeah, college can be expensive, and you know,
finding that sweet spot of how much you're supposed to
cost versus how much it takes to deliver quality education
(04:54):
is challenging. We've been saying this for the last couple
of years. You know, a good education a great education,
but a good education isn't cheap, and a cheap education
might not be good, right, So that sweet spot is
tough to find. But we really do make this place
affordable for everybody that wants to come here.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
President of West Virginia Wesley and College, James Moore, joining
us here on Mention News talk line this morning. One
of the things that going on in the state we
need nurses. We have a nursing shortage in West Virginia.
Wesley College just got a big approval to help address
that issue. Tell me what's going on.
Speaker 9 (05:27):
We're excited for the launch of our LPN to BSN
program that allows licensed practice licensed practicing nurses to find
their way into our four year BSN program. It'll be
a reduced time to degree completion for them. Our nursing
program has been around since nineteen sixty three, so it's
one of the oldest in the state. It's very very
(05:49):
much a part of our mission. But this is something
that's very much a passion for us because we look
around our region here in West Virginia and in Greater
Appalachia and the nursing shortage is really it's a great indication,
a significant indication the challenges that our state faces.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
This is life and death guys, as you know.
Speaker 9 (06:07):
I mean, we've got people who can't get in to
see providers because of the nursing and advanced practice provider shortage.
The mental health crisis in our region is absolutely, very acute.
And if we're not doing our part as an institution
of higher learning to meet those needs and solve those problems,
then we're not doing our jobs.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
So we're excited about this.
Speaker 9 (06:28):
And we're celebrating it, but we think it's imperative that
we show up and try to help.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
So that's what this is all about.
Speaker 8 (06:35):
Students here at West Virginia, Wesley and talent is our
number one commodity. It has to be here in Western Virginia.
Speaker 7 (06:41):
What are you doing?
Speaker 8 (06:41):
How are you working with these students not only to
educate them, but get them to want to stay here.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (06:47):
Well, one of the things that we're proud of. Fifty
seven percent of our undergraduate students are from West Virginia,
so just over half. And if you take a wider
look at our overall undergraduate student body, seventy five percent
from the Greater Appalachian Region, specifically part of Appalachia that
we inhabit. So we're sort of starting this race to
(07:08):
keep these students in the state from a point of
strength because they're already from this place and they obviously
have a love for the state if they've decided to
stay here for college. We're very adamant that our students
serve and lead, and by instilling in them a desire
to make their communities a better place, they don't need
(07:29):
to look very far to find those challenges and to
find places where they can make a difference.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
If it's right here at home.
Speaker 9 (07:37):
So we've always had a great track record of keeping
our students in the state and I don't see that changing.
You know, we partner with a lot of hospital systems
and healthcare providers for our healthcare programs, and we get
such great praise from these partners for our graduates. They
love our nursing graduates because they're ready to work with
(07:58):
patients on day one and they're passionate about working with patients.
Speaker 5 (08:02):
You know, one hospital.
Speaker 9 (08:03):
CEO said, what I love about wessel ingrads is they
want to be nurses. They're not using a nursing degree
as a way to maybe further their career into administration.
They want to touch patients and make a difference on
the first day.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
We've We're a small state.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Yeah, everybody's battling for the same students, trying to get
the same kids come out of college w Marshall, Fairmont State, Concord, Glimville.
But over the last maybe decade, it feels like we've
had more cooperation between the universities and the colleges than
we've ever had. Realizing everybody's got a role to play
and that, you know, the tide lifts all ships, not
(08:38):
just one or the other. How are you working with
the other schools around the state to you know, address
what we need here in West Virginia. That's young minds
staying here in WESTERNI you kind of touched on it,
But how you working with the other school.
Speaker 9 (08:48):
I love that question because, particularly with the other independent colleges,
I like to use the word independent rather than private.
The other independent colleges, they are not our competitors. They
are our sister is institutions. So case in point are
our great friends at Bethany College in the northern part
of the state. We are launching with them a program
(09:08):
that will will effectively allow students to get two degrees
for the price of one in four years. Students can
sign up to join the program that will allow them
to become a nurse, a BSN four year nurse. Bethany
College came to us and said, we'd like to start
a program. It's going to take us a long time
to launch it. You already have a great nursing program.
(09:29):
What if you open a program on our campus. Students
will stay on Bethany's campus for four years. They'll be
dual enrolled at both institutions. They'll graduate from Bethany in
four years with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and a
degree from West Virginia Westerlen College in nursing, so a.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
Four year degree.
Speaker 9 (09:46):
Two institutions partnering because Bethany saw a need in the
northern part of the state to produce more nurses. Wesleyan
has a great nursing program. The two colleges have a
wonderful relationship. From the time that we form the idea
to the time we put it on paper a couple
of months. We can move fast, way faster than larger institutions.
Small independent colleges are agile or nimble, and we're here
(10:07):
to serve.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Doctor James Moore, President of West Virginia Westland College, anybody
good to talk to you all.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
A fun day.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
We're going to meet some of the finalists if you
don't mind.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
Yeah, yeah, I'll get out of the way for that.
That's the fun part.
Speaker 10 (10:16):
Best.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
We'll do that coming up next.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
This is talk Line Live from the West Virginia Westland Campus.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
We'll be back in a moment.
Speaker 11 (10:22):
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(10:43):
West Virginia coal miners produce more met coal than any
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As President Trump reinvigorates our economy, he will need a
lot of our high quality met coal. So the West
(11:06):
Virginia Coal Association asks you to join with them to recognize,
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Speaker 12 (11:20):
A message from the friends of Coal.
Speaker 13 (11:23):
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Speaker 2 (14:24):
Here on the campus of West Virginia Wesley And College,
today we will learn the winner of the West.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
Virginia Scholar Program.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Metro News has been a part of this program well
over a decade.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Now over a dozen years.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Greer Industries has been a proud sponsor of this program.
Along the way and joining us on Metro News and
talk Line this morning, the President and CEO of Greer Industries,
mister John Racy.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
John Racy, Good morning, sir.
Speaker 16 (14:47):
Pay good morning. Who am I talking to? Is this
don Imus or i'mus in the morning or who is this?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
You got it, sir, you got it.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Just it's a couple of guys that somebody thought was
a good idea that could replace Hopey.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
I don't know who made that decision, but here we are.
Speaker 16 (15:03):
Well, I think copy made that decision. He was always
the supreme Allied Commander and we always listened to it.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Well, mister Racy, it's a great day here at Western
New Wesleyan College and Career Industries and Metro News. We've
been a part of this for you know, sixteen seventeen
years now. How exciting is this for you to be
part of it.
Speaker 16 (15:22):
Well, I'm just a little guy on the other end
of the helm, but I can tell you it's great
satisfaction to give back the West Virginians and certainly West
Virginia colleges and universities, and it's so important. I like
what doctor I think his name, James Moore said. I
was listening a little bit of the program, and he's
trying to be congruative with the state of West Virginia
citizen try in the Tri state area. In other words,
(15:44):
we're not going to la or Hong Kong to get
our students. It's not a diversity situation. It's a situation
where we look at people in this area and how
they can benefit and how they can stay here. I
think that's so important. And it may be West Virginia
University with its diversity programs a little bit offline, let's
say that, and I think that you're seeing the smallies,
(16:05):
smaller colleges and universities doing much better, which what doctor
Moore said and I was very impressed, and it's wonders
to me. I think that why do we have to
go all the way to Coastal Carolina possibly to get
a new president. We have a lot of really good
executives in education right here in the state of West Virginia,
and I hope the next time we get a president,
it's like what doctor Moore said, we need somebody more
(16:27):
congruentous to the area to understand what we're trying to
achieve in West Virginia.
Speaker 7 (16:31):
Mister Racy, good morning, TJ. Meadows here.
Speaker 8 (16:34):
I want to talk to you a bit about why
it's important for the business community to step up and
help in these efforts to retain our talent. I know
that's central to who we are at Metro News and
who we are at Greer Industries. Why is that important
for not only our company, but other companies to step
up and lead in that effort as well.
Speaker 17 (16:53):
Well.
Speaker 16 (16:53):
I'll give you a quote from the famous football coach
Paul Brown. He says, you've got to have the best
players on the field or you're not going to win.
And I believe that's his correct statement. I say, you
can do very well, but in the competitive world that
we live in today. You've got to be like that
old box of post host. You's just a little bit better.
And when you see locally educated people, locally educated, you
(17:15):
know a resource that we have. We have more energy
than any state in the United States with the exception
of two and still we still have a low standard
of living in West Virginia, which is not acceptable. So
I think the only way you can pull yourself up
is by your bootstraps. And you have executives that have
the ability to succeed and want to stay here. And
that's very important because a lot of times in human
(17:36):
resource people you know, my goodness, they are very successful.
In West Virginia. The first thing we want to do
is move on. And you have mentioned Hoppy Curtuble. Do
you know how many people in the industry would have
loved to have Hopey cutile from LA to New York
to Miami everybody. But he was a West Virginia He
was West Virginia educated, He was brilliant. Emmy's the whole situation,
(17:57):
you know, came to his corner. When you look at
Fox Broadcasting in Tronk's news, they would always recite Hopey.
Senators did, but he never left, did he? Because he's
a West Virginian and that's so important. And it's what
Wesleyan's doing with scholarships like this. They're concentrating on West Virginians.
I think that's exceptionally important. We can be very competitive.
(18:17):
We don't have to take a vackseat to anyone.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Mister Racy, we're going to meet some of the finalists
here for the West Vinion scholar Program. Thank you so
much again for your support, Greer support in this and
it's an exciting day and it's an encouraging day here
in Buchanan.
Speaker 16 (18:31):
Well, I think so too, and it's a pleasure to
work with everybody. And I've just one reminder. My father,
who on he was coaching Davis High School in nineteen
thirty four, played the state championship against Charleston and other
bigger schools with a little single aged school. Didn't win it,
but he went on to West Virginia University from Buffchanan
and West Virginia Wesleyan because that's where they used to
hold a state championship in basketball, a center of basketball.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Thank you, Thank you very much, John Racy, Presidency of
Greer Industries. Thank you again for your support joining us
here on set. This morning, we do have some of
the finalists here. They're mingling about arriving here at the
center and joining us on set from West Virginia. Here
at West Virginia Wesleyan College. You know what I lost
the list.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
It's Olivia Edwards.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
She's wearing a name tag. I know she's from Ripley
High School. Olivia, good morning.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (19:18):
Good morning?
Speaker 6 (19:18):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Are you excited?
Speaker 6 (19:20):
I am excited? Yes.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
So who convinced you to apply for this scholarship?
Speaker 6 (19:26):
So my counselors at my high school send out a
big email to the entire junior class and they were like, guys,
apply for this, Like even if you don't get it trying,
you know, you never know.
Speaker 7 (19:35):
So what do you think of the school? Are you
familiar with the school?
Speaker 8 (19:38):
Is it all your radar before this program or has
the program introduced.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
You to the school.
Speaker 6 (19:42):
The program has introduced me to the school entirely. I
had never really heard of Wesleyan before, so it was
a cool opportunity to like hear about another school that's local.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
So when you were notified you were a finalist, here's
your counselor had said, hey, you know, you never know,
go ahead, you got to apply what went through your
mind at that point.
Speaker 6 (20:00):
So I was actually at the local elementary school student teaching,
So notification comes through and I checked it and I
was like, oh, and then I continued.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
On with the lesson.
Speaker 7 (20:09):
So you want to be a teacher.
Speaker 6 (20:10):
Yes, I did want to be a teacher.
Speaker 7 (20:11):
Why why?
Speaker 6 (20:13):
I believe that I have the power to shape young
minds and that I truly care for all the students
that enter and I know that they have potential.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Is there a teacher who kind of inspired you to
go that direction?
Speaker 6 (20:25):
All of my teachers have pretty much been amazing.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Well, good luck today.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I know we've got some Ripley Vikings who work here
in the company. They're probably rooting for you. But good
luck and today, and good luck what you gets your
senior year left, don't get senior right. Is too early,
by the way, you're already thinking about it started yet,
Olivia Edwards, Ripley High School.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Thank you so much, Olivia, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
All right, we'll get another finalist in here this morn
We're going to do a quick change here on the fly.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
It's live radio and television.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
By the way, we're on the wv Metro News TV
app this morning, as again we're gonna find out the
winner of the West Virginia Scholar Program. Joining us here
on the set from Huntington High School.
Speaker 7 (21:08):
You're okay, and.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Did we look it?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
You know, we tried to get a good chair, Eli
got us a bad chair and you know it's live radio,
but it's okay. Ruby Ronan from Huntington High School is
joining us here on set this morning.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Ruby, good morning, good morning.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
All right, we're all settled. How are you doing? Are
you excited?
Speaker 18 (21:35):
I am.
Speaker 6 (21:36):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 19 (21:37):
I'm excited, just hoping for the best.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
So how did you find out about the Westerrnian Scholar
Program and decide, you know what, I'm going to.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Give a shot.
Speaker 19 (21:46):
I went to the Governor School of the Arts last year,
which was hosted here at Weslian. So they did a
big giant presentation about why we should all come here,
and one of the biggest things they talked about, what's
this opportunity. So when I got the email, I jumped
for joy. They were like, Hey, it's happening, you can
(22:09):
apply now. It was just really really exciting.
Speaker 7 (22:13):
What did you do in the School of the arts.
Speaker 19 (22:16):
I was in the visual arts program, so we with
Bobby the I guess instructor of it all. We did
all sorts of things. We learned printing, which was major.
There was all sorts of ink, all sorts I guess technologies.
Speaker 20 (22:37):
It was huge.
Speaker 19 (22:38):
It was lots of fun. I really would recommend it
to anyone who wants to try.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
What do you plan on the study?
Speaker 5 (22:44):
Do you know yet?
Speaker 1 (22:45):
I would like.
Speaker 19 (22:45):
To go into biology, which sort of leads into dietetics,
one of the things that I'm fascinated of. I really
just love learning different parts of life. I love knowing
what goes into things. I love knowing what things are
made of. It's just huge fun for me. I really
love it.
Speaker 7 (23:03):
So this place could be your playground.
Speaker 8 (23:05):
There's a way to discover here.
Speaker 19 (23:07):
There's so much undiscovered territory. I was here for GSA,
we went all around. I fell in love with it.
I fell in love with downtown Festival Fridays, and I
guess I was just really looking forward.
Speaker 21 (23:21):
To coming back.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Ruby Ronan from Huntington High School, Hey, good luck today,
good luck with your future, endeavoral senior year and on
into the future.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Appreciate you stopping bye, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Coming up, we will meet more of the finalists for
the West Virginia Scholar Program, also meet some of our
sponsors helping make this all possible. We're going to get
in a few topics as the show goes on as well.
Steven Allen Adams will join a second hour as we'll
talk about Governor Morrissey a little bit more.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Today, it's all straight ahead.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
This is talk Line on Metro News, the Voice of
West Virginia. It is ten thirty times to get a
news update. Let's check in with the Metro News radio network.
Find out what's happening across the great state of West Virginia.
Speaker 22 (24:02):
West Virginia Metro News. I'm Morgan Pimberton. More coal mining
layoffs in southern West Virginia.
Speaker 23 (24:08):
The Beckley based website loot Press is reporting this morning
that the company Civil LLC has notified Workforce West Virginia
that it plans to layoff two hundred and seventy nine
workers at its nine coal facilities in southern West Virginia
by the first week of August. The operations are both
coal mines and prep plants located in Fayette, Mingo, Logan
Boone and Raleigh Counties. The largest number of layoffs will
(24:30):
come at the CV two mine and prep plant in
Fayette County, where one hundred and fifty five people will
lose their jobs. The company is indicating these layoffs will
be permanent. Cuts in mining jobs have been a trend
in recent months in southern West Virginia. Core Natural Resources
previously announced plans to layoff two hundred workers at it
Ittman Mine in Wyoming County. I'm Jeff Jenkins WV Metronews
(24:52):
dot com Live.
Speaker 22 (24:53):
On the Levy is tonight, but before that, an anti
car rally known as the Great Race will be in
downtown Charleston. Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO
Tim Brady.
Speaker 24 (25:02):
So the way it'll break out tomorrow, these guys in
these really cool old antique cars will be leaving Frankfort,
Kentucky in the morning and driving to Charleston in a rally,
and they'll get to Charleston, they'll park their cars.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
They'll be like a pop up car show.
Speaker 22 (25:17):
The car show will begin around four to twenty this afternoon.
Base Value, a tribute to Phil Collins, will kick off
live on the levee at six, followed by the Charlie
West All Stars at seven thirty. You're listening to Metro News,
the Voice of West Virginia.
Speaker 11 (25:30):
Let no one ever say President Trump isn't a friend
of cold.
Speaker 12 (25:34):
Posting recently on his truth social.
Speaker 11 (25:36):
Account, the President said, and I quote, after years of
being held captive by environmental extremists, lunatics, radicals, and thugs,
allowing other countries, in particular China to gain tremendous economic
advantage over us by opening up hundreds of cold fired
power plants, I am authorizing my administration to immediately begin
producing energy with beautiful, clean cold. President Trump, his energy team,
(26:02):
and the EPA are doing everything imaginable to increase the
use of coal to provide reliable and cost effective electricity.
Speaker 12 (26:10):
West Virginia's leaders must follow suit.
Speaker 11 (26:12):
It's time we change the policies keeping coal from reaching
its potential, and let's follow the President's lead and maximizing
this once in a lifetime opportunity to unleash our coal
resources for the betterment of all West Virginias.
Speaker 12 (26:26):
A message from the Friends of Coal.
Speaker 22 (26:29):
Hey, Putnam County man is in jail after an incident
and Scott Depot last week fifty seven year old Barry
Newberry was arrested on Sunday and now faces a kidnapping
charged after he allegedly kidnapped and beat up Adam Schemes.
Schemes was taken to the hospital because deputy said that
he was buddy and appeared to have been beaten. Newberry
is currently being held on a one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars bond. Presidents in Putnam County got the chance
to look at Apple Watch and Power companies Bancroft Milton
(26:51):
Transmission lined rebuild project that aims to build twenty miles
worth of new lines in the county. You can read
more about that at wv metronews dot com. From the
Metro News anchor desk Morgan Pertons.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Virginia Wesley and College, Dave Wilson along with TJ. Meadow
is going to be meeting some more of our finalists
coming up here in just.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
A little bit.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Also, we are going to get into a few topics
of the day.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Yesterday TJ.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Hoppey was on the program with us, and of course
with the commentary this morning, kind of had the same
thought that our buddy Steven Allen Adams over at Auga
Newspapers had with regards to Governor Morrissey and the vaccine exemptions.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Exactly where is he coming from him? Why are we
still having this conversation.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
We're going to talk to Steve Adams second hour later
on the eleven o'clock hour, because both of them are
kind of asking the same questions.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
And maybe that's just.
Speaker 8 (27:48):
The turning tide in politics, Stave. Maybe it's more la
business these days. You know, always be closing, we'll always
be politicking, always be running, And maybe that is the
mo in.
Speaker 7 (27:57):
Our political cycles these days.
Speaker 8 (27:58):
There already much people start much earlier, So maybe you're
just always running these days, and that's what we have
to look forward to and what we have to get
used to in West Virginia and the nation beyond.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
We got a couple of students, were gonna get one
of them on the program right now, a couple of
finalists here. We're at the West Virginia Wesleyan College campus today,
as about an hour and a half from now, we
will be learning who will be the West Virginia Scholar
of the Year this year.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Here in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
A couple of the sponsors going to join us as
well ZMM Architects, Wes Virginia Hospital Association. We talked to
John Racy of course with Greer Industries, all proud sponsors
of this program, joining us on Metro News talk line.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
One of the finalists, Owen Herrick, Did I say it
right on? Yep? All right, buddy from Magnolia. Yeah, how
you doing? Are you excited? Yeah? You don't look exceled.
You look pretty calm for the moment. Yeah. Is this
your excited face?
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yeah, most of the time, buddy, So I get involved.
Why did you decide, you know what, I'm gonna take
a shot at this.
Speaker 20 (29:06):
I mostly wanted to go here for the well educated scenario,
and they're going to start a cybersecurity program in this fall, which.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I really wanted to be a part of it. I
want to be the.
Speaker 20 (29:22):
Second year constancy coming here if I do get the scholarship.
But other than that, some of the other programs that
are here.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
I really what interested about cybersecurity.
Speaker 20 (29:43):
Mostly people who are like older folks, who don't know
what people are trying to get them to do or
scam them.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
I don't like.
Speaker 20 (29:57):
How that's going on throughout West Virginia right now. There's
millions being scammed right now as we speak.
Speaker 8 (30:08):
So you want to take a role in trying to
step up and stop some of that. I'm wondering, have
you had an experience? Have you seen someone be scammed
and that's what's inspired you.
Speaker 20 (30:17):
Yeah, my mom when I was young, she actually fell
for a scam when I was younger, and I never
knew it, but she did tell me recently that she
did get sem and she lost a lot of money
from it, and I don't want that to happen again
for other people.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
So what went through your mind when you found out
you were actually a finalist, Because you know, you apply
for all these scholarships and you go, oh, yeah, maybe
I will, maybe I won't, and then I'll be darned.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Here you are today.
Speaker 20 (30:45):
I was actually a little bit shocked that I was
one top fifteen finalists. I was actually proud of myself
because a few of my others student at a technical institute,
the Mid High Valley Technical Institute, also applied for it.
(31:09):
Sadly he didn't get into the top fifteen. I was shocked.
Speaker 8 (31:12):
I was what were you doing when you found out.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
I was actually working?
Speaker 8 (31:20):
Yeah, so you get a text on your phone or
an email, and it's like, oh, wow, this is going on.
Speaker 25 (31:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 20 (31:26):
I got an email from the state that I got
into the top fifteen and I was like, wait a minute,
I did not think I would be here today.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Well, oh, and congratulations on getting this far. This is
an achievement in and of itself. And good luck today,
good luck senior year, good luck in the future.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
Man.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Hopefully you can come next time I fall for a
phone scam about getting a black top for one hundred
and fifty bucks, you.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Can help me out. Yep. I appreciate it. Oh, and
thank you very much. You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
That's Owen Harrik Magnolia High School joining us here on
Metro News talk line. We got another finalist standing by again.
Big thanks to all the people who help make this happen.
Your industries, Westernian Hospital Association's ZMM Architects and Engineers, West
Virginia Farm Bureau, Friends of Colon. Of course, Metro News
part of all of this as well. Wyatt's Wyatt, say
(32:20):
your last name for me because I will get it wrong.
Bram Yep, all right from Kingwood, Preston High School, Preston
High School, Preston, Proud Night making his way down here, buddy.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
How are you?
Speaker 18 (32:30):
I'm pretty good.
Speaker 5 (32:31):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (32:31):
Are you excited? Owen didn't have much of an excited
face there for us. Are you excited?
Speaker 5 (32:35):
Pretty excited?
Speaker 18 (32:36):
Pretty nervous?
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Of course?
Speaker 1 (32:37):
What are you nervous about?
Speaker 18 (32:38):
I mean, if I'm gonna win?
Speaker 5 (32:39):
Obviously?
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Well, I mean you think you're gonna win, right.
Speaker 18 (32:41):
Yeah, obviously?
Speaker 2 (32:42):
So what motivated you to seek this scholarship? Because it's
a pretty prestigious award.
Speaker 18 (32:49):
When I went here last summer, it was actually almost
a year ago. It's a little bit over a year
ago for Governor's School for the Arts. This room, I
don't know if you can see it, but it's the
Greek Life Room, like the Memorial Room. It was where
we had our theater for the GSA, And that was
really my first time being on was in campus, and
(33:10):
I absolutely fell in love with it and fell in
love with its programs and its people.
