Talkline for Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Today Hoppy is joined by Rev. Valerie Lovelace, Ryan Schmelz, Brad McElhinny, Michael Robb, and Chris Stirewalt.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
H h.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Good morning, Welcome to talk Line on the Metro News
Radio Network.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
To change decision.

Speaker 4 (00:33):
You are surrounded, He's an emergency.

Speaker 5 (00:39):
Your radio turned off.

Speaker 6 (00:41):
From the studio so w v RC Media and the
Metro News Radio Network, the Voice of West Virginia comes
the most powerful radio show in West Virginia.

Speaker 7 (00:52):
This this is Metro News Talk Live with Hobby Kerchible
activated switch net.

Speaker 8 (00:59):
Where can we.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Stand by you? Hoppy?

Speaker 9 (01:03):
You're on.

Speaker 6 (01:05):
Metro News talk Line with Hoppy Kerchival is brought to
you by Encoga Insurance, encircling you with coverage to protect
what you care about most. Visit in Covia dot com
to learn more.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Good morning, Welcome to talk Line on Metro News across
the great State of West Virginia, Broadcasting from the Encova
Insurance studios in the Miller Building. Fun numbers one, one
hundred and seven, sixty five eight two five five Text
me three oh four talk three oh four. Kylewiggs is
our producer, Austin Wright with a video stream you can
watch at wv Metronews dot com. Before you delage me

(01:35):
with text, yes, I am going to talk about the
Neil Brown comments at the press conference yesterday. And we're
going to play the cut that everybody's talking about. I
will do that at eleven thirty three this morning, So
that is upcoming. But first you will have on the
ballot Amendment one. The purpose of Amendment one, I'm reading

(01:56):
what the amendment says. The purpose of this amendment is
to protects Virginians against medically assisted suicide. Voters will be
instructed to mark four or against to determine whether the
state constitution should be changed to reflect a policy against
physician assisted suicide, which is already illegal in West Virginia,

(02:17):
but this would put it in the constitution. There are
nine states that have physician assisted suicide California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine,
New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District
of Columbia. Joining us on Metro News talk Line is
Reverend Valerie Lovelace. She's the executive director of Maine Death

(02:38):
with Dignity. She joins us on Metro News talk Line. Valerie,
good morning, How.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
Are you, Good morning, I'm great, How are you well?

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Thank you for joining us. How does Death with Dignity?
How does assisted suicide work in Maine?

Speaker 3 (02:52):
So obviously we prefer not to call it assistant suicide,
though I guess people have differing views on that. So
the way it works is terminally an individual who has
the ability to make their own health care decisions if
they choose to qualify, can work through their physician to
qualify for medical aid and die. In the context of qualification,

(03:16):
they have to have a terminal illness with a six
month prognosis, They have to have the capability of making
their own health care decisions, and they have to have
the physical strength to be able to take their own medication.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
Why do you think it's important to have that option
in your state?

Speaker 3 (03:33):
Well, I think you know it's too easy for us
to look at this from a thirty thousand foot view.
When you get down to the bedside, not everybody dies well,
and not everybody dies comfortably, despite the best efforts of
a paid of medicine and hospice care. And some people
want this additional option available to them.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Reverend Vallee lovelaces with as executive director of the main
of Main Death with Dignity. Have you been bedside with
any of these folks? Have you counseled them, have you
talked with them? What stories have you heard from them?
If you've done that, Yes, I have.

Speaker 3 (04:05):
I've been probably over two dozen bedside attendants. What I
find is these are probably the most poignant moments I
have ever had with other human beings. To be able
to die in a ways that meets your needs and
meets your the values you have in your life, surrounded

(04:28):
by your family who's ushering you out, I think is
one of the most profound experiences we can have as
a human beings.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
What are the You've mentioned a couple of them. What
are the safety provisions that are in the main law
to ensure that somebody is not able to take through
in life just because they're depressed or having a bad day,
or that a nefarious son or daughter is not just
taking out grandma or Grandpa.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
Good question, Hapy. So, first of all, this has to
be a reques us that's initiated by the patient themselves
in the privacy of a conversation with their physicians. So
the physician would actually ask them, are you feeling pressured
to make this decision? They do have to have a
terminal illness with a six month prognosis, meaning that they're

(05:17):
eligible for hospice, or you know, they're approaching a point
where they're pretty much out of treatment options, and they
would be talking with their physician about all their end
of life's options. They have to have the physical ability
to take the medication on their own, and even up
to the point of the bedside, they have to maintain
their ability to make decisions and the physical strength to

(05:40):
take that medication.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
So would this not apply if somebody has Alzheimer's and
is unaware of what's going on, It.

Speaker 3 (05:51):
Definitely would not. And the reason for that, of course,
is that by the time you're terminal with a disease
like Alzheimer's and you're within six months of dying, you
don't have the ability to make your own decisions anymore.
So you would not be able to elect to have
medical aid and dying simply because no one else can
do this for you.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
Reverend Valerie Lovelace is with his executive director of main
Death with Dignity. Obviously you're an advocate and you've worked
with this closely. What how did this? Was there a
big debate about this in Maine? I think it passed
what twenty nineteen? Is that right?

Speaker 3 (06:26):
Yes, it passed in twenty nineteen. Yes, of course, Like
for you know, any social movement that involves controversy or
differences of opinion or differences of faith traditions. It's been
controversial for twenty five years. Main first attempted in nineteen
ninety three. We had nine different attempts to pass the
legislation before we finally passed in twenty nineteen.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
What did the opponents say?

Speaker 3 (06:51):
Well, you know, the opponents have a very specific perspective
in that they believe that death is not ours to
meddle with. Much of this comes from a pretty conservative
religious point of view, which is fine. I respect that
for people who don't want to choose this, they don't
have to choose it. But kind of where I draw

(07:12):
the line is it's really not up to us as
individuals to dictate what someone else should be able to do,
or dictate a way that they have to find comfort
at the end of their lives. This is probably one
of the most intimate and private decisions a person will
ever make in their life, and I believe it's really
up to them and their own values and the people

(07:35):
who matter to them know, within the context of their
own lived experience, and I respect that.

Speaker 2 (07:42):
Let's explore that a little bit more. Reverend Valerie Lovelace
is with this director the main main death with dignity,
and Maine is one of the states that does have
i'll call it a physician assistant suicide. I don't know,
you don't like that term. And this is in West Virginia.
I have Amendment one that's going to be on the
ballot that would put in the constitution. You couldn't do that.
Let's go down the religious path. Bishop Mark Brennan, who's

(08:03):
going to be on this program this week. He's the
bishop of the Wheeling Charleston Diocese of the Catholic Church
in West Virginia. He said the following. The Catholic Church
respects human life at all stages, from conception to natural death.
Medically assistant suicide is not natural death, but direct help
to a person who end his or her life. It
violates God's commandments. So let me put you in an

(08:23):
awkward spot as a reverend and have you sort through that.

Speaker 3 (08:27):
Well, that is certainly the concernative Catholic perspective, and again
I respect his position. However, it's not my position and
it's not the position of many other folks who are
either non secular or secular. So you know, in order
for each of us to have the freedom to choose
within the context of our own faith tradition. I think

(08:50):
we have to have a broader view, is it?

Speaker 2 (08:54):
Do you worry? And you all have a lot of
guardrails in Maine? I read the annual report that is
put out by the state, and there are a lot
of guardrails, and you've alluded to many of them. Do
you have any concerns at all that since states would
do this individually, that there could be a slippery slope
here that there wouldn't be as many guardrails in some

(09:14):
states as there are in.

Speaker 3 (09:15):
Main You know, I really don't. Since the very beginning
in nineteen ninety four when Oregon first passed its law,
in nineteen ninety seven when they enacted all of the
laws have pretty much modeled off of Oregon's law in that,
you know, we require a terminal illness with a six
month prognosis confirmed by two physicians, and self ingestion is

(09:37):
the mainstay requirement in laws here in the United States
and all eleven jurisdictions.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
Do you have so self ingestion? Do individuals then take
a cocktail of pills? How do you do it? In Maine?

Speaker 3 (09:50):
It's a compounded formula, so it comes from the pharmacy
and powder form It's mixed with a little bit of
apple juice or something called simple syrup, which is just
a SWI solution, and it ends up being around two
and a half to three ounces of food. And when
the patient is ready, they drink that or they can
put it in their feeding tube.

Speaker 2 (10:12):
And as you have been bedside for some of these,
what is that death then?

Speaker 3 (10:17):
Like, typically the individual falls into a very deep sleep
quite quickly, and they remain in that deep sleep and
ultimately their hard stops. It's really up to their physical condition,
the condition of their body, and the medication and how
that interacts, how quickly or slowly they absorb it, and

(10:38):
so forth. So time to death is variable depending on
a person's condition.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
Reveren, Have you had instances where individuals have gone through
the process, have gotten the prescription of gotten the cocktail,
but then chosen not to do it for whatever reason?
And what would those reasons be?

Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, there's a number of reasons. The first is an
individual find that the payload of care that they're receiving
adequately meets their needs and their worst fears weren't realized.
And they choose not to take it. Sometimes they choose
not to take it because if the family puts pressure
on them not to take it. Other times, an individual

(11:16):
will wait too long, so they miss that window where
they have the physical strength to do it. And once
you don't have that physical strength anymore, and you know
you're eminently dying, it's not possible to take it. We
also have a number of folks who die during the
waiting period.

Speaker 2 (11:34):
Have you had any instances where individuals decided not to
take the cocktail and then lived and then got better
quote unquote got better?

Speaker 3 (11:43):
None that I'm aware of.

Speaker 2 (11:45):
What would you say, Reverend, to West Virginians as they
contemplate how to think about it? I won't to put
you on this, boy, I know where you would be.
You'd be against this amendment. But as for West Virginians,
from your perspective, how to think about this proposed amendment
to the Constation? How to think about this issue? What
would you say from your perspective?

Speaker 3 (12:04):
Well, I would say, think about it in terms of
your own life and your own death and how you
would want that to go. You know, I was a
hustant volunteer for many years. I've seen some pretty awful
ways that people die. Some I wish I could unsee.
And you know, the fact is where the rubber hits
the road is a patient in bed who is dying.

(12:29):
And you know, I think it is well within the
purview of religious or faith values to be compassionate about
that and to support a person and whatever they need.
So I would just ask folks to search their conscience
that determine what they need, and rather not want to

(12:49):
dictate what anyone else needs. You know, it's a pretty
final thing to put it in a constitution and to
prohibit access to healthcare that way. So that's what I would.

Speaker 2 (13:02):
Say, Reverend Valerie Lovely's executive director of main Death with Dignity,
they do have again, i'll call it assistant suicide. I
know you don't like that term. And West Virginia has
a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would say in
the constitution that you couldn't do that. Reverend, certainly appreciate
your insights. It's a pleasure to meet you and take

(13:23):
good care you have a good day.

Speaker 3 (13:25):
Yes you as well, Thank you, thank.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
You, We'll be right back.

Speaker 10 (13:28):
As Governor Justice always says, West Virginia is a diamond
in the rough, A diamond just got a bit shinier
with the state being named one of the top travel
destinations in the world. Our scenic beauty, natural wonder and
unique culture are unsurpassed, and it's no surprise people are
catching on. And for those visiting, we hope you'll decide

(13:48):
to stay in West Virginia. Job opportunities abound, especially in
the coal industry. Coal mining is a high tech, high
growth industry that exists side by side with exceptional hiking, biking, climbing, kayaking, hunting, fishing,
and so much more. With state of the art mining operations,
West Virginia's coal industry is recognized as the best in

(14:09):
the world. We produce the coal that makes the steel
that built this great country while continuing to power America. Today,
join one of America's most honorable professions while living in
one of the top travel destinations in the world. Join
us in almost Heaven, West Virginia. A message from the
friends of Coal.

