CROSS LANES, W.Va. — Detectives with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department (KCSD) are continuing their investigation into an officer-involved shooting that turned deadly.

On Saturday, Kanawha County Deputies were attempting to serve an arrest warrant from Logan County for Brian Edward Spencer, 43, from the Sissonville area.

According to the KCSD, deputies came to the Rodeway Inn in Cross Lanes when Spencer began firing gunshots at the deputies from his vehicle. The deputies then returned fire. Spencer was shot and killed in the exchange.

Detectives are still examining physical evidence and attempting to locate potential witnesses to the incident.

Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has information about it that could be helpful to investigators is asked to contact Detective/Sergeant Adam Crawford at 304-357-0560.

More information about the investigation is expected to be released at a later date after a review from the Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. All cases of officer-involved shootings are sent to the Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review.

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The significant improvement West Virginia’s defense has shown over the opening month of the season is as important a factor as any as to why the Mountaineers carry a three-game win streak into Saturday night’s showdown at TCU.

Over their last two games, the Mountaineers have allowed one touchdown and 19 points, stifling Pitt and Texas Tech to the point West Virginia defeated both despite failing to pass for 100 yards on both occasions and combining for 467 total yards.

“The last two games, you could maybe call them ugly, but that’s kind of beautiful from an offensive lineman’s perspective,” center Zach Frazier said. “Run the ball, controlling the game. I like that. No matter how it happens, a win is a win.”

If the two most recent outings are beautiful from Frazier’s perspective, they’d have to be equally, if not more alluring to defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley.

After West Virginia struggled defensively throughout a 5-7 season in 2022, the Mountaineers are generating a more consistent pass rush, getting strong play from linebackers that were unknown with the exception of returning leading tackler Lee Kpogba and doing a better job at avoiding coverage breakdowns that too often led to big plays.

“Nothing is more valuable than experience. That’s experience in the scheme of your defense as opposed to where they’ve come from,” Lesley said. “It takes a little bit of time. It’s just continuing to improve on what we’re doing. The kids are playing better. Simple as that.”

The Mountaineers made no bones about needing to improve their tackling, and thus far, they’ve done just that.

Increased physicality throughout preseason camp also appears to be paying off.

“We’re tackling better than last year. We’re playing harder,” Kpogba said. “We’re more hungry this year considering that we didn’t get the results we wanted last year. We didn’t play that well last year on defense and we wanted to improve.”

West Virginia hasn’t forced a turnover in two of four games, but already has five interceptions after picking off four passes all of last season.

The defense has also been especially productive on third downs, with opponents converting at a 25 percent rate (14 for 56). Texas Tech was 2-for-18 on third down and 5-for-8 on fourth down, meaning the Mountaineers stopped the Red Raiders on 19 of 26 drive-ending scenarios.

“It was a complete reversal of a year ago,” head coach Neal Brown said. “They’ve seen those stats. We put them in front of them every single day. Texas Tech was 15-of-20 on third and fourth downs in Lubbock last year and we didn’t get off the field. We reversed that. It’s a prideful group. A prideful defensive staff and prideful defensive players.”

One week earlier, Pitt was 4 for 13 on third down and failed to convert both of its fourth-down attempts.

“A big difference,” Brown said. “We’re doing a better job in our zone coverages and some of our eight and seven-man drops, we’re doing a better job of covering people. We’re creating more pressure as well whether we’re sending three, four or five. We’re getting in some more friendly down and distances, which means we’re better on first-and-10, and we’re getting teams in more third-and-longs.”

Even through the first two games, when WVU’s defense wasn’t as stingy or productive as what it’s shown in two contests since, the Mountaineers held Penn State to 3-for-9 on third down and Duquesne to 5-for-16.

By preventing opponents from converting third downs 75 percent of the time, West Virginia is tied with Michigan for seventh nationally.

A year ago, WVU opponents generated a first down on 66 of 162 third downs, leaving the Mountaineers 86th among 131 FBS teams with their 40.7 conversion rate.

The Mountaineers’ pass rush, which has yielded seven sacks and 14 quarterback hurries, has been critical in allowing the defense to get off the field at a far higher rate. WVU opponents also have seven sacks, but only three quarterback hurries.

