Talkline | Nov. 12, 2025

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin & Senator Shelley Moore Capito join the show. Talking about the salary of the new Washington Center Director with Steven Allen Adams. 50-year Mortgages? Dave and TJ discuss with financial advisor John Burdette. Brad McElhinny has details on declining student enrollment in public schools. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:13):
U S.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Senator Shelley Moore Cavito and e p A Administrator Lee
Zelden go to be joining Also on Metro News talk Line,
we are underway radio turned.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Off from the studios of w v r C Media
and the Metro News Radio and Television Network, the Voice
of West Virginia comes the most powerful show in West Virginia.

Speaker 4 (00:42):
This it's Metro News talk Line with.

Speaker 5 (00:45):
Dave Wilson and t J. Meadows.

Speaker 4 (00:50):
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Speaker 3 (00:51):
Hold From Charles stand By to David DJ.

Speaker 4 (00:55):
You're on.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Metro News talk Line is presented by Encovia Insurance, encircling
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Speaker 2 (01:10):
Good morning, Welcome in Metro News talk Line. Appreciate you
being part of our day on one of our great
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(01:31):
and seven sixty five eight two five five Full show
Today Lost to get to Jake Link is our video
producer and Ethan Collins is handling the audio side of things.
This morning, we will get some text messages today. Been
pretty tight the last few days, but we'll try to
work in a few comments as well as the show unfolds.

(01:51):
Say good morning to Tjmeadows. He is in the Encode
Insurance Studios in Charleston. Morning, sir, here in the Capitol,
there we go go ahead.

Speaker 5 (02:01):
Good morning. It's a great day here in the capital city.
Let's get after it.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Joining us today is US Senator Shelley Moore Capito. She's
hosting Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zelden here in West
Virginia today. They have several stops planned, including an energy
and manufacturing roundtable this morning that'll be focusing on d
regulatory action from the EPA, plus some other stops. So

(02:26):
joining us on Metro News talk Line this morning, the
Senator from the great state of West Virginia, Chair of
the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Shelley Moore Capito,
Senator Capito, Good morning.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Good morning to everybody. How's everybody doing quite well.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
It's got to be nice to be back in the
Mountain States and bringing EPA Administrator Lee Zelden with you
will talk to him and justin MoMA. We'll get to
the trip because I want to focus on the visit
mostly today. But Senator, first of all, the Senate was
able to pass a funding bill to reopen the federal government.
That's with the House. They'll vote on it today at

(03:01):
four o'clock. Here's my question, Centater Capitol. Did we arrive
at a different destination this week than we could have
arrived at forty some days ago.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
You know, absolutely not. This is what the desperate moves
that Chuck Schumer and the Democrats were doing was to
keep the government closed to the pain of people who
need food assistance, to the pain of women and children
who need nutrition assistance, to the pain of the traveling public,

(03:33):
and other areas. I just talked to a person this
morning whose mother has been furloughed from the Department of
AG I mean, and people aren't getting paid. And so no,
we could have been doing this from October the first.
We could have been negotiating any kind of healthcare issues
that the Democrats want to talk about. All of this
would have been we could have had our appropriations bills.

(03:56):
The only thing we did get was three appropriations bills,
which are critical because one of them is agriculture which
includes the SNAP program, but also military construction and our veterans.
So these are extremely important. But in terms of I
don't know what they gained and accept a lot of
pain for the American people.

Speaker 5 (04:17):
Senator, how do we de weaponize these shutdowns? Both sides
have leveraged them. I mean, it would seem common sense
that if the government can't get a budget, we should
just default to the current funding formula, keep people paid.
How do we take these threats off the table because
to your point, forty days later, nothing's changed. It's it's
just stupid. I'll call it what it is.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
Well, and that's a good description. I say shutdowns are
a road to nowhere. Nobody wins to be able to
depoliticize these. You know, we've had bills that say, you know,
if it's shut down, nobody gets you know, the Congress
doesn't get paid if we if we shut down, everybody
is going to get paid. I hope the pain from

(05:03):
this one lasts a long long time. Who whoever puts
forward and goes to a shutdown basically never wins the
policy argument because the votes just aren't there. We're better
off negotiating, which we should have been for the last
forty days, and so I just think it's been a

(05:23):
total disservice for West Virginians and the rest of the
rest of the country.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
US Sonner Shelley Moore Capito joining us. Tell you what, Senator,
We'll do a deeper dive once that bill gets through
the House and gets to the President's desk, because still
has to get through the House today at four o'clock
this afternoon, it.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
Does and I heard Congressman Moore on the radio yesterday
and he seemed very confident. So I'm hoping that the
President can sign that tonight.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
You are hosting EPA Administrator Lee Zelden here in West
Virginia today. There's a roundtable, a few stops that are
on the agenda. Why did you want to bring the
EPA administrator here to the Mountain.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
Steak Well, I'm so happy that Administrator Zelden is here.
He is traveling the country and I just found out
earlier we're the forty ninth state, so we're really pleased
to have him here. But so much of what he
is involved when and moving forward with President's agenda here

(06:19):
impacts every manufacturer, every coal, natural gas plant, every chemical.
I mean so many jobs here in West Virginia. Are
farmers or beef farmers, everybody with waters of the US.
It is so impactful. I chaired the committee. I invited
him to come here. When he came and testified before
our committee, we got him through by the end of

(06:40):
January as a Cabinet secretary. So we're really really excited
to have him right here.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
Do we have him now here with us?

Speaker 1 (06:51):
He's right here.

Speaker 2 (06:52):
Let's give him the he's right here. Let's give him
the official introduction. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zelden with
shelleymore cap this morning, couple of stops in a round
table on the schedule. Good morning, Administrators, Selden, good morning.

Speaker 6 (07:06):
It's great to be with you and listening to the
conversations now with Senator Capito. Instead of the last few
years of setback and heartache with the last administration, we
just want to fix everything. There's a very long list
of asks that West Virginians have that the Congressional delegation
has had of the Trump EPA and of the administration,

(07:27):
and we just want to get everything done. At the
same time, as quickly as possible at Trump speed to
help make sure that West Virginia is able to prosper
and be strong.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
What do you want to learn from your trip to
West Virginia today?

Speaker 6 (07:43):
When we're in DC and we're making decisions on policy,
the perspective that we get from these experiences on the ground,
hearing from the people most directly impacted by these regulations
is just so key. It's important to get out out
side of the Beltway and when you're visiting these different

(08:05):
businesses and industries, job creators, employees, and you're able to
hear their perspective and make their perspective our perspective and
decision making, then West Virginia truly has that seat at
the table at that agency. West Virginia very much has
that seat at the table in just about every conversation

(08:27):
in Congress. Senator Capitol is chair of the Senate EPW Committee,
which is the committee that oversees the EPA, and we
want to make sure that that voice that West Virginia
has inside of Congress is one that has felt all
throughout the administration. And like I said, the perspective that

(08:47):
I get being on the ground today is something that
I plan on bringing back to me to Washington on
every decision as in front of us.

Speaker 5 (08:54):
Going forward, mister Administrator, I want to talk about clean
power two point oh. I want to start with existing
coal fired plants. I believe you're going to be at
a coal fired power plant this afternoon, touring it. The
way the REGs read now current emissions rates. Effectively, you
have to capture ninety percent of the carbon. You have
to do that by twenty thirty two. For a coal unit,

(09:14):
you can operate it to twenty thirty eight if you
do that. Beyond that, if you don't capture the carbon
by ninety percent, you would have to retire it by
twenty forty. Many of the coal plants here in West Virginia,
let's just face it, you can't afford to put carbon
sequestration on. It's not cost beneficial to rate payers. It
would drive the price of electricity through the roof. EPA

(09:35):
wants to roll that back. Where are you in that process.

Speaker 6 (09:40):
Well, again, one of the great reasons to be here
in West Virginia Center Capital is taking me to the
John Amos Power Plant. Looking forward to that tour here
shortly where I'm sure that this is going to be
a topic of conversation. We are proposing a recision of
clean power Plant two point zero as well as the
twenty twenty four mercury and air toxic standards. There still

(10:03):
will be mercury and air toxic standards, but the twenty
twenty four standards we're seeking to strangulate out of existence
entire sectors of our economy here, specifically targeting coal. The
policy of our predecessors was to tell those West Virginia
workers that they should just learn how to code. Instead
of the Trump administration, our policy is that we want

(10:25):
to support West Virginia jobs. We want low cost, affordable energy,
and there's a lot that we could do on the
regulatory front in order to make that happen. So these
are two of the bigger decisions that are in front
of us right now. We're nearing a final decision. When
we put out a proposal, we then go to public comment,
we review all the public comments, and then we make

(10:47):
a final decision. I'm not allowed to prejudge outcomes of
the rulemaking, but we're at that point right now. We're
able to make the final decisions that will be a
very big win. After win after win for West Virginia,
and I just can't wait to be able to announce it.

Speaker 5 (11:02):
So if I'm a utility, though, and I own one
of these coal fired plants, I see sea sawing back
and forth. I see the Biden administration doing one thing.
I see the Trump administration doing another. I don't know
who's going to be in the White House and what
they're going to do next. How do I have any certainty?
Because EPA is always changing the game, They're always moving
the goalpost. I can't make electricity because I don't have

(11:22):
any certainty in the regulations.

Speaker 6 (11:26):
Well, here's two things that are really important to keep
in mind. One is a recent Supreme Court decision in
a case called Loper bright overturning the Chevron doctrine. That
makes it clear that agencies like the EPA cannot go
rogue and get creative and trying to give ourselves power,
saying that just because the law doesn't say we can't,

(11:46):
that means that we can. That is something that now
that the Supreme Court decision is out there, is durable
and that will be around no matter who is in
the White House in the years and decades to come.
We have to follow the plane language of the law period,
and no more of these rogue agencies being able to
sit in their ivory tower and claim those powers that

(12:08):
they don't actually have. West Virginia versus EPA, Michigan versus EPA.
There have been a bunch of Supreme Court decisions in
other cases that will ensure durability that makes it clear
that Congress should be deciding whether or not to impose
hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars of new regulation. Again,

(12:29):
not rogue unelected bureaucrats and these agencies. The other thing,
Senator Capitol has been leading the fight in Congress for
permitting reform and to get trillions of dollars of new
investment into the United States for years to come.