Speaker 1 (14:28):
You can now watch the voice of West Virginia and
the comfort of your living room. See talk Line with
Hopey Kurchible, Sports Line with Tony Kredi, three Guys before
the Game, along with live events. Write on your smart
TV or streaming device yet the Metro News Television app
from the Apple App Store or Google Marketplace. Metro News
Television is powered by Palmer Dan Cavi, GMC, Panhandle Cleaning

(14:53):
and Restoration, and s Marshall Wilson for Jovenor paid for
by Marshall for WV.

Speaker 2 (14:58):
You're listening to talk Line on Metro News, the voice
of West Virginia.

Speaker 9 (15:05):
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 Talkline, Hotline, sports Line, and Three Guys Before the Game.
Make a bookmark now and visit dou WV metronews dot

(15:26):
com first thing every morning to find out what's happening
all across the state. WV metronews dot com.

Speaker 6 (15:33):
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 11 (15:48):
Stockfish for repatriation purposes to that's reintroduction, re establishment of
brooks trout and two of those streams the oldest that
we have worked on, the earliest ones that we started
putting fish into. We've noticed natural reproduction in both of
those streams.

Speaker 6 (16:03):
Whether it's hunting and fishing news or just compelling stories
about the enjoyment of the great outdoors.

Speaker 12 (16:08):
It was a pretty good fride. It takes me about
ten minutes to get it in. My dad actually had
to run to the truck and grab.

Speaker 7 (16:15):
Ant because there's no way I could list him up
over top of the rail.

Speaker 6 (16:19):
West Virginia Outdoors covers it all Saturday mornings at seven
oh six.

Speaker 5 (16:23):
Am and for your daily fix.

Speaker 6 (16:25):
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 13 (16:33):
It's two hours of sports conversation to wrap up your weekend.
It's the City that Sunday Night Sports Line. Hey, this
is Travis Joes joined myself and Greg Hunter every Sunday
night from six oh six until eight o'clock. As we
wrap up the sports weekend. We talked 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

(16:56):
oh four. It's a perfect weekend sports wrap up on
your favorite Metro News affiliate, or watch the show at
wb Metronews dot com.

Speaker 6 (17:16):
Metro News Talk Line with Hoppy Kirchibal is brought to
you by Incoga Insurance, encircling you with coverage to protect
what you care about most. Visit in Coca dot com
to learn more.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
Talk on from me in COVID Insurance Studios. As I said,
coming up Thursday, I think I said, we'll have a
Bishop Mark Brennan of the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston, and
they are very much against I'm sorry, very much in favor,
very much in favor of Amendment one, which would prevent
physician assistant suicide and put that in the state constitution.

(17:49):
So Bishop Brennan will be up beyond Thursday. I think
it's eleven oh six on Thursday. All right, let's go
to Ryan Smells Fox News Radio in Washington. Get us
caught up in the presidential campaign. Three weeks from today,
bro three weeks from today.

Speaker 14 (18:02):
It's hard to imagine, right, yeah, but it's here.

Speaker 2 (18:05):
Yeah. So what's happening on the campaign trail with the
leading candidates? Right?

Speaker 15 (18:09):
So?

Speaker 14 (18:09):
Well, I think the big news yesterday, hopy, is that
Brett Bear is going to get an exclusive interview with
Vice President Harris that is going to air Wednesday, and
I believe we're going to be airing it as is
not going to be edited. From what I understand based
off what Brett has said, is that they're going to
be doing the interview between the five and six o'clock
hour and then they'll be airing it live or I
guess you know, pretty much the entire recording then put

(18:32):
out there at six o'clock. So it's going to be epic.

Speaker 2 (18:35):
Yeah, yeah, live to tape, as they say, live to tape.
So does that surprise you that she's doing an interview
with Fox because she hasn't done that many interviews and
certainly to go to Fox, which you would think it
would not be sympathetic, although Bear is a pretty straight guy.
Pretty straight guy. Yeah, So what's your take on that point?

Speaker 14 (18:54):
Well, you know, number one, I'm not too shocked by
just because you have Tim Wallas doing back to back
weeks on Fox News Sunday. But I think the other
part of it is too that, you know, I think
Brett behar and this is just my take on it.
I don't want to speak for anybody else, but Brett
Bear is somebody who you know, he's going to ask
you the tough question. He's gonna, you know, also be
fair to you. At the same time, he's not going

(19:15):
to try to, you know, pigeonhole you or get you
on a gotcha question. He'll be very straight, direct, but
also he's going to bring the facts with him. And
I think he's somebody that if you come ready and
you come prepared to answer some of these tough questions
and you're able to handle them, well you can come
out of that interview looking good. But if you don't
and you don't come prepared, then I mean he's gonna

(19:36):
call you out on it and it So this is
a situation where the vice president does ace this interview,
she can come out of it, I think very well.

Speaker 2 (19:44):
Yeah, And one of the criticisms of her is that
she has not been terribly specific on some issues or
maybe thoroughly explained why she's changed her positions. On things. Meanwhile,
what's up with the Trump campaign? What do you got
on them?

Speaker 14 (19:58):
I think the Trump campaign is is kind of continuing
their media blitz, but now they're kind of turning their
attacks to the Harris campaign because the Harris campaign is
going to be very active the next couple of days.
They're doing Charlemagne the God today, Brett Bear on Wednesday.
Then there's talks about them doing the Joe Rogan podcast
as well. But I forget what states Trump's going to

(20:18):
be in for the next couple of days. But yesterday had,
I believe what was a town hall that turned into
something very interesting after I think there were two people
I think that had medical episodes, not mistaken, and then
eventually the town hall just kind of went off the rails,
and some might they went off the rails for in
a good way. Just kind of turned into a rally
after that, and no more questions are really asked in

(20:40):
a town hall format. So a very interesting last couple
hours in terms of what happened at that town hall.

Speaker 2 (20:46):
Yeah, for about this is one of the reports. I mean,
Donald Trump was about thirty minutes into the town hall,
so Burban, Philadelphia, that was a medical emergency in the crowd,
brought the questions and answers to a halt and tried
to get it on track. We didn't, but then he
just kind of played DJ for a while. You know
the crowd. Look, the crowd liked it. I mean, I know,
I got deluge this morning with people saying you got

(21:08):
to you gotta point out trouble. What was he doing
up there? Swaying? What was he doing? But look, people
who support Trump liked Trump, and they like what he does,
they like what he says. So if he wants to
play DJ, people are okay with that. They'll roll with that.

Speaker 14 (21:20):
Yeah, And it was a situation where, I mean, you know,
something bad happened, so they've got to adjust and and
kind of move on from there. And I mean, if
you going to Brian Jennis's Twitter account, he actually has
a pretty good recap of everything that happened. He has
videos kind of showing, you know, and I think they
started playing, you know, kind of all the best hits
from from his rallies. They have that opera song if
they normally play Ymca was played in a couple other

(21:43):
of the songs that you're accustomed to hearing. If you
ever go to a Trump rally, so you know, I
think it was just kind of one of those things
where they had to adjust on the fly and make
they make do out of the situation.

Speaker 2 (21:54):
Well, if he's playing opera, I think, did they play
Afrey Marias And that's why correct or as you you
like to say, that opera song? But if they're look,
if they're playing Afrey Maria and y M c A.
That shows he has a pretty expansive pot you know, playlist.

Speaker 14 (22:12):
Yeah, right, well, and then of course he probably came
out to God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood. So yes,
it's a very diverse soundtrack that you oftentimes here. And
then I believe Cretching Wilson the Country Gretchen Wilson the
Country singer has also been seen at Trump rallies off
performing before he comes on stage.

Speaker 3 (22:30):
Two.

Speaker 2 (22:30):
Yeah, got it all right? Yeah, not Gretchen with more obviously,
Ryan smells Bryan smells Fox. Hey, three weeks, let's go,
you know, let's get it done, all right, Thanks man,
good to talk to you. Although I don't think it's
gonna be gonna be done in three weeks, right, I mean,
if if if Trump loses, is not going to be done.
Maybe if Harris loses, is not going to be done.

(22:52):
I mean, if this election turns out to be as
close as many people think it is, then it may
not be done on election night or the following morning.
It just might not be. And the the polsters and
I'm not taking I'm not looking at the pollsters as

(23:13):
as just having being exact because the posters are generally
too close to call. Excuse me. Wouldn't be surprised if
Harris swept the contested states. Wouldn't be surprised if Trump
swept the contested states, because it's just that close. But
you don't know, you don't know. Just wait and see

(23:34):
text top. If you've ever lost a loved one to
cancer and watch them suffer until the last breath, I
believe you would be a proponent of assistant suicide. There
are also so much morphine. There are also on so
much morphine. They don't know their own reality, says the texture.
All right, take a break and be back. Talk Line continues.
We'll return in just a moment. This is talk Line
on Metro News, the Voice of West Virginia. Let's get

(24:00):
a news update. Checking with the Metro News radio Network Final.
It's happening statewide this hour, all across the great state
of West Virginia.

Speaker 16 (24:12):
West Virginia Metro News. I'm Jeff Jenkins. Both the Republican
and Democratic parties in West Virginia are looking at the
last three weeks of the campaign with plans to get
out the vote. The GOP held a volunteer rally last
night in Charleston. Josh Hickinbotham says they're ready to go.

Speaker 9 (24:27):
I think Republicans are going to win up and down
the ballot all throughout the Mountain state, and we can
tell that the energy is really strong here in this
room tonight.

Speaker 16 (24:36):
Democrats are also organizing. Today is the last data register
to vote in West Virginia if you're going to vote
in that November fifth general election. Vendeia Health David Goldberg
says the health system, led by CMC and Mond helsed
in pretty good shape when it comes to obtaining enough
IVY supplies, even after a major manufacturer in North Carolina
was impacted by Tropical Storm Helene. Copburg says some existing

(24:59):
agreement that's have helped.

Speaker 17 (25:00):
Thankfully with CEMC and their facilities. They're on a different
distribution system with a different company than we in the
North get so we're able to share inventory as we
need across North and South facilities. One of the benefits
of being a large health system is we have a
very large supply chain.

Speaker 16 (25:16):
More from Goldberg at wv metronews dot com. The Westsoll
County Board of Education is moving on with the school
consolidation plan. School closing hearings will now be held impacting
Peydon City one hundred, Magnolia and Valleywetzel High School. School
closing hearings will take place in the coming weeks in
Wetsell County. You're listening to Metro News the voice of

(25:37):
West Virginia.

Speaker 10 (25:38):
Well twenty twenty four high school football season is here.
That means the return of ZOMILM Architects and Engineers Scholar
Athlete of the Week. Each Friday night on Game Night,
one athlete will be selected and we'll have them as
a special guest on the show. Also, each winner will
receive a nice recognition award from ZOMILM Architects and Engineers.
To be eligible, just go to ww metronews dot com,

(25:59):
click on high schol Sports, then click on the ZOML logo,
which will take you to the entry form. Fill the
form out, get it submitted, and your scholar athlete could
be our next winner.

