State Capital

W.Va. economy A new study of West Virginia's economy suggests that while the state has replaced most of the jobs lost due to the decline of coal mining and manufacturing, state officials need to do more to attract so-called "new economy" jobs. The study provides a perfect opportunity to question gubernatorial candidates on their plans for job growth in the Mountain State. The study was done by MJD Inc., a research group based in Chapel Hill, N.C., which has tracked changes in the American South since 1967, The firms has also issued reports specific to West Virginia every two years since 1996.

From museums to driving tours, the four-state area is doing a lot to promote Civil War tourism, lawmakers and others attending a conference in Hagerstown said Thursday. cont. from front page The region is uniquely positioned to benefit from the nation's heightened interest in the Civil War, said Marci Ross, who is working on a system of Maryland Civil War Trails for the Maryland Office of Tourism Development. "We own a part of this history that sets us apart. It gives us an advantage of tourism that nobody else has," she said.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A C-130 airplane carrying West Virginia Gov. Cecil Underwood and his cabinet will bring the heart of state government to the Eastern Panhandle for a 48-hour tour on Aug. 31. The visit is an attempt to bridge the perceived gap between the Eastern Panhandle and the rest of the state, Underwood said. "I want my cabinet to see the Eastern Panhandle and I want the people of this area to see us," Underwood said. In Martinsburg Wednesday for the dedication of the new Eastern Regional Jail and a child safety seat initiative at Martinsburg High School, Underwood said the distance from the state capital in Charleston has created a situation in which the Eastern Panhandle sometimes feels out of touch.

Should Pennsylvania's share of a $246 billion tobacco settlement be used only for anti-smoking and other health-related causes, or can some of it be spent for other purposes? That's the debate facing Pennsylvania state lawmakers now. Considering some of the oddball proposals now surfacing, citizens ought to pay close attention. For example, one proposal would use $1 million of the cash to clean grime off the ornate marble of the 93-year-old state capital building, on the premise that decades of heavy smoking deposited at least some of the dirt there.

It's been described mostly in terms of taxes and the economy, but the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, signed by President Clinton Tuesday, also has a health-care component - $24 billion to provide insurance for the children of the working poor. We recommend that other states follow Pennsylvania's lead and start soon on plans to phase in this new system. Legislators in Harrisburg heard testimony this week from doctors and parents whose children are served by a clinic in the state capital, children who might otherwise lose coverage when new laws force their parents off the welfare rolls.

It was defeated last year, but Gov. Tom Ridge's proposal to make Pennsylvania's larger municiplaties pay a surcharge for state police coverage is back again. Even if this bill fails in the 1997, it raises an issue local governments will have to confront in the near future. Here's the issue: Some local governments provide their own police services, while others rely on the state police for law enforcement. Shouldn't governments that rely on the state police to keep order pay some fee, since it would certainly cost them something to maintain a municipal police force?

With newly-elected Gov. Cecil Underwood moving deliberately (some would say slowly) to take the reins of state government, the agenda for West Virginia's upcoming legislative session appears light, with one exception. Making the state conform to federal welfare reform laws may be the challenge of the decade. Under the federal law, after Jan. 1 West Virginia citizens are limited to five years' worth of benefits in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. Beginning this year, 25 percent of those currently receiving aid must participate in some sort of job-related activity.