Speaker 7 (33:16):
What do you want to study?
Speaker 18 (33:17):
I want to study history, but I want to be
not so much a teacher as a historian.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
What part of history are you most interested in?
Speaker 18 (33:23):
That's that's a good question because there's so many that
it's like, it's really hard to choose and it's really intertwined.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Well, any subjects you choose, you can get you can
take such a deep dive on and then that takes
you off onto another road, and then you end up
on another road off of just one. It could be
one incident, one period of time, one event. That's what
fascinates me about history.
Speaker 18 (33:48):
Yes, like one person could be connected to fifty other
things and you would never know, and so I wanted
to look into that. Basically, I love research and I
love learning and being able to learn about something that
has already happened.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
And how that can apply to today. It's funny how
history will. You'll see things in history and go the
same things happening today, only it's with you know, social
media versus newspapers and flyers just throwing it out there.
Speaker 7 (34:17):
What other things interest you?
Speaker 18 (34:19):
I don't know. If my shirt has whale sharks on it, it's
very cool. I love animals in general, and whale sharks
are one of my favorites.
Speaker 8 (34:26):
Why how did you find whale sharks?
Speaker 18 (34:29):
I don't actually remember, but I think it's on a documentary.
They're just massive, majestic beasts and they're like a lot
of people are confused when you tell them that because
they're like a whale shark.
Speaker 5 (34:40):
Is it a whale?
Speaker 17 (34:40):
Is it a shark?
Speaker 18 (34:41):
And it makes it a shark because of the way
its bones are. They're not actually bones made of cartilage,
which is what a shark is traditionally made out of.
But they are considered the largest living fish in the sea.
Now you have larger like animals, you have whales, you
have blue whales, you have humpback whales, But the largest
fish is a whale shark. And so I'm a big
(35:03):
advocate for taking like it's preventing extinction for them and
especially for really any animal.
Speaker 8 (35:09):
If history gets boring, it sounds like marine biology would
be right up the alley as well.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
Or it could be an architect. Who knows.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Hey, Wyatt, good luck buddy, Congratulations on making it this far.
Good luck today, good luck moving forward, good luck with
the whale sharks. If that's the way you go, maybe
you could be a whale shark historian. Every thought about
combining the too very interesting. I'm just throwing it out there,
history whale sharks. I love when the guy looks at
me like, oh my gosh, can he just said that real?
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Hey? What?
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Congratulations? Good luck today, but he appreciates stop appreciate your tickcare.
We are on the campus of West Virginia Wesley And
College today for the Westvirgia Scholar Program. We'll meet one
of our fine sponsors.
Speaker 5 (35:44):
Coming up.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
We'll get to some topics as well as the day
goes on. It's talk Line live from Buchanan. We're back
in a moment.
Speaker 26 (35:52):
Traffic Is it a standstill up ahead due to Cleopatra's
royal carriage overturning and spilling thousands of valuable jims near
the exit.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Back to you.
Speaker 27 (36:00):
I Play, West Virginia's new online lottery app is here
and the games are full of characters. Start playing today
at wb lottery dot com or download the official West
Virginia Lottery app and discover even more ways to win
with play on our new rewards program. So join the
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Virginia Lottery eighteen plus to play Play.
Speaker 25 (36:19):
Responsibly, Snap and Medicaid. Help West Virginia kids get fed,
help our veterans get by, and help grandparents get the
care they deserve. If these programs get cut, people will
be hurt. It's just that simple. In West Virginia. We're
taught to look out for each other. That's just common decency.
(36:41):
Call Senator Justice and Senator Capito, tell them to do
the decent thing, protect snap and Medicaid paid for by
Mountaineer Food Bank.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
You're listening to talk Line on Metro News, the Voice
of West Virginia.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
That will news this morning the biggest story from around
the state of West Virginia when you want them. Chris
Lawrence at the anchor Dacks, we are ready to.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
Get the day going with all the information you need
in the Mountain state.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Jeff Jenkins brings you the day's headlines.
Speaker 23 (37:10):
The annual measurement of the welfare of kids in all
fifty state show children in West Virginia faring better. The
annual Kids Count book is out this morning. West Virginia
ranks forty first, moving up from forty fourth last year.
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy Director of Kelly
Allen says been improvement, but more progress is needed. The
study says things are getting better for kids in West
Virginia the areas of housing security, children being covered by insurance,
(37:33):
and declining team birth rates.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Kyle Wiggs at the sports Dats.
Speaker 28 (37:37):
West Virginia trailed from the top of the first on
at LSU. Mountaineers tried to battle back. The offense did
park up, but LSU won the game twelve to five
in the super Regional in West Virginia.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Season ends at forty four and sixteen.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
Metro News This Morning Listen where you get your favorite
podcasts and online at WV Metro News dot com.
Speaker 29 (37:57):
Need a break from the headlines and mindless drivel. Atterdews
Hotline brings you that much needed afternoon distraction, but with substance.
My decades in journalism plus a passion for everything from
baseball nostalgia to the latest tech trends mean insights you
won't get anywhere else. Coop brings the pop culture know
how in good natured ribbing while your calls take things
(38:18):
in surprising directions. Tune in for the lively chats that
are refreshingly different. Find us from three to six weekdays
on Metro News, the Voice of West Virginia.
Speaker 30 (38:26):
It's two hours of sports conversation to wrap up your weekend.
It's the City Net Sunday Night Sports Line.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
Hey, this is Travis Joes.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
Joining myself and Greg Hunter.
Speaker 30 (38:34):
Every Sunday night from six oh six until eight o'clock
As we wrap up the sports weekend, we talk Mountaineers,
high School, Mountain East Conference, and the latest in the
national scene. The Sunday Sports Line is listener interactive. You
could call or text the show at three oh four
Talk three oh four. It's a perfect weekend sports wrap
up on your favorite metro news a Philly horror watch
the show at wv metronews dot com.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
Natural News Talk Line is presented by Encova Insurance and
circling you with coverage to protect what you care about most.
Visit Encova dot com to learn more.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
Back on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College today,
where we will learn the winner of the West Virginia
Scholar Program in twenty twenty five. We couldn't have this
program if we weren't for a host of great sponsors,
including West Virginia Farm Bureau. Stephen Butler is with the
West Virginia Farm Bureau. He joins us here on campus
this morning.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
The morning. Stephen, Good morning, How you doing, buddy? Great?
Great here?
Speaker 2 (39:41):
Why is the Farm Bureau involved? What's why be involved
in this program?
Speaker 31 (39:46):
Well, the Farm Bureau is a membership organization in West Virginia,
but we see the need of our youth and education
across the state. So although we represent the voice of
agriculture in West Virginia, still want to see the youth
stay here in West Virginia and be bible.
Speaker 8 (40:04):
What's on the front burner for your members in your
organization these.
Speaker 31 (40:07):
Days, Well, we advocate and work. If you're a member
of West Virginia Farm Bureau, you join at the county level,
but then you become a state member and then you're
a national member as well, and so we're advocating for
agricultural issues, whether it be on state or national level.
And sometimes there's issues that come up within the county
that need to be addressed, and so's there's always seems
(40:30):
like there's something new out there to face and be
concerned about.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
How are farmers doing in West Virginia right now?
Speaker 31 (40:37):
Well, this year the beef market is great.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
They're doing well.
Speaker 31 (40:40):
You know, last year we come off of a drought
issue and a lot of suffrage there. But as we
see this year, that's a little bit reverse and getting
your hay up. The first time around. It's been rainy,
but we appreciate the moisture getting back in the ground.
Speaker 7 (40:56):
Did short term heat waves affect you at all?
Speaker 31 (40:58):
Well, this was really the first good wind to to
actually be in the hayfields and a lot of folks
so it's been it's been a stressful week though with
the heat is there.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Is a specific I don't know if it's a smell
or a feeling, that warm, humid mourning that brings back
memories of hay fields, that smell of fresh cut hay
and you go, oh, I remember that, and you go, oh, boy,
that's a lot of work.
Speaker 5 (41:23):
It is.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Boy, that's a lot of itchy work too, A lot.
Speaker 31 (41:26):
Of its you work back, especially in the square bells days.
But you know, now a lot of us have converted
to round bales, a lot of different technology has come along,
and in agriculture, as we see it continues to evolve
and grow and we do less with more or more
with less land.
Speaker 8 (41:41):
Now, well, I think the challenge is especially for a
small family farm, but they got to be getting tougher.
It's got to be tougher and tougher every year. And
I'm sure you hear that from your members. I'm sure
you're trying to help them through that.
Speaker 10 (41:54):
It is.
Speaker 31 (41:54):
It is tougher you know your economic viability as a farmer.
That's way you see so many larger, larger farms because
when you have the investment of whether it be in
equipment or the assets you need to operate land whatever.
Speaker 5 (42:10):
Diesel diesel fuel fertilizer is huge.
Speaker 31 (42:13):
You don't realize that input cost. You know it's increased
this year because of some of the tariffs and so forth,
has caused prices to go up. But yes, it's it
is a big investment.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
How do you attract youth kids who are going to
college to agriculture.
Speaker 31 (42:31):
Well, again, they have to see the return. We were
blessed this year at WVU. We got our collegiate chapter
bre invigorated. Hadn't been active since COVID, you know that struggled,
But this year we had a great group of young individuals,
(42:53):
very interested in agriculture, very good to come up and
be advocates for agriculture. So it's just getting them engaged
and involved and understanding it's it's not all about work
in the field either. There's a lot of science behind agriculture.
Speaker 8 (43:09):
I think good business education too would make a big difference.
Speaker 31 (43:12):
The good business education is important that like they offer
here it's it's all very important.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
Can you believe there are actually people who just film
their job on the farm and then put on YouTube
and make money.
Speaker 1 (43:24):
Off that day.
Speaker 7 (43:24):
Can you believe that?
Speaker 8 (43:25):
Oh yes, oh yes, called digital farming.
Speaker 5 (43:29):
It's it is a lot of that out there.
Speaker 31 (43:32):
And and it's the fact that the consumer is interested
in knowing where their food comes from and what we
do do you know, and that's important that we probably
for years did not promote that. And how important agriculture
is you you realize in West Virginia it's a it's
a one billion dollar uh economic impact in Virginia. And
(43:55):
remember each dollar that's in the community is multiplied by
seven times. So you stop and think that's a huge impact.
Speaker 8 (44:02):
Well, and I would think just with your industry and
the local focus, that's a dollar that is more likely
to stay here maybe than some other dollars.
Speaker 4 (44:09):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
What's your favorite tractor, John or Steven?
Speaker 2 (44:12):
Oh, they all are the one that runs.
Speaker 31 (44:14):
Right, one that runs, and the one that breaks down.
Speaker 7 (44:18):
You hope you have a good dealer diplomatic answer.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
That's right, Steven Butler, Westvirginia Farm Bureau, Hey, thank you
for being part of the West Virginia Scholar Program.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
Thank you for being here today. It's going to be fun.
Speaker 31 (44:27):
It's going to be great. We're excited to see the
students at here appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Buddy, Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
We have more from the Campus of West Virginia, Wesley
and College in a moment.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
This is talk line. We're back after this.
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Speaker 2 (45:39):
You're listening to Talkline on Metro News, the voice of
West Virginia.
Speaker 33 (45:46):
Wv metronews dot com the only website you need to
stay informed in the Mountain State. Get the latest news
and sports story, information on the great outdoors, and never
miss an episode of your favorite Metro News programs and podcasts,
including talk Line, Hotline, sports Line, and Three Guys Before
the Game. Make a bookmark now and visit wv metronews
(46:07):
dot com first thing every morning to find out what's
happening all across the state. Wv metronews dot com.
Speaker 3 (46:15):
West Virginia Outdoors is the Mountain State's only hook and
bullet radio show dedicated to the more than quarter million
hunters and anglers across the state. Award winning host Chris
Lawrence has been tracking down hunting and fishing stories for
more than twenty five years.
Speaker 34 (46:29):
And I knew he had a major thing over on
in front of your boat, I said, Lenna, go ahead
and put over on. See what a measurement a goat?
And he went over and laid it on the thing.
He real quietly lit w he well, bull, he said.
Speaker 33 (46:40):
I might as well not call my.
Speaker 35 (46:44):
So the DNR guy was already on the way to
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Speaker 36 (46:50):
Well, he hadn't called me back. That reason we kept
fishing because he hadn't called me back.
Speaker 3 (46:54):
Whether it's hunting and fishing news or just compelling stories
about the enjoyment of the great outdoors, West Virginia Outdoors
covers it all Saturday mornings at seven oh six am
and for your daily fix, Outdoors Today brings you two
and a half minutes of news and notes from the
woods and water every weekday morning on Metro News The
Voice Up West Virginia.
Speaker 30 (47:14):
It's two hours of sports conversation to wrap up your weekend.
It's the City Net Sunday Night Sports Line. Hey, this
is Travis Joe is joining myself and Greg Hunter every
Sunday night from six oh six until eight o'clock. As
we wrap up the sports weekend. We talk mountaineers, high school,
Mountain East Conference, and the latest in the national scene.
The Sunday Sports Line is listener interactive. You could call
or text the show at three oh four Talk three
(47:37):
oh four. It's a perfect weekend sports wrap up on
your favorite metro news at Philly or watch the show
at wv Metronews dot com.
Speaker 2 (47:53):
BET News Talk Line Live on the campus of West
Virginia Wesleyan College Today Live on the campus at Western
New wesley In College Today Mention News talk Line David TJ.
Speaker 1 (48:04):
About an hour from.
Speaker 2 (48:05):
Now, we'll be finding out who the winner of the
twenty twenty five Western India Scholar Program is.
Speaker 1 (48:10):
Steven Allen Adams going to join.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
Us coming up in the second hour all the newspaper
columnst He's got some thoughts on maybe why Governor Morrissey
is going down this road and digging in his heels
on the vaccine exemption policy. We've got a couple of
minutes here, mister Meadows.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
So I heard a little Birdie told me, uh oh.
Speaker 2 (48:33):
You got into a little bit of a thing on
social media last night. There was a protest outside Center
Capitol's offices in Charleston. Six people got arrested, and you
shared your thoughts on the social media last night. You
could pick up the story from there. You see what
he does to me ladies and gentlemen. You know he
drops his summy. So look, here's my thing protesting.
Speaker 1 (48:52):
You should do it.
Speaker 8 (48:54):
Absolutely, have a march ab a rally. When you enter
a private building where other tenants occupy that building, and
you are interfering with the quiet, use and enjoyment of
other tenants by having a sit in in a shared
lobby trying to see a senator who you know is
not there. You're trying to get attention. You're being performative.
Speaker 2 (49:16):
I don't blame you.
Speaker 7 (49:17):
It worked.
Speaker 8 (49:18):
Everybody's talking about it, but I don't know how effective
that is. Stand out front. But if you stand out
in front, Dave, you don't get the television cameras. So yeah,
I opined on it a bit. There were some comparisons made,
all well intentioned, good debate about the fact that what
Rosa parks, you know, Ruby bridges. Different people were brought up.
That's different. Those were civil rights violations that led to
(49:42):
the Civil Rights Act, and civil disobedience that inspired, excuse me,
inspired the Civil Rights Act. I think we're talking apples
and oranges there. That was all very well and good
should have been done. I'm a big fan of what
Rosa Parks did and others. I don't think what happened
yesterday is comparable to Rosa Parks personally.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
You're right, it was blis.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
I mean, it was six people who were trying to
get attention, and apparently you're right. Apparently it worked because
we brought it up on this program. But you know,
I saw there was some commentary there, and there was
some commentary after the commentary, but you know, such as life.
Speaker 7 (50:14):
Should I just keep my mouth shut?
Speaker 2 (50:15):
Probably? But you know, well, I mean we've got four
minutes here. If you want to really stir it up, well, I'm.
Speaker 1 (50:20):
In on social media.
Speaker 8 (50:22):
I mean, should I just not opine on the issues
of the day? I kind of, you know, it's funny
sometimes I don't want to. I kind of feel like
I'm paid to, you know.
Speaker 1 (50:31):
But I will say this.
Speaker 8 (50:32):
I think at the end of the day, even though
things may be you know, may be perceived or may
actually be a little heated, I think a good debate
on social media about these issues and people sharing their viewpoints,
I think that's good because otherwise I.
Speaker 7 (50:46):
Don't know what the other guy thinks.
Speaker 8 (50:47):
I know what I think but I should want to
know what other people think, and frankly, I think it's
healthy when we all want to know what other people think.
Speaker 2 (50:54):
Well, as far as social media goes, you and I
both know social media is not real life, no opinion.
If you go on social media, you ten percent on
who live on the far left and the far right.
That's where they live. They live on social media, and
the algorithms are designed to push content to you that
stirs an emotional response, that stirs the most emphatic response
(51:17):
out of you, so you will continue to get a
dopamine kick, get the dopamine kick, and continue to consume
the social media.
Speaker 7 (51:24):
But what if we flipped that?
Speaker 8 (51:25):
What if more of us who want genuine debate back
to what we call or what I call the sensible center?
What a star will call them?
Speaker 1 (51:31):
Again?
Speaker 5 (51:31):
What was his?
Speaker 1 (51:32):
The normy's or something normous? What if more people with media?
But what if they were?
Speaker 8 (51:39):
It's not the tool's fault, it's how we use the tool.
Speaker 7 (51:45):
It's not social media's fault.
Speaker 1 (51:47):
Said something else. Okay, but look at what I'm saying.
Speaker 8 (51:50):
I mean, is it is it social media that's the
problem or is it.
Speaker 7 (51:53):
How we use it?
Speaker 2 (51:56):
You mean is it's not the tool social media, it's fault.
Speaker 7 (52:00):
Well I thought that was clear.
Speaker 2 (52:01):
Well, I thought you meant something else there.
Speaker 1 (52:05):
Three or four talk three or four. We do have
a couple of texts coming in. Try to save the segment.
Three or four.
Speaker 2 (52:10):
Will you be reporting on President Trump administration intelligence briefing
this morning to Congress or we'll be all Wesley. We're
going to be mostly about the Wesleyan stuff today we can.
Speaker 1 (52:19):
Trump will be there tomorrow. Don't worry, he'll be He
may be there in twenty twenty nine. Who knows.
Speaker 2 (52:24):
Uh, we'll get back into that tomorrow. Starwalt will join us.
We'll never miss a good opportunity. You are on your game.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
You never wrote us in there.
Speaker 2 (52:33):
Texter says, Hope he's not a native of West Virginia.
Trump should deport him back to Virginia. Well, he was
born in Winchester.
Speaker 1 (52:39):
Why not?
Speaker 11 (52:40):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (52:41):
Three four talk three oh four.
Speaker 2 (52:43):
I'm happy for the student who will get to go
to West Virginia Wesley and with a full ride. I
went there as an undergraduate and it definitely changed my life.
I wish the best for all of the scholars, says
the Texter. And that's The main reason we are here today,
obviously for the West Virginia Scholar Program on the campus
of West Virginia wesley In College. And look, we spend
I mean each and every day, two hours a day
(53:05):
most days TJ, trying to discuss what's wrong, what needs
to be fixed. How do we approach that. We've got
trouble in the Middle East. We need roads paved, there's floods,
and it can be quite discouraging, yes, but today is
very encouraging because you see this group of finalists. They're
doing things. At seventeen years old TJ. That wasn't even
(53:26):
a thought in my mind, but that's what's encouraged.
Speaker 7 (53:30):
I'm forty four.
Speaker 8 (53:30):
I still don't know what I want to do when
I grow up.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
We have more to come as we continue from the
College West Virginia Wesleyan College in buck Canan.
Speaker 1 (53:39):
This top line continuesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.
Speaker 3 (01:00:04):
Metro News talk Line is presented by Incopa Insurance, encircling
you with coverage to protect what you care about most.
Visit incova dot com to learn more.
Speaker 1 (01:00:16):
Second hour Metro News talk line.
Speaker 2 (01:00:17):
We're live on the campus of West Virginia Wesley and
College today for the announcements of the twenty twenty five
West Virginia scholar Program winner. The finalists getting a tour
of campus. About an hour from now, we will find
out the winner of this year's full scholarship. And when
we mean full scholarship, we mean everything tuition, room, board, fees, everything,
(01:00:38):
full scholarship to West Virginia Wesley and College. A little
bit later on we'll get into some of the news today.
Steven Allen Adams Agin Newspapers will join us, coming up
at the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1 (01:00:48):
Good morning once again to mister TJ.
Speaker 5 (01:00:50):
Meadows.
Speaker 1 (01:00:51):
TJ. Hey doing.
Speaker 7 (01:00:52):
I'm well, David. It's great to be here. This is
such a beautiful campus. It's nice just to you know.
Speaker 8 (01:00:56):
I took a little stroll inadvertently because I get lost easily,
but I took a little stroll around the campus before
we came in. It's a beautiful day. It's just a
nice place to be. It's a beautiful campus. The chapel
is spectacular. It's a great day here.
Speaker 2 (01:01:09):
And one of the students is going to win a
full ride to attend here a year from now. They
guy still got to finish up their senior years, obviously,
but there'll be.
Speaker 1 (01:01:16):
Some of them have senior itis.
Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
Well, a couple of them we spoke to in the
first home. They were like, you know, I'm not really
into my senior year. I'm ready to move on to them.
Speaker 7 (01:01:23):
Were you any different?
Speaker 1 (01:01:24):
Ah, I'm probably a bad example. I mean I graduated,
That's all that I'm well.
Speaker 2 (01:01:32):
Of course, today is made possible a lot of great
sponsors who help out with this program each and every year,
the West Virginia Hospital Association, of course, among them Vice
president of Financial Policy Melanie Dempsey joining us here from
the Hospital Association.
Speaker 1 (01:01:43):
How you doing? That'solute great?
Speaker 2 (01:01:45):
How are you guys?
Speaker 17 (01:01:46):
I agree this is a beautiful backdrop to give away
such an important award today for so many award deserving students.
Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
Why is it important for the Hospital Association to be
involved in the West Virginia Scholar Program.
Speaker 17 (01:01:57):
You know, we've talked about the hospital industry and health
care needing workers. It's the same all over the state.
We're interested in providing opportunities for our bright West Virginians
to have the opportunity to stay right here, accomplish for
their dreams, and hopefully stay here in the state.
Speaker 9 (01:02:13):
And give back.
Speaker 8 (01:02:15):
I feel we almost need to get on bended knee
and plead with them to stay here. Yes, because if
they don't stay here, everything else we talk about, I
feel like that falls apart.
Speaker 17 (01:02:24):
Well, that's what we want to help retain them, give
them this opportunity. If you read the bios of all
of these students who are up for the award today,
every one of them is deserving. Their parents, their families
have done a lot to get them here. They should
be proud of that, and we're excited to see who
will ultimately win that full ride scholarship.
Speaker 2 (01:02:44):
We're all roughly about the same age here. So but
remember when we were in school. What did you hear
or what was the perception coming through school?
Speaker 1 (01:02:50):
We've got to get out of West Virginia. We got
to leave, we got to go.
Speaker 2 (01:02:54):
That narrative's got to change somewhere, and I don't know
how to do it. Maybe Melanie, you've got a great idea.
But because there are good opportunities here, especially healthcare AVA
and it feels that you probably if you're fifteen, sixteen, seventeen,
years old, probably don't even associate with the state of
West Virginia.
Speaker 1 (01:03:09):
There are opportunities here.