“First down is always key in that,” Lesley said. “It’s getting them off schedule and behind the chains. When we do, it’s really just been great team defense and everything working together, whether it’s something we play in coverage, simulating pressure or bringing pressure. The guys feed off each other. They hold each other accountable. Guys like Aubrey Burks, Lee Kpogba, Jared Bartlett — they know more people’s jobs than their own, so they’re able to communicate and look around. That’s probably been the biggest difference.”

On certain third downs, West Virginia has enjoyed the luxury of mixing and matching personnel to better fit a situation. That could mean playing two bandits (such as Jared Bartlett and Tyrin Bradley) together. It could be moving safety Marcis Floyd around to where he’s at spear or cornerback in a nickel package. It can also mean turning up the heat in pass-rushing packages by utilizing Tomiwa Durojaiye, Davoan Hawkins, Jalen Thornton or Asani Redwood.

“It gives you a little more ability to get the guys you need to be on the field while still being able to fit things that you may see that people like to do to you in a sub package,” Lesley said. “People saw us use both the bandit and a spur in that package. It’s pretty simple what we’re asking them to do. It’s no different than coverage structure. It’s having the best guys for what the situation is on the field at the same time.”

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — 13 weeks have passed since Josh Eilert was elevated to interim head coach of the program he has worked in for 16 seasons. Those weeks have been filled with re-recruiting his existing roster, filling out the team with transfer portal additions and laying down a foundation for short-term and potentially long-term success.

The WVU men’s basketball team began official preseason practices on Monday, six weeks in advance of the regular season opener on November 6 against Missouri State.

Of the 14 players on this year’s roster, only four played in a game for the Mountaineers last season. While a lengthy summer of practices and an international trip would have been ideal, Eilert is making the best of a truncated and turbulent offseason.

“One of the biggest concerns I had was chemistry. You look at the beginning of the summer and you think you are going to Italy and you are building chemistry and you are getting six games under your belt and spending two weeks with each other. That wasn’t the case,” Eilert said Tuesday. “The revolving door of the roster, some of these guys got here just a few weeks ago. We’re trying to do everything we can as a team and build that chemistry. You can have the best pieces in the world. But if they don’t work together and mesh, it isn’t going to work.”

Following Bob Huggins’ removal as head coach after a DUI arrest in June, four veteran players — Tre Mitchell, James Okonkwo, Joe Toussaint and Mo Wague — left the program and transferred to other schools.

“I think some of them would have left anyway. Even before everything went down with Coach Huggins, we were looking at bringing certain pieces in to really load up the roster. But I had my concerns that certain guys would leave if we brought those pieces in anyway.

“You really had to look at those guys that were graduating. Those guys that were graduating and had immediate eligibility, you wonder if they are going to take that chance.”

Eilert was able to retain two of the most heavily-recruited newcomers in former Syracuse center Jesse Edwards and former Arizona point guard Kerr Kriisa.

“Anytime you look at championship teams, they have a really good point guard and they have a really good big. Then they have a lot of good pieces around them. That was my main concern — keeping Jesse and keeping Kerr and having those guys to build around.”

Kriisa led the Pac-12 in assists per game in back-to-back seasons. Eilert is hopeful Kriisa can also look for his shots as well.

“We are going to have to beg him to probably become a little more aggressive in terms of looking to make a shot because he really is a pass-first guy, trying to get everyone involved and running the show.”

WVU is still awaiting word from the NCAA on an immediate eligibility waiver for fifth year guard and Montana State transfer RaeQuan Battle. There’s no timetable for a decision.

“That waiver certainly looms over our head. It is something I am very concerned about. That would hurt our cause drastically because he is a special player.

“Defensively, he would be one of those guys if you go back to the ‘Press Virginia’ days, he would fit right in because he is so smooth and so athletic and quick-twitched compared to everyone else on the floor.”

As the interim head coach for the 2023-2024 season, Eilert is placed in a unique position. He certainly has an opportunity to secure the permanent position but has no guarantees beyond his ten-month contract.