Speaker 4 (12:44):
The message is.

Speaker 6 (12:45):
Getting sent to these businesses that this federal government wants
to make sure that permits are taking less time, costing
less money, and coming with more certainty. And that's going
to result in more investment, more investment in West Virginia.
That means more power, That means more jobs, not just
more construction jobs, but more long term jobs. And the

(13:05):
future is bright and exciting. The success of this effort
in pursuing permitting reform is something that can yield very
positive long term benefits no matter who's in the White
House for a long time to come.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
EPA Administrator Lee Zelden is joining us alongside the US
Senator Shelley Moore Capito here on Metro News talk line.
Mister Zelden, you bring up permitting reform, that was the
next item on the list. What can the EPA do
immediately and have an immediate impact on permitting reform to
get this process moving quicker so we're not waiting decades

(13:38):
for new plants or pipelines to come online.

Speaker 6 (13:43):
EPA has the power to slow things down. EPs so
has the power to speed things up, and quite frankly,
just getting out of the way is resulting in progress
all throughout this entire country. You're seeing new natural gas
pipelines that are getting advanced, new power plants, new data centers,
there's new nuclear facilities that are breaking ground. We're seeing

(14:04):
it all throughout the entire country where EPA has gotten
out of the way, and we're working as part of
the National Energy Dominance Council with the Department of Interior,
Department of Energy, Department of Commerce. We meet with the
President directly often in all the office talking about these
individual projects. President Trump asks about specific projects by name.

(14:28):
And he is a very hands on president, somebody who
is challenging us to work long hours. I had him
contact me recently. It was very late at night, very
late at night. He wanted me to call two different people,
one cabinet member somebody else and then get back to him.
My said, mister President, what if I can't reach one
of them and it's even later. He says, no matter

(14:51):
what time it is, don't worry about it. I'll be up.
I called the first person, got him, quickly called the
second person, could reach him. It took me a while.
I finally got a whole to this cabinet member and
I'm looking at the time and I'm thinking, gosh, I
really be calling back to President right now. And he
said he should call it that I'm supposed to call
them no matter what. So I called him and it
was like it was two o'clock in the afternoon and
he just had seven red bulls. He was wide awake

(15:14):
and he was working hard.

Speaker 7 (15:15):
Uh.

Speaker 6 (15:16):
And that's the type of president we have, and he's
challenging all of us to make sure that we're all
operating at Trump's speed. So what can the EPA do
right now to help with permitting reform and getting these
projects built all throughout the country. Quite often it's just
about us getting out of the way, being great partners
and making sure that we're doing our part to speed

(15:39):
things up in West Virginian across the country.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
And Senator Capita, will we see legislation on permitting reform
in twenty six.

Speaker 1 (15:48):
Well, we're working hand in hand with the administration and
with the Administrator Zelden here to do a permitting reform package.
We also work in acrossle with our bipartisan friends and
because we as we know in the Senate, we need
we need Democrat votes here and that's extremely important. And

(16:10):
I think what the administrator said is really key in
order to eliminate some of the swings that you see
from administration to administration. If we are specific and meaningful
in permitting reform in the legislative language, we will eliminate
a lot of that uncertainty. So we're moving at Trump
speed here. We're going to try to We're aiming for

(16:32):
the end of the year. That's an ambitious goal. We're
working with the Energy and Natural Resources Committee as well
on the transmission piece, which is very critical. And we're
also working with our house counterparts, so there's a real impetus.
There's a lot of stakeholder involvement here. If you're a
cold planned, if you're natural gas, if you're a wind farm,

(16:53):
if you're a solar farm, if you're a road construction.
I mean, I can't even tell you all the different
people and jobs that are dependent upon meaningful permitting reform.
So I tend to be an optimist. You all know that,
and so I'm going to say, yes, I think we
can get it done, and yes, I think we can
get it done. I think it's possible to get it

(17:16):
done by the end of the year. I can't promise that,
but I think that's what we're hoping for. That's ambitious,
but we're pushing ourselves in that direction, and Administration has
just been amazing to help us.

Speaker 5 (17:29):
Shelley, you're the optimist. I don't want to be the pessimist.
I'd rather be like you, but I'll be the pessimist
since you get to be the optimist today, mister administrator.
There hasn't been a coal fired power plant built in
this country since twenty thirteen. By my quick reckoning this morning.
We're a coal state here in West Virginia. We have
a lot of coal. Has the dive been cast? Is

(17:49):
it too little, too late? Or can you do enough?
Can the EPA reverse enough that the industry would have
a chance to build a new coal plant in this
country anytime soon?

Speaker 6 (18:00):
Absolutely, the economics over the course of twenty twenty five
have steadily been improving. Because every time that I have
one of these tours across the country and I'm meeting
with individuals and businesses talking through the economics, they and
by the way, they've somewhat traumatized by the last few

(18:20):
years of getting targeted. They're talking through individual regulations, what
the cost is, what the positive benefit is from rolling
back a particular regulation that doesn't make sense that was
targeting them. And as the economics continue to improve, and
that's been happening all throughout twenty twenty five, these coal
plants that were going to shutter across the country are

(18:44):
staying open, they're expanding, they're looking to the future with
new investment. There are a lot of operations across the
country that are now talking about ramping up, increasing their
operations more jobs, more output. So and I stand ready.
And I've heard this from other members of the administration

(19:05):
as well, but especially with EPA regulations, it's very important
for me to have this attitude. I stand ready to
do everything in my power to make sure that every
single one of Senator Capito's asks, because she's been hearing
from these coal plants and their leaders for a long time,
and she knows what they need. Every single one of

(19:26):
her asks, we want to be able to check the
box as quickly as possible. At the same time, make
the economics work, not only for these plants to stay
in business, but to have the resources to invest in
these plants to grow to prosper and for more to
come online all across the country.

Speaker 2 (19:45):
EPA Administrator Lee Zelden, US Centator at Shelleymore Capito, they're
hosting a roundtable with energy and manufacturers this morning. Couple
of stops along the way, visiting different sites in West
Virginia today. Enjoy your trip to West Virginia. We're glad
to have you and Center Capito. We'll talk again soon.
Thank you so much for the time, guys.

Speaker 1 (20:03):
Thank you a great thanks absolutely.

Speaker 2 (20:05):
EPA Administrator Lee Zelden us enator Shelley Moore Capito got
to take a break back for more. This is talk
Line on Metro News, the voice of West Virginia.

Speaker 4 (20:25):
Metro News.

Speaker 3 (20:26):
Talk Line is presented by Encova Insurance, encircling you with
coverage to protect what you care about most. Visit Encova
dot com to learn more.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
Text line is three or four Talk three oh four.
Phone number is eight hundred seven to sixty five Talk
eight hundred seven sixty five eight two five five. Coming
up second hour, we want to talk to John Burdett.
He's a financial advisor and TJ wrote about this this morning.
If you would like to prepare ahead fifty year mortgages. Boy,
do we have a deal for you, TJ. If you

(20:56):
want to get a house of fifty year mortgage. Okay,
we'll get into that coming up top of the hour.
You're laughing already, like if you're watching the video stream,
TJ is beside himself.

Speaker 5 (21:08):
Makes my head spin, man, I mean, geez.

Speaker 2 (21:12):
Really really, so we got thirty seconds here. You did
some quick figurre in on demographics and when you might
be able to pay off your home if you get
a fifty year mortgage.

Speaker 5 (21:22):
If you're lucky enough to reach ninety, you could pay
it off based on when you buy it today. But
the odds are the tables say you die at seventy eight,
so you'll have twelve years to go when you kick it.

Speaker 2 (21:32):
We will get into that coming up top of the hour.
Steven Allen Adams on to Newspaper is going to join
us next. He has an interesting story out there today.
We'll dive into that. As talk line continues on Metro News,
the Voice of West Virginia. It is ten thirty times
to get a news update. Let's check in with the
Metro News radio network find out what's happening across the
great state of West Virginia.

Speaker 8 (21:56):
West Virginia Metro News. I'm Jeff Jenkins, Governor Patrick Morrise.
He says, this sirch for a missing Nicholas County coal
miner remains a rescue effort.

Speaker 9 (22:03):
I think everyone is working really hard. They're working around
the clock, and they're doing everything to help their colleague, right.
I mean, this is a person that they know, they
know very well, and I can tell you that people
still want to just keep putting in all the amount
of time to give this guy a chance.

Speaker 8 (22:22):
Pumping water out of the mine remains a top priority.
Morris he visited the mine site last night near swiss
oh Eies in Washington. Shifting now from the US Senate
to the US House, where a vote is set for
late this afternoon to reopen the federal government. West Virginia
second District Consman Riley Moore says he'll be a yes vote.
He says he's encouraged with what the US Sennate did.

(22:43):
He says they're going to start following the regular order
when it comes to budgeting.

Speaker 10 (22:46):
The process there on the Hill that's really been pretty
stagnant over the years, you know, just been CR and
omnibus and CR and omnibus. We're actually going to have
real budget bills passed, which I think is great.

Speaker 8 (22:57):
That vote is scheduled for four this afternoon. Vendeja Health's
plans for a standalone neuroscience institute to be located in
Charleston taking a step forward on Veterans Day with the
groundbreaking the institute being built directly across from the main
entrance of CMC General on Moore Street in Charleston. Follow
the volleyball State Championship tournament today at Metro News with

(23:18):
photo galleries. You're listening to Metro News for forty years,
the voice of West Virginia.

Speaker 11 (23:26):
To every referee, umpire, and judge in high school sports,
we want to say we see you.

Speaker 12 (23:33):
We see everything you do for us that goes unnoticed.

Speaker 11 (23:37):
We see the positive role models that you are.

Speaker 12 (23:40):
We see the way you get unfairly criticized just for
doing your job.

Speaker 11 (23:44):
The truth is we couldn't play without.

Speaker 12 (23:46):
You, so thank you for investing your time in us.

Speaker 11 (23:50):
Thank you for protecting the integrity of the game.

Speaker 12 (23:53):
No matter what, We hope you always know how much
we appreciate.