Speaker 2 (01:03:11):
I don't know if kids, I don't know if they
know about them or that's just that perception gets so
stuck in your head that you can't you can't. Well,
you know, because you know it all. It's seventeen we
all know it all.
Speaker 1 (01:03:20):
We know it all now. As a matter of fact.
Speaker 17 (01:03:22):
Sure, I've got teenage kids. They talk about that amongst
their friends, but I tell them all the time. I
was born in southern West Virginia. I had the opportunity
to grow up here and have never had to leave
the state for the opportunities of what I want to do.
I think if the students and our young people really
look at what we have to offer here, they will
find they will have the opportunity to grow and accomplish
(01:03:45):
anything they want and contribute back to the state of
West Virginia.
Speaker 8 (01:03:48):
Well, the world is such a different place today.
Speaker 7 (01:03:50):
We were talking off earlier.
Speaker 8 (01:03:51):
I used to work in a certain geographic urban area
and was based there, but started telecommuting, and you know,
with the way the world is now post COVID, I
feel like, even though it's gone back to the office
a little bit. It's still acceptable. So have your job
anywhere in the world you want it, but live here
and never have to leave, and never have to sacrifice.
Have the best of both worlds.
Speaker 17 (01:04:12):
I mean, we're close enough that if we want to
go to a metropolitan area for a day trip or
a long weekend, we certainly have that opportunity to do so.
But I don't know that I would want to go
anywhere else with the surroundings and the opportunity that we've
really been given here already.
Speaker 2 (01:04:26):
Mellie Dempsey is joining US West Virginia Hospital Association. Since
we got you here, anything happening big right now in
the healthcare industry field that's got your attention, Perhaps big
beautiful anything happening.
Speaker 17 (01:04:38):
I don't know if we'd call it the Big Beautiful Bill,
would you call it the me We would probably identify
more there. But in all seriousness, medicaid is a hot
topic in Washington right now. It's probably the primary source
of cuts for the Big Beautiful Bill coming through to
pay for some other initiatives, and we've really been talking
(01:04:59):
to our congressional delegation and looking at how that, quite frankly,
would affect West Virginia. You know, we've got we've got
over five hundred thousand people in West Virginia who rely
on Medicaid for their coverage. It's a large part of
our state budget, and about seventy five percent of all
of those Medicaid dollars in the state come from the
federal government. Right, So any cuts that happen there will
(01:05:22):
significantly affect our state. And what we're really looking at
and talking about are those services that are at risk
that have high Medicaid utilization. You know, the pediatrics, emergency
room services, mental and behavioral health ob services. Those are
all important access points that we want in our communities.
What happens is is if Medicaid gets cut, those services
(01:05:46):
are put at risk for not just the Medicaid population,
but for the entire community.
Speaker 25 (01:05:50):
Right.
Speaker 17 (01:05:51):
Any of our hospitals, approximately twenty five percent of the
patients coming in have Medicaid as their payer source. So
it's a significant concern for us. We've, like I said,
been in constant contact with our congressional delegation and are
working to protect that language in the bill to ensure
West Virginia's retaining their coverage.
Speaker 8 (01:06:11):
We were talking off air you took the politics out
of it and you went with the practical side. You
cut medicaid to whatever degree. Right, it's not going to
stop people from showing up at the door.
Speaker 17 (01:06:21):
No, No, think back to prior twenty fourteen, before West
Virginia had expanded Medicaid, Right, you didn't see people not
get sick, not go to the hospital when they needed it.
You saw a lot of patients go to emergency rooms
right for their primary care. You saw them go to
the hospital without insurance. That just became uncompensated care that
(01:06:41):
somebody had to absorb or pick up. So we're not
going to see patients stop seeking care. It's just going
to burden our hospitals and our healthcare providers even further
with the other administrative burdens that are in the provisions
of the bill, and we're just going to make it
more difficult and really threaten the access points in our
our communities.
Speaker 2 (01:07:02):
I'm not going to ask you if you have a
better answer, But the crux of the matter, TJ and
I talk about this all the time. These programs the
path are on right, TJ. Unsustainable. We cannot sustain every
all the programs that we pay for at the federal
leveled state level. They're all important to somebody. I don't
have a good answer.
Speaker 5 (01:07:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:07:20):
I don't expect you to have a great answer on
how to fix it. Off you did, I would, I would.
Speaker 2 (01:07:23):
Write a book and sell it to somebody in Washington
if I were you mail Let me just throwing it
out there. But that's the I guess catch twenty two
of all of this. We all know the debt needs
to be addressed. We all know these programs need to
be addressed.
Speaker 1 (01:07:34):
I don't know that there's a good answer on how
to fix any of them.
Speaker 17 (01:07:36):
Sure, and we agree with all of those things. You know,
there are other provisions that you can look at. There
are work requirements proposed in the bill that might decrease
some of that burden on the able bodied adult right
that have access to coverage. I think they are looking
at some administrative eligibility requirements to kind of tighten those up.
(01:07:57):
What we don't want to see is coverage pull from
those recipients and those West Virginians that truly need and
deserve that coverage.
Speaker 2 (01:08:05):
I don't know if you've got an answer to this question,
but I'm going to ask it anyway, Melanie, I was
thinking about the work requirement and the able to body
the adults. Well, a lot of people agree like, look,
if you're a single guy, you're healthy, maybe you shouldn't
be receiving this hendout.
Speaker 1 (01:08:18):
But in West Virginia, we're an older population, we have.
Speaker 2 (01:08:23):
Individuals who are faced with disabilities we know heard at
work and such. Are our numbers skewed more that way
for people who even if there were work requirements, they're
still depending on Medicaid because they would fit into these
other categories.
Speaker 17 (01:08:37):
So there will be some The latest estimates from many
of the groups you see publishing say that between fifty
thousand and one hundred thousand West Virginians could potentially lose
coverage through the work requirements. But there's also a lot
of provisions that would protect West Virginia for those populations
you mentioned. There are carve outs for expectant mothers, those
(01:08:58):
caring for small children, are disable or older population. So
we think it's written in a way, at least at
a high level, that those populations would be protected, and
it encourages the workforce that can get out to help
supplement that to do so.
Speaker 18 (01:09:13):
Right.
Speaker 17 (01:09:14):
We talk a lot about in West Virginia about workforce
shortages not only in healthcare but in other industries. This
is just one more avenue to support those initiatives.
Speaker 8 (01:09:22):
The idea of a backstop financially to help ensure that
rural hospitals do not close. Senator Capito, dave, I think
she was on the program last week, but it was
this week. It was this week. This week they all
run together, sorry, talking about the fact she's working to
try to see such a provision. But politics is politics
in Washington. This may not work out. And if it
(01:09:43):
doesn't work out, those hospitals very much have a threat
in front of them.
Speaker 5 (01:09:48):
This isn't hyperbolic.
Speaker 17 (01:09:50):
Well, and what Senator Capito and Senator Justice and our
representatives are all working toward collectively, I would say, is
they are hearing us and they understand the effects on
West Virginia right There are communities that would quite frankly
lose their access to care if some of these provisions
would take back. Paired with the administrative burdens and some
(01:10:10):
of the other red tape that have been proposed, there's
a real threat to loss of access points in our communities.
We've been in DC several times over the last couple
of weeks to talk to them personally about some of
these provisions to make sure that West Virginians are protected.
There are some of these stop gap funds that are
currently in place. You hear them call directed payments or
supplemental payments, and our rural hospitals really rely on those
(01:10:34):
in West Virginia and every other state. So it's important
to preserve that funding to ensure we don't lose those
access points.
Speaker 8 (01:10:40):
I think about Welch in the hospital there. We've spent
some time with the flood of McDowell County. I mean,
in the best of times, they have challenges and I
don't know how they would stay over I mean.
Speaker 17 (01:10:50):
Welch, Williamson. You look at some of those hospitals, Webster County,
Memorial Hospitals, some of those that are in very remote places,
they would not be able to serve their patients, certainly
not at the service level they do without that funding.
Speaker 2 (01:11:03):
Melanie Dempsey, Westernian Hospital Association, Vice president of Financial Policy,
one of our sponsors here for the Westernia Scholar Program.
Speaker 1 (01:11:09):
Let's end on a high note because we went down
that road where we usually go TJ.
Speaker 2 (01:11:13):
But again, an exciting day and you never know. One
of these students who are touring campus right now, Melanie,
they may be the next X ray tech anesthesiologist, might
be the nurse taking care of you one day.
Speaker 17 (01:11:24):
We're excited to see whatever they do. Congratulations and good
luck to them all.
Speaker 8 (01:11:28):
Well, you know from your field. Will Mayo pretty good
name Mayo Clinic. He talked about the fact that it's
the next generation's responsibility to solve the problems that they
will live in. These kids have that ability. They've shown that.
So there's your high note. Faith in the future.
Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
End on a high note, Melanie, good place today. Hey,
thank you for being part of the program. Thank you
for hopping on with us for a few minutes, and
you know, getting into the DC stuff to appreciate it.
Melanie Dempsey, Westernian Hospital Association Vice President. We're on the
campus at wes Virginia Wesley And College today. We will
be finding out the winner of the twenty twenty five
Westernia Scholar Program.
Speaker 1 (01:12:01):
About forty five minutes from now. Come back and join us.
Speaker 2 (01:12:06):
We can text the show three or four, talk three
or four. Steven aland Adams will join us. Bottom of
the hour. We'll get into some state politics before we
call it a day as well. David TJ Talkline from Buchanan.
Speaker 1 (01:12:17):
We're back in a moment.
Speaker 37 (01:12:19):
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Speaker 26 (01:12:49):
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Speaker 27 (01:12:57):
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Speaker 2 (01:13:18):
You're listening to Talkline on Metro News, the Voice of
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Speaker 29 (01:13:26):
I'm a West Virginian through and through. Grew up in Bridgeport,
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We're your afternoon anecdote to the ordinary on weekdays three
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Speaker 1 (01:13:58):
Hi, this is Dave Wilson, along with Tea Meadows.
Speaker 2 (01:14:00):
Join us weekdays at ten o six for Metro News
Talkline on this metro news radio station TJ. The more
things change, the more they stay the same.
Speaker 1 (01:14:08):
That's right, Dave.
Speaker 8 (01:14:09):
We'll continue to examine and discuss issues important to West Virginia,
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Speaker 2 (01:14:17):
Ary new host, same Talkline join us weekdays at ten
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Speaker 3 (01:14:56):
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Speaker 2 (01:15:40):
We're live on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College
today for the West Virginia Scholar Program. The winn are
going to be announced in just a little bit. Got
a luncheon coming up at noon today. The finalist are
currently out on.
Speaker 1 (01:15:53):
Campus as we speak.
Speaker 2 (01:15:55):
Getting a tour here in beautiful buck Canon text in
the show Oh three or four Talk three or four, Hey,
Dave and TJ. Felicia from w j ls N Beckley
as a West Virginia Wesleyan alum. I am anxiously awaiting
the announcement of the West Virginia Scholar Winter.
Speaker 1 (01:16:11):
It warms my heart to.
Speaker 2 (01:16:12):
Hear the impact GSA and the people at Wesley and
have already had on these students. Best of luck to all,
and welcome to our home among the hills, says Felicia
in Beckley. There you go, proud alum of the program.
Speaker 8 (01:16:26):
Thanks for letting us know about your experience. Thanks for
texting in.
Speaker 2 (01:16:30):
You do have a connection when it's your school and
it's your program at least I do you know when
when somebody comes through Marshall comes to the j School
at Marsha Lay and that's my school, of my program,
You're you're proud of that, And I get the sentiment
there and this is even maybe even more of an
intimate setting than I went to Marshall.
Speaker 1 (01:16:47):
You went to w obviously, So the bigger you.
Speaker 2 (01:16:49):
Get, the more kind of strung out you are a
little bit, but very well not strung out, you know
what I mean, TJ.
Speaker 7 (01:16:55):
I was just gonna move on off that, but no,
you're right.
Speaker 8 (01:16:58):
These kinds of camp it's kind of what you envision
in the back of your mind, those historic buildings and
the field that you get here.
Speaker 2 (01:17:08):
So it's very special indeed, And of course this program
we couldn't do without some of our great sponsors being
involved as well. That includes ZMM architects. Jen Wood from
ZMM joining the saw mentioned news talk line here on set.
Speaker 1 (01:17:19):
Good morning, Hike.
Speaker 2 (01:17:20):
That's good to see you too.
Speaker 1 (01:17:21):
Are you excited.
Speaker 21 (01:17:22):
I'm very excited. So I'm proud to be representing ZMM today.
But prior to my time joining ZMM, I worked in
high ed and nonprofits and college access. So what you
were just saying about college experiences and knowing the impact
of college and education for students, supporting folks from across
the state that have this opportunity today to come to
(01:17:44):
Wesleyan and have that experience and really have their lives
changed from this program. ZMM is so proud to have
been a part of this for a number of years,
almost a decade, I believe, So it's just so important
for us to be involved in programs like this. But
we do a lot of education work across the state.
So whether it's building a school, an elementary school, middle school,
(01:18:05):
high school, working with our higher education partners, doing renovations
and projects at places like the Clay Center that provide
educational opportunities for students. We are really ingrained in the
community and really support the efforts that build and support
educational and cultural opportunities in our state.
Speaker 2 (01:18:24):
So from a business perspective, why get involved? Why promotes
higher education? Why help sponsor these scholarship opportunities. I mean
you could just sit back, be a business and wait
for the kids to graduate and then try to hire them.
Speaker 21 (01:18:38):
So why get involved, Well, it's part of our mission.
We're a small firm, but we have a philanthropic statement.
We really are committed to supporting efforts that are related
to educational and cultural aspects of our state. But beyond that,
we're talking about the pipeline. It's in our name. We're
architects and engineers. You can't be either of those things
without an education. So we actually announ a scholarship last
(01:19:01):
fall with Marshall University to help keep young talent in
West Virginia, to support students who want to pursue engineering.
We have eighteen interns right now from all over and
we know that it's up to all of us, all
of business leaders, to take an active role in education
and encouraging folks to go to college, get an opportunity
(01:19:22):
at a career, and to stay in the state. We
would love to be able to have as many architects
and engineers as we possibly can in our state, and
we really have to actively be involved in creating that
talent and supporting that talent.
Speaker 8 (01:19:35):
So I want to talk about your time in higher
ed and use that to crystallize something for me. You know,
today the focus is, Okay, make sure you know what
you're going to do, make sure that investment there is there,
and that's all well and good, But talk about college
as an engine of discovery, figuring out what you want
to be, who you want to be. I feel like
(01:19:56):
we've lost a little bit of that, and I don't
know that that's a good thing.
Speaker 21 (01:20:00):
Think there is a push in higher education for the
pursuit of a career, which ultimately all of us as
business leaders. We know that that's important, but it is
an exploration and I think the opportunity in architecture and
engineering studies you are discovering and learning the ways to learn,
learning the ways to problem solve, finding out the best
(01:20:22):
ways to approach a problem. Because what we do at
ZMM is meet our clients where they are, take the
time to learn from them and their expertise of what
they need to support the clients that they serve, the
folks that come in and out of their building every day,
and so through the college experience, making sure that students
have an opportunity to learn about that early. We actually
(01:20:43):
do outreach in elementary schools, middle schools to get folks
excited about architecture and engineering. But beyond that, as it
relates to higher education, there are schools all over the state,
all over the country that are actively supporting the soft
skills and some of the other opportunities that students need
to be successful. But it's not just what they need
to be successful in their careers, but also be successful
(01:21:05):
in life of understanding how to explore the world around them.
I think that sometimes people don't always recognize that the
value of a four year education avaccaloria degree is so
that they get exposed to a variety of courses that
are Sometimes people don't see them as being directly related
to their course of study, but it is. If we
(01:21:27):
don't know our history, if we don't know where we
came from, whether it's related to architecture or just being
a citizen and active member of our state. If you
don't know about our state, you don't know about our country,
you don't know about the world. All of those things
open our eyes and help us be better at the.
Speaker 8 (01:21:41):
Work that we do.
Speaker 21 (01:21:42):
So it's really important to have that really broad opportunity
at education and also career technical education to your programs.
You know, when I worked in college access, it was
always about post secondary education, something for a student after
they graduate high school, and we want students takes for
all of those opportunities, whether it's an apprenticeship, two year,
(01:22:05):
four year education, or beyond that.
Speaker 1 (01:22:07):
When you are.
Speaker 2 (01:22:08):
Talking to students, you're recruiting to ZMM, you're looking for
the next engineer architect. When you're talking to them, what
is the one thing where they go, I had no
idea I could do that, or I had no idea
or biggest misconception in the field, I guess.
Speaker 21 (01:22:24):
So Actually, in talking to our interns last summer, one
of the interns from Charleston, she had gone away to school,
had interned with us twice as of last summer, and
she shared that she had been in Charleston her whole
life and didn't realize that she could do commercial architectural
work in Charleston, West Virginia. And so to know that
folks are driving around any town or city in our
(01:22:47):
state and it is architects and engineers who are creating
those built environments throughout our state and places that we
can be very proud of, whether it's projects we do
with county school systems or we just won two awards
for our project at the stargazing cabins at Cooper's Rock,
you know. So there's a variety of projects that our
(01:23:07):
team gets to work on, and so just making sure
that folks see that. And so this summer with our interns,
we're taking them into even more sites around our state
so that they can see that these are projects that
happen in their home state and in their hometowns that
we're done by architects here in our state.
Speaker 2 (01:23:25):
Jen Wood with ZMM Architects and Engineer's Chief marketing officer. Hey,
thanks for being part of the West Virginian Scholar Program
and thanks for being on the program with us for
a few minutes.
Speaker 21 (01:23:33):
We're so proud to be a part of it. Thanks
for having us.
Speaker 1 (01:23:35):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (01:23:36):
Coming up, we'll talk a little state politics. Steven Allen
Adams buddy from Augden Newspapers going to join us, and
we'll get in a few texts as well. We're live
on the campus of West Virginia Wesley and College for
the West Virginian Scholar Program. This is talk Line on
Metro News, the Voice of West Virginia. It is eleven
thirty and time to get a news update. Let's check
in with the Metro News radio network find out what's
(01:23:57):
happening across the great state of West Virginia.
Speaker 12 (01:24:01):
West Virginia Metter News.
Speaker 1 (01:24:02):
I'm Chris Lawrence.
Speaker 35 (01:24:03):
Charges in a Berkeley County shooting incident have now been
upgraded from attempted murder to murder. Twenty year old Elias
Jenkins is facing those charges in the shooting death of
nineteen year old Landis Govian. Investigators say that two were
passengers in a car traveling near Hedgesville on June seventeenth,
got into an argument and it escalated the gunfire and
the charges, of course, were upgraded. When Govin died, Jenkins
(01:24:23):
is in jail without bond. Another coal producer announcing plans
to eliminate close to three hundred mining jobs across southern
West Virginia, Civil LLC notifying two hundred and seventy nine
they will be laid off in the first week of August.
Company offered no explanation but the cutbacks. The biggest number
are at the CB two mine in Fayette County, one
hundred and thirty five miners and twenty more employees at
the prep plant. The rest are spread out over a
(01:24:45):
variety of operations in Fayette, Mingo, Logan, and Boone Counties.
It comes on the heels of the Core Natural Resources
lay off of two hundred at its Mund mine in
Wyoming County. A number of West Virginia organizations are pushing
back against the Big Beautiful Bill, Donald Trump's proposal to
clear up the House and is on track to be
approved in the Senate, but that is not sitting well
with a number of groups who claim a lot of
(01:25:06):
benefits that West Virginia's depend on like Medicaid and SNAP
will be cut.
Speaker 38 (01:25:10):
We lose Medicaid and Medicare benefits so many people, over
two hundred and seventy seven thousand people in West Virginia
will lose their medical home benefits.
Speaker 35 (01:25:22):
She is one of six people who staged to sit
in at Senator Capitol's office and was arrested. You're listening
to macronews the Boys of West Virginia.
Speaker 39 (01:25:30):
More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease,
and two thirds are women. Hi, I'm Sharise sample Hughes
Chair for Women in Government. Alzheimer's disease progresses slowly over
ten to twenty years in stages. Recognizing symptoms early could.
Speaker 8 (01:25:46):
Help make a difference.
Speaker 39 (01:25:47):
A timely diagnosis may allow for more options, including access
to emerging care. Speak with your doctor to see if
testing is the right next up for you and your family.
Find more information at womenangovernment dot org.
Speaker 40 (01:26:00):
Like me separate from the military, we tried to move forward,
but to truly move forward, we need to take care
of our bodies and our minds. I finally understood that
after I went to VA. I saw the difference it
made to have provided us who understood what I've been
through and know how to help. I'm getting the highest
quality health care at the lowest costs, and I'm telling
every veteran I know that taking care of yourself is
(01:26:21):
the strongest thing you can do. Get what you've earned.
Speaker 3 (01:26:23):
Missa choose dot VA dot gov.
Speaker 35 (01:26:29):
In Putnam County, a man is behind bars charged with
kidnapping after a weekend incident in Scott Depot. Debuitte's arrested
fifty seven year old Arry Newberry following a report last
week by a caller to nine one one who reported
hearing screaming from a house next door. The woman said
a man came out of the home on Circle Ways
screaming for help, ran down the hill and hit out
on her property. She also told Debbie you says she
heard another man in the home yell he got out.
(01:26:51):
The victim identifide is Adam's schemes, and Newberry has jailed
on the lieu of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars bond.
Speaker 12 (01:26:56):
From the Metro News anchor desk, I'm Chris Lawrence.
Speaker 2 (01:27:13):
Special edition of Metro News talk Line.
Speaker 1 (01:27:15):
Today.
Speaker 2 (01:27:16):
We are on the campus of West Virginia Wesley and
College in buck Cannon, Western Virginia. West Virginia Scholar Program.
When are going to be announced in a luncheon coming
up about half an hour from now. The finalists are
out touring campus as we speak. We've spoken to some
of our sponsors, great sponsors who make this happen each
and every year, Career Industries, West Virginia Hospital Association's Email
(01:27:39):
Architects and Engineers, the West Virginia Farm Buo, Friends of
Cole and of course Metro News has been involved with
this for years and we brought this up at the
beginning of the show Tjay. Among the things that I
was excited about and getting a chance to do this
show was getting the opportunity to be part of this program,
get to talk to some of the students and look,
we spend two hours every day on well, what do
(01:28:00):
we need to do?
Speaker 1 (01:28:01):
Well, the roads are bad.
Speaker 2 (01:28:02):
This guy put this on Instagram, Well we need to
fix this. Who's really running that? And you leave and
you go, man, there's a lot of problems. And then
I get this opportunity a lot through our coverage with
high school sports, you talk to some student athletes, you
get the opportunity to meet these finalists. There are a
lot of very bright and encouraging young people who have
great futures ahead of them, who are doing things at
(01:28:24):
sixteen seventeen years old that we're the furthest thing from
my mind, and they continue.
Speaker 1 (01:28:29):
To amaze me.
Speaker 2 (01:28:29):
And it's a very optimistic and encouraging day here on campus.
Speaker 8 (01:28:33):
Well and frankly, we have to have them, you know,
fresh perspective is not just a nice to have, it's
a requirement. And the challenges we face, particularly here in
West Virginia, we need our best and our brightest and
not only stay here, we need them to become involved
earlier and earlier in the process. And so programs like this,
programs like the Governor School that they talk about, many
(01:28:54):
of these kids have went through the Governor's School for
the Arts and then that has you know, blossomed their
love for West Virginia, Leslian and one of the reasons
that they applied for the program. The sooner we get
those bright young stars that will grow up to be
our leaders, the better off will be.
