In the News
Rockefeller, Manchin praise Century retirees' effort | Charleston Gazette
by Paul J. Nyden
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- On the eve of a vote by Century Aluminum retirees about the company's proposal to restore at least some of their health-care benefits, U.S. Sens. Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin spoke together on the Senate floor for the first time, praising the deal. The two Democratic senators praised the efforts by Karen Gorrell to lead protests seeking to restore health-care benefits to workers who retired, benefits taken away by the company, beginning in 2010. Retired Century … Continue Reading
March 10, 2012
Manchin questions military officials on contractors | Saturday Gazette-Mail
by Paul J. Nyden
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing this week, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., questioned Army Secretary John McHugh and General Ray Odierno about the Army's increasing reliance on private military contractors. Manchin wants military officials to cut contractors instead of reducing the number of regular troops, especially as debates about budget deficits continue. The United States has 90,000 service members deployed in Afghanistan, Manchin said Thursday, but they are … Continue Reading
March 08, 2012
Manchin discusses ways to improve nutrition in schools | Williamson Daily News
by Chad Abshire
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) recently met with members of the West Virginia School Nutrition Association to discuss ways to improve nutrition programs in schools across the state.The senator spoke with multiple people, discussing ways to increase participation in breakfast programs, plans to implement innovative meal programs, and how to cook more nutritious food so children could eat well-balanced meals in West Virginia schools, a press release from Manchin's office stated."Lifelong health … Continue Reading
March 07, 2012
Manchin, other senators call for end to Afghanistan war | Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and 23 other senators called on President Obama on Wednesday to bring American combat forces home from Afghanistan. With the Senate debating funding for highway construction and other domestic transportation needs, the senators wrote to Obama, "We simply cannot afford more years of elevated troop levels in Afghanistan. We are spending roughly $10 billion in Afghanistan each month at a time when we're making tough sacrifices at home. "Your … Continue Reading
March 06, 2012
Manchin, Rahall and Rockefeller Unite Behind Efforts to Curb Oil Speculators | WVNS News
by Douglas Fritz
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) joined together on Tuesday, March 6 to urge a federal watchdog to do more to make sure that a few Wall Street insiders are not impacting the price of gas for struggling families. Rockefeller, Manchin and Rahall sent a letter to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) asking the agency to implement new policies to better regulate oil speculation as required … Continue Reading
March 06, 2012
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin Speaks Out About Child Nutrition | WTRF News
by D.K. Wright
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia met with members of the W. Va. School Nutrition Association to discuss ways to improve nutrition programs in schools. According to a news release from Manchin's office, they discussed ways to improve participation in school breakfast programs, plans to implement innovative meal programs and how to cook more nutritious foods so children can eat well-balanced meals in W.Va. Schools. "Lifelong health starts when you're very young, so I've always made … Continue Reading
March 04, 2012
Joe Manchin | The Beckley Register-Herald
by Mannix Porterfield
One can only surmise where Joe Manchin might have wound up had he not suffered a knee injury on the campus of West Virginia University. Life is indeed an uncertain odyssey for us all, and at times, it closes one door, then opens another. For Manchin, a promising quarterback for the Mountaineers, the future seemed bright, and there is no doubt he had dreams of making his mark in the world as an athlete. A product of a tiny coal mining hamlet known as Farmington - a name that would be … Continue Reading
March 02, 2012
Ravenswood Rebirth?: Century news heartens workers, community | Charleston Gazette
by Paul J. Nyden
Ravenswood Mayor Lucy J. Harbert says she believes the effects of reopening of the Century Aluminum plant in her town will ripple throughout the community. "People aren't spending now. Homes are up for sale," Harbert said. "People aren't making money. Our local food pantry gets wiped out every week." The tentative agreement, announced Wednesday, apparently will restore retiree health benefits and spur efforts to re-open the plant, which employed 651 when it closed on Feb. 15, 2009, at … Continue Reading
March 02, 2012
Manchin, Guard commanders discuss DoD efficiency | The Williamson Daily News
by Chad Abshire
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and National Guard commanders recently discussed cost saving measures to "reduce the country's reliance on expensive contractors," a press release from the senator's office stated. Manchin spoke with West Virginia's Adjutant Gen. for the National Guard, James A. Hoyer, and Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt, director of the Air National Guard, over breakfast for the National Guard Caucus, about how the Guard could help the Department of Defense run more … Continue Reading
February 28, 2012
Lawmakers eye options for bringing residents relief at the gas pump | Bluefield Daily Telegraph
by Greg Jordan
BLUEFIELD - Sunshine and clear skies signal the approach of spring, but for many the clement weather also signifies a future hike in gasoline prices. For a month, the price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline has been inching its way up to the $4 mark. According to Monday's edition the AAA Fuel Gauge report, the price for regular gas in Bluefield climbed from $3.44 a month ago to $3.79 Monday. The average price in West Virginia has jumped from $3.48 a month ago to $3.78 Monday. In … Continue Reading