Speaker 11 (23:58):
You, because without you, well this is jess Recess. It's
not really a game.

Speaker 12 (24:04):
Thank you for always making it possible for us to
play the sports we love.

Speaker 11 (24:11):
Want to save the students in your community. Sign up
to become an official in West Virginia at high School
Officials dot com.

Speaker 8 (24:22):
State Board of Education is meeting this morning in Charleston
and they're getting an update on how things are going
in Nicholas, Tyler, and Mingo counties. They took over those
counties at least with some intervention, just a couple of
months ago, and we'll have an update on those coming
up later today at wv Metronews dot com. University of
Charleston's student Malaya McCain coles interviews for the prestigious Road

(24:43):
Scholarship later this week in Detroit. She's a finalist and
to have a Sindolf on campus next hour. From the
Metro News anchor desk, I'm Jeff Jenkins.

Speaker 2 (25:08):
Three or four talk three or four is the text
line eight hundred and seven sixty five eight two five
five the phone number. A couple of texts here. Steven
Allen Adams will join us in a moment. Guys, steam
coal is dead. Natural gas killed it. Don't blame Obama
and Biden. Shale oil and gas is cheaper and cleaner. Sorry,
big coal in Umwa metallurgical coal is all you have left.
Shelley mo and Lee Z are wasting our text dollars

(25:31):
to prop up steam coal. Should be building gas and
nuclear power plants, says the texter.

Speaker 5 (25:38):
Half true, which half true?

Speaker 2 (25:40):
Which half?

Speaker 5 (25:41):
Look EPA hastened the death of coal. Yes, natural gas
out maneuvers it in terms of price. I mean I've
talked about that. How much time ad Ice spent talking
about using what the market values? Very true? However, EPA
played a role. Would it have mattered ultimately maybe maybe not.
I think it hastened the death but equal playing field, yes,

(26:02):
gas wins even though, but I think you have to
acknowledge that COLE, especially coal fired electricity, had a lot
of burdens put on it. I mean those scrubbers down
the road that I pass every day and my way
in here and way out of John Amos what two
and a half billion dollars because seven hundred million to
build the plant.

Speaker 2 (26:19):
Tej you probably know this better than I do. I
get the This is anecdotal from guys who worked in
the plants. Every time they would make a modification to
come up to regulation, by the time they got that
dumb by the time it was engineered, planned, drawn up,
put in the plant, a new regulation comes up. The
plants were never in We're never in compliance because then

(26:41):
there was something else that had to be done in
the next five years. They were in this constant cycle
of trying to meet regulations, where that that goal line,
like you said, and to Lee's Elden, just kept getting
moved further and further down the field.

Speaker 5 (26:53):
Yeah, you get in scoring range, boom, they move at
another ten twenty yards right, so you can never get there.
That's why I think the questions I was hoping to
get an answer back of saying, yeah, we're going to
try to codify this in law. When has Congress ever
done that? I'm not going to hold my breath. But look,
if you build a new coal fired plant today, which
again probably isn't going to happen simply on economics, I
grant you that natural gas is so much cheaper, wrote

(27:14):
about that the other day. But if you build a
plant now in twenty twenty five, you should be governed
by what's on the books. In twenty twenty five, something
new comes out, then that's the next plant that gets built,
not one that's already been built. That's the only way
you can guarantee that folks are going to want to
get into this game and actually build the new power
plants that we need.

Speaker 2 (27:34):
Three or four talk three or four is the text line.
We'll get some more of your comments coming up over
in the Ogden newspapers this morning in publications across the state,
Stephen Allen Adams has a story the newly appointed director
of the new Center at WWU, focused on classical Western
history and culture, and American Constitutional thought will be paid

(27:56):
nearly one third of the nearly a third of a
million dollars during his first year. You have our attention.
Joining us so i'll mentioned news talk line this morning
is the aforementioned Stephen Allan Adams of all the Newspapers,
columnist and Capitol reporter Steven Good morning. Good to talk
to you again.

Speaker 13 (28:12):
Yes, gentlemen, thanks for having me on.

Speaker 2 (28:14):
So you have an article and it's just a straightforward article.
You were able to foya the contract of the new
director and that's Patrick Lee Miller and find out he's
going to be making three hundred grand a year.

Speaker 13 (28:28):
Yeah, that's right, Patrick Lee Miller. He is the new
founding director of the brand new Washington Center of Civics, Culture,
and Statemanship at West Virginia University that was created by
the West Virginia Legislature through legislation earlier this year. They
gave this new center about one point five million dollars

(28:49):
to get started, and then the governor gets to pick
the director and that director gets to serve for about
a five year term. They can be reappointed and they
get the kind of set up this new center that's
really kind of focused on what they say, Western thought
and constitutional studies and studying the founders and the things

(29:10):
that make our government and our culture here in the
United States tick. But I wanted to get a little
bit more information in regards to how much we are
paying him. Again, there's only one point five million dollars
allotted for this position. So WU sent me his employment
contract or a Freedom of Information Act requests, and his

(29:32):
contract with WU runs from the beginning of the coming
year January first, through June thirtieth, twenty twenty seven, and
he's going to be paid at first about two hundred
and fifteen thousand dollars. Now one hundred and twenty thousand
of that also includes a nine month faculty salary because
they're bringing him on as a philosophy professor in the

(29:54):
Everly College, so that is included in that two hundred
and fifteen thousand dollars. Then he is going to get
an additional administrative stipend of eighty five thousand dollars. So
combine that takes his total compensation for this position and
for teaching philosophy at WU two three hundred thousand dollars.

Speaker 5 (30:16):
Before we get into that dollar figure, Steven, I want
to go back to what the Washington Center is designed
to do. Want your opinion, I mean, do we really
need this? I mean, look, I'm all about studying the
founding documents, making sure people have a thorough understanding of
the federalist papers, the anti federalist papers. I love all
that stuff. I nerd out on that you can go

(30:38):
to Hillsdale College on their website and get this stuff.
I mean, do we really need all of this focus
at a state level when you can go online and
get it anywhere you want to look to get it well.

Speaker 13 (30:48):
And it's also interesting WU has offered kind of similar
programs before, but those weren't, you know, legislative. This one
is legislative that they that they have to do. But
that's contingent on funding. But I'll give you an example
of an organization that's working on WU right now on
some of these issues of smaller government, and we're regulatory issues,

(31:08):
and that's the NEE Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation,
And that's a foundation, a center at WU that's funded
in part by the New Family Foundation and the Charles
Koke Foundation and studies government regulations. I think it's more
or less been kind of folded into the Business College

(31:28):
up there. But once upon a time, back in two
thousand and two, w had what it was called the
Entrepreneurship Center, and it was basically tasked with promoting the
ideals of entrepreneurship and private enterprise system here in the
United States. Wvu's done this before, and it's kind of
veped and flowed. I think a lot of it is
probably based on the interests of students, and that's what

(31:51):
will be interesting to actually be see with the Washington
Center is how many students do decide to participate in
this program once it gets up and running. Because, of course,
mister Miller, doctor Miller, is going to have to set
up this particular program. It's one of the things he's
getting compensated to do right now till the end of December.

(32:13):
He's getting paid just north of ten thousand dollars as
a consultant in the meantime before he officially starts January first.

Speaker 2 (32:20):
TJ, If I may be so bold to rephrase your question,
did we need the state legislature to pass a bill
to establish such a I think it's a good idea.
I mean to study Western culture, Western philosophy. How we
ended up with a form of government we have how
we ended up where we are as a society. All
that seems to be like a good idea. Did we

(32:40):
need the state legislature to pass a bill to do that?
Is my answer to that, Steve, Yeah, I don't know
about that.

Speaker 13 (32:48):
Well, as a state government reporter who covers the legislature,
I don't tell the legislature what it should or should
not do as far as the legislation, but I will
say that again, this has been done before. Are usually
funded through private philanthropy at West Virginia University to fund
the study of the free market and limited government and

(33:10):
things of that nature. So it has been done before,
so it probably didn't really have to have the legislation.
But keep in mind there are other universities across the
nation that are set in up very similar centers for
civic thought. The Manhattan Institute's a conservative think tank that
promotes a lot of programs like this. And I don't

(33:32):
have to listen in front of me, but I mean,
I think there's at least ten colleges and universities that
have sent set up similar things as of this now,
whether they did it through legislation or not. That I'm unsure,
but it does seem to be kind of a direct
response to some of these diversity, equity inclusion programs on
the left side of the political spectrum that have been

(33:54):
popping up over the years that now there's sort of
kind of a backlash too in some of those programs
being dialed back. We had legislation this year from the
governor and the legislature to indose type of programs being
state funded, particularly in higher education in West Virginia, and
both Marshall and University did pull back on those programs.
But this seems to be sort of over compensating in

(34:17):
the other direction.

Speaker 5 (34:18):
Perhaps the Steven Adams Center for Common Sense, maybe that's
the next bvent comes to fruition. I'm going to do
what I always do. I'm going to look at the market.
Dave and I were talking this morning before the show,
and he actually looked at some of the numbers. Big
fuss about what this guy's getting paid three hundred grand
whatever it is, and we're close to that, what's the
market say? I'll let both of you a chime in

(34:38):
on that.

Speaker 2 (34:40):
Well, from what I could see Steve going through looking
at some of the salaries at WVU. Looking some of
the other ones, it seems to be on par for
someone who's running an entire program or departments. So it
sounds exorbitant, but it seems to be in the ballpark.

Speaker 6 (34:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 13 (34:55):
I mean, I cast no judgment one way or the
other over the actual salary itself. But what makes it
kind of if there's other things in the contract he's
going to get. For example, he can basically I don't
want to say give himself because it's subject to approval
of an academic council, but he's eligible for ten percent
pay up to ten percent and pay raises each year.