Speaker 2 (01:29:08):
It's just nice to know they're not all just making
tiktoks trying to be influencers.
Speaker 1 (01:29:12):
You can do both well.
Speaker 2 (01:29:14):
Speaking of influencers and tiktoks, Steven Allen Adams Stay calumnists
from all the newspapers joined us all mentioned news top
line this morning. Yeah you're a big TikToker, aren't you, Steve?
Speaker 10 (01:29:25):
Oh No, definitely not a tick. I don't know about
an influencer, but if I can, if I can use
my influence or anything, especially to the students being considered
for the thosee scholars the scholarship, I would say this
as a college dropout, stay in college because it takes
you a lot longer to do the things that you
(01:29:45):
want to do without the degree. So good luck to
all the scholars that are being considered today, and I
kind of look forward to seeing who wins. I know
we have a student I believe from Saint Mary's High School,
but it's being considered for.
Speaker 1 (01:29:59):
That Madeline Steele.
Speaker 2 (01:30:01):
Yes, as a Saint Mary's Blue Devil a couple, you
know Blue Devil's take over the show occasionally here Tjah.
You know, Hey, that's fun, you know how it goes. So, Steve,
I wanted to get you on today because with this
topic came up yesterday, you kind of wrote about it
in your Notebook earlier this week, and that's Governor Morrissey
earlier this week coming out supporting a lawsuit against the
state school board challenging the state's vaccination requirements. We all
(01:30:26):
know that the governor's got the executive order. The state
legislature rejected the bill for the religious exemptions. The governor says, hey,
I'm fighting for your religious liberties. Hoppey brought this up
in his discussion with us yesterday and wrote about it
in his commentary today about the governor's political calculation. You
also had a take on it. Where do you think
this is coming from?
Speaker 10 (01:30:47):
Well, in my column most recently Monday, you know, I
asked a few questions in regards to a couple previous
actions by the governor, one being a social media post,
the other sort of the decision making behind not giving
stay employees June teams off last week. And the question
(01:31:08):
I kind of put out there as a rhetorical question
or a question question, is what is the governor doing?
Is he he won the election? We know that, we
all covered it. He certainly had a contentious primary, for sure.
I think six members, six Republicans in that primary, including
you know, the son of the US Senator Shelley Moore Capito,
(01:31:30):
Chris Miller's son of Representa Karol Miller. So very contentious primary,
but he won it and went on the win the election.
So the question I had is, why is he still
seemingly kind of trying to play to a certain Republican
base when when the man is the governor of the
(01:31:52):
entire state of West Virginia. And I think I think
it's a good question, especially in regards also to the
vaccine issue, him backing the lawsuit from the Raleigh County
parent in a very public press conference. Now in the
governor's defense a little bit, He's doing other things too.
Speaker 1 (01:32:09):
He is governing.
Speaker 10 (01:32:11):
He's up in Chester today, he was in Wheeling announceding
some funding for flood victims for housing, yesterday some water
infrastructure projects in Parkersburg. So I mean, he's obviously doing
the job, and I think people see him on the
ground doing these things, especially in the flood ravaged areas,
and appreciate it. But I also do think people when
(01:32:33):
you kind of hate he's a word pander, but focus
so much on these really niche issues, it's easy for
other people to kind of feel unseen in that. Even
if you are actually doing the job of government.
Speaker 8 (01:32:47):
So, mister Adams, I want to ask you a question
that will cause you to speculate, but you have a.
Speaker 7 (01:32:52):
Keen political eye.
Speaker 8 (01:32:54):
Nationally, cycles last longer, they start earlier. I guess I
should say that seems to be the trend a bit.
As you well know, here in West Virginia, we tend
to take things at a more casual pace. We adopt
things at a slower pace than others.
Speaker 7 (01:33:07):
This kind of mo where you're.
Speaker 8 (01:33:09):
Always campaigning, you're always running. Do you think West Virginians
will be accepting of that or does the governor risk
turning over the cart here, so to speak? And could
that have negative consequences for him?
Speaker 10 (01:33:23):
I don't think it's going to have as many negative
consequences as you would think, because I think elections and
running for election and re election keeps happening earlier than earlier.
I think everybody forgets in the race for governor. The
Chris Miller got in I think December twenty twenty one.
As you're talking about former Representative Alex Mooney, he announced
(01:33:46):
his run for US Senate the same week or two
weeks after winning the re election to the House of
representatives after defeating former Congressman McKinley David McKinley in the
primary elections are happening earlier and earlier. So I mean,
talking about speculation, one has to wonder what is the
(01:34:08):
governor kind of already seemingly campaigning for. I mean, the
only election coming up of substance in twenty twenty six
is going to be US Senator Shelley Moore Capito's reelect.
We already know she's already facing some Republican primary challengers,
including current state Senator Tom Willis of the Eastern Panhandle.
(01:34:31):
So you got that, and then you know, I got
to tell you. You know, I've heard a number of rumblings
about former governor current US Senator Jim Justice kind of
missing the job and did a scenario where he might
jump back in in twenty twenty eight. So I can
only really speculate that Morrisey might be wanting to keep
(01:34:51):
his base energized in place because he may have a
primary that he might want to run it.
Speaker 7 (01:34:57):
Well, you know, Frankly, Stephen, I'm hearing rumbling State. I'm
sure you are.
Speaker 8 (01:35:00):
Too, that even if it wasn't Justice, given the contentious
start that the governor has had with the legislature. There
are some folks out there who say, you know what,
here's somebody who is vulnerable to a Republican primary challenge.
Maybe I want to throw my hat in the ring.
So you know, maybe Morrise he's right. Maybe he understands
that sees the calculus, and he's right to always be running.
Speaker 2 (01:35:20):
I don't know, Steven Allen Adams trying to us from
all good newspapers. Hey, Steve, let me throw this out
at you. I almost brought this up with Hoppy yesterday
and I stopped myself short and I thought about it
some more overnight. We're constantly looking for the political calculation
when we're talking about whether it's the governor, the senator,
the delegate, doesn't matter. We assume we're conditioned to assume
(01:35:44):
everything is a political calculus. Have we given any thought
to the idea that when it comes to the vaccine exemption,
this is just something that Patrick Morrissey truly believes, and
he truly believes that this is an infringement on religious liberty,
that the government should not be able to require that
(01:36:05):
you give your child a medication just to send them
to school. If we given any thought to he just
truly believes the issue, rather than he is making some
sort of calculated decision to benefit him politically.
Speaker 10 (01:36:20):
Absolutely, and I think you have to actually, I think
consider that as a certainly possibility. You know, when people
say something, you kind of have to believe what they say.
In this evidence pops up contrary to what they're saying,
and I would imagine sure he definitely really believes in
the religious liberty issue. I think they're right to point
(01:36:41):
out that you have more than forty states that have
some form of religious exemption. Now many of those states,
the religious exemption requirements for vaccines is more stringent than
what we currently have being done through the executive order.
You know, you got to get affidavits, you got to
get maybe religious leader, your pastors signed something. You got
(01:37:04):
to be able to show that bets your strongly held
belief and so there's more stringent requirements in place typically.
And keep in mind, the West Virginia legislature did actually
pass a bill on twenty twenty three that included a
religious exception of the school age backuming program. Now that
bill got vetoed by Jim Justice, so it can pass
(01:37:25):
the legislature and I do think the governor believes in it,
but I think the challenge for him going forward is
the same kind of challenge he had with Certificate and
need repeal, which of course died in a House committee.
You got to craft something, I think that that can
pass semester this legislature. And I don't think you can
just simply attack certain Republican lawmakers and say the Republicans'
(01:37:48):
name only or things of that nature, because that's not
going to gain you any fans and certainly not any
support for things. So if he truly believes in this
issue and truly believes that parents should have that right
based on whatever belief they have about the efficacy of
the vaccine or how it was created, we could debate
that all the way along the putting aside. I do
(01:38:09):
think the governor is going to have to craft something
that can pass legislative muster and not rely on the
executive orders. And that's the challenge he has.
Speaker 7 (01:38:19):
Well, that's the court system.
Speaker 8 (01:38:20):
I mean, you know, honestly, the more I look at
this and I read about some of the precedent here,
EPRA has already been kicked around the Northern District Steven
It's been to the Fourth Circuit. They put it back
down and said, hey, before we want to rule on this,
you know, the state courts need to weigh in. I
personally am betting that this is just the beginning and
(01:38:41):
the ultimate goal is to really get this back into
federal court, get it back to the Fourth Circuit, and
then it becomes a much overarching issue than just West Virginia.
And when you talk about political ambitions that certainly would
be advantageous, that's anecdotal. That's just me speculating. I don't
have any hard evidence on it. But that's it's the
vogue of these days. If you can't get the votes,
(01:39:01):
figure out a way to come up with some kind
of legal argument, kick it into the courts, fight your
battle there. I personally think that's dangerous, but that's me.
Speaker 5 (01:39:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (01:39:09):
Well, I here's the thing. If you look at the
twenty twenty three while all the Morrissey talks about in
regards to religious liberty in the state, basically our version
of RIFRA, if you look at it, you know it
basically says, you know, you got to uphold religious you know,
liberty of people. And thus, for example, there's a copelling
(01:39:30):
government interest in regards to what's being requested. Well, here's
the thing. The US Supreme Court has weighed in several
times since nineteen oh five, and has recently twenty twenty two,
saying that there is a compelling government interest for certain
groups of people that be have vaccine requirement and that
(01:39:51):
is pretty well established, which makes me I'm no lawyer,
of course, but it just seems to me that the
case being brought in Raleigh County it's gotten very much
n uphill climb to get to. So maybe it gets
at some point before the US Supreme Court down the road.
I think, at least preliminarily, it's going to have the
(01:40:12):
Supreme Court or whoever's going to have to act very
quickly on this because the school year is going to
be starting very soon and there needs to be some
sort of ruling at least in place until this all
gets figured out. But I really do think it's an
uphill climb to do it that way. But there also,
again is legal precedent for there to be a religious
exemption as long as it's very narrowly tailored. So I
(01:40:34):
think going to the court route is not a great idea.
I think having an actual law is what's going.
Speaker 7 (01:40:41):
To really matter?
Speaker 2 (01:40:43):
Steve and Allen Adams, columnist for All Didn't Newspapers at Steve,
where are you working.
Speaker 1 (01:40:48):
From these days?
Speaker 2 (01:40:50):
Because you know you have some water in the office.
Speaker 10 (01:40:53):
We did, and I believe General Services is currently working
on replacing the floors in the Capital press room right now.
So it's a combination of working from home and working.
Speaker 7 (01:41:06):
From one of my.
Speaker 10 (01:41:07):
Favorite coffee shops over on Charleston's West Side, may A Cuppa,
so free advertising for them, but that is kind of
where I'm working at. So unless I have to go
cover something, you know, where I need to dress up,
I'm typically working from a coffee shop bench in shorts
and the poo.
Speaker 8 (01:41:22):
But I'm asking sincerely, great coffee. By the way, I
frequent there too. I sincerely hope none of your memorabilia
was damaged in that flood.
Speaker 5 (01:41:31):
That would be a shame.
Speaker 6 (01:41:32):
No.
Speaker 10 (01:41:32):
For whatever reason, I guess, we reporters don't really store
very many things on the floor. We only had maybe
about an inch of water in there and got the
carpets wet. I don't even think it ruined the dry
wall because there was rubber bumpers on, you know, running
along most of the walls and the press room. So
to be honest, no, the only thing I had on
the ground was a portable podcast kiss that I still have,
(01:41:55):
and that's in a roadcase and that was sealed up tight,
so no nobody lost anything in there, so no real damage.
Other state agencies kind of had to deal with more damage,
especially I think the Secretary of State's office, their IP
division is right next to the wordless pipe blue. But otherwise,
you know, General Services is doing some really great work
and trying to get everybody back into their offices. So
(01:42:17):
I pause them.
Speaker 1 (01:42:18):
It's good.
Speaker 7 (01:42:19):
You've got a lot of cool stuff in your office.
I'm glad to hear that.
Speaker 2 (01:42:22):
Steve and Allen Adams all good newspaper columnist. Steven, always
appreciate your perspective, Bud, Thank you.
Speaker 10 (01:42:27):
Thanks guys.
Speaker 1 (01:42:29):
Got to take a break.
Speaker 2 (01:42:30):
We'll be back to the campus of Westernginia and Wesleyan
College in a moment. This is talk linel Metro News
back at a minute.
Speaker 41 (01:42:35):
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Speaker 3 (01:43:08):
We are there us.
Speaker 1 (01:43:10):
Do you care for you at the Health Come?
Speaker 18 (01:43:14):
We are here.
Speaker 4 (01:43:16):
It all started with a vision.
Speaker 42 (01:43:18):
We've gone alongside West Virginia, becoming part of its fabric
for over four decades. We've been here through thick and thin,
supporting local families and businesses proudly serving West Virginia since
nineteen seventy nine. Your trusted partner in the community, the
Health Plan.
Speaker 26 (01:43:37):
Traffic is it a standstill up ahead due to Cleopatra's
royal carriage overturning and spilling thousands of valuable gyms near
the exit.
Speaker 1 (01:43:44):
Back to you, Carrie, I Play.
Speaker 27 (01:43:46):
West Virginia's new online lottery app is here and the
games are full of characters.
Speaker 39 (01:43:50):
Start playing today at WB Lottery dot com.
Speaker 27 (01:43:53):
Or download the official West Virginia Lottery app and discover
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Speaker 1 (01:43:59):
So join the We have the characters.
Speaker 27 (01:44:00):
Today with I playing from the West Virginia Lottery eighteen plus.
To play play responsibly.
Speaker 2 (01:44:05):
You're listening to talk Line on Metro News. The Voice
of West Virginia.
Speaker 3 (01:44:12):
West Virginia Outdoors is the Mountain states only hook and
bullet radio show dedicated to the more than quarter million
hunters and anglers across the state. Award winning host Chris
Lawrence has been tracking down hunting and fishing stories for
more than twenty five years.
Speaker 14 (01:44:26):
I'll go out on a limb because people won't like
my answer.
Speaker 1 (01:44:29):
Probably.
Speaker 14 (01:44:30):
I think there's fewer coyotes than most people imagine. Really
because when number one, when you hear a family group
of them this time of year, the pups are very vocal.
The coyotes are getting They've been kind of shut mouthed
during the spring when they're young, and it's like a
bunch of teenagers. When they get to September, mom, dad
(01:44:50):
can't keep their mouths shut anymore.
Speaker 3 (01:44:52):
Whether it's hunting and fishing news or just compelling stories
about the enjoyment of the great outdoors. West Virginia Outdoors
covers it Allriday mornings at seven oh six am and
for your daily fix, Outdoors Today brings you two and
a half minutes of news and notes from the woods
and water every weekday morning on Metro News of Voice
of West Virginia.
Speaker 4 (01:45:12):
Hey everybody, it's Tony Gritty.
Speaker 12 (01:45:14):
I'm Greg Hunter and I'm Brad Howe, and.
Speaker 15 (01:45:15):
We invite you to join us Sunday through Fridays right
here on the Metro News radio network.
Speaker 4 (01:45:20):
It's the city Net statewide sports line.
Speaker 15 (01:45:23):
We talk West Virginia University football, basketball, baseball, you name it.
Speaker 4 (01:45:28):
If it's got anything to do with the Golden Blue.
Speaker 1 (01:45:30):
We're on it.
Speaker 37 (01:45:31):
And don't forget the text line available every night.
Speaker 15 (01:45:33):
So we invite you to join us. The Senator Coach
Hunter and me Tony COURRITTI. It's the city Net state
wide sports line.
Speaker 3 (01:45:39):
On Metro News. News in the Mountain State happens quick
and for decades you have depended on Metro News for
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keep your fellow West Virginians informed. If you see news happening,
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(01:46:02):
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Speaker 2 (01:46:35):
Jackpots are the millions here in West Virginia and who
does not want to be a millionaire? Get in the
Power of Ball Drawings Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mega Millions
drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays.
Speaker 1 (01:46:44):
Will you be the next big winner?
Speaker 2 (01:46:46):
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Speaker 1 (01:46:49):
Please play responsibly.
Speaker 2 (01:46:51):
The Power of Ball jackpot is one hundred and fifty
five million dollars.
Speaker 1 (01:46:54):
The Mega Millions jackpot.
Speaker 2 (01:46:55):
Is three hundred and forty eight million dollars. Let's get
a quick phone call Kevin in Martinsburg. Hey, Kevin, what's
on your mind today?
Speaker 36 (01:47:04):
Hey?
Speaker 10 (01:47:04):
How are you?
Speaker 36 (01:47:05):
Young man? I wanted to chime in on this yesterday
A big.
Speaker 1 (01:47:09):
Pardon, I said them, Well, Kevin, thank you.
Speaker 36 (01:47:14):
Yeah, Hey, I appreciate that. I wanted to train in
on this yesterday, but I didn't get through on the
with My issue with vaccinations is not a medical I mean,
it's not agous. It's a constitutional as you. For example,
we have two factions, those that want to take it
and those that insist that you must. And here's the
here's where I break with all of it. I am
(01:47:35):
in I'm entitled a certain inalienable rights, So anything you
want to put in my body that I have autonomy
over is alien to me. And so I don't understand
why people who are pro vacs thinks that. And by
the way, I'm in medicine. I know all the side
effects from vaccine, the effects they do have, and yes,
it's a numbers game, but my problem with that is
(01:47:56):
this making someone do it is no different than saying
I don't want to do it and for this reason
or that reason. But think about this, I don't have
the right to say no to something you want put
in my body, but you had the right to say yes, we're.
Speaker 10 (01:48:07):
Going to do it.
Speaker 36 (01:48:08):
And no matter what you say, you won't get We'll
shut society down for you. So Dad, you won't be
able to continue that kind of coercion is completely and
totally unconstitutional.
Speaker 2 (01:48:18):
Hey, Kevin, appreciate the phone call. And look, I think
there are a lot of people out there who share
that view. And look, and that's why I said, We've
got to give a little bit of thoughts and maybe
this is something the governor just truly believes in, not
necessarily a.
Speaker 1 (01:48:31):
Cold political calculus.
Speaker 2 (01:48:32):
Got to take our final break back to wrap it
up from West Virgina Wesleyan College in a moment.
Speaker 25 (01:48:37):
SNAP and Medicaid help West Virginia kids get fed, help
our veterans get by, and help grandparents get the care
they deserve. If these programs get cut, people will be hurt.
Speaker 8 (01:48:50):
It's just that simple.
Speaker 25 (01:48:52):
In West Virginia, we're taught to look out for each other.
That's just common decency. Call Senator Justice and Senator Capital,
tell them to do the decent thing protect SNAP and Medicaid.
Pay for by Mountaineer Food Bank.
Speaker 41 (01:49:07):
Plan a holiday weekend getaway to the sixty third Annual
Mountain State Art and Craft Fair July third through the
fifth at Cedar Lake's Shop.
Speaker 2 (01:49:17):
For handmade Appalachian.
Speaker 3 (01:49:18):
Crafts, Enjoy live music, heritage.
Speaker 43 (01:49:21):
Craft demonstrations, a quilt show, and don't forget the great food.
Then enjoy the fourth of July at America's largest small
town Independence Day celebration in Ripley. It's all happening in
beautiful Ripley, West Virginia. Once you do it, you'll be back.
Speaker 2 (01:49:37):
You're listening to talk Line on Metro News, the voice
of West Virginia.
Speaker 3 (01:49:44):
Metrol News this morning the biggest stories from around the
state of West Virginia when you want them. Chris Lawrence
at the anchor deaks.
Speaker 1 (01:49:51):
We are ready to get the bag going with all
the information you need. In the Mountain state.
Speaker 3 (01:49:54):
Jeff Jenkins brings you the day's headlines.
Speaker 23 (01:49:57):
The annual measurement of the Welfare of Kids in all
fifty sh state show children in West Virginia faring better.
Annual Kids Count book is out this morning. West Virginia
ranks forty first, moving up from forty fourth last year.
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy Director of Kelly
Allen says been improvement, but more progress is needed. A
study says things are getting better for kids in West
Virginia the areas of housing, security, children being cover vepariance,
(01:50:19):
and declining team birth rates.
Speaker 3 (01:50:21):
Kyle Wiggs at the Sports Decks.
Speaker 28 (01:50:23):
West Virginia trailed from the top of the first on
at LSU. Mountaineers tried to battle back. The offense did
park up, but LSU won the game. Regional in West
Virginia season ends at forty four and sixteen.
Speaker 3 (01:50:35):
Metro News This Morning Listen where you get your favorite
podcasts and online at WV metro News dot com.
Speaker 29 (01:50:41):
Need a break from the headlines and mindless drivel. Metro
News Hotline brings you that much needed afternoon distraction.
Speaker 1 (01:50:48):
Both with substance.
Speaker 29 (01:50:49):
My decades in journalism plus a passion for everything from
baseball nostalgia to the latest tech trends mean insights you
won't get anywhere else. Coop brings the pop culture, no
how and good nature while your calls take things in
surprising directions. Tune in for the lively chats that are
refreshingly different. Find us from three to six weekdays on
Metro News, the Voice of West Virginia.
Speaker 30 (01:51:11):
It's two hours of sports conversation to wrap up your weekend.
It's the City Net Sunday Night Sports Line.
Speaker 7 (01:51:16):
Hey, this is Travis Jones joining.
Speaker 1 (01:51:17):
Myself and Greg Hunter.
Speaker 30 (01:51:19):
Every Sunday night from six oh six until eight o'clock
As we wrap up the sports weekend, we talk Mountaineers,
High School, Mountain East Conference, and the latest in the
national scene. The Sunday Sports Line is listener interactive. You
could call or text the show at three oh four
Talk three oh four. It's a perfect weekend sports wrap
up on your favorite Metro News ap Philly or watch
the show at wb Metronews dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:51:55):
Metro News Talk Line live on the campus of West
Virginia at Wesleyan College.
Speaker 1 (01:51:59):
It looks beautiful outside, it's kind of hot and muggy.
It is June in West Virginia. After all, we're here.
Speaker 2 (01:52:06):
In Buchanan for the twenty twenty five Western Virginia Scholar Program.
The winner about to be announced to luncheon starts next hour,
and the life of a family is completely going to
flip upside down, the winner receiving a bull ride to
West Virginia wesley But as we talked about and got
a couple of seconds here, TJ, all of these finalists
(01:52:27):
being a finalist for this award will open up other
opportunities as well, and bright futures for all of these
students who are here today.
Speaker 8 (01:52:33):
Oh absolutely, and Wesleyan is eager to work with all
of these students to help them find a way to
attend here if they if they sow shoes, and a
way to do that affordably. But this is one of
those things you get in the final pool. What an
honor I mean, this is the krem Dela krem So.
A bunch of winners here today, one ultimate winner, but
a bunch of great A one students here today.
Speaker 2 (01:52:55):
All right, A lot of people want to thank for
today's show. First of all, doctor Moore, President here at
Westervin New Wesleyan College, for their involvement with this program. Obviously,
Grier Industries, Westernion Hospital association' ZMM Architects and Engineers, West
Virginia Farm BEW, Friends of Cole and of course Metro News.
Big thanks to Eli Brady, he's been our video producer
here on site. Jake Link back in Morgantown, Kyle on
(01:53:17):
the radio, Mia on the phones today, appreciate all your help.
Patrick Reinhart, help get the gear down here. Travis Jones
is here. I don't know why, but he's been here today,
so thanks.