Speaker 13 (26:09):
You don't have to pop the tape in the VCR
to relift some of the best moments in West Virginia
high school sports. Check out high school home videos on
the free Metro News Television app. This building playlist will
feature some of the best games and players in the
Metro News television archives. Stalload the free Metro News Television
app for your smart TV or streaming device today and
enjoy some of the best moments from high school sports

(26:31):
in the state of West Virginia in your own living room.
Metro News Television is powered by Parmar and dan Cava
Buick GMC.

Speaker 16 (26:39):
Another municipality is considering selling some of its assets to
West Virginia American Water Company. Nitro City Council could take
a final vote tonight to sell its sewer system to
West Virginia American Water. There's a public hearing before that
final vote. Marshall University President Brad Smith, Bridge Valley Community
and Technical College president Casey sachs Our scheduled to sign
an agreement today. They'll be working together quote equipping the

(27:01):
workforce for emerging Industries and Technologies from the Metro News
anchored ass Sky.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
I'm Jeff Jenkins, talk line from me in Cova Insurance Studios,

(27:28):
in the Miller Building jackpots, in the Megians here in
West Virginia. Who doesn't want to be a migionaire? Get
in the Piaball drawings Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and the
Mega Meigan's drawings on Tuesdays and Fridays. Will you be
the next big Winter play? Today? The Pireball jackpot four
hundred eight million dollars, the Megamus jackpot one hundred and
sixty nine megion dollars. Once again, I am going to
talk about the Neil Brown comment from yesterday. I'll do

(27:48):
that at eleven thirty. West Virginia officials are bracing for
public reaction to the cost increases for the state's insurance
program that covers government workers. PI Finance Board member Jeff Christian,
on this program yesterday said, will they fully understand? I
think education is the key with anything getting the story

(28:10):
behind it. Let me bring in Brad maclney Metro and
these Date White correspondent. Brad, good morning, So the PIA members,
the Finance board they do have a challenge ahead of
them to go across the state and explain why these
premium increases, out of pocket increases, spousal cost increases are justified.

Speaker 18 (28:27):
Agreed, Well, two things can be true. You know, PIA
has a math problem, and it's hard to argue with it.

Speaker 2 (28:34):
They need to.

Speaker 18 (28:36):
They have increased expenses and they've got to meet those expenses.
Part of that is increased medical costs going to the doctor,
having inpatient or outpatient surgery. Part of it is pharmaceuticals
and their increased costs and increased availability. That has all
added up to the point that PIA just last week

(29:00):
had to go to the legislature to ask for ninety
seven million dollars to refill its reserves for the fiscal
year we're in right now. The increased premiums and deductibles
are pointing toward next fiscal year and PIA anticipates is
going to have to make up one hundred and thirteen
million dollars.

Speaker 5 (29:22):
I don't know if.

Speaker 18 (29:22):
There's any way to argue with that math. But the
other side of the equation I'm going to tell you
is that humans are humans, and the people who receive
PIA don't have to be happy about that, even if
they understand it on a rational level.

Speaker 2 (29:35):
How will that unhappiness magnified self? How will that unhappiness
play out during these hearings and next year do you think.

Speaker 18 (29:45):
Well, PA does hit the road during the month of
November to have public hearings on this proposal. Just a
proposal right now, but during the month of November, they'll
go to places like Charleston, believe, Morgantown, maybe Beckley, maybe
martin Burg. Don't hold me to the lineup, but that's
those are my guesses. And you know, we may or

(30:05):
may not see large crowds at those. Last year during
the same set of events, I had anticipated fairly large
crowds and didn't see them. So we will see what
the public reaction is this go around, and then the
next stage that you may see some significant public reaction.

Speaker 17 (30:25):
Next year.

Speaker 18 (30:26):
There's going to be a new governor and a newly
elected legislature making decisions about the state's finances. In the past,
when there have been these kinds of increases necessary to
stabilize Peia's financial constraints financial pressures, the governor and the

(30:47):
legislature have offered and come through with pay raises. It
is just to game it out. I haven't heard anyone
say that yet, but that there's a track record of
doing so, and it seems like a possibility because of
that track record, that that could come up again this
coming legislative session.

Speaker 2 (31:07):
So there would conceivably be some legislators and certainly public
employees and teachers who would say, we need a raise anyway,
but also we need a raise to keep up with
higher insurance costs.

Speaker 18 (31:19):
Right, that's been the argument of recent years. Let me
take you through this from the pay raise that was
roughly five percent earlier this year. The five percent was
said to equate to about one hundred and thirty million dollars.
Let me take you through. We just ran in West

(31:41):
Virginia a separate thought experiment that may have ramifications. Okay,
the thought experiment I'm saying is Governor Justice just proposed
another tax cut of he said five percent. Lawmakers and
others spent weeks deciding whether the five percent tax cut,

(32:06):
which equated to one hundred and ten million dollars, was
truly affordable or whether it was going to strap the state,
whether there would be significant financial repercussions pain from taking
on that one hundred and ten million dollar cut. In
the end, they decided they couldn't. They felt far more
comfortable with a forty seven million dollar cut.

Speaker 5 (32:27):
So to lead you back through.

Speaker 18 (32:29):
That thought experiment on the tax cut, if we were
worried in West Virginia about the equivalent of one hundred
and ten million dollar decision, how comfortable will the state
be in a few months making one hundred and thirty
million dollar decision, which is the equivalent of the five
percent pay raise.

Speaker 2 (32:48):
Well, that is an excellent thought experiment that is going
to play out when the legislature meets next year. It's
going to be after the election. There'll be a new governor,
there'll be some new members of the legislature, a new
leadership in the Senate because Craig lost his primary election,
and will be Okay, now, what are we going to
do here? Because the revenue collections are meeting estimates, that's

(33:12):
a good thing. They're not below estimates. But you don't
have that big surplus, right, you don't have that big pot.
They don't have big pots of money sitting around like
you have for the last couple of years. The state
will not be flushed with money everywhere correct. Absolutely.

Speaker 18 (33:25):
So far this fiscal year, we're one quarter of the
way through it. Credit to the estimators because they've been
right on target with the estimates, but the state is
not currently rolling in dough above and beyond those estimates.
And you know, people's memories are short. But during the
regular legislative session this year twenty twenty four, it was

(33:49):
a difficult decision, particularly in the Senate Finance Committee meetings,
to identify and feel comfortable with the five percent pay
raises that went into effect this year. I would expect
potentially potentially a repeat based on the budget coming in
flat so far this year.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
And Brad also, there is this belief by public employees
and my school teachers who are in Peia is that
we don't make as much as people in the private sector,
but we have good benefits. And one of the big
benefits we have is health insurance. That is part of
the equation. That's how public employees and school teachers view this,

(34:30):
whereas in the private sector, generally speaking, you're more oriented
to okay, a, this is my salary, and also there
is health insurance. I have to pay some for it,
but it isn't it isn't seen as it isn't seen
as much as an entitlement as it is in the
public sector. Would you agree with that.

Speaker 18 (34:53):
I think you're going to continue to hear from West
Virginia political actors like the Lee of the West Virginia
Education Association, And just last week mister Lee presented concerns
about the cost of insurance to the state Board of
Education and he said he predicted the legislature, We'll say, quote,

(35:14):
we've given you raises four of the past five years.
Dali Lee went on to say, yes, you have, and
we've still dropped a fiftieth in the nation in pay.
And then he pointed out that West Virginia is a
border state, and particularly in the eastern Painhandle, educators can
drive a fairly short distance and make significant more money.

(35:34):
And Dale went on to say, what do you think
those numbers will be of people crossing the border for
new jobs with increased insurance costs.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Yeah, well, it's a fair point. Add in the fact
that and I haven't seen new numbers for this year,
but there's typically fourteen fifteen hundred, sixteen hundred positions in
the school system in West Virginia where you do not
have a teacher who has certified in that discipline teaching
the class. So add that in right, Okay, it is

(36:04):
a challenge. Brad Macliny, Metro News State Y correspondent, all right,
thank you, Brad, Hey.

Speaker 1 (36:09):
Thanks.

Speaker 2 (36:10):
Coming up on Metro News talk Line Chris starwaldt at
eleven oh six. But just around the corner next, a
major lawsuit being filed against Fairmont State University and other
entities alleging a nurse was exposed to asbestos and because
of that that she has cancer. That she says, according

(36:31):
to a lawyer, is attributable to her exposure to asbestos,
and the lawyer for this individual wants the entity is
held accountable that when talk lin continues, you.

Speaker 19 (36:42):
Can learn, and you can squeam, you can hide, but
the change to wit.

Speaker 2 (36:51):
Could find you one.

Speaker 20 (36:53):
The countdown is on to the biggest spool keyest day
of the year. Get your West Virginia Lottery scratch offs
today for the checks to win.

Speaker 14 (37:07):
Scaps.

Speaker 21 (37:09):
Please play responsibly.

Speaker 10 (37:13):
Looking to make a lasting impact, turned to ZMLM Architects
and Engineers. Our team of designers and problem solvers is
dedicated to making a difference in the communities we serve,
whether it's designing innovative medical facilities or vibrant educational environments.

Speaker 12 (37:29):
We're passionate about.

Speaker 10 (37:30):
Creating inspiring spaces and improving communities. Let us help you
shape a brighter future for generations to come. Because at ZML,
it's more than architecture, it's about building your legacy.

Speaker 6 (37:43):
When the Mountaineers play, the best game day coverages on
Metro News wl UBU takes on Kansas State this Saturday
night in front of a homecoming crowd in Morgenthow Join
the Metro News Game day crew starting at three pm
for the kickoff show, followed by the countdown and of
Vandahlia Health Sports braun shuring the game. It's GameLine. Postgame
coverage starts at ten thirty pm with a wrap up show.

(38:05):
Get the most insightful, provocative, and compelling game day coverage
Cheer on Metro News The Voice of West Virginia. This
is talk Line on Metro News, the Voice of West Virginia.

Speaker 22 (38:19):
Hey there, Dave.

Speaker 7 (38:20):
Weekly, here your host from Metro News Hotline. Get ready
for an epic journey. Every weekday from three to six pm,
We've got all the excitement you need from sports to tech, music,
pop culture, and everything in between. Join Coop and I
as we bring you engaging discussions, captivating interviews, fun games,
and the latest sports and entertainment headlines that will keep
your books. Metro News Hotline is your go to source

(38:40):
for sports, news, entertainment, and most importantly fun. Tune in
weekdays from three to six on Metro News and wv
Metronews dot com.

Speaker 6 (38:48):
Metro News This Morning the biggest stories from around the
state of West Virginia when you want them. Chris Lawrence
at the anchor desks, We.

Speaker 23 (38:55):
Are ready to get today. Who started in West Virginia
with all of the information you need?

Speaker 6 (38:59):
Jeff Jenkins, ring to the day's headlines.

Speaker 16 (39:01):
Governor Jim just is expected to soon sign to a
law bill for a funding measure to help the state's
drought stricken farmers. State lawmakers are proved ten million dollars
in funding during last week's special session. The money will
be used to receive and restore damage pasture and help
get rid of weeds that do well when it's dry.
The ten million dollar allocation is coming from state budget
surplus fund.

Speaker 6 (39:21):
Kyle Wiggs at the sports.

Speaker 24 (39:22):
Desk, Mountaineers fell to number nine Iowa State twenty eight sixteen.
Now you move on to seventeenth Frank Kansas State Marshall
at a twenty three to three lead at Georgia Southern,
Georgia Southern came all the way back to win that
game twenty four to twenty three.