(35:16):
He can get an annual ten percent performance bonus paid
at the end of each fiscal year. Basically, if the
center is able to meet its mission and the academic
council thinks he's worthy of it, he can get additional
pardon me money that way. So there's definitely, you know,
opportunities to even have a higher compensation for that. But

(35:38):
here's the thing. It wasn't that long ago. Two years ago,
to WU went through its academic transformation. They needed to
free up about forty five million dollars. They cut around
twenty seven different programs. I think that resulted in around
three hundred ish employees departing the university. Now it's just
a couple of years ago. Now, mind you, again, the

(36:00):
legislature appropriated money for this one point five million, But
this is sort of being forced on the university. And
if he looked at the contract, it's interesting because even
though he gets in the gubernatorial appointment, keep in mind,
I think it's the only position at WU that requires
gubernatorial appointment outside of the Board of Governors. But while
he may be appointed for five years, that contract basically

(36:22):
says that the legislature decides that they don't want to
keep funding the Washington Center. His employment's pretty much contingent
on legislative funding, so if they stopped funding it, he
may to be have a job down the road.

Speaker 2 (36:35):
I was waiting for tj Re's bondy Oh, sorry, it
was your turn.

Speaker 5 (36:38):
I thought it was your turn.

Speaker 2 (36:39):
Sorry, you had that look on your face there on
the zoom Camo.

Speaker 5 (36:42):
I have looks all the time.

Speaker 2 (36:43):
I mean, come on, well, I think you hit the
nail on the head, Steve. The optics of it is
at minimum awkward. As the university has come through the
academic transformation, so many of these professors and staff members
got laid off because of that academic trans information that
you have this new center, this new director, and there's
going to be obviously staff hired to go with that.

(37:05):
The optics of it. If I'm a staff member WU
and I've seen my friends get laid off or coworkers
get laid off, I can totally understand why they would
have a bad taste in their mouth.

Speaker 13 (37:16):
Yeah, I think they're going to have consternation. And keep
in mind, you know, they also have less of a
voice on the Board of Governors now thinks the legislation
that was passed earlier this year that would be faculty
senate your student representatives. So there's no real recourse for
him to complain other than just the write a letter
to the editor or protests or whatever they may do.

(37:38):
And they may do nothing too, but point being, you know,
if you are upset that you had some friends and
colleagues get laid off, and you had some programs that
you liked go away, and then this is coming in
at the back end of it, I think one can
understand being a little annoyed. If you're a faculty member
of w you or even a student to some extent

(38:00):
that had a program that you really wanted to do.

Speaker 5 (38:03):
Does this strike either of you as odd that an
academic would take this with these kinds of conditions. I mean,
most academics, they enjoy tenure, they speak freely. I mean,
I'm a bit surprised the guy would want to take
the job knowing that he's got the governor potentially looking
at what's going on, He's got all these other constituencies.
And maybe that's why it's paying three hundred thousand dollars.

(38:25):
I don't know, but it just sticks out to me
that it's a bit it's a bit unique in what
typical academics will take in the freedom that they have.

Speaker 13 (38:34):
Well, doctor Miller, of course, is coming from Decane University
in Pittsburgh, and he is, at least according to the
press conference where he spoke, he looks at this as
his dream job. And not only that, but he gets
to really kind of craft the center, really kind of
around what he feels, you know, are the philosophies around

(38:55):
Western thought and constitutional scholarship and things of that nature.
So for somedemics, this might be really an opportunity to
kind of craft something from the ground up. Yeah, the
legislation and his contract lay out what the expectations are,
but they're pretty broad as far as that goes. So
this might actually be, you know, maybe an opportunity for
an academic to really kind of craft a program that

(39:17):
he would like to see.

Speaker 2 (39:19):
Reminds me of a football coach. We sit back and
we guy gets hired. You go, why in the world
would anybody want to take that job? But that guy
that It's that type of personality where you get the
opportunity to craft the program the way you want to
build it up, and if you do it successfully, that
is a big boon for your your you know, professional
and personal life for that matter. So just it's just

(39:41):
like a football coach taking over a new football program somewhere.

Speaker 5 (39:44):
Let's sign up and take a class. You guys want
to audit a class, I'll do it if you do it.

Speaker 2 (39:48):
So that's my Will there be classes. I'm still not
certain what the center will end up doing.

Speaker 13 (39:53):
Steven, Yeah, I think some of that remains to be seen.
Some of that's in the legislation. I'm sure there'll be
degree tracks that that you can get and and that
sort of thing, uh certainly avenues in the master's programs,
things of things of that nature. So we'll just have
to keep watching it and and and and see how
it uh. And keep in mind it's created by the legislature. Uh,

(40:17):
they could also keep tweaking it as we go forward, too,
So be interesting to see if maybe there's legislation that
might tweak that going forward. I can't imagine. I haven't heard anything,
but we'll just have to wait and see.

Speaker 2 (40:28):
Alright, apparently we're going to sign up. We're we're going
to sign up for the same class. We'll all show
up and uh copy TJ's notes after class.

Speaker 13 (40:38):
I'm gonna college dropout, so any credit I get would
be good good for me.

Speaker 5 (40:42):
So, guys, as long as we get to see we
we I mean, we can we can all effectively guess
see right, we can do that much work.

Speaker 2 (40:50):
You can read Steven's story in any of the All
Good newspaper outlets across the state. Steven l. Adams Captet reporter, columnist,
all the Newspaper's friend of the show, always a pretty buddy.

Speaker 5 (41:00):
Thank you very much.

Speaker 13 (41:01):
Thanks, gentlemen.

Speaker 2 (41:02):
We'll get to your thoughts coming up three or four
talk three oh four. A little bit later on, we'll
talk about fifty year mortgages. Heck, why not make them
seventy five? Here mortgages This talk line from the Encove
Insurance Studios.

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Speaker 5 (41:50):
To care for Here at the Hat Game.

Speaker 15 (41:54):
We are here.

Speaker 5 (41:57):
From all of us here at the Health Plan. Want
to make your season bright.

Speaker 16 (42:02):
Whether you're wrapping gifts or planning next year's goals, we
are here for you. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas from
our family to yours.

Speaker 17 (42:13):
Here the West Virginia farmer from dawn until dusk. Through
hard work, dedication, and resilience, these folks supply their communities
with a safe and reliable product. And the West Virginia
Farm Bureau while we are right there with them as

(42:35):
the voice of agriculture in West Virginia.

Speaker 4 (42:38):
Join us today as we.

Speaker 17 (42:40):
Build a better future for all of us. To learn more,
visit us at wvfarm dot org.

Speaker 4 (42:59):
That's your News.

Speaker 3 (43:00):
Talk Line is presented by Encova Insurance and circling you
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Speaker 2 (43:13):
Text Line three or four talk three oh four a
couple of quick texts before the final break of the hour.
Texture says three of my cousins went to Hillsdale talk
about white bread. That new Dobe position sounds like something
from the Proud Boy's website. It reads like a proud
Boy's position, says the Texter.

Speaker 4 (43:34):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (43:34):
Even though coal is not going to go away anytime soon,
I still prefer clean air and clean water and climate
temperatures not rising. The trick is balancing business and energy
needs with public health. I think that's a fair statement
to defer to you, mister Meadows. That seems fair. To
balance seems like a good thing.

Speaker 5 (43:53):
Balance is a good thing. And no one wants to
neglect the environment. I mean, no one wants to live
in a sewer. But you've got to stop somewhere. The
rules have to be manageable. They have to be reasonable
that you can actually obtain them. Just moving them all
the time so that you can never meet them. I mean,
that's not going to work. The other thing I would

(44:14):
say is too I mean, like it or not, there's
no air cop at thirty thousand feet telling China that
you can't burn coal unmitigated, so we have to bear
that in mind as well.

Speaker 2 (44:24):
Another text, there is room for all modes of electrical
generation depending on geographic location. Not enough sunshine and elkins
to keep solar spotlights charged adequately, we need to utilize
more nuclear. They have city sized units, also hydroelectric. We
have numerous river systems that could provide power more localized
then supply the grid with the residue, suggests the Texter.

Speaker 5 (44:46):
Yeah, the small modular reactors they call them, Dave. I mean,
that's the future.

Speaker 2 (44:51):
I've been hearing about those. We got to hit this
brake unfortunately, but I've been hearing about them for a
decade now. How that would be a perfect fit for
our older coal plants that are being retired. I don't
see any movement on it, though we've been talking about
that for a decade.

Speaker 5 (45:06):
It'll take time. There are projects being worked on right now,
and you have to prove viability. But the thing is
no fuel cost on those and they don't carry the
dangers like a three mile island or a full scale
plant those kinds of things. We'll get into it sometime,
but extremely fascinating and going to be a huge provider
in the future in my opinion.

Speaker 18 (45:25):
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(45:48):
far for change. It's happening right here at the High
Technology Foundation in north central West Virginia. Visit WVHTF dot
org to learn more.

Speaker 19 (46:00):
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It's showtime.

Speaker 19 (46:05):
The Holiday hit Maker walks the office halls with West
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Speaker 12 (46:12):
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Speaker 20 (46:14):
Bringing the holiday hype here, enjoy scratch off.

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Speaker 11 (46:18):
Whoa ticket?

Speaker 5 (46:19):
My work here is done.

Speaker 19 (46:20):
Be the surprise hit maker. West Virginia Lottery Games fun,
festive and full of flair. Please play responsibly.

Speaker 3 (46:31):
Do you care for here at the Helday, We are here.

Speaker 5 (46:38):
From all of us here at the Health Plan. We
want to make your season bright.

Speaker 16 (46:42):
Whether you're wrapping gifts or planning next year's goals, We're
here for you. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas from our
family to yours.

Speaker 2 (46:54):
Here a quick first hour. Second hour coming up, we'll
talk fifty year mortgages. It's talk Line on Metro News.

Speaker 3 (47:25):
Metro News talk Line is presented by Encova Insurance, encircling
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Visit incova dot com to learn more.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
Second hour of Metro News talk Line. Appreciate you tuning
in on one of our great radio affiliates across the state,
or if you're watching on the Metro News TV app.
Three or four Talk three h four is the text line.
You can always give us a call at eight hundred
seven sixty five Talk eight hundred and seven to sixty
five eight two five five. Ryan Schmell schedule to join

(47:55):
us from Washington, DC. What will the House do today?
Is it a guarantee that that funding bill gets through
the House Later this afternoon, Plus, Chris Lawrence drops by
from the Metro News newsroom the latest on the rescue
efforts at the rolling at Thundermine in Nicholas County, where
crews are still trying to locate the missing foreman who

(48:16):
could not escape the floodwaters on Saturday. We'll get the
latest from Chris coming up in just bit. Time for
your calls, text and comments as well. Once again, say
good morning, Jake Blinker. Video producer Ethan Collins is on
the phones, and TJ. Meadows is in Charleston. Good morning,
good morning. There are no guarantees in Washington. Show me

(48:36):
someone who says something is guaranteed in Washington. I'll show yes, Sucker.
I mean, there are no guarantees in Washington, especially these days.
I guarantee you the Washington Commanders will disappoint you.