Speaker 1 (01:53:27):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (01:53:28):
All right, We're back at studio tomorrow Chris Diarwald scheduled
to join US plus Steam release. This is talk Line
on Metro News, The voice to West Virginia passssssssssssssssssssss
It's Metro News talk Line.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
We are live in the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College.
We'll find out today the winner of the West Virginia
Scholar Program. Got a lot to get to today. Let's
jump in Metro News talk Lines underway.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
You turned off from the studios of w v r
C Media and the Metro News radio and television network
of Voice of West Virginia. Comes the most powerful show
in West Virginia. It's Metro News talk Line with Dave
(00:46):
Wilson and TJ Meadows.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
So it's new cant from Charleston.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Stand by to David, TJ.
Speaker 5 (00:55):
You're on.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Metronews. 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 2 (01:11):
Good morning, we are on the campus of West Virginia
Wesleyan College. Today again we will learn the winner of
this year's West Virginia Scholar Program. Dave Wilson along with
TJ Meadows. We got Jake de Link back in the studios,
work in the video stream, Mia Hinkins on the phones,
Kyle Wiggs handling radio duties today.
Speaker 5 (01:29):
Big Day, t J.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
This is one of the events you and I were
both looking forward to as when we were offered the
opportunity to take over for the Dean, and today we'll
get to be part of what is an optimistic and
encouraging event.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
As you look at these finalists for.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
This West Virgia Scholar program, they're impressive. It's an impressive group.
And that's kind of the same year in you're out.
Actually turn your Michael on tek you No, I could
turn you off too, Just keep that in mind.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
It's probably a good thing that you have that ability.
Speaker 6 (01:57):
Now.
Speaker 7 (01:58):
I mean, look, it's a.
Speaker 8 (01:59):
Day of celebrating young people and their accomplishments and to
your point, reveling in their success with them and frankly
gives you a lot of hope for the future. So
you know, we have a one kids here today. One
of them is going to walk away the ultimate winner.
But this is a real group of winners all around,
very impressive group of young people.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
And even just being a finalist for this honor opens
doors and opportunities down the.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Road, yes as well.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
So looking forward to that the lunch in about two
hours from now, we hope to meet some of the
finalists as this program unfolds this morning. Well, of course,
we've been partnered up with West Virginia Wesleyan College for
this program for well over a decade, now more than
a dozen years. Joining us here on set this morning
is the president of West Virginia Wesleyan College, doctor James Moore.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Doctor Moore, Good morning, Good morning, my friends.
Speaker 5 (02:46):
We're so excited to have you here, as we.
Speaker 9 (02:47):
Always are you excited about today. This is one of
my favorite days. I just get such a charge out
of meeting these young people. You know, I appreciate you
saying that that this day gives you some hope in
the future. All these young people are really special to
have even gotten this far in this process.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
Of course, we always say.
Speaker 9 (03:06):
To them, you know, all of you are winners for
having made it this far. That's that's that's Sometimes we
make sure we say that because somebody's gonna win today
and a whole bunch of other people aren't, and they'll
be disappointed maybe, but we always try to reinforce that
we're going to have all these students backs if they
decide they want to try to come here and make
it affordable, make it accessible. So this is a special
(03:28):
day because we've got some of the brightest kids in
West Virginia right in front of us, And yeah, they
do give me hope.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
I have a lot of hope for the future because
of these young people.
Speaker 8 (03:36):
And I would think we want to seed that hope
because one person today, you know, they're going to get
the full rock right, it's going to be smooth sailing
at least financially for them. They'll still have the riggers
and the academic challenges of college to deal with. But
college is expensive. Yeah today, professor, it is so helping
these kids realize a dream and being able to have
(03:58):
an education and one we're they're not saddled is important,
I know to you.
Speaker 9 (04:02):
Yeah, well, we're proud of the fact that our donors
for many generations. I mean we're we're one hundred and
thirty five year old college. We've been around for a
long time, and our donors have always given generously to
our scholarships programs to make this college affordable and accessible.
You know, almost every student that comes to West Virginia
(04:23):
Western College is receiving significant financial aid and most of
our students are graduating with not a lot of debt.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
We have a pretty good rating.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
As far as that goes.
Speaker 9 (04:33):
You know, our loan default rates are I won't get
into the weeds on all the higher ends, but we're
you know, our students leave here prepared for a successful
life and career and they're not saddled with a lot
of debt. But yeah, college can be expensive, and you know,
finding that sweet spot of how much you're supposed to
cost versus how much it takes to deliver quality education
(04:54):
is challenging. We've been saying this for the last couple
of years. You know, a good education a great education,
but a good education isn't cheap, and a cheap education
might not be good, right, So that sweet spot is
tough to find. But we really do make this place
affordable for everybody that wants to come here.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
President of West Virginia Wesley and College, James Moore, joining
us here on Mention News talk line this morning. One
of the things that going on in the state we
need nurses. We have a nursing shortage in West Virginia.
Wesley College just got a big approval to help address
that issue. Tell me what's going on.
Speaker 9 (05:27):
We're excited for the launch of our LPN to BSN
program that allows licensed practice licensed practicing nurses to find
their way into our four year BSN program. It'll be
a reduced time to degree completion for them. Our nursing
program has been around since nineteen sixty three, so it's
one of the oldest in the state. It's very very
(05:49):
much a part of our mission. But this is something
that's very much a passion for us because we look
around our region here in West Virginia and in Greater
Appalachia and the nursing shortage is really it's a great indication,
a significant indication the challenges that our state faces.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
This is life and death guys, as you know.
Speaker 9 (06:07):
I mean, we've got people who can't get in to
see providers because of the nursing and advanced practice provider shortage.
The mental health crisis in our region is absolutely, very acute.
And if we're not doing our part as an institution
of higher learning to meet those needs and solve those problems,
then we're not doing our jobs.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
So we're excited about this.
Speaker 9 (06:28):
And we're celebrating it, but we think it's imperative that
we show up and try to help.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
So that's what this is all about.
Speaker 8 (06:35):
Students here at West Virginia, Wesley and talent is our
number one commodity. It has to be here in Western Virginia.
Speaker 7 (06:41):
What are you doing?
Speaker 8 (06:41):
How are you working with these students not only to
educate them, but get them to want to stay here.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (06:47):
Well, one of the things that we're proud of. Fifty
seven percent of our undergraduate students are from West Virginia,
so just over half. And if you take a wider
look at our overall undergraduate student body, seventy five percent
from the Greater Appalachian Region, specifically part of Appalachia that
we inhabit. So we're sort of starting this race to
(07:08):
keep these students in the state from a point of
strength because they're already from this place and they obviously
have a love for the state if they've decided to
stay here for college. We're very adamant that our students
serve and lead, and by instilling in them a desire
to make their communities a better place, they don't need
(07:29):
to look very far to find those challenges and to
find places where they can make a difference.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
If it's right here at home.
Speaker 9 (07:37):
So we've always had a great track record of keeping
our students in the state and I don't see that changing.
You know, we partner with a lot of hospital systems
and healthcare providers for our healthcare programs, and we get
such great praise from these partners for our graduates. They
love our nursing graduates because they're ready to work with
(07:58):
patients on day one and they're passionate about working with patients.
Speaker 5 (08:02):
You know, one hospital.
Speaker 9 (08:03):
CEO said, what I love about wessel ingrads is they
want to be nurses. They're not using a nursing degree
as a way to maybe further their career into administration.
They want to touch patients and make a difference on
the first day.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
We've We're a small state.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Yeah, everybody's battling for the same students, trying to get
the same kids come out of college w Marshall, Fairmont State, Concord, Glimville.
But over the last maybe decade, it feels like we've
had more cooperation between the universities and the colleges than
we've ever had. Realizing everybody's got a role to play
and that, you know, the tide lifts all ships, not
(08:38):
just one or the other. How are you working with
the other schools around the state to you know, address
what we need here in West Virginia. That's young minds
staying here in WESTERNI you kind of touched on it,
But how you working with the other school.
Speaker 9 (08:48):
I love that question because, particularly with the other independent colleges,
I like to use the word independent rather than private.
The other independent colleges, they are not our competitors. They
are our sister is institutions. So case in point are
our great friends at Bethany College in the northern part
of the state. We are launching with them a program
(09:08):
that will will effectively allow students to get two degrees
for the price of one in four years. Students can
sign up to join the program that will allow them
to become a nurse, a BSN four year nurse. Bethany
College came to us and said, we'd like to start
a program. It's going to take us a long time
to launch it. You already have a great nursing program.
(09:29):
What if you open a program on our campus. Students
will stay on Bethany's campus for four years. They'll be
dual enrolled at both institutions. They'll graduate from Bethany in
four years with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and a
degree from West Virginia Westerlen College in nursing, so a.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
Four year degree.
Speaker 9 (09:46):
Two institutions partnering because Bethany saw a need in the
northern part of the state to produce more nurses. Wesleyan
has a great nursing program. The two colleges have a
wonderful relationship. From the time that we form the idea
to the time we put it on paper a couple
of months. We can move fast, way faster than larger institutions.
Small independent colleges are agile or nimble, and we're here
(10:07):
to serve.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Doctor James Moore, President of West Virginia Westland College, anybody
good to talk to you all.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
A fun day.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
We're going to meet some of the finalists if you
don't mind.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
Yeah, yeah, I'll get out of the way for that.
That's the fun part.
Speaker 10 (10:16):
Best.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
We'll do that coming up next.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
This is talk Line Live from the West Virginia Westland Campus.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
We'll be back in a moment.
Speaker 11 (10:22):
A lot of attention has been directed towards something President
Trump calls clean beautiful coal. That phrase often describes the
clean burning aspect of West Virginia coal, but there is
another type of coal, metallurgical coal, which is used to
make the steel our economy depends on, and West Virginia
has some of the highest quality met coal in the world.
(10:43):
West Virginia coal miners produce more met coal than any
other state, and seventy percent of all steel makers in
the United States rely on West Virginia met coal. This
accounts for two hundred billion dollars in economic impact throughout
the country and helps sustain over a half billion job
As President Trump reinvigorates our economy, he will need a
lot of our high quality met coal. So the West
(11:06):
Virginia Coal Association asks you to join with them to recognize,
honor and salute our West Virginia coal miners. They built
this country and will play a vital role in rebuilding
the economy that will power the twenty first century.
Speaker 12 (11:20):
A message from the friends of Coal.
Speaker 13 (11:23):
No matter where you live, WVU Medicine Children's is bringing
world class care close to home. With our expanding network
of hospitals and outreach clinics. We want to make sure
no family has to travel for the high quality care
their children deserve. In West Virginia and the surrounding region.
We're working to improve the lives of women and children,
(11:44):
one appointment at a time. Visit WVU kids dot Com
to find a doctor close to you.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
You're listening to Talkline on Metro News, the Voice of
West Virginia.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
West Virginia Outdoors is the Mountain states only hook and
bullet radio show dedicated to the more than quarter million
hunters and anglers across the state. Award winning host Chris
Lawrence has been tracking down hunting and fishing stories for
more than twenty five years.
Speaker 14 (12:13):
I'll go out on a limb because people won't like
my answer.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Probably.
Speaker 14 (12:16):
I think there's fewer coyotes than most people imagine. Really,
because when number one, when you hear a family group
of them this time of year, the pups are very vocal.
The coyotes are getting They've been kind of shut mouthed
during the spring when they're young, and it's like a
bunch of teenagers. When they get to September, mom, dad
(12:37):
can't keep their mouths shut anymore.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Whether it's hunting and fishing news or just compelling stories
about the enjoyment of the great outdoors. West Virginia Outdoors
covers it all Saturday mornings at seven oh six am,
and for your daily fix, Outdoors Today brings you two
and a half minutes of news and notes from the
woods and water every weekday morning on Metro News, the
Voice of West Virginia.
Speaker 11 (12:59):
Hey everybody, it's Tony Courritty, I'm Greg Hunter, and I'm
Brad Hawe.
Speaker 15 (13:02):
And we invite you to join us Sunday through Fridays
right here on the Metro News radio network.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
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We talk West Virginia University, football, basketball, baseball, you name it.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
If it's got anything to do with the Golden Blue.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
We're on it.
Speaker 12 (13:17):
And don't forget the text line available every night.
Speaker 15 (13:20):
So we invite you to join us. The Senator coach
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Speaker 3 (13:26):
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(13:49):
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Speaker 2 (14:24):
Here on the campus of West Virginia Wesley And College,
today we will learn the winner of the West.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
Virginia Scholar Program.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Metro News has been a part of this program well
over a decade.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Now over a dozen years.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Greer Industries has been a proud sponsor of this program.
Along the way and joining us on Metro News and
talk Line this morning, the President and CEO of Greer Industries,
mister John Racy.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
John Racy, Good morning, sir.
Speaker 16 (14:47):
Pay good morning. Who am I talking to? Is this
don Imus or i'mus in the morning or who is this?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
You got it, sir, you got it.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Just it's a couple of guys that somebody thought was
a good idea that could replace Hopey.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
I don't know who made that decision, but here we are.
Speaker 16 (15:03):
Well, I think copy made that decision. He was always
the supreme Allied Commander and we always listened to it.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Well, mister Racy, it's a great day here at Western
New Wesleyan College and Career Industries and Metro News. We've
been a part of this for you know, sixteen seventeen
years now. How exciting is this for you to be
part of it.
Speaker 16 (15:22):
Well, I'm just a little guy on the other end
of the helm, but I can tell you it's great
satisfaction to give back the West Virginians and certainly West
Virginia colleges and universities, and it's so important. I like
what doctor I think his name, James Moore said. I
was listening a little bit of the program, and he's
trying to be congruative with the state of West Virginia
citizen try in the Tri state area. In other words,
(15:44):
we're not going to la or Hong Kong to get
our students. It's not a diversity situation. It's a situation
where we look at people in this area and how
they can benefit and how they can stay here. I
think that's so important. And it may be West Virginia
University with its diversity programs a little bit offline, let's
say that, and I think that you're seeing the smallies,
(16:05):
smaller colleges and universities doing much better, which what doctor
Moore said and I was very impressed, and it's wonders
to me. I think that why do we have to
go all the way to Coastal Carolina possibly to get
a new president. We have a lot of really good
executives in education right here in the state of West Virginia,
and I hope the next time we get a president,
it's like what doctor Moore said, we need somebody more
(16:27):
congruentous to the area to understand what we're trying to
achieve in West Virginia.
Speaker 7 (16:31):
Mister Racy, good morning, TJ. Meadows here.
Speaker 8 (16:34):
I want to talk to you a bit about why
it's important for the business community to step up and
help in these efforts to retain our talent. I know
that's central to who we are at Metro News and
who we are at Greer Industries. Why is that important
for not only our company, but other companies to step
up and lead in that effort as well.
Speaker 17 (16:53):
Well.
Speaker 16 (16:53):
I'll give you a quote from the famous football coach
Paul Brown. He says, you've got to have the best
players on the field or you're not going to win.
And I believe that's his correct statement. I say, you
can do very well, but in the competitive world that
we live in today. You've got to be like that
old box of post host. You's just a little bit better.
And when you see locally educated people, locally educated, you
(17:15):
know a resource that we have. We have more energy
than any state in the United States with the exception
of two and still we still have a low standard
of living in West Virginia, which is not acceptable. So
I think the only way you can pull yourself up
is by your bootstraps. And you have executives that have
the ability to succeed and want to stay here. And
that's very important because a lot of times in human
(17:36):
resource people you know, my goodness, they are very successful.
In West Virginia. The first thing we want to do
is move on. And you have mentioned Hoppy Curtuble. Do
you know how many people in the industry would have
loved to have Hopey cutile from LA to New York
to Miami everybody. But he was a West Virginia He
was West Virginia educated, He was brilliant. Emmy's the whole situation,
(17:57):
you know, came to his corner. When you look at
Fox Broadcasting in Tronk's news, they would always recite Hopey.
Senators did, but he never left, did he? Because he's
a West Virginian and that's so important. And it's what
Wesleyan's doing with scholarships like this. They're concentrating on West Virginians.
I think that's exceptionally important. We can be very competitive.
(18:17):
We don't have to take a vackseat to anyone.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Mister Racy, we're going to meet some of the finalists
here for the West Vinion scholar Program. Thank you so
much again for your support, Greer support in this and
it's an exciting day and it's an encouraging day here
in Buchanan.
Speaker 16 (18:31):
Well, I think so too, and it's a pleasure to
work with everybody. And I've just one reminder. My father,
who on he was coaching Davis High School in nineteen
thirty four, played the state championship against Charleston and other
bigger schools with a little single aged school. Didn't win it,
but he went on to West Virginia University from Buffchanan
and West Virginia Wesleyan because that's where they used to
hold a state championship in basketball, a center of basketball.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Thank you, Thank you very much, John Racy, Presidency of
Greer Industries. Thank you again for your support joining us
here on set. This morning, we do have some of
the finalists here. They're mingling about arriving here at the
center and joining us on set from West Virginia. Here
at West Virginia Wesleyan College. You know what I lost
the list.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
It's Olivia Edwards.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
She's wearing a name tag. I know she's from Ripley
High School. Olivia, good morning.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (19:18):
Good morning?
Speaker 6 (19:18):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Are you excited?
Speaker 6 (19:20):
I am excited? Yes.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
So who convinced you to apply for this scholarship?
Speaker 6 (19:26):
So my counselors at my high school send out a
big email to the entire junior class and they were like, guys,
apply for this, Like even if you don't get it trying,
you know, you never know.
Speaker 7 (19:35):
So what do you think of the school? Are you
familiar with the school?
Speaker 8 (19:38):
Is it all your radar before this program or has
the program introduced.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
You to the school.
Speaker 6 (19:42):
The program has introduced me to the school entirely. I
had never really heard of Wesleyan before, so it was
a cool opportunity to like hear about another school that's local.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
So when you were notified you were a finalist, here's
your counselor had said, hey, you know, you never know,
go ahead, you got to apply what went through your
mind at that point.
Speaker 6 (20:00):
So I was actually at the local elementary school student teaching,
So notification comes through and I checked it and I
was like, oh, and then I continued.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
On with the lesson.
Speaker 7 (20:09):
So you want to be a teacher.
Speaker 6 (20:10):
Yes, I did want to be a teacher.
Speaker 7 (20:11):
Why why?
Speaker 6 (20:13):
I believe that I have the power to shape young
minds and that I truly care for all the students
that enter and I know that they have potential.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Is there a teacher who kind of inspired you to
go that direction?
Speaker 6 (20:25):
All of my teachers have pretty much been amazing.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Well, good luck today.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I know we've got some Ripley Vikings who work here
in the company. They're probably rooting for you. But good
luck and today, and good luck what you gets your
senior year left, don't get senior right. Is too early,
by the way, you're already thinking about it started yet,
Olivia Edwards, Ripley High School.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Thank you so much, Olivia, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
All right, we'll get another finalist in here this morn
We're going to do a quick change here on the fly.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
It's live radio and television.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
By the way, we're on the wv Metro News TV
app this morning, as again we're gonna find out the
winner of the West Virginia Scholar Program. Joining us here
on the set from Huntington High School.
Speaker 7 (21:08):
You're okay, and.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Did we look it?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
You know, we tried to get a good chair, Eli
got us a bad chair and you know it's live radio,
but it's okay. Ruby Ronan from Huntington High School is
joining us here on set this morning.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Ruby, good morning, good morning.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
All right, we're all settled. How are you doing? Are
you excited?
Speaker 18 (21:35):
I am.
Speaker 6 (21:36):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 19 (21:37):
I'm excited, just hoping for the best.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
So how did you find out about the Westerrnian Scholar
Program and decide, you know what, I'm going to.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Give a shot.
Speaker 19 (21:46):
I went to the Governor School of the Arts last year,
which was hosted here at Weslian. So they did a
big giant presentation about why we should all come here,
and one of the biggest things they talked about, what's
this opportunity. So when I got the email, I jumped
for joy. They were like, Hey, it's happening, you can
(22:09):
apply now. It was just really really exciting.
Speaker 7 (22:13):
What did you do in the School of the arts.
Speaker 19 (22:16):
I was in the visual arts program, so we with
Bobby the I guess instructor of it all. We did
all sorts of things. We learned printing, which was major.
There was all sorts of ink, all sorts I guess technologies.
Speaker 20 (22:37):
It was huge.
Speaker 19 (22:38):
It was lots of fun. I really would recommend it
to anyone who wants to try.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
What do you plan on the study?
Speaker 5 (22:44):
Do you know yet?
Speaker 1 (22:45):
I would like.
Speaker 19 (22:45):
To go into biology, which sort of leads into dietetics,
one of the things that I'm fascinated of. I really
just love learning different parts of life. I love knowing
what goes into things. I love knowing what things are
made of. It's just huge fun for me. I really
love it.
Speaker 7 (23:03):
So this place could be your playground.
Speaker 8 (23:05):
There's a way to discover here.
Speaker 19 (23:07):
There's so much undiscovered territory. I was here for GSA,
we went all around. I fell in love with it.
I fell in love with downtown Festival Fridays, and I
guess I was just really looking forward.
Speaker 21 (23:21):
To coming back.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Ruby Ronan from Huntington High School, Hey, good luck today,
good luck with your future, endeavoral senior year and on
into the future.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Appreciate you stopping bye, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Coming up, we will meet more of the finalists for
the West Virginia Scholar Program, also meet some of our
sponsors helping make this all possible. We're going to get
in a few topics as the show goes on as well.
Steven Allen Adams will join a second hour as we'll
talk about Governor Morrissey a little bit more.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Today, it's all straight ahead.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
This is talk Line on Metro News, the Voice of
West Virginia. It is ten thirty times to get a
news update. Let's check in with the Metro News radio network.
Find out what's happening across the great state of West Virginia.
Speaker 22 (24:02):
West Virginia Metro News. I'm Morgan Pimberton. More coal mining
layoffs in southern West Virginia.
Speaker 23 (24:08):
The Beckley based website loot Press is reporting this morning
that the company Civil LLC has notified Workforce West Virginia
that it plans to layoff two hundred and seventy nine
workers at its nine coal facilities in southern West Virginia
by the first week of August. The operations are both
coal mines and prep plants located in Fayette, Mingo, Logan
Boone and Raleigh Counties. The largest number of layoffs will
(24:30):
come at the CV two mine and prep plant in
Fayette County, where one hundred and fifty five people will
lose their jobs. The company is indicating these layoffs will
be permanent. Cuts in mining jobs have been a trend
in recent months in southern West Virginia. Core Natural Resources
previously announced plans to layoff two hundred workers at it
Ittman Mine in Wyoming County. I'm Jeff Jenkins WV Metronews
(24:52):
dot com Live.
Speaker 22 (24:53):
On the Levy is tonight, but before that, an anti
car rally known as the Great Race will be in
downtown Charleston. Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO
Tim Brady.
Speaker 24 (25:02):
So the way it'll break out tomorrow, these guys in
these really cool old antique cars will be leaving Frankfort,
Kentucky in the morning and driving to Charleston in a rally,
and they'll get to Charleston, they'll park their cars.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
They'll be like a pop up car show.
Speaker 22 (25:17):
The car show will begin around four to twenty this afternoon.
Base Value, a tribute to Phil Collins, will kick off
live on the levee at six, followed by the Charlie
West All Stars at seven thirty. You're listening to Metro News,
the Voice of West Virginia.
Speaker 11 (25:30):
Let no one ever say President Trump isn't a friend
of cold.
Speaker 12 (25:34):
Posting recently on his truth social.
