John Douglas

The West Virginia Press Association promoted its 2007 legislative agenda at a breakfast for legislators last Thursday. The agenda only had four points and we're happy to say that each one of them is good for the public, not just for the newspaper industry.

They are:

Citizens will get a chance to comment on the draft version of the Morgan County Comprehensive Plan at a public hearing this Thursday night, January 18.

The hearing will begin at 7 p.m. in the Warm Springs Intermediate School cafeteria, and was organized by the Morgan County Planning Commission.

Two long-awaited public meetings will take place in the next few days and we encourage citizens to attend.

Comprehensive Plan: January 18

The Morgan Messenger must be read carefully by some. A couple people have asked about a word – secesh — that cropped up in an 1861 letter from a Union soldier, which was part of the Civil War spread in last week's paper.

No, secesh wasn't a misprint or a word we made up, though both misprints and made-up words have crept into The Messenger on occasion.

"The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day," begins the famed baseball saga "Casey At The Bat." You could almost say the same for Eastern Panhandle legislators as they go to the plate this week at the start of the 2007 legislative session.

A bit like Casey, they find some runners on base, but they'll have to deliver a mighty blast to bring those runs home. You'd think that the growing Eastern Panhandle would earn more respect in Charleston since we're one of the few dynamic sections of the Mountain State. Yet the new leadership in the House of Delegates looks more like a return to the old days, and this isn't particularly good for the home team.

The tale has been told on many an Ichabod Crane night, but I guess it won't hurt to tell it again.

It came to mind not long ago when I was heading out Rt. 13 toward Unger, where the buffalo used to roam in southern Morgan County.

January

Confusion continues among many retirees and throughout the health care industry about the new Medicare prescription drug plan.

Here's a problem and a goal for 2007: How do we make sure the Morgan County Commissioners abide by the state's open meeting law and conduct their business in public?

Many times through the years, we've challenged government groups when we believed they violated the "sunshine" law. In recent times, the Morgan County Commissioners have appeared to be the worst offenders locally, but they refuse to accept they're doing anything wrong.