By Dr. Terry Wallace | West Virginia Watchdog
America’s last surviving World War I veteran, West Virginian Frank Woodruff Buckles, died in February 2011. Though we never met, I grew up with many of his Doughboy contemporaries. My grandfather, a World War I cavalryman, was one of them. He was born in 1897 and his hand-colored [...]

By Terry Wallace | West Virginia Watchdog
When Bob Feller died two years ago, a piece of me went with him and the nation lost much more than a baseball hero.
He was a role model, a philosophical mentor and his value system guided me as I grappled with the sometimes complex task of parenting my own [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee could move as quickly as next week on a bill designed to close a loophole allowing felons to run for public office or be appointed.
SB518 was one of 14 bills introduced in the West Virginia Senate today. The bill would close a [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — A Wood County Commissioner with two homes in Florida also has one of his vehicles registered in Florida, but denies owning the vehicle.
According to the Pinellas County Tax Collector’s office in Florida, Wood County Commissioner Steve Gainer has a 2008 Fleetwood motor home registered in the [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — A Wood County Commissioner and his wife own two properties in Florida, one of which receives tax breaks for being their primary residence.
According to documents retrieved by West Virginia Watchdog, Wood County Commissioner Steve Gainer and his wife Janet own a condo in North Redington Beach, [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — Another week has gone by, inching us closer to the halfway mark of the West Virginia Legislature’s 2012 general session. Feb. 9 will be the 30 day mark of the 60-day session.
As of today 1,608 bills have been introduced between the House of Delegates and the [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — The Legislative Auditor’s office warned lawmakers that an unknown number of former state employees could be taking advantage of a loophole in state law allowing them to receive their pensions and still collect a check from the state.
Legislative Auditor Aaron Allred gave a report to the [...]

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant answers questions regarding a joint investigation with the U.S. Attorney’s office into voter fraud in Lincoln County. (Photo/Steven Allen Adams)
By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — Two Lincoln County officials have agreed to plead guilty to charges of falsifying ballots and obstructing a federal investigation into [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — Our seventh most read story on West Virginia was about the protest of the state’s Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.
In June, Scott Speedy – the former curator of the Grave Creek Mound Complex in Moundsville, W.Va. – led a musical protest [...]

A malfunctioning water spray on the Upper Big Branch mine longwall shearer. (courtesy photo)
By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — In its last report on the cause of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion nearly two years ago, the Mine Safety and Health Administration said Massey Energy‘s “corporate culture” led to the worst [...]