Speaker 11 (25:36):
Account, the President said, and I quote, after years of
being held captive by environmental extremists, lunatics, radicals, and thugs,
allowing other countries, in particular China to gain tremendous economic
advantage over us by opening up hundreds of cold fired
power plants, I am authorizing my administration to immediately begin
producing energy with beautiful, clean cold. President Trump, his energy team,
(26:02):
and the EPA are doing everything imaginable to increase the
use of coal to provide reliable and cost effective electricity.
Speaker 12 (26:10):
West Virginia's leaders must follow suit.
Speaker 11 (26:12):
It's time we change the policies keeping coal from reaching
its potential, and let's follow the President's lead and maximizing
this once in a lifetime opportunity to unleash our coal
resources for the betterment of all West Virginias.
Speaker 12 (26:26):
A message from the Friends of Coal.
Speaker 22 (26:29):
Hey, Putnam County man is in jail after an incident
and Scott Depot last week fifty seven year old Barry
Newberry was arrested on Sunday and now faces a kidnapping
charged after he allegedly kidnapped and beat up Adam Schemes.
Schemes was taken to the hospital because deputy said that
he was buddy and appeared to have been beaten. Newberry
is currently being held on a one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars bond. Presidents in Putnam County got the chance
to look at Apple Watch and Power companies Bancroft Milton
(26:51):
Transmission lined rebuild project that aims to build twenty miles
worth of new lines in the county. You can read
more about that at wv metronews dot com. From the
Metro News anchor desk Morgan Pertons.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Virginia Wesley and College, Dave Wilson along with TJ. Meadow
is going to be meeting some more of our finalists
coming up here in just.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
A little bit.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Also, we are going to get into a few topics
of the day.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Yesterday TJ.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Hoppey was on the program with us, and of course
with the commentary this morning, kind of had the same
thought that our buddy Steven Allen Adams over at Auga
Newspapers had with regards to Governor Morrissey and the vaccine exemptions.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Exactly where is he coming from him? Why are we
still having this conversation.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
We're going to talk to Steve Adams second hour later
on the eleven o'clock hour, because both of them are
kind of asking the same questions.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
And maybe that's just.
Speaker 8 (27:48):
The turning tide in politics, Stave. Maybe it's more la
business these days. You know, always be closing, we'll always
be politicking, always be running, And maybe that is the
mo in.
Speaker 7 (27:57):
Our political cycles these days.
Speaker 8 (27:58):
There already much people start much earlier, So maybe you're
just always running these days, and that's what we have
to look forward to and what we have to get
used to in West Virginia and the nation beyond.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
We got a couple of students, were gonna get one
of them on the program right now, a couple of
finalists here. We're at the West Virginia Wesleyan College campus today,
as about an hour and a half from now, we
will be learning who will be the West Virginia Scholar
of the Year this year.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Here in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
A couple of the sponsors going to join us as
well ZMM Architects, Wes Virginia Hospital Association. We talked to
John Racy of course with Greer Industries, all proud sponsors
of this program, joining us on Metro News talk line.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
One of the finalists, Owen Herrick, Did I say it
right on? Yep? All right, buddy from Magnolia. Yeah, how
you doing? Are you excited? Yeah? You don't look exceled.
You look pretty calm for the moment. Yeah. Is this
your excited face?
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yeah, most of the time, buddy, So I get involved.
Why did you decide, you know what, I'm gonna take
a shot at this.
Speaker 20 (29:06):
I mostly wanted to go here for the well educated scenario,
and they're going to start a cybersecurity program in this fall, which.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I really wanted to be a part of it. I
want to be the.
Speaker 20 (29:22):
Second year constancy coming here if I do get the scholarship.
But other than that, some of the other programs that
are here.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
I really what interested about cybersecurity.
Speaker 20 (29:43):
Mostly people who are like older folks, who don't know
what people are trying to get them to do or
scam them.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
I don't like.
Speaker 20 (29:57):
How that's going on throughout West Virginia right now. There's
millions being scammed right now as we speak.
Speaker 8 (30:08):
So you want to take a role in trying to
step up and stop some of that. I'm wondering, have
you had an experience? Have you seen someone be scammed
and that's what's inspired you.
Speaker 20 (30:17):
Yeah, my mom when I was young, she actually fell
for a scam when I was younger, and I never
knew it, but she did tell me recently that she
did get sem and she lost a lot of money
from it, and I don't want that to happen again
for other people.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
So what went through your mind when you found out
you were actually a finalist, Because you know, you apply
for all these scholarships and you go, oh, yeah, maybe
I will, maybe I won't, and then I'll be darned.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Here you are today.
Speaker 20 (30:45):
I was actually a little bit shocked that I was
one top fifteen finalists. I was actually proud of myself
because a few of my others student at a technical institute,
the Mid High Valley Technical Institute, also applied for it.
(31:09):
Sadly he didn't get into the top fifteen. I was shocked.
Speaker 8 (31:12):
I was what were you doing when you found out.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
I was actually working?
Speaker 8 (31:20):
Yeah, so you get a text on your phone or
an email, and it's like, oh, wow, this is going on.
Speaker 25 (31:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 20 (31:26):
I got an email from the state that I got
into the top fifteen and I was like, wait a minute,
I did not think I would be here today.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Well, oh, and congratulations on getting this far. This is
an achievement in and of itself. And good luck today,
good luck senior year, good luck in the future.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
Man.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Hopefully you can come next time I fall for a
phone scam about getting a black top for one hundred
and fifty bucks, you.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Can help me out. Yep. I appreciate it. Oh, and
thank you very much. You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
That's Owen Harrik Magnolia High School joining us here on
Metro News talk line. We got another finalist standing by again.
Big thanks to all the people who help make this happen.
Your industries, Westernian Hospital Association's ZMM Architects and Engineers, West
Virginia Farm Bureau, Friends of Colon. Of course, Metro News
part of all of this as well. Wyatt's Wyatt, say
(32:20):
your last name for me because I will get it wrong.
Bram Yep, all right from Kingwood, Preston High School, Preston
High School, Preston, Proud Night making his way down here, buddy.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
How are you?
Speaker 18 (32:30):
I'm pretty good.
Speaker 5 (32:31):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (32:31):
Are you excited? Owen didn't have much of an excited
face there for us. Are you excited?
Speaker 5 (32:35):
Pretty excited?
Speaker 18 (32:36):
Pretty nervous?
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Of course?
Speaker 1 (32:37):
What are you nervous about?
Speaker 18 (32:38):
I mean, if I'm gonna win?
Speaker 5 (32:39):
Obviously?
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Well, I mean you think you're gonna win, right.
Speaker 18 (32:41):
Yeah, obviously?
Speaker 2 (32:42):
So what motivated you to seek this scholarship? Because it's
a pretty prestigious award.
Speaker 18 (32:49):
When I went here last summer, it was actually almost
a year ago. It's a little bit over a year
ago for Governor's School for the Arts. This room, I
don't know if you can see it, but it's the
Greek Life Room, like the Memorial Room. It was where
we had our theater for the GSA, And that was
really my first time being on was in campus, and
(33:10):
I absolutely fell in love with it and fell in
love with its programs and its people.
Speaker 7 (33:16):
What do you want to study?
Speaker 18 (33:17):
I want to study history, but I want to be
not so much a teacher as a historian.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
What part of history are you most interested in?
Speaker 18 (33:23):
That's that's a good question because there's so many that
it's like, it's really hard to choose and it's really intertwined.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Well, any subjects you choose, you can get you can
take such a deep dive on and then that takes
you off onto another road, and then you end up
on another road off of just one. It could be
one incident, one period of time, one event. That's what
fascinates me about history.
Speaker 18 (33:48):
Yes, like one person could be connected to fifty other
things and you would never know, and so I wanted
to look into that. Basically, I love research and I
love learning and being able to learn about something that
has already happened.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
And how that can apply to today. It's funny how
history will. You'll see things in history and go the
same things happening today, only it's with you know, social
media versus newspapers and flyers just throwing it out there.
Speaker 7 (34:17):
What other things interest you?
Speaker 18 (34:19):
I don't know. If my shirt has whale sharks on it, it's
very cool. I love animals in general, and whale sharks
are one of my favorites.
Speaker 8 (34:26):
Why how did you find whale sharks?
Speaker 18 (34:29):
I don't actually remember, but I think it's on a documentary.
They're just massive, majestic beasts and they're like a lot
of people are confused when you tell them that because
they're like a whale shark.
Speaker 5 (34:40):
Is it a whale?
Speaker 17 (34:40):
Is it a shark?
Speaker 18 (34:41):
And it makes it a shark because of the way
its bones are. They're not actually bones made of cartilage,
which is what a shark is traditionally made out of.
But they are considered the largest living fish in the sea.
Now you have larger like animals, you have whales, you
have blue whales, you have humpback whales, But the largest
fish is a whale shark. And so I'm a big
(35:03):
advocate for taking like it's preventing extinction for them and
especially for really any animal.
Speaker 8 (35:09):
If history gets boring, it sounds like marine biology would
be right up the alley as well.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
Or it could be an architect. Who knows.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Hey, Wyatt, good luck buddy, Congratulations on making it this far.
Good luck today, good luck moving forward, good luck with
the whale sharks. If that's the way you go, maybe
you could be a whale shark historian. Every thought about
combining the too very interesting. I'm just throwing it out there,
history whale sharks. I love when the guy looks at
me like, oh my gosh, can he just said that real?
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Hey? What?
Speaker 2 (35:35):
Congratulations? Good luck today, but he appreciates stop appreciate your tickcare.
We are on the campus of West Virginia Wesley And
College today for the Westvirgia Scholar Program. We'll meet one
of our fine sponsors.
Speaker 5 (35:44):
Coming up.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
We'll get to some topics as well as the day
goes on. It's talk Line live from Buchanan. We're back
in a moment.
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Responsibly, Snap and Medicaid. Help West Virginia kids get fed,
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(36:41):
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That will news this morning the biggest story from around
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Get the day going with all the information you need
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Jeff Jenkins brings you the day's headlines.
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The annual measurement of the welfare of kids in all
fifty state show children in West Virginia faring better. The
annual Kids Count book is out this morning. West Virginia
ranks forty first, moving up from forty fourth last year.
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy Director of Kelly
Allen says been improvement, but more progress is needed. The
study says things are getting better for kids in West
Virginia the areas of housing security, children being covered by insurance,
(37:33):
and declining team birth rates.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Kyle Wiggs at the sports Dats.
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West Virginia trailed from the top of the first on
at LSU. Mountaineers tried to battle back. The offense did
park up, but LSU won the game twelve to five
in the super Regional in West Virginia.
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Season ends at forty four and sixteen.
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Back on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College today,
where we will learn the winner of the West Virginia
Scholar Program in twenty twenty five. We couldn't have this
program if we weren't for a host of great sponsors,
including West Virginia Farm Bureau. Stephen Butler is with the
West Virginia Farm Bureau. He joins us here on campus
this morning.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
The morning. Stephen, Good morning, How you doing, buddy? Great?
Great here?
Speaker 2 (39:41):
Why is the Farm Bureau involved? What's why be involved
in this program?
Speaker 31 (39:46):
Well, the Farm Bureau is a membership organization in West Virginia,
but we see the need of our youth and education
across the state. So although we represent the voice of
agriculture in West Virginia, still want to see the youth
stay here in West Virginia and be bible.
Speaker 8 (40:04):
What's on the front burner for your members in your
organization these.
Speaker 31 (40:07):
Days, Well, we advocate and work. If you're a member
of West Virginia Farm Bureau, you join at the county level,
but then you become a state member and then you're
a national member as well, and so we're advocating for
agricultural issues, whether it be on state or national level.
And sometimes there's issues that come up within the county
that need to be addressed, and so's there's always seems
(40:30):
like there's something new out there to face and be
concerned about.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
How are farmers doing in West Virginia right now?
Speaker 31 (40:37):
Well, this year the beef market is great.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
They're doing well.
Speaker 31 (40:40):
You know, last year we come off of a drought
issue and a lot of suffrage there. But as we
see this year, that's a little bit reverse and getting
your hay up. The first time around. It's been rainy,
but we appreciate the moisture getting back in the ground.
Speaker 7 (40:56):
Did short term heat waves affect you at all?
Speaker 31 (40:58):
Well, this was really the first good wind to to
actually be in the hayfields and a lot of folks
so it's been it's been a stressful week though with
the heat is there.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Is a specific I don't know if it's a smell
or a feeling, that warm, humid mourning that brings back
memories of hay fields, that smell of fresh cut hay
and you go, oh, I remember that, and you go, oh, boy,
that's a lot of work.
Speaker 5 (41:23):
It is.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Boy, that's a lot of itchy work too, A lot.
Speaker 31 (41:26):
Of its you work back, especially in the square bells days.
But you know, now a lot of us have converted
to round bales, a lot of different technology has come along,
and in agriculture, as we see it continues to evolve
and grow and we do less with more or more
with less land.
Speaker 8 (41:41):
Now, well, I think the challenge is especially for a
small family farm, but they got to be getting tougher.
It's got to be tougher and tougher every year. And
I'm sure you hear that from your members. I'm sure
you're trying to help them through that.
Speaker 10 (41:54):
It is.
Speaker 31 (41:54):
It is tougher you know your economic viability as a farmer.
That's way you see so many larger, larger farms because
when you have the investment of whether it be in
equipment or the assets you need to operate land whatever.
Speaker 5 (42:10):
Diesel diesel fuel fertilizer is huge.
Speaker 31 (42:13):
You don't realize that input cost. You know it's increased
this year because of some of the tariffs and so forth,
has caused prices to go up. But yes, it's it
is a big investment.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
How do you attract youth kids who are going to
college to agriculture.
Speaker 31 (42:31):
Well, again, they have to see the return. We were
blessed this year at WVU. We got our collegiate chapter
bre invigorated. Hadn't been active since COVID, you know that struggled,
But this year we had a great group of young individuals,
(42:53):
very interested in agriculture, very good to come up and
be advocates for agriculture. So it's just getting them engaged
and involved and understanding it's it's not all about work
in the field either. There's a lot of science behind agriculture.
Speaker 8 (43:09):
I think good business education too would make a big difference.
Speaker 31 (43:12):
The good business education is important that like they offer
here it's it's all very important.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
Can you believe there are actually people who just film
their job on the farm and then put on YouTube
and make money.
Speaker 1 (43:24):
Off that day.
Speaker 7 (43:24):
Can you believe that?
Speaker 8 (43:25):
Oh yes, oh yes, called digital farming.
Speaker 5 (43:29):
It's it is a lot of that out there.
Speaker 31 (43:32):
And and it's the fact that the consumer is interested
in knowing where their food comes from and what we
do do you know, and that's important that we probably
for years did not promote that. And how important agriculture
is you you realize in West Virginia it's a it's
a one billion dollar uh economic impact in Virginia. And
(43:55):
remember each dollar that's in the community is multiplied by
seven times. So you stop and think that's a huge impact.
Speaker 8 (44:02):
Well, and I would think just with your industry and
the local focus, that's a dollar that is more likely
to stay here maybe than some other dollars.
Speaker 4 (44:09):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
What's your favorite tractor, John or Steven?
Speaker 2 (44:12):
Oh, they all are the one that runs.
Speaker 31 (44:14):
Right, one that runs, and the one that breaks down.
Speaker 7 (44:18):
You hope you have a good dealer diplomatic answer.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
That's right, Steven Butler, Westvirginia Farm Bureau, Hey, thank you
for being part of the West Virginia Scholar Program.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
Thank you for being here today. It's going to be fun.
Speaker 31 (44:27):
It's going to be great. We're excited to see the
students at here appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Buddy, Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
We have more from the Campus of West Virginia, Wesley
and College in a moment.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
This is talk line. We're back after this.
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Wv metronews dot com the only website you need to
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It's two hours of sports conversation to wrap up your weekend.
It's the City Net Sunday Night Sports Line. Hey, this
is Travis Joe is joining myself and Greg Hunter every
Sunday night from six oh six until eight o'clock. As
we wrap up the sports weekend. We talk mountaineers, high school,
Mountain East Conference, and the latest in the national scene.
The Sunday Sports Line is listener interactive. You could call
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(47:37):
oh four. It's a perfect weekend sports wrap up on
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Speaker 2 (47:53):
BET News Talk Line Live on the campus of West
Virginia Wesleyan College Today Live on the campus at Western
New wesley In College Today Mention News talk Line David TJ.
Speaker 1 (48:04):
About an hour from.
Speaker 2 (48:05):
Now, we'll be finding out who the winner of the
twenty twenty five Western India Scholar Program is.
Speaker 1 (48:10):
Steven Allen Adams going to join.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
Us coming up in the second hour all the newspaper
columnst He's got some thoughts on maybe why Governor Morrissey
is going down this road and digging in his heels
on the vaccine exemption policy. We've got a couple of
minutes here, mister Meadows.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
So I heard a little Birdie told me, uh oh.
Speaker 2 (48:33):
You got into a little bit of a thing on
social media last night. There was a protest outside Center
Capitol's offices in Charleston. Six people got arrested, and you
shared your thoughts on the social media last night. You
could pick up the story from there. You see what
he does to me ladies and gentlemen. You know he
drops his summy. So look, here's my thing protesting.
Speaker 1 (48:52):
You should do it.
Speaker 8 (48:54):
Absolutely, have a march ab a rally. When you enter
a private building where other tenants occupy that building, and
you are interfering with the quiet, use and enjoyment of
other tenants by having a sit in in a shared
lobby trying to see a senator who you know is
not there. You're trying to get attention. You're being performative.
Speaker 2 (49:16):
I don't blame you.
Speaker 7 (49:17):
It worked.
Speaker 8 (49:18):
Everybody's talking about it, but I don't know how effective
that is. Stand out front. But if you stand out
in front, Dave, you don't get the television cameras. So yeah,
I opined on it a bit. There were some comparisons made,
all well intentioned, good debate about the fact that what
Rosa parks, you know, Ruby bridges. Different people were brought up.
That's different. Those were civil rights violations that led to
(49:42):
the Civil Rights Act, and civil disobedience that inspired, excuse me,
inspired the Civil Rights Act. I think we're talking apples
and oranges there. That was all very well and good
should have been done. I'm a big fan of what
Rosa Parks did and others. I don't think what happened
yesterday is comparable to Rosa Parks personally.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
You're right, it was blis.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
I mean, it was six people who were trying to
get attention, and apparently you're right. Apparently it worked because
we brought it up on this program. But you know,
I saw there was some commentary there, and there was
some commentary after the commentary, but you know, such as life.
Speaker 7 (50:14):
Should I just keep my mouth shut?
Speaker 2 (50:15):
Probably? But you know, well, I mean we've got four
minutes here. If you want to really stir it up, well, I'm.
Speaker 1 (50:20):
In on social media.
Speaker 8 (50:22):
I mean, should I just not opine on the issues
of the day? I kind of, you know, it's funny
sometimes I don't want to. I kind of feel like
I'm paid to, you know.
Speaker 1 (50:31):
But I will say this.
Speaker 8 (50:32):
I think at the end of the day, even though
things may be you know, may be perceived or may
actually be a little heated, I think a good debate
on social media about these issues and people sharing their viewpoints,
I think that's good because otherwise I.
Speaker 7 (50:46):
Don't know what the other guy thinks.
Speaker 8 (50:47):
I know what I think but I should want to
know what other people think, and frankly, I think it's
healthy when we all want to know what other people think.
Speaker 2 (50:54):
Well, as far as social media goes, you and I
both know social media is not real life, no opinion.
If you go on social media, you ten percent on
who live on the far left and the far right.
That's where they live. They live on social media, and
the algorithms are designed to push content to you that
stirs an emotional response, that stirs the most emphatic response
(51:17):
out of you, so you will continue to get a
dopamine kick, get the dopamine kick, and continue to consume
the social media.
Speaker 7 (51:24):
But what if we flipped that?
Speaker 8 (51:25):
What if more of us who want genuine debate back
to what we call or what I call the sensible center?
What a star will call them?
Speaker 1 (51:31):
Again?
Speaker 5 (51:31):
What was his?
Speaker 1 (51:32):
The normy's or something normous? What if more people with media?
But what if they were?
Speaker 8 (51:39):
It's not the tool's fault, it's how we use the tool.
Speaker 7 (51:45):
It's not social media's fault.
Speaker 1 (51:47):
Said something else. Okay, but look at what I'm saying.
Speaker 8 (51:50):
I mean, is it is it social media that's the
problem or is it.
Speaker 7 (51:53):
How we use it?
Speaker 2 (51:56):
You mean is it's not the tool social media, it's fault.
Speaker 7 (52:00):
Well I thought that was clear.
Speaker 2 (52:01):
Well, I thought you meant something else there.
Speaker 1 (52:05):
Three or four talk three or four. We do have
a couple of texts coming in. Try to save the segment.
Three or four.
Speaker 2 (52:10):
Will you be reporting on President Trump administration intelligence briefing
this morning to Congress or we'll be all Wesley. We're
going to be mostly about the Wesleyan stuff today we can.
Speaker 1 (52:19):
Trump will be there tomorrow. Don't worry, he'll be He
may be there in twenty twenty nine. Who knows.
Speaker 2 (52:24):
Uh, we'll get back into that tomorrow. Starwalt will join us.
We'll never miss a good opportunity. You are on your game.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
You never wrote us in there.
Speaker 2 (52:33):
Texter says, Hope he's not a native of West Virginia.
Trump should deport him back to Virginia. Well, he was
born in Winchester.
Speaker 1 (52:39):
Why not?
Speaker 11 (52:40):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (52:41):
Three four talk three oh four.
Speaker 2 (52:43):
I'm happy for the student who will get to go
to West Virginia Wesley and with a full ride. I
went there as an undergraduate and it definitely changed my life.
I wish the best for all of the scholars, says
the Texter. And that's The main reason we are here today,
obviously for the West Virginia Scholar Program on the campus
of West Virginia wesley In College. And look, we spend
I mean each and every day, two hours a day
(53:05):
most days TJ, trying to discuss what's wrong, what needs
to be fixed. How do we approach that. We've got
trouble in the Middle East. We need roads paved, there's floods,
and it can be quite discouraging, yes, but today is
very encouraging because you see this group of finalists. They're
doing things. At seventeen years old TJ. That wasn't even
(53:26):
a thought in my mind, but that's what's encouraged.
Speaker 7 (53:30):
I'm forty four.
Speaker 8 (53:30):
I still don't know what I want to do when
I grow up.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
We have more to come as we continue from the
College West Virginia Wesleyan College in buck Canan.
Speaker 1 (53:39):
This top line continuesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.
Speaker 3 (01:00:04):
Metro News talk Line is presented by Incopa Insurance, encircling
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Speaker 1 (01:00:16):
Second hour Metro News talk line.
Speaker 2 (01:00:17):
We're live on the campus of West Virginia Wesley and
College today for the announcements of the twenty twenty five
West Virginia scholar Program winner. The finalists getting a tour
of campus. About an hour from now, we will find
out the winner of this year's full scholarship. And when
we mean full scholarship, we mean everything tuition, room, board, fees, everything,
(01:00:38):
full scholarship to West Virginia Wesley and College. A little
bit later on we'll get into some of the news today.
Steven Allen Adams Agin Newspapers will join us, coming up
at the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1 (01:00:48):
Good morning once again to mister TJ.
Speaker 5 (01:00:50):
Meadows.
Speaker 1 (01:00:51):
TJ. Hey doing.
Speaker 7 (01:00:52):
I'm well, David. It's great to be here. This is
such a beautiful campus. It's nice just to you know.