“There’s no case study for this. I couldn’t go back and look who has been through this or who can I call?

“I did talk to several people who went through similar situations. Joe Mazzulla presented a great amount of perspective. But his situation certainly wasn’t like mine. [Texas head coach] Rodney Terry went through it but they were halfway through the season. His situation certainly wasn’t like mine. I have never been a head coach. But I am taking this thing day-by-day. We’re learning. We’re growing and we’re figuring this out together.”

Mazzulla, a former WVU point guard who played for Eilert, led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in a year where his interim tag was removed midseason.

“[Mazzulla] said, ‘Just look at it as probably the greatest opportunity of your life. In a lot of ways, you are playing with house money’. And I am. I have a chance to show myself, prove myself and be a leader of this organization.”

Eilert and his coaches continue to recruit high school players for the Class of 2024 and beyond.

“Anybody would be doing themselves a disservice if they didn’t look at the macro side of things. I am put in place to be the leader of West Virginia Basketball. So I am going to do what is best for West Virginia Basketball. That’s first and foremost. If things go south with Josh Eilert here at the helm, I want it to be where I put West Virginia in the best place possible. Yeah, I am going to recruit for the future.

“I am going to keep these guys together and we are all going to pull in the right direction. And we’re going to do it the right way. We’re excited about that and we’re excited about representing this university and this state. Where it is going to go from here we don’t know. But I promise you we are going to pour our heart into it.”

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — After less than six months on the job, the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia has parted ways with executive director Danielle Walker.

MetroNews has confirmed Walker, a former member of the House of Delegates from Monongalia County, is no longer with the organization.  

“We are unable to provide comment at this time, as this is a personnel matter. We can confirm that Eli Baumwell has been serving as the interim executive director since Sept. 15,” said Anne Farmer, president of the ACLU-WV Board of Directors in a statement to MetroNews.

Walker was announced as the new executive director of the ACLU-WV on April 1, becoming the first black woman to lead the organization. At the time, Walker called her selection a “humbling honor.” 

Requests for comment from Walker were not returned. 

Walker’s predecessor, Joseph Cohen, praised her selection and described her as a visionary leader. 

“She is committed to the ACLU’s principles, and she will inspire the next generation of leaders in West Virginia. I could not imagine a more perfect person to take over the organization that I love so much,” Cohen said.

Walker resigned from her seat in the House of Delegates and resigned from her role as vice-chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party to take the job with the ACLU-WV. 

Walker was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2018 and became one of the chamber’s most outspoken, progressive members. During her time in the legislature, she referred to the ACLU-WV as a “steadfast and fierce advocate.” Walker led protests at the capital against abortion bans as well as bans on gender-affirming care for children. 

Baumwell served in the same role prior to Walker’s appointment in April. He did not seek the permanent job earlier this year. 

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The Huntington Sanitary Board is processing an application that would allow treated water collected at the train derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio, receive its final treatment at the Huntington Wastewater Treatment Plant before being discharged into the Ohio River.

The application under consideration is from Huntington-based wastewater treatment company Valicor which has entered an agreement with Norfolk Southern to treat the rain water collected from the contaminated train derailment site.

Huntington Sanitary Board Executive Director Brian Bracey tells MetroNews the federal EPA requires the collected water to be non-hazardous before it leaves East Palestine.

“For it to be able to leave East Palestine it has to be non-hazardous water,” Bracey said Wednesday. “So it can’t have the contaminants. It basically has to meet drinking water standards before it can be processed again.”

Rehabilitation of the site where the major train derailment took place on Feb. 3 includes the collection of rainwater after it is soaked into the contaminated ground. The federal EPA is requiring Norfolk Southern to treat the water on site and then contract with an off-site company for further cleaning before it is goes back into the river.

MORE read about Valicor application here

Bracey said Valicor plans to receive the water and treat it in Huntington with its granulated carbon system and then truck it to the city’s wastewater treatment plant in Westmoreland where it will be processed again before discharge.

Bracey said the EPA is very conscientious of ensuring that all of the processes are in place.

“So when that rainwater gets back into the Ohio River it’s as clean as drinking water standards can be,” Bracey said.

