skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, November 1, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump attacks Liz Cheney using violent war imagery; Election insights: What 50 Ohioans want to hear from candidates; Consumer groups slam CA Supreme Court ruling on lemon law; On National Brush Day, new resources in KY to boost oral health.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris says her campaign is prepared for Trump to prematurely claim victory, Pennsylvania election officials say safeguards in the system are preventing vote fraud, and Montana Senate race could hinge on the "political refugee" vote.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A Cambodian poultry farmer who lost his livelihood could be a hero for others, rural Montanans are anxiously awaiting a court ruling over a climate lawsuit brought by young people, and Northeast states say more housing for working families could boost jobs.

State of Working West Virginia: Growth Weak, Moving North

play audio
Play

Wednesday, October 1, 2014   

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - West Virginia's economy is still weak, and much of the energy-extraction growth has shifted north, according to the annual State of Working West Virginia report.

The southern coalfields continue to experience declining production, said Ted Boetner, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, who helped write the report. Much of the growth in natural gas and expanded health-care coverage is taking place farther north in the state, he said, and isn't replacing what's being lost.

"While West Virginia's economic recovery has been assisted by strong growth in the natural gas industry and the expansion of health coverage from Medicaid," he said, "wages remain stagnant; unemployment remains elevated."

Boettner said it would benefit the state to work on ways to help bring about what he called "a soft landing" for southern West Virginia. He noted that there are proven ways to do that - such as when the federal government assisted areas with declining manufacturing because of imports or less tobacco farming because of less smoking.

"There's a large precedent to use federal transition assistance when there have been mass layoffs in an industry," he said. "We can also look at reallocating abandoned mine land funds."

According to the report, the state is being hurt by a pattern showing up in other parts of the nation. Boettner said job growth has been weak and concentrated in low-wage positions. The trend makes inequality worse, he said, and the whole economy is more fragile because consumer demand remains tepid.

"While workers are more productive, their wages have remained stagnant, have not grown along with GDP and productivity," he said. "This has contributed to income inequality, a larger share of people in poverty."

The coal industry charges that production declines are the result of environmental policies - what it calls a federal "war on coal." But Boettner pointed out that the easy-to-get coal has been mined out, which raises production costs and makes coal less competitive than cheap natural gas.

The report is online at wvpolicy.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Signal Ohio found overarching issues such as climate change, reproductive rights and safety were on the minds of many Ohioans. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Election Day approaches, the online outlet Signal Ohio interviewed 50 people across Cleveland and Akron to find out what is on the minds of …


Environment

play sound

Wild Chinook salmon have returned to the Upper Klamath River less than two months after the largest dam-removal project in U.S. history to remove …

Social Issues

play sound

Millions of Californians buy used cars still under a manufacturer's warranty - but consumer groups say those warranties are now essentially unenforcea…


Even with the rise of social media and email blasts, traditional "Get Out the Vote" rallies are seen by experts as key to helping boost participation in elections. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Political rallies and large-scale "get out the vote" events might conjure images of a packed arena in a major city but in states like North Dakota…

Environment

play sound

As North Carolina communities continue to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Helene, they have faced a new obstacle: A surge of misinformation is …

As of Oct. 31, Minnesota election offices had accepted nearly 1 million absentee ballots. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

In the final sprint toward Election Day, some Minnesotans might worry their absentee ballot won't arrive in time. Experts say there's no cause for …

Social Issues

play sound

New York's affordable housing crisis is being made worse by corporate landlords, according to groups trying to reform the system. The state …

Social Issues

play sound

By Mariah Alanskas for Kent State NewsLab.Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021