Speaker 8 (01:00:56):
I took a little stroll inadvertently because I get lost easily,
but I took a little stroll around the campus before
we came in. It's a beautiful day. It's just a
nice place to be. It's a beautiful campus. The chapel
is spectacular. It's a great day here.
Speaker 2 (01:01:09):
And one of the students is going to win a
full ride to attend here a year from now. They
guy still got to finish up their senior years, obviously,
but there'll be.
Speaker 1 (01:01:16):
Some of them have senior itis.
Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
Well, a couple of them we spoke to in the
first home. They were like, you know, I'm not really
into my senior year. I'm ready to move on to them.
Speaker 7 (01:01:23):
Were you any different?
Speaker 1 (01:01:24):
Ah, I'm probably a bad example. I mean I graduated,
That's all that I'm well.
Speaker 2 (01:01:32):
Of course, today is made possible a lot of great
sponsors who help out with this program each and every year,
the West Virginia Hospital Association, of course, among them Vice
president of Financial Policy Melanie Dempsey joining us here from
the Hospital Association.
Speaker 1 (01:01:43):
How you doing? That'solute great?
Speaker 2 (01:01:45):
How are you guys?
Speaker 17 (01:01:46):
I agree this is a beautiful backdrop to give away
such an important award today for so many award deserving students.
Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
Why is it important for the Hospital Association to be
involved in the West Virginia Scholar Program.
Speaker 17 (01:01:57):
You know, we've talked about the hospital industry and health
care needing workers. It's the same all over the state.
We're interested in providing opportunities for our bright West Virginians
to have the opportunity to stay right here, accomplish for
their dreams, and hopefully stay here in the state.
Speaker 9 (01:02:13):
And give back.
Speaker 8 (01:02:15):
I feel we almost need to get on bended knee
and plead with them to stay here. Yes, because if
they don't stay here, everything else we talk about, I
feel like that falls apart.
Speaker 17 (01:02:24):
Well, that's what we want to help retain them, give
them this opportunity. If you read the bios of all
of these students who are up for the award today,
every one of them is deserving. Their parents, their families
have done a lot to get them here. They should
be proud of that, and we're excited to see who
will ultimately win that full ride scholarship.
Speaker 2 (01:02:44):
We're all roughly about the same age here. So but
remember when we were in school. What did you hear
or what was the perception coming through school?
Speaker 1 (01:02:50):
We've got to get out of West Virginia. We got
to leave, we got to go.
Speaker 2 (01:02:54):
That narrative's got to change somewhere, and I don't know
how to do it. Maybe Melanie, you've got a great idea.
But because there are good opportunities here, especially healthcare AVA
and it feels that you probably if you're fifteen, sixteen, seventeen,
years old, probably don't even associate with the state of
West Virginia.
Speaker 1 (01:03:09):
There are opportunities here.
Speaker 2 (01:03:11):
I don't know if kids, I don't know if they
know about them or that's just that perception gets so
stuck in your head that you can't you can't. Well,
you know, because you know it all. It's seventeen we
all know it all.
Speaker 1 (01:03:20):
We know it all now. As a matter of fact.
Speaker 17 (01:03:22):
Sure, I've got teenage kids. They talk about that amongst
their friends, but I tell them all the time. I
was born in southern West Virginia. I had the opportunity
to grow up here and have never had to leave
the state for the opportunities of what I want to do.
I think if the students and our young people really
look at what we have to offer here, they will
find they will have the opportunity to grow and accomplish
(01:03:45):
anything they want and contribute back to the state of
West Virginia.
Speaker 8 (01:03:48):
Well, the world is such a different place today.
Speaker 7 (01:03:50):
We were talking off earlier.
Speaker 8 (01:03:51):
I used to work in a certain geographic urban area
and was based there, but started telecommuting, and you know,
with the way the world is now post COVID, I
feel like, even though it's gone back to the office
a little bit. It's still acceptable. So have your job
anywhere in the world you want it, but live here
and never have to leave, and never have to sacrifice.
Have the best of both worlds.
Speaker 17 (01:04:12):
I mean, we're close enough that if we want to
go to a metropolitan area for a day trip or
a long weekend, we certainly have that opportunity to do so.
But I don't know that I would want to go
anywhere else with the surroundings and the opportunity that we've
really been given here already.
Speaker 2 (01:04:26):
Mellie Dempsey is joining US West Virginia Hospital Association. Since
we got you here, anything happening big right now in
the healthcare industry field that's got your attention, Perhaps big
beautiful anything happening.
Speaker 17 (01:04:38):
I don't know if we'd call it the Big Beautiful Bill,
would you call it the me We would probably identify
more there. But in all seriousness, medicaid is a hot
topic in Washington right now. It's probably the primary source
of cuts for the Big Beautiful Bill coming through to
pay for some other initiatives, and we've really been talking
(01:04:59):
to our congressional delegation and looking at how that, quite frankly,
would affect West Virginia. You know, we've got we've got
over five hundred thousand people in West Virginia who rely
on Medicaid for their coverage. It's a large part of
our state budget, and about seventy five percent of all
of those Medicaid dollars in the state come from the
federal government. Right, So any cuts that happen there will
(01:05:22):
significantly affect our state. And what we're really looking at
and talking about are those services that are at risk
that have high Medicaid utilization. You know, the pediatrics, emergency
room services, mental and behavioral health ob services. Those are
all important access points that we want in our communities.
What happens is is if Medicaid gets cut, those services
(01:05:46):
are put at risk for not just the Medicaid population,
but for the entire community.
Speaker 25 (01:05:50):
Right.
Speaker 17 (01:05:51):
Any of our hospitals, approximately twenty five percent of the
patients coming in have Medicaid as their payer source. So
it's a significant concern for us. We've, like I said,
been in constant contact with our congressional delegation and are
working to protect that language in the bill to ensure
West Virginia's retaining their coverage.
Speaker 8 (01:06:11):
We were talking off air you took the politics out
of it and you went with the practical side. You
cut medicaid to whatever degree. Right, it's not going to
stop people from showing up at the door.
Speaker 17 (01:06:21):
No, No, think back to prior twenty fourteen, before West
Virginia had expanded Medicaid, Right, you didn't see people not
get sick, not go to the hospital when they needed it.
You saw a lot of patients go to emergency rooms
right for their primary care. You saw them go to
the hospital without insurance. That just became uncompensated care that
(01:06:41):
somebody had to absorb or pick up. So we're not
going to see patients stop seeking care. It's just going
to burden our hospitals and our healthcare providers even further
with the other administrative burdens that are in the provisions
of the bill, and we're just going to make it
more difficult and really threaten the access points in our
our communities.
Speaker 2 (01:07:02):
I'm not going to ask you if you have a
better answer, But the crux of the matter, TJ and
I talk about this all the time. These programs the
path are on right, TJ. Unsustainable. We cannot sustain every
all the programs that we pay for at the federal
leveled state level. They're all important to somebody. I don't
have a good answer.
Speaker 5 (01:07:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:07:20):
I don't expect you to have a great answer on
how to fix it. Off you did, I would, I would.
Speaker 2 (01:07:23):
Write a book and sell it to somebody in Washington
if I were you mail Let me just throwing it
out there. But that's the I guess catch twenty two
of all of this. We all know the debt needs
to be addressed. We all know these programs need to
be addressed.
Speaker 1 (01:07:34):
I don't know that there's a good answer on how
to fix any of them.
Speaker 17 (01:07:36):
Sure, and we agree with all of those things. You know,
there are other provisions that you can look at. There
are work requirements proposed in the bill that might decrease
some of that burden on the able bodied adult right
that have access to coverage. I think they are looking
at some administrative eligibility requirements to kind of tighten those up.
(01:07:57):
What we don't want to see is coverage pull from
those recipients and those West Virginians that truly need and
deserve that coverage.
Speaker 2 (01:08:05):
I don't know if you've got an answer to this question,
but I'm going to ask it anyway, Melanie, I was
thinking about the work requirement and the able to body
the adults. Well, a lot of people agree like, look,
if you're a single guy, you're healthy, maybe you shouldn't
be receiving this hendout.
Speaker 1 (01:08:18):
But in West Virginia, we're an older population, we have.
Speaker 2 (01:08:23):
Individuals who are faced with disabilities we know heard at
work and such. Are our numbers skewed more that way
for people who even if there were work requirements, they're
still depending on Medicaid because they would fit into these
other categories.
Speaker 17 (01:08:37):
So there will be some The latest estimates from many
of the groups you see publishing say that between fifty
thousand and one hundred thousand West Virginians could potentially lose
coverage through the work requirements. But there's also a lot
of provisions that would protect West Virginia for those populations
you mentioned. There are carve outs for expectant mothers, those
(01:08:58):
caring for small children, are disable or older population. So
we think it's written in a way, at least at
a high level, that those populations would be protected, and
it encourages the workforce that can get out to help
supplement that to do so.
Speaker 18 (01:09:13):
Right.
Speaker 17 (01:09:14):
We talk a lot about in West Virginia about workforce
shortages not only in healthcare but in other industries. This
is just one more avenue to support those initiatives.
Speaker 8 (01:09:22):
The idea of a backstop financially to help ensure that
rural hospitals do not close. Senator Capito, dave, I think
she was on the program last week, but it was
this week. It was this week. This week they all
run together, sorry, talking about the fact she's working to
try to see such a provision. But politics is politics
in Washington. This may not work out. And if it
(01:09:43):
doesn't work out, those hospitals very much have a threat
in front of them.
Speaker 5 (01:09:48):
This isn't hyperbolic.
Speaker 17 (01:09:50):
Well, and what Senator Capito and Senator Justice and our
representatives are all working toward collectively, I would say, is
they are hearing us and they understand the effects on
West Virginia right There are communities that would quite frankly
lose their access to care if some of these provisions
would take back. Paired with the administrative burdens and some
(01:10:10):
of the other red tape that have been proposed, there's
a real threat to loss of access points in our communities.
We've been in DC several times over the last couple
of weeks to talk to them personally about some of
these provisions to make sure that West Virginians are protected.
There are some of these stop gap funds that are
currently in place. You hear them call directed payments or
supplemental payments, and our rural hospitals really rely on those
(01:10:34):
in West Virginia and every other state. So it's important
to preserve that funding to ensure we don't lose those
access points.
Speaker 8 (01:10:40):
I think about Welch in the hospital there. We've spent
some time with the flood of McDowell County. I mean,
in the best of times, they have challenges and I
don't know how they would stay over I mean.
Speaker 17 (01:10:50):
Welch, Williamson. You look at some of those hospitals, Webster County,
Memorial Hospitals, some of those that are in very remote places,
they would not be able to serve their patients, certainly
not at the service level they do without that funding.
Speaker 2 (01:11:03):
Melanie Dempsey, Westernian Hospital Association, Vice president of Financial Policy,
one of our sponsors here for the Westernia Scholar Program.
Speaker 1 (01:11:09):
Let's end on a high note because we went down
that road where we usually go TJ.
Speaker 2 (01:11:13):
But again, an exciting day and you never know. One
of these students who are touring campus right now, Melanie,
they may be the next X ray tech anesthesiologist, might
be the nurse taking care of you one day.
Speaker 17 (01:11:24):
We're excited to see whatever they do. Congratulations and good
luck to them all.
Speaker 8 (01:11:28):
Well, you know from your field. Will Mayo pretty good
name Mayo Clinic. He talked about the fact that it's
the next generation's responsibility to solve the problems that they
will live in. These kids have that ability. They've shown that.
So there's your high note. Faith in the future.
Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
End on a high note, Melanie, good place today. Hey,
thank you for being part of the program. Thank you
for hopping on with us for a few minutes, and
you know, getting into the DC stuff to appreciate it.
Melanie Dempsey, Westernian Hospital Association Vice President. We're on the
campus at wes Virginia Wesley And College today. We will
be finding out the winner of the twenty twenty five
Westernia Scholar Program.
Speaker 1 (01:12:01):
About forty five minutes from now. Come back and join us.
Speaker 2 (01:12:06):
We can text the show three or four, talk three
or four. Steven aland Adams will join us. Bottom of
the hour. We'll get into some state politics before we
call it a day as well. David TJ Talkline from Buchanan.
Speaker 1 (01:12:17):
We're back in a moment.
Speaker 37 (01:12:19):
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Speaker 26 (01:12:49):
Rafters along the Lower Galley have reported sightings of a
pirate on the riverbank. Apparently he's throwing gold coins to
every boat that passes back to.
Speaker 27 (01:12:57):
You carry I Play, West Virginia's new online lottery app
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Speaker 2 (01:13:18):
You're listening to Talkline on Metro News, the Voice of
West Virginia Listen.
Speaker 29 (01:13:26):
I'm a West Virginian through and through. Grew up in Bridgeport,
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Think you can keep up?
Speaker 29 (01:13:49):
We're your afternoon anecdote to the ordinary on weekdays three
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Speaker 1 (01:13:58):
Hi, this is Dave Wilson, along with Tea Meadows.
Speaker 2 (01:14:00):
Join us weekdays at ten o six for Metro News
Talkline on this metro news radio station TJ. The more
things change, the more they stay the same.
Speaker 1 (01:14:08):
That's right, Dave.
Speaker 8 (01:14:09):
We'll continue to examine and discuss issues important to West Virginia,
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Speaker 2 (01:14:17):
Ary new host, same Talkline join us weekdays at ten
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Speaker 7 (01:14:24):
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Speaker 33 (01:14:26):
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Speaker 3 (01:14:56):
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Speaker 19 (01:15:02):
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Speaker 8 (01:15:08):
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Speaker 3 (01:15:15):
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Speaker 2 (01:15:40):
We're live on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College
today for the West Virginia Scholar Program. The winn are
going to be announced in just a little bit. Got
a luncheon coming up at noon today. The finalist are
currently out on.
Speaker 1 (01:15:53):
Campus as we speak.
Speaker 2 (01:15:55):
Getting a tour here in beautiful buck Canon text in
the show Oh three or four Talk three or four, Hey,
Dave and TJ. Felicia from w j ls N Beckley
as a West Virginia Wesleyan alum. I am anxiously awaiting
the announcement of the West Virginia Scholar Winter.
Speaker 1 (01:16:11):
It warms my heart to.
Speaker 2 (01:16:12):
Hear the impact GSA and the people at Wesley and
have already had on these students. Best of luck to all,
and welcome to our home among the hills, says Felicia
in Beckley. There you go, proud alum of the program.
Speaker 8 (01:16:26):
Thanks for letting us know about your experience. Thanks for
texting in.
Speaker 2 (01:16:30):
You do have a connection when it's your school and
it's your program at least I do you know when
when somebody comes through Marshall comes to the j School
at Marsha Lay and that's my school, of my program,
You're you're proud of that, And I get the sentiment
there and this is even maybe even more of an
intimate setting than I went to Marshall.
Speaker 1 (01:16:47):
You went to w obviously, So the bigger you.
Speaker 2 (01:16:49):
Get, the more kind of strung out you are a
little bit, but very well not strung out, you know
what I mean, TJ.
Speaker 7 (01:16:55):
I was just gonna move on off that, but no,
you're right.
Speaker 8 (01:16:58):
These kinds of camp it's kind of what you envision
in the back of your mind, those historic buildings and
the field that you get here.
Speaker 2 (01:17:08):
So it's very special indeed, And of course this program
we couldn't do without some of our great sponsors being
involved as well. That includes ZMM architects. Jen Wood from
ZMM joining the saw mentioned news talk line here on set.
Speaker 1 (01:17:19):
Good morning, Hike.
Speaker 2 (01:17:20):
That's good to see you too.
Speaker 1 (01:17:21):
Are you excited.
Speaker 21 (01:17:22):
I'm very excited. So I'm proud to be representing ZMM today.
But prior to my time joining ZMM, I worked in
high ed and nonprofits and college access. So what you
were just saying about college experiences and knowing the impact
of college and education for students, supporting folks from across
the state that have this opportunity today to come to
(01:17:44):
Wesleyan and have that experience and really have their lives
changed from this program. ZMM is so proud to have
been a part of this for a number of years,
almost a decade, I believe, So it's just so important
for us to be involved in programs like this. But
we do a lot of education work across the state.
So whether it's building a school, an elementary school, middle school,
(01:18:05):
high school, working with our higher education partners, doing renovations
and projects at places like the Clay Center that provide
educational opportunities for students. We are really ingrained in the
community and really support the efforts that build and support
educational and cultural opportunities in our state.
Speaker 2 (01:18:24):
So from a business perspective, why get involved? Why promotes
higher education? Why help sponsor these scholarship opportunities. I mean
you could just sit back, be a business and wait
for the kids to graduate and then try to hire them.
Speaker 21 (01:18:38):
So why get involved, Well, it's part of our mission.
We're a small firm, but we have a philanthropic statement.
We really are committed to supporting efforts that are related
to educational and cultural aspects of our state. But beyond that,
we're talking about the pipeline. It's in our name. We're
architects and engineers. You can't be either of those things
without an education. So we actually announ a scholarship last
(01:19:01):
fall with Marshall University to help keep young talent in
West Virginia, to support students who want to pursue engineering.
We have eighteen interns right now from all over and
we know that it's up to all of us, all
of business leaders, to take an active role in education
and encouraging folks to go to college, get an opportunity
(01:19:22):
at a career, and to stay in the state. We
would love to be able to have as many architects
and engineers as we possibly can in our state, and
we really have to actively be involved in creating that
talent and supporting that talent.
Speaker 8 (01:19:35):
So I want to talk about your time in higher
ed and use that to crystallize something for me. You know,
today the focus is, Okay, make sure you know what
you're going to do, make sure that investment there is there,
and that's all well and good, But talk about college
as an engine of discovery, figuring out what you want
to be, who you want to be. I feel like
(01:19:56):
we've lost a little bit of that, and I don't
know that that's a good thing.
Speaker 21 (01:20:00):
Think there is a push in higher education for the
pursuit of a career, which ultimately all of us as
business leaders. We know that that's important, but it is
an exploration and I think the opportunity in architecture and
engineering studies you are discovering and learning the ways to learn,
learning the ways to problem solve, finding out the best
(01:20:22):
ways to approach a problem. Because what we do at
ZMM is meet our clients where they are, take the
time to learn from them and their expertise of what
they need to support the clients that they serve, the
folks that come in and out of their building every day,
and so through the college experience, making sure that students
have an opportunity to learn about that early. We actually
(01:20:43):
do outreach in elementary schools, middle schools to get folks
excited about architecture and engineering. But beyond that, as it
relates to higher education, there are schools all over the state,
all over the country that are actively supporting the soft
skills and some of the other opportunities that students need
to be successful. But it's not just what they need
to be successful in their careers, but also be successful
(01:21:05):
in life of understanding how to explore the world around them.
I think that sometimes people don't always recognize that the
value of a four year education avaccaloria degree is so
that they get exposed to a variety of courses that
are Sometimes people don't see them as being directly related
to their course of study, but it is. If we
(01:21:27):
don't know our history, if we don't know where we
came from, whether it's related to architecture or just being
a citizen and active member of our state. If you
don't know about our state, you don't know about our country,
you don't know about the world. All of those things
open our eyes and help us be better at the.
Speaker 8 (01:21:41):
Work that we do.
Speaker 21 (01:21:42):
So it's really important to have that really broad opportunity
at education and also career technical education to your programs.
You know, when I worked in college access, it was
always about post secondary education, something for a student after
they graduate high school, and we want students takes for
all of those opportunities, whether it's an apprenticeship, two year,
(01:22:05):
four year education, or beyond that.
Speaker 1 (01:22:07):
When you are.
Speaker 2 (01:22:08):
Talking to students, you're recruiting to ZMM, you're looking for
the next engineer architect. When you're talking to them, what
is the one thing where they go, I had no
idea I could do that, or I had no idea
or biggest misconception in the field, I guess.
Speaker 21 (01:22:24):
So Actually, in talking to our interns last summer, one
of the interns from Charleston, she had gone away to school,
had interned with us twice as of last summer, and
she shared that she had been in Charleston her whole
life and didn't realize that she could do commercial architectural
work in Charleston, West Virginia. And so to know that
folks are driving around any town or city in our
(01:22:47):
state and it is architects and engineers who are creating
those built environments throughout our state and places that we
can be very proud of, whether it's projects we do
with county school systems or we just won two awards
for our project at the stargazing cabins at Cooper's Rock,
you know. So there's a variety of projects that our
(01:23:07):
team gets to work on, and so just making sure
that folks see that. And so this summer with our interns,
we're taking them into even more sites around our state
so that they can see that these are projects that
happen in their home state and in their hometowns that
we're done by architects here in our state.
Speaker 2 (01:23:25):
Jen Wood with ZMM Architects and Engineer's Chief marketing officer. Hey,
thanks for being part of the West Virginian Scholar Program
and thanks for being on the program with us for
a few minutes.
Speaker 21 (01:23:33):
We're so proud to be a part of it. Thanks
for having us.
Speaker 1 (01:23:35):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (01:23:36):
Coming up, we'll talk a little state politics. Steven Allen
Adams buddy from Augden Newspapers going to join us, and
we'll get in a few texts as well. We're live
on the campus of West Virginia Wesley and College for
the West Virginian Scholar Program. This is talk Line on
Metro News, the Voice of West Virginia. It is eleven
thirty and time to get a news update. Let's check
in with the Metro News radio network find out what's
(01:23:57):
happening across the great state of West Virginia.
Speaker 12 (01:24:01):
West Virginia Metter News.
Speaker 1 (01:24:02):
I'm Chris Lawrence.
Speaker 35 (01:24:03):
Charges in a Berkeley County shooting incident have now been
upgraded from attempted murder to murder. Twenty year old Elias
Jenkins is facing those charges in the shooting death of
nineteen year old Landis Govian. Investigators say that two were
passengers in a car traveling near Hedgesville on June seventeenth,
got into an argument and it escalated the gunfire and
the charges, of course, were upgraded. When Govin died, Jenkins
(01:24:23):
is in jail without bond. Another coal producer announcing plans
to eliminate close to three hundred mining jobs across southern
West Virginia, Civil LLC notifying two hundred and seventy nine
they will be laid off in the first week of August.
Company offered no explanation but the cutbacks. The biggest number
are at the CB two mine in Fayette County, one
hundred and thirty five miners and twenty more employees at
the prep plant. The rest are spread out over a
(01:24:45):
variety of operations in Fayette, Mingo, Logan, and Boone Counties.
It comes on the heels of the Core Natural Resources
lay off of two hundred at its Mund mine in
Wyoming County. A number of West Virginia organizations are pushing
back against the Big Beautiful Bill, Donald Trump's proposal to
clear up the House and is on track to be
approved in the Senate, but that is not sitting well
with a number of groups who claim a lot of
(01:25:06):
benefits that West Virginia's depend on like Medicaid and SNAP
will be cut.
Speaker 38 (01:25:10):
We lose Medicaid and Medicare benefits so many people, over
two hundred and seventy seven thousand people in West Virginia
will lose their medical home benefits.
Speaker 35 (01:25:22):
She is one of six people who staged to sit
in at Senator Capitol's office and was arrested. You're listening
to macronews the Boys of West Virginia.
Speaker 39 (01:25:30):
More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease,
and two thirds are women. Hi, I'm Sharise sample Hughes
Chair for Women in Government. Alzheimer's disease progresses slowly over
ten to twenty years in stages. Recognizing symptoms early could.
Speaker 8 (01:25:46):
Help make a difference.
Speaker 39 (01:25:47):
A timely diagnosis may allow for more options, including access
to emerging care. Speak with your doctor to see if
testing is the right next up for you and your family.
Find more information at womenangovernment dot org.
