Breaking News

Columnists

A requiem for Doug Skaff

I really wasn’t expecting to have to write, in essence, an obituary for former lawmaker and politician Doug Skaff last Tuesday. The accident that killed him remains under investigation, but by all reports it was a freak accident on I-79 near Weston. Skaff’s SUV went into the back of a semi-truck and despite trying to brake in time, it was too late. Skaff was only five years older than me at 48. I had known him since his first stint in the House of Delegates in what was once the largest of the multi-member districts covering Kanawha County. He was a rising star in Democratic ...

Endangered NPR Never Stops Ripping Conservatives

So the House Republicans voted to end taxpayer funding for PBS and NPR. NPR CEO Katherine Maher has repeatedly claimed, in the face of avalanches of evidence, that she has never witnessed any bias at NPR. That’s beyond ridiculous. You can find it, day after day, hour on the hour. This week’s Los Angeles rioting provided plenty of exhibits. On the June 11 “Morning Edition,” Los Angeles-based co-host A Martinez told listeners, “We want to get a sense of how the community around Los Angeles is feeling about the decision to mobilize the military against civilians.” Notice how ...

Reality and idealism

One of my very first legal clients was an illegal alien named Alejandro. He migrated from Central America and lived in Macon, GA. He and his wife worked multiple jobs. They had children born in the United States. They sent much of their money back to Central America to provide for their families there. Alejandro saved his money to buy a double-wide trailer with new appliances with cash. He hired me because he claimed that, when his trailer was delivered, it was single wide with used appliances and cracks in the countertops and cabinets. He claimed he went to the company from which he ...

Centennial Pie Auction a success

Auctioneer Jacob Hornick always makes fundraising more fun, and Laura Santmyer knows lots of wonderful pie bakers. The heritage quilts preserved by Log Cabin Quilt Guild members made a beautiful contribution to the experience of touring the hundred-year-old Kump House last Saturday afternoon. It took us back to a simpler time when people could dare to care about those in need. The quilt exhibit opened at 11 a.m. while Seth Maynard strummed his heartwarming guitar on the side portico. By noon Katy McClane’s flute music floated on warmer winds blowing away the rain clouds, and a ...

People become leaders to be helpful. They appreciate being invested in.

Why and how did you first become a supervisor? Was it because you majored in leadership? Was your goal to be a manager? Did you want to make a high salary? I often ask this question during my presentations, and what I discover is that most people assume a supervisory role because they want to be helpful.  A nurse does not go to nursing school because they see it as a stepping stone to management. A chef does not go to culinary school to manage food operations. I find that in most cases, people don’t set out to be leaders. Leadership comes to them. Usually, a person’s first ...

Trump at crossroads

Donald Trump‘s presidency is at a crossroads, and the year is not yet half over. On every front, tariffs, foreign policy, immigration, and the budget, Trump is either uncertain at worst or confusing at best. The “great big beautiful bill” is being degraded by Elon Musk for being a “disgusting abomination” that threatens to expand the deficit. One of the problems was the chaotic manner in which the bill was rolled out. In the first months, DOGE’s efforts seem dependent on convincing any opponent that it was hopeless to resist the White House. For example, the House of ...