Speaker 5 (48:48):
TJ. Well, okay, that's a little different. I guess that's
a little different. I still can't call them the commanders.
I like the Washington Football Club. What was wrong with that?
I mean, well, what was wrong with the Redskins. I'll
go aha and say that, But I mean I thought
Washington Football Club was a lot better than the Washington Commanders.

Speaker 2 (49:05):
My wife makes fun of they grew up a Redskins fan.
On the DVR at home. I still have recorded from
like NFL Films was on NFL Network one time. Yeah,
the Super Bowl highlights from the you know, eighty three,
eighty seven, and ninety one. And she gets me, is
that all you've got to go on? I'm like, that's it.
Nothing good has happened since nineteen ninety one.

Speaker 5 (49:25):
Well, there you go, relived the past day.

Speaker 2 (49:27):
Hey, that's that's what I do, man, with football and baseball.
Those nineteen ninety reds highlights from the World Series. Man,
you can always go back to those when you're feeling down.

Speaker 5 (49:38):
Well, that's why people eat these classics up in the
instant classics, you know, on ESPN on an idle Tuesday
or an idle Thursday at four o'clock, they put that on.
You're scrolling through. Oh yeah, man, let's watch that. That
was a great game. Oh yeah, I do that same
thing again.

Speaker 2 (49:52):
Things my wife makes fun of me about watching old games.
I will do that.

Speaker 4 (49:56):
I will do that.

Speaker 5 (49:56):
When they have them on. If that's what your wife
is complaining about, I mean, I think.

Speaker 2 (50:00):
It's not the only I didn't say that was the
only thing, TJ. I said that was one of three
or four talk three or four is the text line.
So there's an idea being floated out there by President
Trump for a fifty year mortgage to help alleviate the
home affordability crisis in the country. However, that announcement has

(50:21):
already drawn considerable criticism from policymakers, I was on social
media and economists who say a fifty year mortgage could
do little to resolve the core problems in the housing market. Well,
let's see if we can get some advice from an
actual financial advisor. TJ is my unofficial financial advisor, joining
us on Metro News talk Line this morning to help
sort through this. As John Burdett, Fourth Avenue Financial, he

(50:43):
joins us, John, good morning, good.

Speaker 5 (50:45):
To see you, Good morning, Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (50:48):
So a fifty year more. We had fifteen year mortgages,
we stretched that out to thirty a fifty year mortgage.

Speaker 4 (50:55):
What do you make of this?

Speaker 21 (50:57):
Well, to me, it's not a good idea. You know
how math works. Well, so which which could be a
problem in this country. But you know, if you take
a fifty year mortgage, most of your payment is going
to be interest. You're not changing the price of the
house that you're purchasing. You're just changing the way you

(51:20):
pay for that house. And you know, we can go
back and I do the ass the expert here in Charleston,
and we talk about this quite a bit about a
home being an investment, and a lot of folks have
this idea that the home that they live in is
an investment, and I really don't look at it that way.

(51:42):
To begin with, It's consumption. You're buying a house, you're
spending your money on it, and you're consuming it by
living in it. Now, buying a piece of real estate
to invest in and rent out to create an income stream,
now that's an investment. You know, it creates an income stream,
it grows.

Speaker 5 (52:01):
It down the road.

Speaker 21 (52:03):
You can sell it and realize the cash. You can't
do that with your own home. You know, it may
grow in value, but it's locked up. You have to
sell it. And what do you have to do? You
have to downsize. What type of investment makes you downsize
your lifestyle? Not a very good investment. What you're doing
when you buy a home, the value of it is

(52:23):
that you're you're really locking in at today's prices, the
cost of consuming that shelter, and you know, when you
stretch it out for fifty years, you're just adding to
that cost. That's all you're doing. You ultimately have to
pay the price of the house. The market is set
the price of the house. What happens when you introduce

(52:48):
more financing into a marketplaces you distort the economics of it.
So you basically are taking you know, a a a
house and you're adding more liquidity, adding more money into
the system. And there's a limited supply of homes. So

(53:08):
what's going to happen in the price of those homes.
They're going to go up.

Speaker 5 (53:11):
It has to.

Speaker 21 (53:12):
It's just basic economic It's good for you if you
already own your home, that's right, that's right. But still
you can't realize the value of it unless you downsize
your your your lifestyle, which you know, which yes, it's
an asset on your on your on your balance sheet
for your financial planning, but it is not a productive
asset like owning a investment property or owning stocks, very different.

Speaker 5 (53:34):
It can't sell, it's totally different. I guess you could
loan against it, which wouldn't be my advice, but well,
which gets you back into the same boat that we're
talking about.

Speaker 21 (53:42):
Yeah, you know, there's a cost of financing, so uh,
you know, I think regardless of how things are financed,
even a thirty year mortgage, you know, should.

Speaker 5 (53:52):
You buy a house and have a thirty year mortgage?
You know, I do know.

Speaker 21 (53:55):
I mean maybe that's the best best way in some areas,
but I always try to tell folks to think about
your house as consumption. You know, if you can't put
twenty percent down, if you can't afford the payment over
a fifteen year period, do you really need to buy
that level of a house.

Speaker 5 (54:11):
Well, isn't that what's gonna happen here, John, Let's get
right to the heart of it. What this is going
to allow. They talk about affordability, people aren't going to
buy the same level of house. The median house value
is going to go up because people are people. They're
gonna do what they always do. Instead of buying a
house they can afford, They're going to buy a house
it's another couple hundred thousand more than what they should
afford it.

Speaker 21 (54:31):
It's the same trick when you go to buy a car.
Never never answer this question when the when the car
dealership says, come on, brother, what do you want your
payment to be? You know, they can make your payment
whatever they want it you want it to be if
they extend it out or you know, you can work
mathematical magic to make that payment come in. But the

(54:54):
real price of the car goes way way up when
you add that financing expense to it.

Speaker 2 (55:00):
So we're talking to John Burdett, Fourth Avenue Financial. So
we're going to attempt to do some math here, which
is dangerous with this bunch. But but let's say at
homes two hundred thousand, let's just use try to use
a round number two hundred thousand. Let's let's say let's
say three thousand, three hundred thousand dollars home, you get
a fifty year mortgage. How much are you actually going

(55:21):
to pay based on today's interest rates?

Speaker 5 (55:23):
Well, I don't I haven't done the math on that count.
I don't want it.

Speaker 21 (55:26):
But it is multiple, so you'll probably pay twice or
three times for that house over a fifty year period
of time.

Speaker 5 (55:34):
Three hundred thousand dollars house, Dave, if you put twenty
percent down on fifty years at today's prevailing rate six
point three one three percent, you will pay five hundred
and fifty one thousand, five hundred and thirty nine dollars
in total interest. Yes, that's an interest. That's just an interest.

Speaker 2 (55:50):
Yeah, if you ever make it to the end of
the mortgage, if you're buying a house at you know,
would you say TJ and you're a commentary this point
forty some is the average age now.

Speaker 5 (55:57):
Average age median age of a first time home in
this country is forty. If you take a healthy adult
forty years of age today, the Social Security Administration says
you'll most likely live another thirty eight years to seventy eight,
so you would die twelve years before you pay off
your mortgage.

Speaker 2 (56:13):
Am essentially renting, aren't I John?

Speaker 21 (56:16):
Pretty much? Oh, you're sold to the company's store. I
think that's I mean, yes, that's exactly what you're doing.
And for a lot of folks, renting is not a
bad option. You know, there's this idea that it's money wasted. Well,
you know, if you're younger, if you don't know where
you're going to land, if you don't know where you're

(56:38):
going to work, you don't know who you're going to marry,
which might take you other places. It might not even
make sense to buy a home when you're young if
you don't have those things locked in, because there's a
lot of expense in a real estate transaction to begin with.
There are a lot of things that come with home ownership,
unexpected expenses that that you don't have you if you rent.

(57:05):
And so you know, homeowner ownership is great after you're settled,
but it might not even be the best thing in
you know, in all situations. And I just think it
gets over sold that it's this panacea, good thing to
be locked into a home, and you know that's not

(57:26):
always the case.

Speaker 5 (57:28):
So we've been talking about the micro the individual a
little bit. I know you're not an economist, but let's
talk about the micro a bit. So if I go
to a fifty year note and I cut I think
one of the examples in my piece on that four
hundred and fifteen thousand dollars house, it cuts like two
hundred and thirty three dollars a month off. Not insignificant, right,
that two hundred and thirty three dollars I know people

(57:50):
odds are we're not going to invest that delta. We're
not going to save that delta. We're going to go
buy more crap with it. So now you have too
many dollars chasing two few goods. That's inflation.

Speaker 21 (58:03):
Yeah, yes, in a roundabout way. And I think and
I think you know, probably it will be housing inflation.
I mean, look at all of the programs that have
that have come out, you name it, whether it's healthcare,
whether it's college. College is a good example. You know, hey,
let's help make it more affordable. And what's happened. It's

(58:24):
grown faster than the rate of inflation overall. Because why
because we made it easier to finance, We made it
easier for people to access capital to put into that
system chasing those goods and services. I don't know how
this would be any different.

Speaker 2 (58:40):
So how here's a question, John, and we're tiring to
John Burdett, Fourth Avenue Financial, How do we make housing?
This is the thing, trying to make housing more affordable,
Whether you're a twenty something year old trying to afford
your rents, whether you're starting your family, you want to
buy your first home, some of these things feel like
they're out of reach. Without trying to manipulate the financing
side of it, is just just simply think is this

(59:00):
supply and demand. We there's not enough stock for the demand.