The Huntington Sanitary Board discussed the Valicor application during its Tuesday morning meeting. Bracey said he anticipates the application could be approved later this fall. There will be a public comment period. The sanitary board will also need permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The application could last for up to a year. The Huntington Sanitary Board will charge Valicor for processing the water just like it does other industrial customers, Bracey said.

“The rateholders, or for me, my customers are not paying for any of this,” Bracey said. “This is all on Valicor and ultimately all on Norfolk Southern for the cost incurred for this.”

Huntington’s wastewater treatment plant is entirely separate from how city residents receive drinking water.

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, who is a member of the sewer board, said Tuesday the health and safety of residents is the top priority.

“We will be holding all parties involved to the highest levels of accountability and scrutiny,” Williams said.

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Political rivals of Gov. Jim Justice are criticizing his financial disclosure form in the race for U.S. Senate as a day late and many dollars short.

Justice’s campaign submitted the disclosure Monday, just as a small financial penalty could have kicked in. The form submitted on behalf of the man once described as West Virginia’s only billionaire included a long list of assets but showed that many make little to no income. The disclosure also included millions of dollars in liabilities.

“Even after a 90-day extension and a ‘grace period,’ liberal Jim Justice stretched out the filing process as long as he possibly could. Hopefully he will start paying his debts he owes to our hardworking coal miners and West Virginia taxpayers,” stated John Findley, campaign manager for the Senate campaign of Congressman Alex Mooney.

Financial disclosures with the Senate are mandatory for members and candidates.

Justice took 151 days from the time he declared his campaign before finally filing the financial disclosure report. The submission finally went through 134 days after it was first due and took place on the first day a fine of $200 could kick in.

Mooney, Justice’s competitor in the Republican primary, already submits required financial disclosures for his position in the House and turned in the most recent one May 25.

They’re both aiming for the possibility of taking on incumbent Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat, filed his most recent one May 15.

For many years, Justice was described as West Virginia’s only billionaire, but Forbes downgraded him after 2021 debt disputes. Justice’s political persona has been as a businessman who can buzz the numbers.

“Governor Jim Justice has created thousands of jobs and saved businesses, like The Greenbrier Resort, and kept companies open in tough economic times. He is a job creator, and his opponent is a self-serving career politician with decades in political office relying on the largest Never Trump group in the country to get him elected to the U.S. Senate,” stated Roman Stauffer, campaign manager for Jim Justice for U.S. Senate.

His list of assets stretches for 147 entries, ranging from checking accounts to the network of companies in his family-owned coal, timber and tourism operations.

The estimated value of the assets was between $37.5 million and more than $1.9 billion. Yet many of the assets are listed as producing no or little income.

The report also specifies significant debts, with Justice reporting between $37.5 million and $108.1 million in liabilities between promissory notes and lines of credit between 2010 and 2023.

Two debts on the filing are promissory notes characterized as between $1 million and $5 million each to Bray Cary, the broadcaster and businessman who served as Justice’s senior adviser, as well as his Cary Foundation Inc. No explanation is provided for the notes, both issued August 31, 2021, shortly after Cary left the administration.

West Virginia Senate Finance Chairman Eric Tarr, a Republican who has endorsed Mooney, took note of the debt to Cary.

“You have somebody who loaned him personally at a 10 percent interest rate, money for whatever. We have no idea what those loans are for, and then it happened immediately after he left the Governor’s Office and went to be on the board of governors at West Virginia University,” Tarr said on “580 Live” on WCHS Radio.

“The second thing that is very curious to me, in relationship to having almost no income reported for him personally out of all these assets, is that there’s a lot of personal line of credits from those assets to Jim Justice at 0 percent interest rate with payment on demand. It’s very questionable to me, so what happens on that personal line of credit from your business to you with 0 percent interest that is just payable on demand on a company that you control.”

An example is a line of credit from the Greenbrier Hotel Corp., owned by the Justice family, to Jim Justice for $5 million to $25 million at 0 percent interest.