Speaker 6 (39:39):
And Hoppy Kirchible's daily commentary. Metro News This Morning Listen
where you get your favorite podcasts and online at WV
metro News dot com.

Speaker 13 (39:48):
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 Jones 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

(40:10):
oh four. It's a perfect weekend sports wrap up on
your favorite metro News Affilia four. Watch the show at
wb Metronews dot com.

Speaker 6 (40:30):
Metro News Talkline with Hoppy Kerchival is brought to you
by Encovia Insurance, encircling you with coverage to protect what
do you care about most? Visit in Coca dot com
to learn more.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
Talk one from the in Co Insurance Studios. A lifelong
non smoker nurse who was diagnosed with lung cancer after
working in various hospitals and medical facilities during her career,
filing a lawsuits really a refile of a complaint against
Fairmont State University against Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Montague Canyon,
Montague General Hospital, WU Hospitals and other entities, holding them

(41:03):
attempting to hold them accountable for what she says was
her exposure to asbestos, which she contends in the complaint
that Fairmont State University and others knew that she was
being exposed to but did nothing about it, as per
the complaint. Her attorney is Michael Robb, who joined us
on Metro News Talking. Michael, good morning, Thanks for joining us.
That was a quick summary on my part. What is

(41:24):
your specific what's the specific allegation being made in this lawsuit?

Speaker 12 (41:29):
Michael, Hi Hawpe, Thank you for having u. The main
allegation is is that the buildings at Fairmont State College
and now at Pharamot State University in Fairmont, West Virginia
are widely contaminated with asbestos, and they've known about the
contamination since as early as nineteen eighty four and confirmed

(41:51):
it in nineteen eighty six, when the then Attorney General
of the state of West Virginia, Charlie Brown, filed a
massive lawsuit against seventy three plus asbestos manufacturers who contaminated
the buildings at Fairmont State and many other state colleges
and universities across the state of West Virginia. So the
allegation is is that Fairmont State knew that their buildings

(42:14):
were contaminated with asbestos, failed to warn or tell anybody
about it. And our client, Donna Sperling's from Regional West Virginia,
a lifelong non smoker, avid hiker, develops a primary lung
cancer caused by asbestis exposure.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
Well, let me ask you that in a second. Let
me Michael rob Is with his attorney for Bailey Glass
and representing Donna Spriling in this lawsuit. So do you
have as part of the record, because I did read
through the suit a specific diagnosis from a doctor that
says that she got lung cancer from asbestos and that

(42:51):
asbestos was linked to the place where she worked.

Speaker 12 (42:56):
That's correct. And it's not just the places where she worked,
but also at Fairmont State to Center as a nursing
student to these different locations to get practical experience, which
is Fairmont General and Mond General UHD and Bridgeport and
a few other locations. So it's a direct correlation, in
direct connections connecting asbestos exposure to her primary lung cancer

(43:21):
right there.

Speaker 2 (43:22):
But there is, and just to be clear, there is
a specific diagnosis that says the lung cancer is linked
to asbestos. Like memia. I have trouble saying the word,
but wherever that.

Speaker 12 (43:33):
Is, Yeah, that's correct. She does not have music helioma,
which is cancer the lining of the lung. She has
a prank Wal cancer, which is a cancer in the
in the meat of her lung, in the central part
of her lung, which he's had cut out and resected.
That's why she's still here with us today.

Speaker 2 (43:48):
What are you asking for?

Speaker 21 (43:50):
What?

Speaker 2 (43:50):
I'm sorry, what are you asking for in this suit
is complaint, Michael.

Speaker 12 (43:54):
You know, we're asking for the the schools and the
hospitals that are responsible to come come to the table
and compensate our client for her pain and suffering and
all the injuries that she's had to deal with by
failing to do what they were supposed to do, which
has provided a reasonably safe place for her to go
to school and place for her to work right, and

(44:16):
all these institutions failed to do that. And it's a
travesy of what happened. Because the state got paid approximately
twenty million dollars in nineteen ninety six to abate the asbesos,
and in nineteen ninety six, the state also contributed twenty
million dollars in the state surplus. That's forty million dollars
in nineteen ninety six to remove the asbestos. Well, that's

(44:36):
worth around seventy nine million dollars today. But who got
the benefit of it. The Capital Complex. The majority of
the asbeciis that was removed was at the Capitol Complex
in West Virginia. So the Attorney General's Office they get
the special treatment. Their building gets us abated, the coliseum
at w that gets abated. But all the small colleges

(44:56):
and universities in West Virginia, like Fairmont State where I'm
gonna alumnus from right. I went to Fairmont SAT And
graduated here. I love this school. They didn't give them
the money to remove the asbestos.

Speaker 2 (45:08):
It's the good and Michael, so if they didn't, if
they didn't get the money, and look, I read the
complaint and there's what stands out to me about the
complaint too, along with the you know, the sadness we
have an individuals who's deathly or seriously ill from cancer.
Is that you allege that Fairmont State knew they had
an investo's issue asbestos issue and didn't do anything about it, Like,
let's keep this thing quiet. I mean, that's what you're alleging.

(45:30):
Can you back that up?

Speaker 12 (45:32):
Yeah? Absolutely, because when you look at Fairmont State does
piecemeal asbestos jobs. They'll remove some floor tile here, a
little bit of ceiling towel there, But the overwhelming majority
of their aspecius abatement jobs involve buildings or old houses
that they purchase on the perimeter of their campus to
expand their campus footprints. Right, they'll remove asbeesias from those

(45:55):
buildings so they could tear them down and turn them
into parking lots or turn them into more space for
the college. But they don't remove the asbess from their
actual buildings, so they can't be complicit and wash their
hands of this. When they knew that they were part
of the nineteen eighty six litigation, right, and then somehow

(46:15):
want to turn around years later and decades later and
act like, you know, they have no liability or fault
for what they did here. Right, the schools widely contaminated.
All the schools, all the state schools in the state
of West Virginia contaminate with asbestos. That's the nineteen eighty
six litigation file by the Attorney General's office, Right, and

(46:35):
then they got money for it and they won. Me
why haven't they removed the asbestos?

Speaker 2 (46:40):
Let me read you a statement. Michael robb is with
his attorney with Bailey Glasser on the law students, announcing
today it's really a refiling on behalf of Donna Spurling,
who has incurable lung cancer and attended Fairmont State. And
this is what they said. Fairmout State University is proud
to have served north central West Virginia since eighteen sixty five,
measuring or impact the notable contributions our alumni have made

(47:02):
in business, industries and organizations across the globe. To continue
their proud tradition, we reinvest in the facilities, programs, and
experiences that deliver value to our students and communities. These
include enhancements to our campus which dates back to nineteen fifteen.
While it would be inappropriate to comment on pending litigation,
a number one priority is and always has been, the
health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff. We

(47:22):
are confident these unsubstantiated accusations will be dismissed and look
forward to continuing our focus on providing an ongoing, supportive
and safe environment for our entire campus community. That's their statement.
What's your reaction to them?

Speaker 12 (47:34):
Well, that sounds like a lawyer answer when you're scared
about the truth. And the truth is the campus is
full of asbestos, and the allegations aren't just mine. They
were the Attorney General of the state of West Virginia
in nineteen eighty six claiming that there's friable asbestos in
the buildings at Fairmont State. The asbestos is still in
there to this day. They ignore it. They don't like

(47:55):
it because we figured it out, and frankly, we gave
them an opportunity to come the table if they offered our
clients six hundred and fifty thousand dollars to settle this case.
And then they back out at the last second when
they fired their lawyers and hired new lawyers. Right, So
if it's completely unsubstantiated, then how the heck are they
offering our client six hundred and fifty thousand dollars maybe

(48:16):
to go away?

Speaker 2 (48:17):
But look, there was an offer, and I think that
you came in with seven hundred. They came in with
six hundred. So is your goal to get your client
compensated or is your goal, which I understand, or is
your goal to get Fairmont State to deal with the asbestos?

Speaker 12 (48:32):
Well it's both number one priorities that they have to
compensate our client for the harm that they cause. But
I'm going to tell you this, when a school has
the amount of asbestos that Fairmont State does, they have
to do what's right and they have to do a
better job. Instead of building new buildings, you know, expanding
their campus and buying property so they can expand their footprint,

(48:53):
they should really redirect their efforts in their financial dollars
and wherewithal to get rid of the asbestos. It's a
great school. I love going to the school. Had great friends,
great teachers, got a great education. I've done really well
for myself mainly because of this school in the relationships
that I've made. But this is one spot where they've
really failed. And it's not just Fairmont State, it's every

(49:14):
college in the state. It's every college in the United States.
And this is just one example of what happens when
you ignore, because it takes twenty to sixty years before
somebody develops a cancer from breathe after they breathe this
MESSI all.

Speaker 2 (49:26):
Right, We're going to leave it there. Michael get away,
Michael rob attorney for Bailey Glasser, this pressure today announcing
this pretty sweeping wallsuit on behalf of his client, Donni Spurlock.
All right, hey, Michael, thank you, appreciate you coming on today.
Good to talk to you.

Speaker 12 (49:44):
Absolutely happy, thank you.

Speaker 2 (49:45):
All right.

Speaker 25 (49:46):
The Wound Institute, the only wound center in the area
with providers who are board certified in wound and ostomy care.
Doctor carry Frame and her dedicated team of skilled professionals
are ready to provide you with the latest treatments in
per salized care. Visit their new office location on Kenton
Drive in Charleston for cutting edge woundcare. Find more information
and start your recovery today at the Woundinstitute. Dot Org

(50:10):
the Wound Institute healing complex wounds using advanced treatments.

Speaker 6 (50:15):
When the Mountaineers play. The best game day coverage is
on Metro News. WLUVU takes on Kansas State this Saturday
night in front of a homecoming crowd in Morgantown. Join
the Metro News game Day Creuse starting at three pm
for the kickoff show, followed by the Countdown and the
Van Dahlia Health Sports Braunch shuring the game. It's GameLine.
Post game coverage starts at ten thirty pm with a

(50:37):
wrap up show. Get the most insightful, provocative, and compelling
game day coverage here on Metro News, the Voice of
West Virginia. You're listening to talk Line on Metro News,
the Voice of West Virginia. Metro News is your source
for high school sports coverage and the exclusive home of

(50:57):
the high school Sports Line. Fred Persinger, Dave j. Glenn,
and Joe Braccato bring you the latest scores and news,
along with player and coach interviews and in depth stories.
Get your high school sports fix every Wednesday night this
fall and follow your favorite team all season long. The
high School Sports Line here on a Metro News radio
network and online at wvmetronews dot com.

Speaker 2 (51:21):
Hi, this is Hopy Kurchiable inviting you to join me
weekdays from teno six till noon for Metro News talk Line.
Each day, I'm trying to provide the very latest news
and information about our state and our nation. I interview
newsmakers and thought leaders who help us better understand these stories. Yes,
I'm mixing my observations, but mostly i just want us
to be better informed. So I'm inviting you to be
my radio and streaming companion as we sort out and

(51:44):
work through the news and information of each day. That's
talk Line weekdays ten o six till noon on this
Metro News radio station.

Speaker 6 (51:51):
Hey everybody, it's Tony Curridi and I'm Brad Howe.

Speaker 15 (51:53):
And that makes two of the three guys that bring
you the podcast entitled Creatively Enough.

Speaker 8 (51:58):
Three guys. Before the game, it's our opportunity to.

Speaker 15 (52:00):
Really drill down on WVU football and basketball. We break
down the opponent and then review every single game.