Speaker 21 (59:04):
I think that that that is, uh that is largely
the case in certain areas. You know, the thing about
real estate, it's also very local. You know, our market
here is going to be different than you know, San
Francisco or wherever.

Speaker 5 (59:17):
So it is local.

Speaker 21 (59:18):
And in some of the areas of the country that
the prices are the highest, they also tend to have
the most regulation, the most zoning requirements, and and and
so it's more difficult to build new stock. You know,
you go out into the Midwest and and you know,

(59:39):
you applow a field down and you put up a
new hundred houses. You know, that's more difficult to do
in these big cities. And and I think there's some
of that and and uh so I think I think
regulation is is in major cities is the big issue.

Speaker 5 (59:59):
That's a big issue.

Speaker 13 (01:00:00):
John.

Speaker 5 (01:00:00):
I don't want to necessarily ask you about politics, because
you're a finance professional. I'll say this. I don't think
it's any coincidence that this comes a week after last Tuesday,
when affordability was a huge issue in the country. So
there's that, right, there's the politics of the White House,
specifically the President putting this out as a means of affordability.

(01:00:24):
With that said, what a society that is financially literate
even entertain this, And what's that say about the financial
education of most in this country.

Speaker 21 (01:00:36):
Well, no, I don't think that it is wise to
sign yourself up to a fifty year mortgage. The math
proves that out, and just common sense proves that out.
To be honest with you, you know, anytime you finance something,
you're getting today what you can't afford, but you're borrowing
it from tomorrow. So it's a trade off you're making.

(01:00:59):
Here're the I want this now, but you're giving up
something more in the future, and always going to be
a trade off, and off is understood well enough by
the general public, because we do lack basic financial literacy
and education in our our in our school systems.

Speaker 5 (01:01:17):
Why that is, I don't.

Speaker 21 (01:01:18):
Know, but but I guess that's why it's good to
own bankstocks.

Speaker 5 (01:01:23):
Well, and one other thing quickly that I want to
get to Texters pointing this out, and they're right for simplicity,
because I don't want to project the market. Today's interest
rate on a thirty year loan is six point three.
It's going to be higher on the fifty. Oh yeah
you would think so, yeah, you would think so that's
that tends So it's even worse than what we're describing. Yes, yes,
it's it's yes.

Speaker 2 (01:01:43):
Well, it's been quite the uplifting segment here this morning.
Hey job today.

Speaker 21 (01:01:47):
Basically, if you want to have be well off financially,
you have to always figure out a way to live
below your means, create savings and productive investment, and you
don't do that by signing up for a fifty year mortgage.

Speaker 2 (01:02:04):
John Burdett, Fourth Avenue Financial, appreciate the perspective this morning.
Thanks so much for stopping by.

Speaker 5 (01:02:08):
All right, take care, Thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:02:09):
We'll go to DC next. Check out the Fox News radios.
Ryan Schmells.

Speaker 22 (01:02:13):
Governor Patrick Morrissey as set of very bold goal fifty
gigawatts a new energy capacity by twenty fifty. Thanks to
House Built twenty fourteen, West Virginia's coal plans will be
upgraded to run longer, stronger, and more efficiently, thus delivering reliable,
affordable baseload power our families and businesses will be able

(01:02:35):
to count on. West Virginia Coal Association President Chris Hamilton
stated Governor Morrissey's plan to grow West Virginia's energy generation
capacity to fifty gigawatts by twenty fifty is a dynamic
approach to economic development which will supercharge our state's coal
industry and broader economy. With Governor Morrissey's leadership and the

(01:02:56):
action of the legislature, West Virginia is once again America's
energy leader. Cold is powering progress. Coal is powering West Virginia.
Brought to you by the West Virginia Coal Association.

Speaker 23 (01:03:12):
Metallurgical coal builds the world, and the Met Coal Producers
Association is the network that makes it possible. The MCPA
unites America's met coal producers, giving members a powerful voice
in policy, partnership and progress. Producers, suppliers, and innovators come
together here to build relationships, drive growth, and strengthen our industry.

(01:03:35):
Joined today, visit metcoal dot Com. Met Coal makes it possible.
MCPA makes it personal.

Speaker 2 (01:04:01):
It's go to Washington, DC, Fox News Radios, Ryan Schmells,
Ryan Congressman Riley Moore joined us yesterday. Sounded very confident
that the funding bill will get through the House later
this afternoon when they votes. What's your read on the situation?
Ryan to me, Hey, Ryan, you there.

Speaker 15 (01:04:25):
I didn't you hear my intro?

Speaker 21 (01:04:26):
Wow?

Speaker 2 (01:04:26):
And it was such a good intro too. I jumped
right into the question.

Speaker 15 (01:04:30):
I said that, well, uh, you know, we we were
getting some indication there could be some Democrats who might
vote for it. If that's the case, and this thing
is going to be smooth sailing, I mean, uh, the
reality is that Republicans stay unified outside of Thomas Matthew
will be fine and we'll be able to get this
thing through. One of the Republicans who were watching for
the possible know her name was Victoria Sparks of Indiana.

(01:04:54):
She came out and said that she's going to be yes.
So this thing is on track.

Speaker 5 (01:04:58):
And Massey is definitely no. I'm sure correct, probably yes.

Speaker 2 (01:05:04):
So Ryan is given that this seems seems like it's
going to go through. Have have they moved on to
other things such as dare I say the Epstein files.

Speaker 15 (01:05:14):
Will be as soon as this thing is over with?
You know, there are some new reporting related to the
Epstein files that was dropped today by the House Democrats
on the Oversight Committee. I haven't really read in too
much on that just yet, but as soon as this
is over, Adelie de Garhova will be sworn in this afternoon,
she will sign the discharge edition, and she will be
the final signature needed to force a vote on releasing

(01:05:37):
the Epstein files. So yes, I mean, that's going to
be probably one of the big news stories right after
this thing is over.

Speaker 5 (01:05:44):
With Ryan. Anyone in the House either side of the
aisle concerned about this provision that made it into one
of the actual bills in where that certain senators who
may have had their phone records legally or not off
of skate and could have some level of recourse in
the courts and seek a financial remedy. Anybody talking about

(01:06:06):
that in the fact that you know what's doing in.

Speaker 15 (01:06:08):
The budget, Well you're already clipped out there. But you
were asking about Arctic Cross, weren't you. Yes, Oh yeah, No,
people are living about it. There was the Rules committee
meeting last night pretty much what the bill has to
go through before it gets on the House floor, and
you had Republicans who were furious that it was put
in there. I mean, Chip Rouy, Morgan Griffiths from Virginia.

(01:06:32):
You had Austin Scott from Georgia. You know, all three
of them were not happy about this, and they pretty
much said that they want to talk to the Senate
afterwards about getting it removed. I mean, they pretty much
are forced to vote for it because you know, if
they take it out or they amend it in any way,
then the bill has to go back to the Senate
for final approval, like the Senate ping pong as they called.

(01:06:53):
So they felt the need to just just pass it,
but they were not happy that it's put in there.
Absolutely not.

Speaker 2 (01:06:59):
Fox Radio is Ryan Schmells. Ryan, if the House passes
the budget bill, if the funding bill today, does that
mean the federal government starts reopening tomorrow? Is that the
schedule they're hoping to achieve.

Speaker 15 (01:07:12):
Yeah, probably because President Trump won't be able to sign
this in the lawn till probably the after nine o'clock PM.
It'll be pretty late when he finally was able to
sign it, but ultimately he will and the government will
be back open. How long it takes to reopen everything,
I'm not quite sure, but you know, he's kind of
President Trump's already trying to put the the groundwork in there.

(01:07:33):
He kind of holds, you know, different air traffic controllers
FA employees to get back to work as soon as possible,
ensuring them that their paychecks are coming back soon. So yeah,
I think that the groundwork's kind of there, and we'll
see ultimately how long it takes. Though, talks to me.

Speaker 2 (01:07:49):
He's Radio's Ryan smells.

Speaker 24 (01:07:50):
Ryan.

Speaker 2 (01:07:50):
Appreciate the update. We'll see what happens. All right, sounds
good boys, Thank you appreciate it. Jack Pots are growing
in West Virginia. Jack Pots are on the rise every week.
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(01:08:12):
Powerball jackpot is five hundred twelve million dollars. Mega Million's
jackpot is nine hundred sixty five million dollars. So go ahead,
play today. We'll get some of your texts coming up.
Three or four Talk three to zero four. We'll open
up the phone lines as well. Eight hundred seven to
sixty five Talk eight hundred seven six five eight two
five five. Governor Morrissey was in Nicholas County last night

(01:08:35):
at the Rolling thunder Mine, where rescue efforts continue to
locate the missing mine foreman after that mine flooded back
on Saturday. We'll get the latest. We'll hear from the
Governor as well. Chris Lawrence will join us from the
Metro News newsroom. Coming up when we return. Three oh
four Talk three oh four is the text line, and
eight hundred seven sixty five talk eight hundred seven six

(01:08:55):
five eight two five five the phone numbers. Talk Line
Metro News, the voice of West Virginia. It's eleven thirty
times to get a news update. Let's check in on
the Metro News radio network. Find out what's happening across
the great state of West Virginia.

Speaker 20 (01:09:09):
West Virginia Metro News. I'm Chris Lawrence. Governor Patrick Morrissey
insists the search for a Nicholas County coal mine for
a missing mind shift foreman is a rescue mission. It's
been four days since the Rolling thunder mine was flooded
and the miner underground was unaccounted for. Since that time,
the effort to pump water out of the mine has
been ongoing, and the Governor said, now that's the main

(01:09:30):
job right now.

Speaker 9 (01:09:30):
The big effort is trying to clear out the water.
That's a big part of it. It's still preliminary to
know at what level the water is going to be
at so we can send more people down. But I
want to say that the efforts on the part of everyone.
People have been working around the clock of trying to
do whatever they can to help find this miner.

Speaker 20 (01:09:49):
Governor visited the mine's side in Swiss last night, calling
on state residents to continue to offer up prayers for
the man, his family, and his coworkers.

Speaker 9 (01:09:56):
I know all of West Virginians are praying tonight. I
may not know every single fact on the ground what's
going to happen into the future, but I can tell
you if people are working really, really hard.