More examples include a line of credit from the Justice-owned Tams Management of $500,000 to $1 million to Jim Justice at 0 percent interest. And: a line of credit from Bellwood Corporation of $1 million to $5 million at 0 percent interest.

“These are just questions worth asking,” said Tarr, R-Putnam.

Justice has been receiving criticism nationally from Democrats for months, particularly over his companies’ finances. On Monday, before his financial disclosure was filed, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee knocked him for being tardy with the disclosure.

“Jim Justice is once again disregarding the law, hiding potential conflicts of interest, and depriving West Virginians of important information they have a right to know. This is only the latest in Justice’s barrage of financial scandals, which are sure to receive further scrutiny as the GOP’s nasty primary continues to escalate,” stated Amanda Sherman Baity of the DSCC.

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SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Skilled trade workers throughout the Mountain State can now jump start their careers even more through a new contest that could win them up to $12,000 by simply showing their pride in the work they do.

West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore took his skilled workers savings program known as Jumpstart to Bridge Valley Community and Technical College Tuesday for the launch of the new contest. Moore announced up to $12,000 could be deposited in a Jumpstart Savings Account to winners who explain what makes them proud to be a skilled worker in the state.

“Coming into this office, I thought, we have a college savings plan, we have a lot of programs incentivizing people to go to college, but we need to do more to help the skilled workers in West Virginia, and that’s why I started the Jumpstart Savings Program,” Moore said.

Launched last year, the Jumpstart Savings Program gives those looking to pursue a career in a skilled trade— from welding to cosmetology– the opportunity to save money and get certain state income tax benefits.

The contest announced Tuesday will select up to 20 people, based on the number of entries, to receive a total $2,000 in their savings account. Out of those selected, one individual winner will be randomly chosen to receive an additional $10,000 into that account.

The task at hand to be selected to win the funds is to write a 250 word or less essay answering the question, “What makes you proud to be a West Virginia skilled worker?”

Along with entering the contest and submitting the essay, contestants will also submit one original digital photo best representing their answer. Moore said anyone within the skilled trade industry can enter.

“By skilled trade I don’t just mean welders, carpenters, pipe fitters or electricians, of course it’s all of them, but it could be someone who went to beautician school, it could be someone who went to culinary school, any of those non-college career type paths, any of them can benefit from this,” he said.

Skills USA State Director Melissa Wilkinson spoke at Tuesday’s contest launch. She encourages every trade worker to become a part of the program and enter the contest as she feels it gives them a leg up towards their future.

Wilkinson said upon calling a former student one day to see how his business of acquiring a welding rig was going, he told her had the Jumpstart program been around when he was a student five or six years ago, he would have ultimately been able to meet his goal in obtaining the rig sooner than he had.

“He said he had to work three years as an apprentice and a welder’s helper to be able to earn enough money and to be able to earn enough credit to purchase the tools that he needed, so $75,000 is what he has invested in just his truck,” Wilkinson said.

Moore said the inspiration behind getting the program started in the state came from his own experience as a welder and going through a trade school.

He said the narrative that college is the only answer has been pushed for far too long, and currently trade workers may be needed now more than ever.

“We need people that are ready to take those jobs, I don’t think we necessarily need people getting degrees in Russian literature or whatever else people are studying in college, we need to be ready for the jobs of the future,” he said.

Moore believes there is going to be an enforced demand across the country soon to have workers trained and equipped in trade work due to the pushback for more U.S-made products.

“Equipping is what this program is going to help people do and prepare them for those jobs, as I do believe they are going to start to come back home from places like China, we’ve seen that happen with Taiwan with the chip factory already,” said Moore.

Jumpstart Savings Account funds can be used to help workers pay for tools, equipment, supplies and other business costs.

Essay contest entries must be received by the end of the day on December 31.

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Federal officials say a state funding gap for West Virginia State University added up to almost $853 million over three decades.

“These funds could have supported infrastructure and student services and would have better positioned the university to compete for research grants,” wrote the U.S. secretaries for Education and Agriculture in a letter to Gov. Jim Justice.

“West Virginia State University has been able to make remarkable strides and would be much stronger and better positioned to serve its students, your state, and the nation if made whole with respect to this funding gap.”