Speaker 4 (52:07):
We'll give you some numbers, we'll bicker back and forth,
we'll take your calls, your text your tweets, and get
into some of your questions.

Speaker 15 (52:14):
And we invite you to join us each and every episode.
It's three Guys Before the Game from Metro News.

Speaker 9 (52:20):
The Metro News website is your primary source for news
and sports in the Mountain State, from breaking news to
in depth analysis, high school Mountaineer Marshall and Mountaineese conference coverage,
news for hunters and fishermen on the Outdoors page, and
hobby Kerchival's daily commentary, plus all your favorite shows, sports lines,
talk Line, Hotline, the High School Sports Line, the Sunday

(52:40):
Night sports Line, West Virginia Outdoors and more. All archives
on the site and just a click away. Keep up
with what's happening in our state at wv metronews dot com.

Speaker 2 (53:08):
Talk Line from Me and COVID Insurance Studios. Text on
Amendment one TEXTA, says Hobby. It's also important to remember
the financial strain life sustaining care can be. Allowing an
avenue to remove that financial burden from your loved ones
is an important consideration for assisted suicide. I know many

(53:29):
folks don't like to look at it that way, but
if that is your wish, if that is your wish
that you don't want to do that leave your family
with that, then that's something that should be considered. All right,
we're gonna take a break and come back. Chris Diarwald's
coming up in six minutes. This is talk line on
Metro News. Metro News is the voice of West Virginia.

(54:20):
Oh wow, I see people lining up to vote in Alabama. No, Georgia, Georgia.
I'm sorry, not Alabama, Georgia. All right, welcome back our
number two talk line on the Metro News radio network
across the great state of West Virginia. Please welcome Chris Steinwalk.
Chris traveled as host of The Hills Sunday on News Nation.
He's counting down the hours. Did I see it for
like five hundred hours until the election, But we're starting

(54:43):
to vote before that. West Virginia has an early voting starting.
Today's the last day to redshter to vote in West Virginia, etc.

Speaker 22 (54:50):
And this is my last day to not do important
significant work until the election. And I have chose to
spend part of it with you because I shoe the
campaign schedule is keeping us apart.

Speaker 8 (55:03):
We can't live like that.

Speaker 2 (55:04):
Well, thank you for carving out time. We appreciate it.
Help us all make sense of it.

Speaker 22 (55:09):
Three weeks out, Well, the question persists which is what
is more likely that Donald Trump is running better or
that Donald Trump is polling better. Is Donald Trump going
to outperform polls in a manner that he did in
twenty sixteen and twenty twenty, which was partially being understated

(55:29):
in the polls but partially closing really really well. We
know from exit poll and voter analysis research that late
deciders broke for Trump substantially, and that's what happened last time.
This time, there's not much undecided. So what Trump needs
to win is another substantial polling eir what Republicans, So,

(55:51):
what Democrats think about all the time is that it's
going to happen to him again.

Speaker 8 (55:55):
Right.

Speaker 22 (55:56):
They remember twenty sixteen and when Hillary Clinton was substantially
more than Harris is now four points or so, and
Harris is up to in a quarter or whatever. And
they certainly remember when Joe Biden was up nine points
and ended up winning by four or whatever, three and
a half. So Democrats think about that all the time.

(56:18):
Republicans don't think much about the possibility that the polls
could be understated in the other direction this time, which
would be what happened in twenty twelve when Barack Obama
outperformed the polls. The Democratic base turned out big, they
stormed the polls, and Obama got a bump, and Mitt
Romney went from being closed but trailing to getting pretty

(56:40):
resoundingly thumped. So you choose your own adventure. Which scenario
is the most likely this time? Where's the enthusiasm highest,
and who's going to tip this race one way or
the other because a little breeze is going to blow
And it's not it's hardly unlikely to say that all

(57:01):
seven swing states might go in the same direction.

Speaker 2 (57:04):
Did you say it's hardly unlikely to say, yes, I
mean I read a piece the other day that said,
don't worry about the polls. I mean, there's a foot
in that what what What the polls show fairly consistently,
if you want to check the pulls, is that it's close.
So it could break as you say, I mean a

(57:25):
slight breeze, It could break either way. Right, So it's
not it's not that it's not that the poles are
going to be wrong. It's just that that's kind of
where we are and it could break either way. Right.

Speaker 22 (57:35):
Well, no, they will be wrong, but we don't know
by how much or in which direction. The polls are
useful at this point only for this directional what's happening,
and what's happening or what has been happening, is that
Kamala Harris has been becalmed. She has a slight lead

(57:55):
just outside of the swing state shift, just outside of
the two points that he needs to win nationally in
order to win the swing states, so that if they
come in like ducks in a row now, she has
not been able to shave off another couple points. And
this makes Democrats very, very very nervous because of the

(58:20):
things that I talked about with their experiences in twenty
sixteen and twenty twenty. So that's what the polls do show.
It's not that Trump has been gaining, It's that Harris
is stalled. And that explains why she's doing an interview
with Fox News. That explains why she's going on the
attack against Trump for not doing challenging interviews, not doing

(58:45):
sixty minutes, for not debating her, for doing that stuff.
She's trying to get him. The truth about this election
has been from the beginning, even when Joe Biden was
the Democratic nominee or presumptive Democratic nominee. If it's an
all action about Donald Trump. The Democrats will win it,
and Harris is doing what she can to try to

(59:05):
get the focus back on Donald Trump.

Speaker 2 (59:10):
So will we know the sixth, the morning of the sixth,
what happened.

Speaker 22 (59:16):
Yeah, depends on how the breeze blows. Look if Kamala Harris,
let me put it this way, yea, if we're able
to call Georgia and or North Carolina for Kamala Harris
on election night, we can wait a few more days
like we did the last time, for every state to
count up their final ballots. But you know that Donald

(59:38):
Trump's not going to win. Conversely, in Pennsylvania, you people
need to any of any of your listeners across who
are across the line on seventy nine need to hear
me count your votes. Don't make a merit to wait
for four days again for you to tell us how

(59:59):
you've vaded. But if Donald Trump is way ahead in Pennsylvania,
or if Michigan or any one of those northern tier states,
you can be pretty confident that Donald Trump is going
to be the winner. We may have to wait for
all the counting to go through, and of course the
Shenanigans that will come with it. But any northern state
that flips to red, or any southern state that flips

(01:00:22):
to blue, it becomes extraordinarily unlikely that the other party,
the party that lost ground, is going to be able
to make it up in the other side.

Speaker 2 (01:00:32):
Chris Diwald is with his regardless of the outcome, will
we then go to the next phase, which will be
contesting the outcome from three sinks to entire states? Refusing
to acknowledge the outcome is that is that the times?

(01:00:52):
Are those the times in which we live now?

Speaker 8 (01:00:55):
Well?

Speaker 22 (01:00:55):
Sure, I mean, look, there's lawsuits after every election, and
usually they don't add up too much, and they didn't
add up to anything in twenty twenty. This is not
a question about procedure. This is a question about civic virtue.
If Americans, look, if Donald Trump wins this election, Democrats
are going to lose their minds, right. They fear him,

(01:01:18):
They are incredibly anxious about the whole thing, and if
they lose, they're going to freak out. I don't know
what all of the modes that the freakout will take.
I don't know if we end up at some point
with another thing like we had in the summer of
twenty twenty, which was about police brutality, but was also
just kind of about Donald Trump, and it was about

(01:01:38):
COVID and it was.

Speaker 23 (01:01:40):
About all of that.

Speaker 22 (01:01:42):
I don't know what happens to the American left in
our big cities if Donald Trump wins the election, if
Kamala Harris wins the election. We already know kind of
what might happen. Right, We might have a riot, we
might have these efforts to subvert the outcome of the election.

(01:02:02):
We know those things are likely to happen. The question
is what will normal people do in twenty twenty and
twenty twenty one. I think a lot of people didn't
take seriously the threats that Donald Trump was making, right,
They didn't say they said, oh, well, you know, Trump
says a lot of things. I think this time around,

(01:02:23):
the judgment will fall very heavily on Republicans if they
lose this election and cannot accept the results. Because here's
the thing attacking the bad news for both of these parties.
It's never been easier to vote in America, and your
vote has never been more secure. Democrats tell me that

(01:02:44):
it's very hard to vote in America. I don't think
that's true.

Speaker 2 (01:02:47):
That's not true.

Speaker 22 (01:02:48):
And Republicans tell me that the vote is not secure,
and that's not true. And I think the judgment of
history will fall very hard on either party, but particularly
on their Republicans, given what we already know, given having
already seen it. Republicans compare what they did in twenty
twenty and twenty twenty one with Democrats who symbolically refuse

(01:03:11):
to certify election results in the past to make a
symbolic point, which was a garbage thing to do, which
was indeed a bad thing to do, but this time,
having had a riot, right, having tried to subvert the
normal execution of the Constitution. When you listen to JD. Vance,
right won't answer the question. He will not answer the question.

(01:03:34):
And I think for a lot of persuadable voters, who again,
and this is the conundrum the Republicans have lived in
for a decade. They prefer the policies. They don't want
the woke stuff, they don't want the DEI, they don't
want the progressive agenda. They don't want all those things.
And the Republicans are very right about that. But what
stops a lot of these voters from voting Republican is

(01:03:59):
that very idea that Republicans can't quite get it together.
They can't quite say what is what's needed to be said.
Jd Vance knows what both the honest and politically useful
answer is, which is, yeah, Joe Biden won the twenty
twenty election, but we're going to win him. We're gonna

(01:04:19):
beat him this time, and people understand the agenda, but
he can't say it because Donald Trump won't let him
say it, and the core activated MAGA base won't let
him say it. And that's that's dangerous, that's bad for
the country.

Speaker 2 (01:04:32):
You ever think that it would be better, that there's
a better system, that it would be better, or yeah,
if we have maybe a parliamentary system where now where
you have to where you have to build, you know,
build a majority with various parties, and that you call
for an election and in six weeks you have an election.

(01:04:52):
You ever think about that.

Speaker 22 (01:04:53):
We're trying to make that out of our superior federal system.

Speaker 8 (01:04:58):
Right.

Speaker 22 (01:04:58):
That's what we've ended up with is a terrible European
style system in which you can only accomplish things when
one party controls everything and you have to build your
coalition and then you can control everything, and then you
can ram through. Democracy is finding out what the people
want and giving it to them good and hard, said
ahl Menkin. We have a way better system. We have

(01:05:21):
a constitutional republic that is not designed for unity. We
have a constitutional system that is designed for effective disharmony,
so that we have a mechanism. We have a Congress
that is designed to do what to help people to
disagree effectively. And that's why we have checks and balances.

(01:05:42):
That's why we require these majorities, That's why we divide
the Congress against itself. That's why the states have authority.
Because it's supposed to be hard to do stuff, and
when it gets easy to do stuff, I believe very strongly.
I believe very strongly that if I had the choice
between a rule by a monarch or rule by a mob,

(01:06:05):
I will take the monarch. Right, I will take the monarch.
And the problem is is that excessive, excessive democracy tips
us toward tyranny and authoritarianism eventually, because that's what people
will vote for. Our system is predicated on. If there's
one word that describes the constitutional system, it would be

(01:06:27):
anti majoritarian. We have a system that makes it very
hard to do stuff and that's to preserve the rights
of minorities.