Speaker 20 (01:10:07):
That mine owned by Alpha Metallurgical Resources. The votes expected
later today in the US House of Representatives to extend
government funding through the end of January and restart the government.
Second District Congressman Roley Moore on Metro News talk line
Tuesday said he will be a yes vote for the
Continuing Resolution twenty twenty five. Governor's Energy Summit happening at
the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, and US Senator Shelley

(01:10:30):
Moore Capito will be there along with US EPA Administrator
Lee Zelden. You're listening to Metro News for forty years,
the voice of West Virginia.

Speaker 5 (01:10:40):
You guys just didn't want it bad enough.

Speaker 2 (01:10:42):
That should have been an easy win.

Speaker 5 (01:10:43):
What were you doing out there? You got a hustle.
You could have made that play if you've been open.

Speaker 7 (01:10:49):
I'm the car ride home after the game, when you
think you're helping by telling me what I did wrong
and what I need.

Speaker 5 (01:10:57):
To work on.

Speaker 7 (01:10:59):
Holly, Here is that I'm not good enough, that I'm
supposed to be perfect, That it's not okay to lose.

Speaker 12 (01:11:08):
On the car at home.

Speaker 7 (01:11:10):
All I need to hear is how much you love
me and enjoy watching me 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 23 (01:11:31):
This message presented by the WVSSAC and the West Virginia
Athletic Directors Association.

Speaker 20 (01:11:38):
Here's an opportunity that doesn't come our way very often.
Experts say strong solar activity is making the northern lines
much more visible further south than usual. The colored hues
and the night sky of the north are typically only
visible near the Arctic Circle, but now they're visible for
the time being as far south as Texas, Alabama, and Georgia.
And yes, a number of postings on social media indicate
that there were various signings in West Virginia tonight. It'll

(01:12:00):
be another good night to see them, especially from sunset
to midnight if there's no clouds from the metro to
Who's anchor desk? I'm Chris Lawrence.

Speaker 2 (01:12:24):
Three or four talk three or four is the text
line eight hundred and seven sixty five eight two five
five the phone number. A couple of texts here. Texter says,
I took out a ten year loan just to get
two Starbucks glass Barista cups. Well, you may have to
do that too, three or four talk three oh four.
Guys have come to the realization, as someone who is

(01:12:45):
a twenty something and will never make more than fifty
k a year, maybe one hundred and thirty combined household income,
we're never going to be able to buy a house
in Morgan Twn. It sucks, but I don't know what
we could do. It goes back to the affordability thing
to J that we were taught talking about. If you're
and I get it, if you're twenty something, you know,
mid twenties, late twenties, you're coming out of college, the

(01:13:06):
thought of buying a home, I get it. I get
it could feel like it's out of reach. And that's
a way to politicians are they're pouncing on that as
a as a an issue going into this twenty six
election cycle.

Speaker 5 (01:13:18):
But the thing John hit on very well that you
need to remember the value, the price of the asset
is not changing, so that problem remains the same. You're
just solving it by paying more interest, which puts you
the lender in a bad position. It creates inflation, right,
I mean, oh yeah, man, Look anytime you give people

(01:13:39):
economics one oh one. Look, look, no one is going
to save. We would have done it already so that
two hundred bucks, you clear, some people won't even buy
more expensive house with it, which would be inflation enough itself.
They'll take that difference, run out and buy more crap
with it. Like I said, every month, and what's that?
Too many dollars chasing too few goods and services. Welcome

(01:14:02):
to inflationary stagflation times.

Speaker 2 (01:14:04):
Boom three oh four, talk three to four the right
Chris line.

Speaker 20 (01:14:10):
I'm just here because you told me to be here.

Speaker 2 (01:14:12):
Buddy.

Speaker 20 (01:14:13):
I'm not getting involved in You're a lightning ride man.
Every time you say something, I try to stay out
of the blast radius.

Speaker 5 (01:14:20):
You and I agree on just about everything, though. When
we go.

Speaker 20 (01:14:22):
Well, yeah, when we.

Speaker 5 (01:14:25):
Talk, we talk.

Speaker 2 (01:14:27):
Chris Lawrence joins us. Let me give him his official
introduction from the Metro News newsroom. Governor Morrissey was in
Nicholas County last night at the Rolling thunder Mine, where
the search continues for the missing mind foreman. First of all,
Chris officially, good morning, Good to talk to you again, Buddy.

Speaker 20 (01:14:42):
Good to be here.

Speaker 2 (01:14:42):
So what the Governor have to say last night in
Nicholas County.

Speaker 20 (01:14:45):
Well, keep in mind this happened last night, so and
this made this information may be getting stale because the
Governor is supposed to give another update in due course
here in the next half hour or so. So uh,
but as of last night, the latest information that was released,
the governor stressed when he spoke to reporters after visiting
the Mind sight there in Swiss that this is still

(01:15:08):
a rescue operation.

Speaker 5 (01:15:09):
No, I don't have any updates to report right now.

Speaker 9 (01:15:12):
Obviously it's been a few days, but I can tell
you this, this is still a rescue mission and it's
focused on trying to retrieve the miner.

Speaker 20 (01:15:21):
Earlier in the day, he had indicated that they had
been able to increase the capacity of pumping water to
about six thousand gallons a minute thanks to bigger equipment
that they had brought in. He said that had become
the central focus right now.

Speaker 9 (01:15:34):
The big effort is trying to clear out the water.
That's a big part of it. Still preliminary to note
at what level the water is going to be at
so we can send more people down. But I want
to say that the efforts on the part of everyone.
People have been working around the clock of trying to
do whatever they can to help find this miner.

Speaker 20 (01:15:53):
And one of the big questions was how much water
is in there and where's it coming from.

Speaker 9 (01:15:57):
There's still a lot of water down there, and so
that's the biggest challenge right now. And as I mentioned
over the last couple of days, when you have that
kind of volume of water, it makes it very difficult.
There obviously were a few teams that went down. They
dived and that information was very valuable, but it's very
difficult to bring together both the diving and the mind

(01:16:19):
safety rescue efforts.

Speaker 20 (01:16:21):
He did stress though, that all the crews on this
have been working around the clock and not giving up.

Speaker 9 (01:16:27):
I think everyone is working really hard. They're working around
the clock, and they're doing everything to help their colleague.

Speaker 4 (01:16:33):
Right.

Speaker 9 (01:16:33):
I mean, this is a person that they know, they
know very well, and I can tell you that people
still want to just keep putting in all the amount
of time to give this guy a chance.

Speaker 20 (01:16:46):
And the governor says, this whole thing is a rallying point.

Speaker 9 (01:16:49):
We're seeing people in West Virginia come together to rally
around the minor. And I think that it's important whether
you're in Mingo County, whether you're in Martinsburg, whether you're
right here Nicholas County, that everyone knows that these miners
go to work every day. They're doing really hard work.
It's not always the safest profession, as.

Speaker 20 (01:17:09):
We know, and he urged residents of West Virginia to
continue to keep this man in all of his family
and fellow employees as well. As the rescuers in your prayers.

Speaker 9 (01:17:18):
I know all of West Virginias are praying tonight. You know,
we may not know every single fact on the ground
what's going to happen into the future, but I can
tell you people are working really, really hard.

Speaker 4 (01:17:30):
So there you go.

Speaker 20 (01:17:30):
That's the latest from Governor Morrissey with regard to this
mine rescue effort that is underway in Nicholas County. And
I got to tell you I would be afraid to dive,
to scuba dive in normal conditions. You got to have
I mean, you've got to have some kind of courage
to go down there and dive into that dark water

(01:17:51):
in a coal mine. My head's off to those guys.
Those guys are something else. I would do that, Chris.

Speaker 2 (01:17:58):
This came up in a conversation this morning I had
with someone. Why is it we know, look, every minute
that goes by, every hour that goes by, it becomes
more and more dire. But you owe it to the
foreman who's down there and his family. This is a
rescue mission until you know you've covered a lot of
these things. Yes, Unfortunately, it's a rescue mission until you.

Speaker 20 (01:18:21):
Know the difference in this one I think, and the
others that we have covered here in West Virginia is
that there are parts of this mine that may have
places that have air that he could have gotten out
of the water and he's there, he just can't communicate.
So you can't give up. If the guy's in there,
You've got to keep, you know, tirelessly and feverishly searching

(01:18:43):
to get to him. Because it's been what four or
five days now, I mean, I'm sure it's cold, so
you got to think about hypothermia. You're trying to get
to him as fast as you can, and you know,
and they haven't had any contact with him. So, like
you said, until you can confirm that he's not alive,
you assume that he is. That's the way they're approaching this.

Speaker 5 (01:19:03):
And with Mine Rescue, I mean, these guys are the
best in the business. They practice all the time. But Chris,
refresh my memory from wrong here. I don't know that
I remember an instance like this with the diving. These
guys aren't expert diners necessarily, So how do you combine
You got to get people that know how to do that.
Combine it with Mine Rescue. It just makes it that
much more tougher of it.

Speaker 20 (01:19:19):
Yeah, I don't know too many people who have expertise
in scuba diving and mine rescue. That's a couple of
that's a couple of skill sets that are about as
far apart as whiskey and ice cream. But still they
you know, these guys are doing this, and it's even
the rescuers that are going in there that is dangerous work.

(01:19:41):
And hats off to them for doing everything they can
to get to this man. If by a miracle, he
is still alive, and we hope he is that I
think I think everybody hangs on what happened at the
q Creek mine in Pennsylvania where they brought all those
guys out that have been down there for several days.
But those guys, they knew where they were, and they
were able to communicate with them, and they had they

(01:20:02):
they had established contact. That's not happened here. So I
think that's the situation. As you're trying to you're still
going on the assumption that he has found a place
to seek refuge in there, and he's just waiting for
somebody to come and get him and pump that water
out so they can get to him.

Speaker 2 (01:20:17):
Governor's got a news conference coming up. When this morning,
I know we had the roundtable this morning. I know
there's a news conference coming up.

Speaker 20 (01:20:24):
Uh yeah, I'm looking at the stream and it says
waiting on the governor.

Speaker 5 (01:20:28):
So it's not started yet.