Similar letters from U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack were sent to 15 other states concluded to have allowed a funding gap for many of the nation’s land grant institutions. Altogether, they assessed, land grant institutions at Historically Black Colleges and Universities have been shorted by $13 billion over 30 years. 

West Virginia State is one of the nation’s historically Black colleges established with the intention of primarily serving African Americans. It was established as the West Virginia Colored Institute in 1891 under the second Morrill Act that provided for land grant institutions for Black students that had segregated schools.

The financial comparison being made by federal officials is to a separate category of land-grant institutions, the ones established in those states for white students in 1862. Those first land grant institutions were established by the first Morrill Act for institutions teaching teaching military tactics, engineering and agriculture. West Virginia University was the state’s first land grant.

“West Virginia State University, the 1890 land-grant institution in your state, while producing extraordinary graduates that contribute greatly to the state’s economy and the fabric of our nation, has not been able to advance in ways that are on par with West Virginia University, the original Morrill Act of 1862 land-grant institution in your state, in large part due to unbalanced funding,” the federal officials wrote to the governor.

Federal officials used a data set from 1987 to 2020 to calculate the amount institutions would have received if their state funding were equal to that of their 1862 counterparts.

“These funds could have supported infrastructure and student services and would have better positioned the university to compete for research grants. West Virginia State University has been able to make remarkable strides and would be much stronger and better positioned to serve its students, your state, and the nation if made whole with respect to this funding gap,” the federal officials wrote.

One challenge of assessing what West Virginia State’s land grant funding should have been over all those years was that the land grant status — contingent on state matching funds — lapsed over an extended period.

In 1957, West Virginia State’s land grant status was lost when state officials voted to end the state funding required for the matching federal land grant aid. The university, under longtime President Hazo Carter, later went through a long process to try to get the land grant designation restored.

That effort culminated in 1991 when then-Gov. Gaston Caperton signed a bill to recognize the land grant status on the state level. U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd was then at the center of successful efforts at the federal level to restore land grant status at the federal level in 2001.

In recent years, leaders at West Virginia State have continued to push the Legislature to fully fund West Virginia State at the levels required by the federal match.

In 2019, university leaders celebrated finally receiving a full state match.

“This is a historic moment. We get our full state match for the first time in the history of this institution,” then-President Anthony Jenkins said that year. “We have been fighting this battle for more than 20 years. After years and years of failed attempts, I am honored and proud we got it through this year.”

Jenkins had lobbied regularly at the Capitol for a full state match. The state allocation of $2.9 million finally meant West Virginia State would be able to draw down $2.9 million in federal support that year.

“This is federal law, and the state cannot purposely and knowingly violate federal law,” Jenkins said in 2019. “We felt that was somewhat the case because you were funding one land grant institution as you should and underfunding the other, which is us.”

Now, West Virginia State officials say they are aware of underfunding issues over the years. But in a statement responding to the recent federal letter, West Virginia State officials said they appreciate West Virginia’s current support.

“Their letter to Governor Jim Justice speaks for itself and lays out what we have known for some time and that is historically our country’s 1890 land-grant universities, including West Virginia State University, have been underfunded,” stated the current president at West Virginia State, Ericke Cage.

That lack of funding through the years has led to a significant loss of opportunities for our students, faculty and staff, who have had to do more with less.”

But Cage’s statement said West Virginia State is focused on the future, saying legislators and the governor have been supportive of funding for the land grant mission.

“We look forward to continuing to work with our partners in the executive and legislative branches to continue to move West Virginia State University and the Mountain State forward,” Cage stated.

The letter from the federal officials suggested that additional state support would be welcome.

“Given the large amount of state funding that is owed to West Virginia State University, it would be ambitious to address the funding disparity over the course of several years in the state budget. It might very well be your desire to do so, which we wholeheartedly support,” wrote Cardona and Vilsack.

“Yet, if an ambitious timetable is not a possibility, we suggest a combination of a substantial state allocation toward the 1890 deficit combined with a forward-looking budget commitment for a two-to-one match of federal land-grant funding for these institutions in order to bring parity to funding levels.”