Speaker 40 (01:26:00):
Like me separate from the military, we tried to move forward,
but to truly move forward, we need to take care
of our bodies and our minds. I finally understood that
after I went to VA. I saw the difference it
made to have provided us who understood what I've been
through and know how to help. I'm getting the highest
quality health care at the lowest costs, and I'm telling
every veteran I know that taking care of yourself is
(01:26:21):
the strongest thing you can do. Get what you've earned.
Speaker 3 (01:26:23):
Missa choose dot VA dot gov.
Speaker 35 (01:26:29):
In Putnam County, a man is behind bars charged with
kidnapping after a weekend incident in Scott Depot. Debuitte's arrested
fifty seven year old Arry Newberry following a report last
week by a caller to nine one one who reported
hearing screaming from a house next door. The woman said
a man came out of the home on Circle Ways
screaming for help, ran down the hill and hit out
on her property. She also told Debbie you says she
heard another man in the home yell he got out.
(01:26:51):
The victim identifide is Adam's schemes, and Newberry has jailed
on the lieu of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars bond.
Speaker 12 (01:26:56):
From the Metro News anchor desk, I'm Chris Lawrence.
Speaker 2 (01:27:13):
Special edition of Metro News talk Line.
Speaker 1 (01:27:15):
Today.
Speaker 2 (01:27:16):
We are on the campus of West Virginia Wesley and
College in buck Cannon, Western Virginia. West Virginia Scholar Program.
When are going to be announced in a luncheon coming
up about half an hour from now. The finalists are
out touring campus as we speak. We've spoken to some
of our sponsors, great sponsors who make this happen each
and every year, Career Industries, West Virginia Hospital Association's Email
(01:27:39):
Architects and Engineers, the West Virginia Farm Buo, Friends of
Cole and of course Metro News has been involved with
this for years and we brought this up at the
beginning of the show Tjay. Among the things that I
was excited about and getting a chance to do this
show was getting the opportunity to be part of this program,
get to talk to some of the students and look,
we spend two hours every day on well, what do
(01:28:00):
we need to do?
Speaker 1 (01:28:01):
Well, the roads are bad.
Speaker 2 (01:28:02):
This guy put this on Instagram, Well we need to
fix this. Who's really running that? And you leave and
you go, man, there's a lot of problems. And then
I get this opportunity a lot through our coverage with
high school sports, you talk to some student athletes, you
get the opportunity to meet these finalists. There are a
lot of very bright and encouraging young people who have
great futures ahead of them, who are doing things at
(01:28:24):
sixteen seventeen years old that we're the furthest thing from
my mind, and they continue.
Speaker 1 (01:28:29):
To amaze me.
Speaker 2 (01:28:29):
And it's a very optimistic and encouraging day here on campus.
Speaker 8 (01:28:33):
Well and frankly, we have to have them, you know,
fresh perspective is not just a nice to have, it's
a requirement. And the challenges we face, particularly here in
West Virginia, we need our best and our brightest and
not only stay here, we need them to become involved
earlier and earlier in the process. And so programs like this,
programs like the Governor School that they talk about, many
(01:28:54):
of these kids have went through the Governor's School for
the Arts and then that has you know, blossomed their
love for West Virginia, Leslian and one of the reasons
that they applied for the program. The sooner we get
those bright young stars that will grow up to be
our leaders, the better off will be.
Speaker 2 (01:29:08):
It's just nice to know they're not all just making
tiktoks trying to be influencers.
Speaker 1 (01:29:12):
You can do both well.
Speaker 2 (01:29:14):
Speaking of influencers and tiktoks, Steven Allen Adams Stay calumnists
from all the newspapers joined us all mentioned news top
line this morning. Yeah you're a big TikToker, aren't you, Steve?
Speaker 10 (01:29:25):
Oh No, definitely not a tick. I don't know about
an influencer, but if I can, if I can use
my influence or anything, especially to the students being considered
for the thosee scholars the scholarship, I would say this
as a college dropout, stay in college because it takes
you a lot longer to do the things that you
(01:29:45):
want to do without the degree. So good luck to
all the scholars that are being considered today, and I
kind of look forward to seeing who wins. I know
we have a student I believe from Saint Mary's High School,
but it's being considered for.
Speaker 1 (01:29:59):
That Madeline Steele.
Speaker 2 (01:30:01):
Yes, as a Saint Mary's Blue Devil a couple, you
know Blue Devil's take over the show occasionally here Tjah.
You know, Hey, that's fun, you know how it goes. So, Steve,
I wanted to get you on today because with this
topic came up yesterday, you kind of wrote about it
in your Notebook earlier this week, and that's Governor Morrissey
earlier this week coming out supporting a lawsuit against the
state school board challenging the state's vaccination requirements. We all
(01:30:26):
know that the governor's got the executive order. The state
legislature rejected the bill for the religious exemptions. The governor says, hey,
I'm fighting for your religious liberties. Hoppey brought this up
in his discussion with us yesterday and wrote about it
in his commentary today about the governor's political calculation. You
also had a take on it. Where do you think
this is coming from?
Speaker 10 (01:30:47):
Well, in my column most recently Monday, you know, I
asked a few questions in regards to a couple previous
actions by the governor, one being a social media post,
the other sort of the decision making behind not giving
stay employees June teams off last week. And the question
(01:31:08):
I kind of put out there as a rhetorical question
or a question question, is what is the governor doing?
Is he he won the election? We know that, we
all covered it. He certainly had a contentious primary, for sure.
I think six members, six Republicans in that primary, including
you know, the son of the US Senator Shelley Moore Capito,
(01:31:30):
Chris Miller's son of Representa Karol Miller. So very contentious primary,
but he won it and went on the win the election.
So the question I had is, why is he still
seemingly kind of trying to play to a certain Republican
base when when the man is the governor of the
(01:31:52):
entire state of West Virginia. And I think I think
it's a good question, especially in regards also to the
vaccine issue, him backing the lawsuit from the Raleigh County
parent in a very public press conference. Now in the
governor's defense a little bit, He's doing other things too.
Speaker 1 (01:32:09):
He is governing.
Speaker 10 (01:32:11):
He's up in Chester today, he was in Wheeling announceding
some funding for flood victims for housing, yesterday some water
infrastructure projects in Parkersburg. So I mean, he's obviously doing
the job, and I think people see him on the
ground doing these things, especially in the flood ravaged areas,
and appreciate it. But I also do think people when
(01:32:33):
you kind of hate he's a word pander, but focus
so much on these really niche issues, it's easy for
other people to kind of feel unseen in that. Even
if you are actually doing the job of government.
Speaker 8 (01:32:47):
So, mister Adams, I want to ask you a question
that will cause you to speculate, but you have a.
Speaker 7 (01:32:52):
Keen political eye.
Speaker 8 (01:32:54):
Nationally, cycles last longer, they start earlier. I guess I
should say that seems to be the trend a bit.
As you well know, here in West Virginia, we tend
to take things at a more casual pace. We adopt
things at a slower pace than others.
Speaker 7 (01:33:07):
This kind of mo where you're.
Speaker 8 (01:33:09):
Always campaigning, you're always running. Do you think West Virginians
will be accepting of that or does the governor risk
turning over the cart here, so to speak? And could
that have negative consequences for him?
Speaker 10 (01:33:23):
I don't think it's going to have as many negative
consequences as you would think, because I think elections and
running for election and re election keeps happening earlier than earlier.
I think everybody forgets in the race for governor. The
Chris Miller got in I think December twenty twenty one.
As you're talking about former Representative Alex Mooney, he announced
(01:33:46):
his run for US Senate the same week or two
weeks after winning the re election to the House of
representatives after defeating former Congressman McKinley David McKinley in the
primary elections are happening earlier and earlier. So I mean,
talking about speculation, one has to wonder what is the
(01:34:08):
governor kind of already seemingly campaigning for. I mean, the
only election coming up of substance in twenty twenty six
is going to be US Senator Shelley Moore Capito's reelect.
We already know she's already facing some Republican primary challengers,
including current state Senator Tom Willis of the Eastern Panhandle.
(01:34:31):
So you got that, and then you know, I got
to tell you. You know, I've heard a number of rumblings
about former governor current US Senator Jim Justice kind of
missing the job and did a scenario where he might
jump back in in twenty twenty eight. So I can
only really speculate that Morrisey might be wanting to keep
(01:34:51):
his base energized in place because he may have a
primary that he might want to run it.
Speaker 7 (01:34:57):
Well, you know, Frankly, Stephen, I'm hearing rumbling State. I'm
sure you are.
Speaker 8 (01:35:00):
Too, that even if it wasn't Justice, given the contentious
start that the governor has had with the legislature. There
are some folks out there who say, you know what,
here's somebody who is vulnerable to a Republican primary challenge.
Maybe I want to throw my hat in the ring.
So you know, maybe Morrise he's right. Maybe he understands
that sees the calculus, and he's right to always be running.
Speaker 2 (01:35:20):
I don't know, Steven Allen Adams trying to us from
all good newspapers. Hey, Steve, let me throw this out
at you. I almost brought this up with Hoppy yesterday
and I stopped myself short and I thought about it
some more overnight. We're constantly looking for the political calculation
when we're talking about whether it's the governor, the senator,
the delegate, doesn't matter. We assume we're conditioned to assume
(01:35:44):
everything is a political calculus. Have we given any thought
to the idea that when it comes to the vaccine exemption,
this is just something that Patrick Morrissey truly believes, and
he truly believes that this is an infringement on religious liberty,
that the government should not be able to require that
(01:36:05):
you give your child a medication just to send them
to school. If we given any thought to he just
truly believes the issue, rather than he is making some
sort of calculated decision to benefit him politically.
Speaker 10 (01:36:20):
Absolutely, and I think you have to actually, I think
consider that as a certainly possibility. You know, when people
say something, you kind of have to believe what they say.
In this evidence pops up contrary to what they're saying,
and I would imagine sure he definitely really believes in
the religious liberty issue. I think they're right to point
(01:36:41):
out that you have more than forty states that have
some form of religious exemption. Now many of those states,
the religious exemption requirements for vaccines is more stringent than
what we currently have being done through the executive order.
You know, you got to get affidavits, you got to
get maybe religious leader, your pastors signed something. You got
(01:37:04):
to be able to show that bets your strongly held
belief and so there's more stringent requirements in place typically.
And keep in mind, the West Virginia legislature did actually
pass a bill on twenty twenty three that included a
religious exception of the school age backuming program. Now that
bill got vetoed by Jim Justice, so it can pass
(01:37:25):
the legislature and I do think the governor believes in it,
but I think the challenge for him going forward is
the same kind of challenge he had with Certificate and
need repeal, which of course died in a House committee.
You got to craft something, I think that that can
pass semester this legislature. And I don't think you can
just simply attack certain Republican lawmakers and say the Republicans'
(01:37:48):
name only or things of that nature, because that's not
going to gain you any fans and certainly not any
support for things. So if he truly believes in this
issue and truly believes that parents should have that right
based on whatever belief they have about the efficacy of
the vaccine or how it was created, we could debate
that all the way along the putting aside. I do
(01:38:09):
think the governor is going to have to craft something
that can pass legislative muster and not rely on the
executive orders. And that's the challenge he has.
Speaker 7 (01:38:19):
Well, that's the court system.
Speaker 8 (01:38:20):
I mean, you know, honestly, the more I look at
this and I read about some of the precedent here,
EPRA has already been kicked around the Northern District Steven
It's been to the Fourth Circuit. They put it back
down and said, hey, before we want to rule on this,
you know, the state courts need to weigh in. I
personally am betting that this is just the beginning and
(01:38:41):
the ultimate goal is to really get this back into
federal court, get it back to the Fourth Circuit, and
then it becomes a much overarching issue than just West Virginia.
And when you talk about political ambitions that certainly would
be advantageous, that's anecdotal. That's just me speculating. I don't
have any hard evidence on it. But that's it's the
vogue of these days. If you can't get the votes,
(01:39:01):
figure out a way to come up with some kind
of legal argument, kick it into the courts, fight your
battle there. I personally think that's dangerous, but that's me.
Speaker 5 (01:39:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (01:39:09):
Well, I here's the thing. If you look at the
twenty twenty three while all the Morrissey talks about in
regards to religious liberty in the state, basically our version
of RIFRA, if you look at it, you know it
basically says, you know, you got to uphold religious you know,
liberty of people. And thus, for example, there's a copelling
(01:39:30):
government interest in regards to what's being requested. Well, here's
the thing. The US Supreme Court has weighed in several
times since nineteen oh five, and has recently twenty twenty two,
saying that there is a compelling government interest for certain
groups of people that be have vaccine requirement and that
(01:39:51):
is pretty well established, which makes me I'm no lawyer,
of course, but it just seems to me that the
case being brought in Raleigh County it's gotten very much
n uphill climb to get to. So maybe it gets
at some point before the US Supreme Court down the road.
I think, at least preliminarily, it's going to have the
(01:40:12):
Supreme Court or whoever's going to have to act very
quickly on this because the school year is going to
be starting very soon and there needs to be some
sort of ruling at least in place until this all
gets figured out. But I really do think it's an
uphill climb to do it that way. But there also,
again is legal precedent for there to be a religious
exemption as long as it's very narrowly tailored. So I
(01:40:34):
think going to the court route is not a great idea.
I think having an actual law is what's going.
Speaker 7 (01:40:41):
To really matter?
Speaker 2 (01:40:43):
Steve and Allen Adams, columnist for All Didn't Newspapers at Steve,
where are you working.
Speaker 1 (01:40:48):
From these days?
Speaker 2 (01:40:50):
Because you know you have some water in the office.
Speaker 10 (01:40:53):
We did, and I believe General Services is currently working
on replacing the floors in the Capital press room right now.
So it's a combination of working from home and working.
Speaker 7 (01:41:06):
From one of my.
Speaker 10 (01:41:07):
Favorite coffee shops over on Charleston's West Side, may A Cuppa,
so free advertising for them, but that is kind of
where I'm working at. So unless I have to go
cover something, you know, where I need to dress up,
I'm typically working from a coffee shop bench in shorts
and the poo.
Speaker 8 (01:41:22):
But I'm asking sincerely, great coffee. By the way, I
frequent there too. I sincerely hope none of your memorabilia
was damaged in that flood.
Speaker 5 (01:41:31):
That would be a shame.
Speaker 6 (01:41:32):
No.
Speaker 10 (01:41:32):
For whatever reason, I guess, we reporters don't really store
very many things on the floor. We only had maybe
about an inch of water in there and got the
carpets wet. I don't even think it ruined the dry
wall because there was rubber bumpers on, you know, running
along most of the walls and the press room. So
to be honest, no, the only thing I had on
the ground was a portable podcast kiss that I still have,
(01:41:55):
and that's in a roadcase and that was sealed up tight,
so no nobody lost anything in there, so no real damage.
Other state agencies kind of had to deal with more damage,
especially I think the Secretary of State's office, their IP
division is right next to the wordless pipe blue. But otherwise,
you know, General Services is doing some really great work
and trying to get everybody back into their offices. So
(01:42:17):
I pause them.
Speaker 1 (01:42:18):
It's good.
Speaker 7 (01:42:19):
You've got a lot of cool stuff in your office.
I'm glad to hear that.
Speaker 2 (01:42:22):
Steve and Allen Adams all good newspaper columnist. Steven, always
appreciate your perspective, Bud, Thank you.
Speaker 10 (01:42:27):
Thanks guys.
Speaker 1 (01:42:29):
Got to take a break.
Speaker 2 (01:42:30):
We'll be back to the campus of Westernginia and Wesleyan
College in a moment. This is talk linel Metro News
back at a minute.
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Speaker 42 (01:43:18):
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Speaker 26 (01:43:37):
Traffic is it a standstill up ahead due to Cleopatra's
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You're listening to talk Line on Metro News. The Voice
of West Virginia.
Speaker 3 (01:44:12):
West Virginia Outdoors is the Mountain states only hook and
bullet radio show dedicated to the more than quarter million
hunters and anglers across the state. Award winning host Chris
Lawrence has been tracking down hunting and fishing stories for
more than twenty five years.
Speaker 14 (01:44:26):
I'll go out on a limb because people won't like
my answer.
Speaker 1 (01:44:29):
Probably.
Speaker 14 (01:44:30):
I think there's fewer coyotes than most people imagine. Really
because when number one, when you hear a family group
of them this time of year, the pups are very vocal.
The coyotes are getting They've been kind of shut mouthed
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(01:44:50):
can't keep their mouths shut anymore.
Speaker 3 (01:44:52):
Whether it's hunting and fishing news or just compelling stories
about the enjoyment of the great outdoors. West Virginia Outdoors
covers it Allriday mornings at seven oh six am and
for your daily fix, Outdoors Today brings you two and
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and water every weekday morning on Metro News of Voice
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Speaker 4 (01:45:12):
Hey everybody, it's Tony Gritty.
Speaker 12 (01:45:14):
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Jackpots are the millions here in West Virginia and who
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The Power of Ball jackpot is one hundred and fifty
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Is three hundred and forty eight million dollars. Let's get
a quick phone call Kevin in Martinsburg. Hey, Kevin, what's
on your mind today?
Speaker 36 (01:47:04):
Hey?
Speaker 10 (01:47:04):
How are you?
Speaker 36 (01:47:05):
Young man? I wanted to chime in on this yesterday
A big.
Speaker 1 (01:47:09):
Pardon, I said them, Well, Kevin, thank you.
Speaker 36 (01:47:14):
Yeah, Hey, I appreciate that. I wanted to train in
on this yesterday, but I didn't get through on the
with My issue with vaccinations is not a medical I mean,
it's not agous. It's a constitutional as you. For example,
we have two factions, those that want to take it
and those that insist that you must. And here's the
here's where I break with all of it. I am
(01:47:35):
in I'm entitled a certain inalienable rights, So anything you
want to put in my body that I have autonomy
over is alien to me. And so I don't understand
why people who are pro vacs thinks that. And by
the way, I'm in medicine. I know all the side
effects from vaccine, the effects they do have, and yes,
it's a numbers game, but my problem with that is
(01:47:56):
this making someone do it is no different than saying
I don't want to do it and for this reason
or that reason. But think about this, I don't have
the right to say no to something you want put
in my body, but you had the right to say yes, we're.
Speaker 10 (01:48:07):
Going to do it.
Speaker 36 (01:48:08):
And no matter what you say, you won't get We'll
shut society down for you. So Dad, you won't be
able to continue that kind of coercion is completely and
totally unconstitutional.
Speaker 2 (01:48:18):
Hey, Kevin, appreciate the phone call. And look, I think
there are a lot of people out there who share
that view. And look, and that's why I said, We've
got to give a little bit of thoughts and maybe
this is something the governor just truly believes in, not
necessarily a.
Speaker 1 (01:48:31):
Cold political calculus.
Speaker 2 (01:48:32):
Got to take our final break back to wrap it
up from West Virgina Wesleyan College in a moment.
Speaker 25 (01:48:37):
SNAP and Medicaid help West Virginia kids get fed, help
our veterans get by, and help grandparents get the care
they deserve. If these programs get cut, people will be hurt.
Speaker 8 (01:48:50):
It's just that simple.
Speaker 25 (01:48:52):
In West Virginia, we're taught to look out for each other.
That's just common decency. Call Senator Justice and Senator Capital,
tell them to do the decent thing protect SNAP and Medicaid.
Pay for by Mountaineer Food Bank.
Speaker 41 (01:49:07):
Plan a holiday weekend getaway to the sixty third Annual
Mountain State Art and Craft Fair July third through the
fifth at Cedar Lake's Shop.
Speaker 2 (01:49:17):
For handmade Appalachian.
Speaker 3 (01:49:18):
Crafts, Enjoy live music, heritage.
Speaker 43 (01:49:21):
Craft demonstrations, a quilt show, and don't forget the great food.
Then enjoy the fourth of July at America's largest small
town Independence Day celebration in Ripley. It's all happening in
beautiful Ripley, West Virginia. Once you do it, you'll be back.
Speaker 2 (01:49:37):
You're listening to talk Line on Metro News, the voice
of West Virginia.
Speaker 3 (01:49:44):
Metrol News this morning the biggest stories from around the
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We are ready to get the bag going with all
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Jeff Jenkins brings you the day's headlines.
Speaker 23 (01:49:57):
The annual measurement of the Welfare of Kids in all
fifty sh state show children in West Virginia faring better.
Annual Kids Count book is out this morning. West Virginia
ranks forty first, moving up from forty fourth last year.
West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy Director of Kelly
Allen says been improvement, but more progress is needed. A
study says things are getting better for kids in West
Virginia the areas of housing, security, children being cover vepariance,
(01:50:19):
and declining team birth rates.
Speaker 3 (01:50:21):
Kyle Wiggs at the Sports Decks.
Speaker 28 (01:50:23):
West Virginia trailed from the top of the first on
at LSU. Mountaineers tried to battle back. The offense did
park up, but LSU won the game. Regional in West
Virginia season ends at forty four and sixteen.
Speaker 3 (01:50:35):
Metro News This Morning Listen where you get your favorite
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Both with substance.
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My decades in journalism plus a passion for everything from
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won't get anywhere else. Coop brings the pop culture, no
how and good nature while your calls take things in
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refreshingly different. Find us from three to six weekdays on
Metro News, the Voice of West Virginia.
Speaker 30 (01:51:11):
It's two hours of sports conversation to wrap up your weekend.
It's the City Net Sunday Night Sports Line.
Speaker 7 (01:51:16):
Hey, this is Travis Jones joining.
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Myself and Greg Hunter.
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Every Sunday night from six oh six until eight o'clock
As we wrap up the sports weekend, we talk Mountaineers,
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Talk three oh four. It's a perfect weekend sports wrap
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Speaker 2 (01:51:55):
Metro News Talk Line live on the campus of West
Virginia at Wesleyan College.
Speaker 1 (01:51:59):
It looks beautiful outside, it's kind of hot and muggy.
It is June in West Virginia. After all, we're here.
Speaker 2 (01:52:06):
In Buchanan for the twenty twenty five Western Virginia Scholar Program.
The winner about to be announced to luncheon starts next hour,
and the life of a family is completely going to
flip upside down, the winner receiving a bull ride to
West Virginia wesley But as we talked about and got
a couple of seconds here, TJ, all of these finalists
(01:52:27):
being a finalist for this award will open up other
opportunities as well, and bright futures for all of these
students who are here today.
Speaker 8 (01:52:33):
Oh absolutely, and Wesleyan is eager to work with all
of these students to help them find a way to
attend here if they if they sow shoes, and a
way to do that affordably. But this is one of
those things you get in the final pool. What an
honor I mean, this is the krem Dela krem So.
A bunch of winners here today, one ultimate winner, but
a bunch of great A one students here today.
Speaker 2 (01:52:55):
All right, A lot of people want to thank for
today's show. First of all, doctor Moore, President here at
Westervin New Wesleyan College, for their involvement with this program. Obviously,
Grier Industries, Westernion Hospital association' ZMM Architects and Engineers, West
Virginia Farm BEW, Friends of Cole and of course Metro News.
Big thanks to Eli Brady, he's been our video producer
here on site. Jake Link back in Morgantown, Kyle on
(01:53:17):
the radio, Mia on the phones today, appreciate all your help.
Patrick Reinhart, help get the gear down here. Travis Jones
is here. I don't know why, but he's been here today,
so thanks.
Speaker 1 (01:53:27):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (01:53:28):
All right, We're back at studio tomorrow Chris Diarwald scheduled
to join US plus Steam release. This is talk Line
on Metro News, The voice to West Virginia passssssssssssssssssssss
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Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
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