Speaker 2 (01:20:29):
So in within the hour, let's just say that for you.

Speaker 20 (01:20:33):
He's in that roundtable discussion with Administrator Zelden, who you
all had earlier.

Speaker 2 (01:20:40):
Yes, we did see you were paying attention to the show.
I appreciate it.

Speaker 20 (01:20:43):
Not much happens around here that I'm not watching, especially
since Hoppies left. I got to get a guy eye
on you two. They pay you extra for fair Chris
should It's it's another full time job. But like I said,
stay away from TJ's blast zone. That's what I try.

Speaker 5 (01:21:01):
Am I that I don't have that bad No comment,
no comment.

Speaker 2 (01:21:07):
Chris Lawrence for the Metro News newsroom. We'll have the
latest posted up as soon as the governor takes the
podium over at wv metro news dot com.

Speaker 20 (01:21:12):
Thanks Chris, all right, fellas, we'll see you well.

Speaker 4 (01:21:15):
Open it up.

Speaker 2 (01:21:15):
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Speaker 2 (01:22:43):
Three or four Talk three or four of the text line.
We will get to a few of your texts coming
up aligned to you. It's not completely open because met
Your new statewide correspondent, Brad mcwhey has been covering the
State Board of Education meeting this morning. We're getting updated
student enrollment numbers. First of all, good morning, thanks for
joining us.

Speaker 4 (01:23:02):
Good morning.

Speaker 26 (01:23:03):
I did text you, so I am a Texter too, Yes,
you did text.

Speaker 2 (01:23:06):
Absolutely, Brad. The numbers probably not going to surprise anybody.
But what did Superintendent Michelle Blad have to say today?

Speaker 26 (01:23:15):
Yeah, well, it's good to check in. You know, we've
been doing ongoing coverage the last couple of years about
loss of student enrollment and the pressure that creates on
school systems to close and consolidate community schools that people relate,
to identify with and love. The story unfortunately has not
been a rebound. There was the release of a report

(01:23:38):
today during the State Board of Education meeting, an annual report,
and West Virginia School's bottom line have lost two point
five percent of the students in the last year. The
student enrollment, if you got your whiteboard, is now two
hundred and thirty four nine hundred and fifty seven students,
so roughly two hundred and thirty five thousand just a

(01:24:02):
couple of years ago. It was you know, boy, I
thought I had this number in the story, but just
a little more than that. And then the school system
overall has lost six point five percent of students from
twenty twenty one twenty twenty two, So trajectory going downward.

Speaker 2 (01:24:22):
Brad.

Speaker 5 (01:24:22):
There's always the question that Hope plays a role in that.
Was there any banter, any discussion about how much of
that was outward migration versus Hope scholarship, et cetera, et cetera.

Speaker 26 (01:24:34):
No, you know, I mean the superintendent made a point
that the Hope Scholarship students can use those dollars for.

Speaker 4 (01:24:46):
Things.

Speaker 26 (01:24:46):
In the public school system. The charter schools are also
considered public schools. They're all down, and it's because of enrollment.

Speaker 4 (01:24:55):
Mainly.

Speaker 26 (01:24:56):
The discussion had to do with, you know, I think
if you love your community school, it's very easy to
get upset about its loss or its consolidation.

Speaker 4 (01:25:07):
And the state's school board members and.

Speaker 26 (01:25:11):
Officials essentially said, you know that the counties are up
against it. Fifty three of fifty five districts experienced enrollment decreases.
Can you guess which ones were not among them. Which
ones did not lose to Berkeley?

Speaker 5 (01:25:31):
Berkeley.

Speaker 4 (01:25:31):
You guess. It's a good guess, but it's not true.

Speaker 5 (01:25:34):
Putnam, it's a good guess.

Speaker 4 (01:25:36):
But it's not true.

Speaker 5 (01:25:37):
I give up the already.

Speaker 26 (01:25:39):
So we talked off the board Tyler and Doddridge. Only
Tyler and Doddridge experienced school enrollment growth. Really, so, I mean,
when it's fifty three out of fifty five losing, you
know you're going to get consolidations and closures around the state.
This is essentially what they've got to do unless they

(01:26:01):
want to, you know, somehow run up deficits or be
unable to pay teachers, or you know, the rest of
the staff that keeps a school going, be unable to
pay the electric bill. The counties around the state have
had to make these hard decisions, and the conversation was about,
you know, the math just shows that they're up against it.

Speaker 2 (01:26:22):
TJ. You brought up the Hope scholarship. We've had it
now what two three years? I think the Hope's been
been in play and benefactor. But Brad, how far back
does this trend go?

Speaker 5 (01:26:34):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (01:26:35):
Well, years? Unfortunately.

Speaker 26 (01:26:36):
I mean, this program talks all the time about what
West Virginia really needs is growing population, just generally growing population.
West Virginia school enrollment plummeted by nearly thirteen percent from
twenty twelve to twenty twenty four. More than thirty six
thousand students left the public school system during that time.

Speaker 2 (01:26:58):
So this trend again, this is isn't and TJ. I'm
not trying to say that Hope is or is not
a factor. I'm just saying this trend started long before
Hope scholarship was even a thought. We're going back to
back to twelve here, probably accelerated by the pandemic and
certainly impacted by the you know, the availability of Hope
scholarship right now. So Brad, where do they leave it

(01:27:20):
at the board meeting?

Speaker 26 (01:27:24):
You know, I mean, it was just it was just
a straight response, just a straight set of numbers, except
that you know, there was the state board has these
counties come before it on a regular basis with with
consolidations enclosures. Just recently, you know, we've had Barber County,

(01:27:50):
Randolph County, Rhone County all doing consolidations, enclosures, painful decisions
by the local boards, and I think it was mostly
sympathy for those counties because they're not making their citizens happy.
I mean, nobody wants that, but that's that's what they
have to do to keep.

Speaker 4 (01:28:07):
The lights on and TJ.

Speaker 2 (01:28:09):
Even if they had the mind to keep the lights on,
as Eddie Vincent told us yesterday, we still got a
teacher shortage as well.

Speaker 5 (01:28:15):
Now we have a teacher shortage. I question that some
point you're going to see. I would think a county
board buck the trend. It's gonna happen at some point, Brett.
A lot of this may end up if that does
happen back on to the state. I mean, they'll have
to make some tough decisions if local boards can't find
the political will to do it well.

Speaker 26 (01:28:35):
I Mean, the other thing that's happening with the state
board and the county school systems is there's a parallel
trend with the state board taking over counties. I mean
it's it's how many now five six counties that have
been taken over, not necessarily because of an unwillingness to
do closures, but sometimes it is financial situations that have

(01:28:56):
gotten out of hand. You know, for better or worse.
The local board members are elected, and if they don't
have the political will to stay within the budget. You know,
eventually what comes down the line is eventually a takeover,
and that's happened over and over and over in recent
years too.

Speaker 2 (01:29:15):
You can read Brad's story. We've got to post it
up for you over at the website wvmetronews dot com. Brad,
thanks for the update. Appreciate it, Buddy.

Speaker 4 (01:29:22):
Hey, thanks guys.

Speaker 2 (01:29:23):
Coming up, we'll wrap things up. We'll get a couple
of texts three or four talk three four. This is
talk line from the Cove Insurance Studios.

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Speaker 5 (01:31:25):
Thank you for the.

Speaker 2 (01:31:26):
Update and please take notes three or four Talk three
oh four Dave and TJ. The government shutdown or government
being shut down only hurts workers, families, and the economy
while Congress was getting paid. If Democrats vote to close
the government, at least refuse your own paychecks and protest.
That should be automatic for voters to vote out any

(01:31:47):
members of Congress who voted for the shutdown. Says the
Texter Tyler and Doddridge get a lot of money from
Interaro resources. Their enrollment is up because parents from bordering
counties are sending their kids to schools because they have
better facilities due to Interaro. I would say people are
also moving there because there's there's gas development in those counties.

Speaker 5 (01:32:09):
Fair point is that kind of like the parents though,
combining the school systems if the counties refused to I mean,
that's kind of what you're getting, right. If parents are
moving there because they can and those schools have private resources.
I mean, isn't that a nod to maybe what ought
to happen organically with some of the challenges that we face.

Speaker 2 (01:32:28):
I don't know, uh, three or four talk three h
four more evidence release showing Trump spent hours with underaged
victims on Epstein Island. The story is it going away?
At some point? You're going to talk about it? Says
the text. How many times have we talked about release them?
There's no point in speculating about them. Release all of files.

(01:32:50):
And if there's evidence, there's evidence that there needs to
be arrest and indictments and prosecutions. Do Its simple as that.

Speaker 5 (01:32:59):
I didn't know Epstein. I've never been to the island.
I've never seen the paper. I don't know what people
want me to say other than what you just noted.
I mean, yeah, let's see the files.

Speaker 2 (01:33:11):
So reading the text here three or four talk, three
or four big girls and hot dogs. Inflation happens when
she goes out in a windstorm with the mumu on,
says the Texter. Uh three or four talk three oh four,
watch Carol Miller and Riley Moore will vote against the
release of the Epstein files. Uh no. Riley Moore said

(01:33:31):
yesterday he's all for it. Release him, put them out there.

Speaker 5 (01:33:35):
Where would be the political upside? And Carol Miller voting
against that? Why? I mean, give me something. Just don't
say she's gonna do it and then don't tell me why.

Speaker 2 (01:33:47):
Here's my question, what are we going to get that
the doj for the Biden administration or the Trump administration
has not had an opportunity to look at what great
revelation is going to come out that the DOJ has
not already seen.

Speaker 5 (01:34:04):
I'll tell you that when I see the files, all right,
same here, and.

Speaker 2 (01:34:08):
If there is okay, all right, if there is.

Speaker 5 (01:34:11):
All right, we'll do it. I'm still trying to figure
out who killed Kennedy. They released all that, we still
haven't figured it out.

Speaker 2 (01:34:19):
It was the Illuminati, TJ. It's always the Illuminati, all right,
that's gonna do it for today. Metro News Midday coming up.
Don't forget Metro News High School Sports Line tonight seven
oh six until nine on many of these same Metro
news radio stations. Talk to you tomorrow,