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Jim Justice has filed a federally-mandated financial disclosure for his Senate run, revealing a mountain of assets — with many indicating they produce little or no income — and also a riptide of debt.

Two debts on the filing are promissory notes characterized as between $1 million and $5 million each to Bray Cary, the broadcaster and businessman who served as Justice’s senior adviser, as well as his Cary Foundation Inc. No explanation is provided for the notes, both issued August 31, 2021, shortly after Cary left the administration.

For many years, Justice was described as West Virginia’s only billionaire, but Forbes downgraded him after 2021 debt disputes. He declared his candidacy for U.S. Senate on April 27, facing Congressman Alex Mooney in the Republican Primary and aiming for incumbent Senator Joe Manchin in the General Election.

Mooney, who has millions of dollars in campaign support lined up from the hardcore Club for Growth, already submits required financial disclosures for his position in the House, submitting the most recent one May 25. Manchin, a Democrat, filed his most recent one May 15 for the 2022 financial year.

Justice took 151 days from the time he declared his campaign before finally filing the financial disclosure report. The submission finally went through 134 days after it was first due and took place on the first day a fine of $200 could kick in.

“Governor Jim Justice has created thousands of jobs and saved businesses, like The Greenbrier Resort, and kept companies open in tough economic times. He is a job creator, and his opponent is a self-serving career politician with decades in political office relying on the largest Never Trump group in the country to get him elected to the U.S. Senate,” stated Roman Stauffer, campaign manager for Jim Justice for U.S. Senate.

The DSCC campaign organization representing Democrats in Washington said it wanted to know three things from the release of Justice’s report: Who are any previously unnamed lenders or financers in Justice’s business dealings? Would the filings show any foreign investment in Justice’s financial structure? And is Justice’s personal wealth truly tied up in the businesses themselves?

Justice’s political persona has been as a businessman who can buzz the numbers. His report, like all others, leads with his earned income. In Justice’s case, that’s $250,000 annually as governor, although the report notes he has donated the base pay to the state Department of Education while still paying the income taxes.

Justice’s report also lists his $3,500 wages as basketball coach at Greenbrier East High School.

His list of assets stretches for 147 entries, ranging from checking accounts to the network of companies in his family-owned coal, timber and tourism operations.

The estimated value of the assets was between $37.5 million and more than $1.9 billion.

Yet many of the assets are listed as producing no or little income. The word “none” appears 276 times on the report, sometimes redundantly, to describe what type or amount of income they produce.

A checking account at Bank of Monroe is listed with $1,000 to $15,000. The contents of another checking account at People’s Bank is listed as “none.”

The report indicates Justice has more than $100,000 in People’s Bank stock, more than $50,000 in Caterpillar stock, more than $50,000 in HP stock, along with smaller amounts in other stock accounts.

Line after line lists assets in Justice’s network of family businesses, and many are identified as being of significant value. But the assessment on the filing is that many also do not produce income.

For example, Justice Receivable — one of the James C. Justice Companies, is listed as having value of more than $50 million. But its income is listed as “none.”

Likewise, Justice’s Southern Coal Receivable is listed with a value of more than $50 million but no income.

Virginia Fuel Investment, value over $50 million but no income. Bluestone Resources Investment, value over $50 million but no income. A&G Coal Investment, value over $50 million but income production of “none.”

The report also specifies major debts, with Justice reporting between $37.5 million and $108.1 million in liabilities between promissory notes and lines of credit between 2010 and 2023.

Justice’s companies face waves of financial disputes in court cases, with some now focused on how companies could ever collect. In an $18 million case involving Fivemile Energy Company of Kentucky, lawyers for the Justice businesses  have objected that they lack the ability to pay, maintaining that economic headwinds over the past decade have whittled more than 100 coal and farming companies to just a dozen now actively operating.

Lawyers representing the Justice companies, in a federal court filing, noted that depositions by company representatives “painted a consistent portrait of a somewhat disorganized organization whose resources are stretched to the limit with respect to both finances and personnel. The cash that comes in is almost immediately transferred from those entities that have it to those that need it.”

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