Speaker 2 (01:06:34):
But when it when it is so hard to do stuff,
then it's hard to get things done. I mean, and
I obsess about this, but I think about what's happening,
what's ahead with social security and Medicare and the debt,
and the campaigns are saying, don't worry about it, We're
not touch we'll not touch it. But those those are

(01:06:54):
or or you know what's going on internationally, those are serious,
serious issues. But if everybody is going populist, honest, then
you're not going to do anything about it.

Speaker 22 (01:07:07):
No one is coming to save us from ourselves. There
is no one to come and save us from ourselves.
If the American electorate is no longer capable of effective
self government, we will be tyrannized. That is the desserts
of that history make clear that if you lose the
capacity for self government, you will be governed by somebody else.

(01:07:28):
Human nature craves authority. Human nature is uncomfortable with a
system like the one that we have. It's a very
high level version of citizenship. It is the most challenging kind.
Requires an informed citizenry. It requires people to understand the system.
It requires participation knowledge all of that stuff, and it's
the worst right, it's exhausting. But either the generation coming

(01:07:53):
up now has learned the correct lessons from the miseries,
the manifold miseries of the twenty first century.

Speaker 5 (01:08:01):
For America, we have.

Speaker 22 (01:08:01):
Been on a rough run. We have been on nine
to eleven the Iraq War. We've had the Panic of
two thousand and eight. We've had the pandemic, We've had
January sixth We've had riots, we've had unrest. We have
not been on our a game. And either the young
people coming up today are going to cleave to a

(01:08:23):
constitutional republic that forces us to disagree effectively with each other,
or we're going to end up with authoritarianism, because that's
what always happens in history.

Speaker 2 (01:08:34):
Chris Steiwald, host of The Hill Sunday on News Nation,
Good to talk to my friend. Talk soon, or this
is it right, we'll talk after the election, or oh.

Speaker 22 (01:08:42):
I'm going to continue to have the hoppy prerogative. I'm
going to I'm going to continue to hold space, so
I'll talk to you before then.

Speaker 2 (01:08:48):
I promise appreciate it. Talk soon, Yeah, man.

Speaker 6 (01:08:52):
When the Mountaineers play about best game dight coverages on
Metro News. Wl UBU takes on Kansas State this Saturday
night in front of a homecoming crowd, and morganhow joined
the Metro News game day crew starting at three pm
for the kickoff show, followed by that countdown and the
Vandahlia Health Sports Braunch shuring the game it's GameLine. Post
game coverage starts at ten thirty pm with a wrap

(01:09:14):
up show. Get the most insightful, provocative, and compelling game
day coverage, Heer on Metro News. The voice of West Virginia.

Speaker 26 (01:09:24):
We are there for you to care for you at
the Health Plan.

Speaker 13 (01:09:30):
We are here.

Speaker 8 (01:09:32):
It all started with a vision.

Speaker 27 (01:09:34):
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.

Speaker 5 (01:09:51):
The Health Plan you can.

Speaker 19 (01:09:52):
Learn and you can scream, you cannide, but the change
to could find you one.

Speaker 20 (01:10:03):
The countdown is on to the biggest spookiest day of
the year. Get your West Virginia Lottery scratch offs today
for the chicks to win.

Speaker 14 (01:10:16):
Escapes.

Speaker 21 (01:10:18):
Please play responsibly.

Speaker 2 (01:10:21):
This is talk Line on Metro News, the voice of
West Virginia.

Speaker 6 (01:10:27):
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 1 (01:10:41):
I shot him.

Speaker 12 (01:10:42):
He ran over to the edge of the field.

Speaker 9 (01:10:44):
He made it about five ten yards out of the
edge of the field and fell over there.

Speaker 6 (01:10:49):
Whether it's hunting and fishing news or just compelling stories
about the enjoyment of the great outdoors.

Speaker 23 (01:10:55):
He stuck his head through the blind into where you were.

Speaker 11 (01:10:58):
Yeah, yeah, well he had jump, he leaked.

Speaker 23 (01:11:01):
Ok the blonde, Oh gosh.

Speaker 5 (01:11:04):
Yeah he had.

Speaker 11 (01:11:05):
His whole body was in the air for a couple
of seconds and is the only thing that landed in
the blonde was you know?

Speaker 6 (01:11:11):
Of course at Bartley, West Virginia Outdoors covers it all
Saturday mornings at seven oh.

Speaker 5 (01:11:16):
Six am and for your daily fix.

Speaker 6 (01:11:19):
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 8 (01:11:27):
Hey everybody, it's Tony Coritty.

Speaker 4 (01:11:29):
I'm Greg Hunter and I'm Brad Howe.

Speaker 15 (01:11:30):
And we invite you to join us Sunday through Fridays
right here on the Metro News radio network.

Speaker 8 (01:11:36):
It's the city Net statewide sports line.

Speaker 15 (01:11:38):
We talk West Virginia University, football, basketball, baseball, you name it.

Speaker 8 (01:11:43):
If it's got anything to do with the Golden Blue.

Speaker 2 (01:11:45):
We're on it.

Speaker 4 (01:11:46):
And don't forget the text line available every night.

Speaker 8 (01:11:48):
So we invite you to join us.

Speaker 15 (01:11:50):
The Senator Coach Hunter and me Tony Coritti, it's the
city Net state wide sports line on Metro News.

Speaker 6 (01:11:56):
News in the Mountain State happens quick, and for decades
you have depended on Metro News for accurate news delivered fast.
Now here's your chance to help keep your fellow West
Virginians informed. If you see news happening, become a Metro
News Hawk by texting News to three five sixty five
to one. If you take a picture or video of
what you see, submit that as well. Text the word

(01:12:18):
news to three five sixty five one to submit your
tip or story. Standard texting rates apply. Please don't text
and drive Metro News talk line with Hoppy Kerchible is

(01:12:41):
brought to you by Encoda Insurance, encircling you with coverage
to protect what you care about most. Visit in Covia
dot com to learn more talk line from the co
Insurance studios. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. There's no better
time than now for businesses to take a moment and
truly assess their cybersecurity stance. Get help and guidance from
city neet. Visit citynet dot net texts let me do

(01:13:03):
some text here at three oh four Talk three oh
four Hoppy. The legislature failed and.

Speaker 2 (01:13:07):
Allowed the governor to bully them into a tax cut,
which is a time bomb. Texter says, PI and public
employee wages will blow up the next governors and legislature
should never have allowed the man who can't paiy his
own bills to drive financial policy. I mean, you can
see how this might play out in that you had

(01:13:28):
caution on beond the part of many lawmakers. If lawmakers
had their druthers, I don't, they never would have done this.
But justice comes in five percent, five percent, five percent.
They feel compelled to go along with them to a
certain degree, so they agree on two percent. I guess
they can afford two percent, but the budget is going

(01:13:49):
to get tighter. These flush days, these flush years, are
likely behind us. So when the budget, when the next
budget is prepared, the new governor comes in and there's
a new legislature and teachers and public employees are going
to be saying, look if this is a draft proposal
for higher premiums and hire out of pocket and spouse costs,

(01:14:11):
that they're going to be saying, we need a pay raise.
We're fiftieth and we need to pay raise, and we
appreciate what you've done, but we really need to make
more money or something's got to be done about PIA.
And if the new governor and the legislature push us
back and says we can't afford it, we can afford
a we can pay one percent or a two percent,

(01:14:31):
they're going to say, wait a minute, you could afford
cutting taxes twenty seven percent, but you can't afford to
pay public employees. They're going to hit us with with
higher insurance costs. So you can see how this argument's
going to go. Three h four talks three oh four.

(01:14:53):
I'll be the amendment, the amendment one seems to be
trying to protect the citizens from themselves. It's not like
they're going to be assisted suicide death squads rolling around
looking for people to kill. No, there's not. I that's
and I understand that good people can disagree on this issue,

(01:15:13):
and we're going to spend more time in the next
couple of weeks talking about this. I think it's a
it's a it's a fascinating issue. Frankly, what what what
I don't understand exactly is why it needs to be
in the state constitution. If you want to prevent doctor
assisted suicides, you can do that, and it is done legislatively.
You can't do that in West Virginia. There's I don't

(01:15:35):
know what the specific law says, but you're not going
to find a doctor say oh yeah, we can do
physician assisted suicide. It's against it's against the war. You're
not gonna do it. Not gonna do it. So why
then does it need to be in the constitution That
I don't understand or that I don't let me rephrase that,
that I don't think is necessary hobby I would have

(01:16:03):
found the West Virginia I would say game entertaining. If
I was rooting for Iowa state coach Brownos also talked
about issues that were fixable. Does that include his sideline behavior?
His behavior Saturday made Holgerson look like a choir boy.
I am gonna go to the game on Saturday, though,
says the Texter Hobby. What did Brown say? I missed it.
It blew up on social media. I'm going to deal

(01:16:24):
with that in five minutes, in four and a half minutes,
that's coming, Hobby. How many mail in ballots were rejected
in swing states in twenty twenty. I don't know. Let's
see question about Erie County, Pennsylvania. Ibby Jamie Raskins also

(01:16:47):
brought up not certifying Trump. Yeah, that's that's what worries
me a lot about this election is that it isn't
going to be over when it should be over. For
I'll be a sixty minute so called tough interview would
actually just be an ambush, says the text. I'm not

(01:17:15):
sure what that's about. I'll be one thing for sure,
Harris will be treated better on Fox than her opponent
would be on other networks, says the text. Come on hoppy.
Too much speculation on elections and too much explanation on
the polls. Just report the facts and stats we can

(01:17:35):
interpret for ourselves. All Right, we got a break, We'll
be back. When we come back, I'm going to talk
about this some Neil Brown comment that blew up social media.
This is a talk line on Metro News, the Voice
of West Virginia. It's eleven thirty. Let's get a news update.
Check in with the Metro News radio network. Finally, what's
happening statewide this hour, all across the great state of
West Virginia.

Speaker 23 (01:17:57):
West Virginia Metro News. I'm Krystal Lawrence. We are three
weeks away from election day today, and the GOP is
making plans for how to spend those final three weeks
of the campaign. Trail Trump forty seven milunteer Engagement Rally
was held last night in Charleston, laying out plans for
the final days of the campaign. Candidate Teresa Howells talks
about the show of unity.

Speaker 28 (01:18:17):
What you see is the GOP candidates, representatives and everyone
behind the scenes that are working to get everyone across
the finish line. And we are unified and we are
ready for a November.

Speaker 23 (01:18:28):
The Centate Attorney General Patrick Morrison, who is also the
GOP candidate for governor, says getting out the vote matters
to him.

Speaker 29 (01:18:34):
Every vote does matter. First of all, I want West
Virginia to be the biggest pro Trump state in the nation,
and we want to put get a lot of people
out to vote. I know that it makes a difference
because of the popular vote issue, and also you want
to go in with a mandate to govern.

Speaker 23 (01:18:52):
And today is the final day to register to vote
in the upcoming election. Search is on for an escape
federal prison in made US. Marshall Service of Northern West
Virginia says fifty three year old Roger Austin walked away
from the detention camp located close to the hazel And
Federal Prison in Preston County about four fifteen Monday afternoon.
Austin was serving a sentence of more than twenty one

(01:19:13):
years for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
An active search is now under way for him. You're
listening to Matrone, who's the voice of West Virginia.

Speaker 6 (01:19:25):
You guys just didn't want it bad enough.

Speaker 8 (01:19:27):
That should have been an easy win.

Speaker 6 (01:19:28):
What were you doing out there? You got a hustle.
You could have made that play.

Speaker 8 (01:19:32):
If you've been open.

