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‘Fannie’s Crazy Quilt’ for Mother’s Day

Family health and history will be the central topics of a Book Talk on “Fannie’s Crazy Quilt” scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 21 in the learning lab at Kump Education Center. Fannie Logan Scott was the mother of Edna Scott who became the wife of West Virginia Governor H.G. Kump. For “Fannie’s Crazy Quilt” I have pieced together letters and news clippings that we found to tell the stories of the family that built the Kump house. The book is available now at Amazon online publishing, and it can be read on Kindle or any computer app for accessing ...

Burnout can be more about a mindset than the system

When we talk about burnout, the conversation is often focused on “the system.” We point to heavy workloads, or toxic work cultures, or leadership issues. These things do matter. But there’s another part of the equation that also matters: our own thoughts and mindsets. That was the message from Dr. Roger Kapoor, author of Working Happy!: How to Survive Burnout and Find Your Work/Life Synergy in the Healthcare Industry, when he joined me on the Healthcare Plus Podcast. (Click here to listen.) He says sometimes we can have a great job and a decent work schedule and a good sense ...

Annual U.S. Capitol trip

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made my nearly annual trip to the U.S. Capitol Building to spend time with members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation. I’m writing this on Thursday afternoon from the U.S. Senate’s press gallery. I spent part of the day with U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, and U.S. Rep. Riley Moore. The first time I made this trip was in March 2021 to shadow Capito, R-W.Va., and then-senator Joe Manchin, following them to votes and meetings. That was already a pretty surreal visit. I’m someone who loves going to ...

Huey Long and Trump

Before his death at the hands of an assassin in September 1935, Senator Huey Long produced his second book, entitled “My First Days in the White House,” a tongue-in-cheek fantasy. He fashioned a cabinet that included political adversaries and Republicans. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his predecessor, Herbert Hoover, were included, as well as a few eccentrics. With Donald Trump finishing his first hundred days, Long seems prescient in predicting an administration that emerged ninety years later. Long created a scenario that was both unrealistic and comical. He wanted to ...

Is Oklahoma in danger of ‘Satanic School’

The Supreme Court heard arguments on April 30 on whether a Catholic school in Oklahoma named for St. Isidore the Farmer can be the first charter school with a religious foundation. It’s the latest case to alarm the media about the so-called separation of church and state. New York Times legal reporter Adam Liptak cited a study finding that since Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court in 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of religious people and groups over 83% of the time, compared with about 50% of the time for other courts since 1953. “In most of these cases, the winning ...

Spring flowers and yardsale signs in Barbour

Hello from Barbour County! School is almost out, spring is in the air, and yard sale signs are popping up all over. There will be a yard sale at Calvary Baptist Church on Rt. 92 in Belington on May 3 from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. This is to benefit the Strutters Baton & Dance Team. There will be a tire collection at the Barbour County Fairgrounds on May 6 from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. You must show your valid WV identification to participate. A limit of 10 tires from cars and light trucks only will be accepted. This can be a great time to clean out your yard and/or garage. There will be an ...