February 25, 2012
‘Invent and create:’ Manchin pushes homegrown solutions to energy challenges | Times West Virginian
by Jonathan Williams
MORGANTOWN - USA Today reports that the average gasoline price in the United States is somewhere around $3.65 a gallon. In West Virginia, the average price of gas is $3.71, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, six cents above the national average, and a decline in price is nowhere in sight. Part of the price increase is due to unrest in the Middle East, but another huge factor in the price of gas is increased demand in growing markets like China and India and Brazil. … Continue Reading
February 24, 2012
Manchin salutes local veterans | The Martinsburg Journal
MARTINSBURG - On Feb. 17, Sen. Joe Manchin and his wife, Gayle, visited hospitalized veterans during Martinsburg VA Medical Center's "National Salute to Patient Veterans" and toured the facility. The senator met with Ann Brown, medical center director, and other staff members before visiting with veterans. During his visit, Manchin talked with several West Virginia veterans in the inpatient wards of the hospital. "I think the veterans really appreciated the visit from the senator," Brown … Continue Reading
February 22, 2012
College presidents ask Manchin for less regulation, more money | Charleston Gazette
by Amy Julia Harris
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As part of his weeklong tour of the state, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., met with university presidents in Charleston on Wednesday to brainstorm big fixes to the state's higher education system -- and to deliver some bad news from Washington. "With tax dollars scarce and with the pressures on our budget and economy, there is going to be less [money for education]," Manchin said at a roundtable discussion with education leaders on Tuesday. "There's going to be more pressure … Continue Reading
February 21, 2012
Domestic energy: Coal under attack - again | The Bluefield Daily Telegraph
by Editorial
The Obama administration's decision to cut $93 million from coal research and development is another disappointing example of the president's distorted view of coal. At the same time that funding for coal research was cut, Obama requested an additional $2.7 billion for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which is a whopping 47 percent increase over current levels, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va. However, the Energy Information Administration has … Continue Reading
February 20, 2012
$20 a week costs $100 billion a year | Charleston Daily Mail
by Editorial
In the final days of 2010, President Obama proposed a scheme that may have mortally wounded Social Security. He urged, and a Democratic-controlled Congress agreed to, a "one-year" cut in what they euphemistically called the payroll tax. In reality, this is money the Social Security system needs to pay benefits. President Obama and Congress diverted $100 billion in revenue from Social Security. Now the nation is extending that "tax cut." Republicans appear to be going along to get along on … Continue Reading
February 15, 2012
Veterans Job Caucus | Bluefield Daily Telegraph
by Editorial
With combat operations coming to an end in Iraq, and with American forces expected to come home soon from Afghanistan, the region and the nation must be prepared to meet the needs of our returning veterans. That's why we are seeing a continued push on the local level for a new veterans clinic in Mercer County. But many veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan will also be searching for new employment. That's why a new bipartisan Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus announced last week by … Continue Reading
February 15, 2012
Sen. Manchin praises Rec Center growth | Logan Banner
by Michael Browning
CHARLESTON - Gov. Joe Manchin told Logan County officials that if he built a rec center in Chief Logan State Park, they'd have to run it. The Logan County Commission, working with several business people and other county officials, put together a plan and presented it to Manchin, who kept his promise to build the facility. Now, just a little more than two years after it opened, the Chief Logan Rec Center has 2,150 members and is looking to expand. Manchin, who is now a U.S. Senator, … Continue Reading
February 15, 2012
Partnership between Manchin, the state and Logan County is healthy for southern W.Va. | Logan Banner
by Editorial
The partnership entered into by Gov. Joe Manchin and Logan County officials and business people to build the Chief Logan Rec Center is a model for all other counties in the state to follow. Logan County is serious about getting healthy. We're tired of being known as the unhealthiest county in the state. Manchin, who is now a U.S. Senator, said he's proud of the Chief Logan Rec Center and its growth and he says everyone should take advantage of such a great facility so that people can … Continue Reading
February 14, 2012
White House, Not Senators, Is Wrong | The Wheeling Intelligencer
by Editorial
White House reaction to a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate, regarding employers who have religious or moral qualms about offering employees insurance that covers contraception, is illuminating. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., introduced the bill. It was to counter a plan by President Barack Obama's administration to force all employers, including those such as Roman Catholic hospitals and universities, to provide their employees with insurance including contraception. … Continue Reading
February 11, 2012
Manchin Too Often Alone in Opposition | The Wheeling Intelligencer
by Editorial
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was wrong when he told reporters the Senate Democratic Caucus "totally supports the president." But unfortunately, Reid, D-Nev., isn't far off the mark. Reid was asked about criticism of a policy by President Barack Obama that requires most employers to provide workers with health insurance covering contraceptives and drugs members of some churches, including Roman Catholics, believe induce abortions. Forcing Catholic institutions to provide such … Continue Reading