Speaker 26 (01:19:35):
On the car ride home after the game, when you
think you're helping by telling me what I did wrong
and what I need to work on. Ay, here is
that I'm not good enough, that I'm supposed to be perfect,
that it's not okay to lose. On the car ride home,

(01:19:55):
all I need to hear is how much you love
me and enjoy watching play. That my worth isn't determined
by my performance, that even on my worst day, I
am worthy. That you see me learning, growing and doing
my best, and that is enough.

Speaker 6 (01:20:17):
This message presented by the WVSSAC and the West Virginia
Athletic Directors Association.

Speaker 23 (01:20:23):
Longtime priest Father John Rice has been appointed as the
Vicar General of the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston. Rice was
named to that position this week, replacing the late Monsignor
Joseph Peterson.

Speaker 21 (01:20:34):
Now.

Speaker 23 (01:20:35):
Rice has served in a number of roles and has
been a priest in the diocese since two thousand and three.
He most recently served at Saint Francis Xavier in Parkersburg
and Saint Monica Parish in Lubec. From the Metro News
anchored ESK, I'm Chris Lawrence.

Speaker 6 (01:21:13):
Jesus up you know.

Speaker 2 (01:21:18):
Talk client from me and COVI Insurance Studios. Okay, so
last night I started hearing about this. Social media was
blowing up on one of the answers that Neil Brown
gave during his weekly press conference yesterday, and the question
was This was later in the news conference, This was
about twenty twenty one minutes in, and the question was
from a reporter, do you have any message for the fans?

(01:21:40):
He'd already talked about the game. He talked about Kansas State,
and I'll get to that in a minute. But the
setup was, Okay, you got another night game, he got
a big twelve opponent, they're ranked. What is your message
for the fans after the disappointment? And we're gonna listen
to the whole answer here, So let's Austin, let's play that.

Speaker 30 (01:21:57):
Yeah, you would know that I more than I would,
just because I'm not on social media. They I get
that they want to win, but I would. What I
would say is did they have a good time? You
know what I mean? Like, did they enjoy it? It
was pretty good atmosphere. You know, I'm assuming they had
probably had a pretty good time tailgating. So if they're
in the if they're in the deal for for enjoyment.

(01:22:22):
Then I would come back because I looked at the weather.
It's going to be nice again. It's a night game,
and so and we need them to provide a home
field advantage. We need them. I get their frustrated and
we didn't win. You know, we played a tough schedule.
You know everybody's beat US hasn't lost all right, But
that's no excuse.

Speaker 2 (01:22:40):
That's just the truth.

Speaker 30 (01:22:41):
And the games in our league are going to come
down to the fourth quarter and I don't think this
one on Saturday is going to be any different.

Speaker 8 (01:22:46):
So we need them to help us.

Speaker 30 (01:22:50):
I do get their frustration, but I don't think it's
when you watch our product. I don't think the product
is something that that they should be other than the outcome.
Like our kids play hard. That was a really physical
football game on Saturday. There's a lot of West Virginia
kids out there spilling it out, and so there was

(01:23:10):
clear strain, clear physicality. It was an entertaining football game.
If you're a football fan you're just watching that, it's
pretty entertaining. We just didn't play well enough to win,
and so I hope with that in mind, they would
come back for another entertaining game that hopefully we can
play better at the end and win.

Speaker 8 (01:23:25):
All right.

Speaker 2 (01:23:26):
So that was Neil Brown yesterday, and social media exploded
because people picked out that part of the press conference,
or maybe even a shorter version of that answer, and said,
wait a minute, you mean that Neil Brown is saying
just have a good time. Oh, just have a good
time and don't worry about the outcome. Just come and
you probably enjoyed yourself anyway. And so I've listened to

(01:23:51):
that now like three or four times, and I watched
the entire press conference. And here here's my observations about
that is that the timing and the phrasing is awkward
after a tough loss, another performance that did not lead
to fan expectation, that is, win the game, and the

(01:24:11):
fans who put in the time, the energy and the
money they don't want to hear understandably well it was
an entertaining game because they suffered through it. So when
you think about Gladiator, are you not entertained? So yes,
fans can fans certainly had a great time leading up

(01:24:33):
to the game and the tailgate and the coal rush
and the pregame and a halftime show is spectacular and
the tale so all that can and was fun, but
when you lose the game, then that puts a damper
on everything. So it's not something that a disappointed fan
base wants to hear. The atmosphere before and during the game,

(01:24:57):
for the most of the game was entertaining, but it
gets up you skated by the loss. So I do
think it was awkwardly phrased by him. And if you're
going to answer that question, I'll get to that in
a minute about him answering questions. If you're going to
answer it that way, you should start with the disappointment
and the loss, because that's that's the main thing, is

(01:25:21):
the disappointment and the loss, and then get into the
fan part. You can say it was disappointing. We didn't
perform up the expectations. I hope up until that point
the fans had a good time. It's our responsibility to
put a product on the field that the fans, that
the fans enjoy. We didn't. You know, we haven't done
that yet from these big games. Whatever. Whatever the answer

(01:25:43):
was going to be, So he could have flipped that
and talk first about the disappointment then gone into the
fan experience. And also he was and this I think
is important is that the question about the fans, that
was the question, and it was so. One thing Neil

(01:26:06):
Brown does which I appreciate, which a lot of coaches
don't do, is that he attempts to answer the question.
The general practice by many coaches and politicians and public
figures is to a obfuse, skate, and not answer the question,
be object to the question, and refuse to answer it.

(01:26:32):
See and we have examples of this in West Virginia.
Blackball a reporter for asking a question that happens, that
happens with coaches too, and he doesn't do that. If
you listen to him consistently, he will try to answer
the question and is far more specific in his answers

(01:26:53):
than most coaches. He'll give you some stuff if you
listen to what he has to say. Listener to the
entirety of the press conference, which I did. He said
at the very beginning of the press conference, great atmosphere,
appreciate the fans, disappointed the table was set, really didn't

(01:27:14):
get it done. He also said, we just made too
many mistakes. You can't do things like that and beat yourself.
Really poor, complimentary football. By compmentary football, he means if
they do something, then what do you do in return.
We didn't stop them when they were on their row nine,
didn't respond, not good enough complimentary football. We had chances.
We've got to get better. Missed a field goal, didn't

(01:27:37):
kick off well, have to work on getting off the
field on possession downs, miscommunication on the explosive play should
never happen, didn't tackle well in the first half. We
just had too many negative plays. That's the game that
we were right there and just didn't make enough plays
to win. If you want to win at the highest
level you're in the public, you're going to get scrutinized.

(01:27:58):
That's just part of it. You deal with it, You
put your head down, and you go back to work.
We've got to be a group that doesn't beat ourselves.
We cannot make those mistakes. Those are just the ones
I jotted down in the first twenty minutes of that
press conference. On and on. He is taking responsibility for
not performing at a level that fans expect. That I

(01:28:22):
think is that to me significantly overshadows what is an
awkward comment about the fans enjoy the game, and again,
coaches are often just like making excuses or you don't
know what you're talking about, or I'm not taking any

(01:28:43):
questions from you. On and on. Coaches are the worst,
and this guy isn't like that. Now, having said that,
having said that, your job, especially in today's environment, is
to win games. So they got to do better. He
knows that, the team knows that, the fans certainly expect that,

(01:29:03):
So they have to do better. They have to win
more games. You're gonna be judged. You can be you
can be the greatest guy in the world, and I
think Brown is a good guy. But you're gonna be
judged by wins and losses. That's the nature of that business.
And he knows that. So they got to win some
more games. And if they go out and they tank
the rest of the season, they finish, you know, four
and eight or something like that, then and season ticket

(01:29:27):
sales are gonna drop off, then Aren's gonna have a
decision to make. He'll have to make a decision. If
they just tank the rest of the season, we'll have
to I mean, the decision will probably make itself. If
they tank the rest of the season by the same token,
then let let's reasonably see what happens this season. You're

(01:29:48):
not gonna fire the coach next week, so reasonably see
what happens the rest of the season. But I do
think it's unfair to penalize Brown on social media for
attempting to answer the question that was that was really
sort of designed to try to encourage fans to come out.

(01:30:11):
Need the fans to be there for Kansas State. We
need them to be into it. It's an important part
of it that if that's what he was trying to do.
It was a pitch to get the fans to come back. Hey,
it's entertaining. We think we think we're you know, playing hard,
but you gotta win. So it was an awkward pitch

(01:30:32):
to try to encourage the fans to come back for
the Kansas State game. If you're if you want Neil
Brown fired, then I did I see how you could
pick out that little piece and say, oh, Brown just
cares about Brown just it doesn't matter where you win
to lose. He just cares that the fans are entertained.

(01:30:53):
That's not what he was saying. That's not what he's saying.
So if you want Brown fired, you're going to find
things like that to continue to build the argument that
Brown should be fired. And look, as I said, if
he tanks, if they would win one game or no
games the rest of the year, he probably will get fired.
So that will take care of itself. But to pick

(01:31:14):
out that one thing in the context of everything he
said and how he has repeated, how he has talked
about the fans and ingrained himself in West Virginia and
the fans, is I think unfair. I think it's out
of I think it's out of context with the total
picture of how he's conducted himself in things he has
said at myriad press conferences and events. That's my take

(01:31:36):
on that. You can give me yours at eight hundred
and seven sixty five eight two five five or text
me three oh four talk three oh four.

Speaker 31 (01:31:42):
A new episode of Live Healthy West Virginia is now
posted on the podcast center of we metronews dot com
and the metro News TV app. We talk about peak
Advantage Medicare, the health plan made by and four West Virginians.

Speaker 7 (01:31:54):
It's that grassroot factor to really where we're slashing that
red tape between the doctors and the members and it
is really helping them out to live a happier and
healthier life.

Speaker 31 (01:32:03):
Listen to Live Healthy West Virginia for candid conversations with
insights for improving your health and wellbeing. Live Healthy West
Virginia is presented by WU Medicine.

Speaker 4 (01:32:12):
October is cyber security Awareness Money, and there's never been
a better time to protect your business with citty Net.
Every thirty nine seconds a cyber attack happens. Is your
business prepared with city nets cutting edge cybersecurity solutions and
security awareness training for your first line of defense your employees.

Speaker 6 (01:32:29):
We've got you covered.

Speaker 4 (01:32:31):
From advanced threat detection to real time response. Citty net
stops attacks before they strike. Remember city Net connects for
texts and perfects. Visit cittynet dot net today.

Speaker 19 (01:32:42):
You can learn, and you can scheme. You can hide,
but the change to witten could find you one. The
countdown is on to the biggest spool kiest day of
the year. Get your West Virginia Lottery scratch offs today

(01:33:04):
the chicks.

Speaker 13 (01:33:05):
To win.

Speaker 15 (01:33:07):
Steeve.

Speaker 21 (01:33:09):
Please play responsibly.

Speaker 2 (01:33:12):
You're listening to talk Line on Metro News, the Voice
of West.

Speaker 9 (01:33:15):
Virginia Wvmetronews 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
podcast including Talkline, Hotline, sports Line, and Three Guys Before

(01:33:37):
the Game. Make a bookmark now and visit wv metronews
dot com first thing every morning to find out what's
happening all across the state. Wvmetronews dot com.

Speaker 6 (01:33:47):
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 11 (01:34:02):
Stockfish for repatriation purposes to that's reintroduction, re establishment of
Brooks trout, and two of those streams the oldest that
we have worked on, the earliest ones that we started
putting fish into. We've noticed natural reproduction in both of
those streams.

Speaker 6 (01:34:17):
Whether it's hunting and fishing news or just compelling stories
about the enjoyment of the great outdoors.

Speaker 12 (01:34:22):
It was a pretty good flight. It taked me about
ten minutes to get it in. My dad actually had
to run to the truck.

Speaker 7 (01:34:29):
And grab ant because there's my way I could list
him up over top of the rail.

Speaker 6 (01:34:33):
West Virginia Outdoors covers it all Saturday mornings at seven oh.

Speaker 5 (01:34:37):
Six am and for your daily fix.

Speaker 6 (01:34:39):
Outdoors Today brings you two and a half minutes of
mews and notes from the woods and water every weekday
morning on Metro News of Voice of West Virginia.

Speaker 13 (01:34:48):
It's two hours of sports conversation to wrap up your weekend.
It's the city that Sunday Night Sports lot. Hey, this
is Travis Joes joining myself at Greg Hunter every Sunday
night from six oh six until eight o'clock as we
wrap up the sports weekend, 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

(01:35:08):
text the show at three oh four Talk three oh four.
It's a perfect weekend sports wrap up on your favorite
Metro News affiliate, or watch the show at wb Metronews
dot com.

Speaker 6 (01:35:30):
Metro News Talk Line with Hoppy Kerchival is brought to
you by Incoca Insurance, encircling you with coverage to protect
what do you care about most? Visiting Coca dot com
to learn more.

Speaker 2 (01:35:40):
Talk line from Me and Co Insurance Studios Text three
oh four Talk three oh four Hoppy Texter says, when
people pay big money for the tickets, the gas, the hotel,
the food, and we keep losing, it's upsetting. The texta says,
Neil Brown needs to get to go to the hotels
after the game and the day after the game, very
solemn atmosphere. Boy, I don't want that. I don't want
them at the hotels. I want him back at the

(01:36:00):
office at seven am trying to figure out what went
wrong and how to fix it. That would be That'd
be where I would prefer him to be. But the
Texter's right about the investment. It's more expensive all the time,
for the tickets, for the parking, for everything. It's expensive.
It's expensive, and people are making decisions what's the return

(01:36:21):
on the investment. And when you don't feel like you're
getting the return on investment, you will make other decisions
about how to spend your discretionary income. And that's one
of the things I think Grin Baker is an analytical guy,
and we can be emotional about it. I think he's analytical,
and I would imagine two things that if he's doing

(01:36:42):
his due diligence as an athletic director, and I believe
he is, then he would have in that back pocket
a list of potential replacements. A. He should have a
replacement for replace, list of replacements for devrees. What if
Derees gets a call that IOWA wants them to come. So,
if he's doing his job, he has a list of potentials.
Number one, if he has nine. Number two is if

(01:37:04):
it gets to the last home game of the season
and there's twenty six thousand people there and he's getting
a thousand emails that says, forget my season tickets. The
decision is going to make itself. It will be a
financial decision. Be like, Wow, I got to pay the
coach and the assistance, and I'm not sure where to
get the money. I gotta work it, but I can't.
I can't deal with season tickets that are off by
that much. Three or four Talks three o four Hoppy,

(01:37:33):
I have some homework for you. Okay, that's where I'm
going to stop. Let's see three oh four talk three
oh four National Guard, Hoppy, do you plan to talk
about Trump's threat to use the National Guarden, possibly the
military against domestic political opponents. Yeah, that statement was worrisome,

(01:37:55):
that's for sure. I don't like that at all. Hoppy
Regarding coach Brown, Well stated, well, that's my take. I
think I think that they're I want to be fair
about it, okay, and I think it's I don't think

(01:38:16):
that statement was as inflammatory as a lot of people
think it was, especially in the context of the entire
answer and the entire press conference awkward. Yeah, the timing
not good because everybody's bummed out. All Mountaineer Nation is

(01:38:39):
bummed out. But in terms of being egregious, no happy TANIELO.
If you have to explain to people that Brown was
right sports entertainment, perhaps people should reevaluate their lives. If
they think it's more than that. Well, I think what
he was trying to do was to help the entertainment part.

(01:39:04):
They get fans there, hobby, I like coach Brown, don't
enjoy watching my team make numerous mistakes and look unprepared.
That's not enjoyable. We're not going to be good football
teams when we play mistake riddled football. Happy, you've become
out of touch with WVU fans. On Neil Brown. You
keep saying he's a good guy. Nobody cares win games

(01:39:25):
or leave. As I said, in that position making that
money with nil and essentially professional athletes, you have to win.
You have to win, you are expected to win. However,
I do not, I would not, and look in fairness,

(01:39:47):
I'm not buying tickets. I'm not investing hundreds and hundreds
of dollars. I'm investing my time. But so I'm in
a different place than you are, as as fans who
make these investments. But I tell you this, I'll tell
you this as a graduate of the university, as a
loyal alum of the university. It does matter to me.
If the coach has character, that does matter to me.

(01:40:16):
That's about Trump, I'll be Neil Brown's not the answer.
WU just does not have the money to buy the
kind of players we need, like more wealthy programs. Maybe
some assistant coaches need to go. I would think that
I have been told that West Virginia has nil money

(01:40:38):
comparable to most other big twelve teams. The numbers are
not public, so I don't know what they are. But
when you think of these other institutes, for example, Iowa state,
to me, you should be you should be as good
as or better than Iowa State. Sometimes they're better than you,
sometimes you're better than them, but you should be equal

(01:41:01):
to these Relatively speaking to these other team, to these
other teams, I don't see any team in the Big
Twelve that you would say that's like a Texas or
Oklahoma or you would say, you know, we just can't compete.
It's hard to compete with them. They just have so
many more resources. I don't see any school that is
demonstrably more well financed in West Virginia. Take a break

(01:41:25):
of me Back talk on continues after this when.

Speaker 6 (01:41:28):
The Mountaineers play. The best game day coverage is on
Metro News WLUVU takes on Kansas State this Saturday night
in front of a homecoming crowd in Morgantown. Join the
Metro News game day cruse starting at three pm for
the kickoff show, followed by that countdown and of Antaehlia
Health Sports Braunz shuring the game it's GameLine. Post game
coverage starts at ten thirty pm with a wrap up show.

(01:41:50):
Get the most insightful, provocative, and compelling game day coverage
here on Metro News, The Voice of West.

Speaker 32 (01:41:57):
Virginia, The WVU Cancer Institute is a place of hope,
a place where the states talk, doctors and researchers come
together to provide compassionate, high quality care for a brighter tomorrow.
Our multidisciplinary approach utilizes leading edge technology and groundbreaking research
to offer personalized treatment for each patient with breast cancer.

(01:42:19):
From screenings to treatment to survivorship programs. We are here
for you every step of the way. Call eight five
to five WVU Care.

Speaker 2 (01:42:28):
This is talk Line on Metro News, the voice of
West Virginia.

Speaker 12 (01:42:34):
Hey there, Dave.

Speaker 7 (01:42:35):
Weekly, here your host from Metro News Hotline. Get ready
for an epic journey. Every weekday from three to six pm,
we've got all the excitement you need from sports to tech, music,
pop culture, and everything in between. Join Coop and I
as we bring you engaging discussions, captivating interviews, fun games,
and the latest sports and entertainment headlines that will keep
you a look. Petronews Hotline is your go to source

(01:42:55):
for sports, news, entertainment, and most importantly fun. Tune in
weekdays from three to six on Metro News and w
Metronews dot com.

Speaker 6 (01:43:03):
Metro News This Morning the biggest stories from around the
state of West Virginia. When you want them. Chris Lawrence
at the anchor desk, we.

Speaker 23 (01:43:10):
Are ready to get today. Who started in West Virginia
with all of the information you named?

Speaker 6 (01:43:14):
Jeff Jenkins brings you the day's headlines.

Speaker 16 (01:43:16):
Governor Jim just is expected to soon sign to a
law bill for a funding measure to help the state's
drought stricken farmers. State lawmakers are proved ten million dollars
in funding during last week's special session. The money will
be used to receive and restore damage pasture and help
get rid of weeds that do well when it's dry.
The ten million dollar allocation is coming from state budget
surplus funds.

Speaker 6 (01:43:35):
Kyle Wiggs at the sports desk.

Speaker 24 (01:43:37):
Mountaineers fell to number nine Iowa State twenty eight sixteen,
Now you move on to seventeenth. Frank Kansas State Marshall
at a twenty three to three lead at Georgia Southern,
Georgia Southern came all the way back to win that
game twenty four to twenty three.

Speaker 6 (01:43:54):
And Hoppy Kirchible's daily commentary Metro News This Morning Listen,
where you get your favorite podcast guests and online at
wv metro news dot com.

Speaker 13 (01:44:02):
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 Jones 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

(01:44:23):
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 or watch the show
at WDV metronews dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:44:47):
Talk on it from me and Covid Shurin Studios. Jackpots
in the Million two in West Virginia. Who doesn't want
to be a millionaire? Get in the Powbol drawings Mondays,
Wednesdays and Saturdays, the Megamines drawings on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Will you be the next big Winter play Today? The
popol joh pot is four hundred eight million dollars, the
Megamies Jackpott one hundred and sixty nine million dollars. Text hopy,
I agree. Yes. Brown must be criticized for the performance

(01:45:08):
of the team as a whole. But I also think
individual players must be given the same scrutiny if there
they drop a pass or lose the ball or miss
a kick. If they want nil money, they must take
the negatives as well. I agree with that, and that
has been something that we have to get used to,
and the players need to get used to because when
they were quote unquote college students here for the degree

(01:45:30):
for the most part, and they didn't perform well were
college students. Now with that's the other side of nil. Good.
You're getting paid. You're getting paid when you're sharing in
the benefits. Now, okay, with that comes responsibility, and if
you cannot perform at a level of expectation, then you

(01:45:56):
either deserve to be to receive the criticism or a
pay cut. Wow, that sounds harsh. These are young men. Yeah,
I know, but you're getting paid, right, that's that's that's
the other side of nil. I'll be I think if
you don't like Brown, that statement would be inflammatory. Otherwise

(01:46:16):
I don't see it as an outrageous, uncarrying statement. Yeah,
I think that's I think it's about right. Look, if
you don't like Brown, any things would be replaced. I
get that and then you can look at that and
go and you could use that, you could use that.
But I don't. I don't think that that was That
was not egregious, awkward, not egregious. Three or four talk

(01:46:44):
three four. I've me and my daughter. I had a
good question yesterday when they say trust the climb, How
high is the climb? What mountain are we climbing? Spruce
Knob or the Rockies? Right now, you're just trying to
get up a hill. Right now, you're just trying to
get a little bit. You're just trying to get up

(01:47:05):
part way up law School Hill, just trying to get
up there a little bit, trying to drag the thing
up forward as much as you can.

Speaker 8 (01:47:13):
All Right, I got it.

Speaker 2 (01:47:14):
Run Keep up with the news of the day at
a website at wv metronews dot com. And just looking ahead,
we will have coverage of WVU and Kansas State. We're
going to start at three o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Yes,
we will talk about all this as well coming up
on Saturday, and they'll probably get into it on sports Line.
This has been talk line on Metro News. When we
return tomorrow, oh and later this week, Bishop Mark Brennan

(01:47:37):
of William Charleston Diocese on Amendment one, so that's coming
up on Thursday. This is talk Line on Metro News.
Metro News is the voice of West Virginia.