CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Former Administrative Director of the Courts of West Virginia Steve Canterbury testified before the state's House Judiciary Committee yesterday, answering important questions about the West Virginia Supreme Court's budget.

According to Canterbury, the court padded its budget for years and built up a $29 million surplus by 2012. He said they were anticipating costs, from magistrate raises and remodeling court offices, to costs for family and drug courts.

One big item was a Unified Judicial Application Information System (UJA), which centralized all filings. The system allows every court to know if, for example, another court had filed a domestic violence protective order.

Canterbury, whose testimony was live-streamed, described UJA as expensive and behind schedule.

"It was pretty clear that over the next few years, certain monies would be spent, because they had approved the UJA," he explained. "And they were very hopeful that there would be a raise for the judges, justices, etc."

Canterbury testified for the full fifth day of hearings on possible impeachment of the state Supreme Court justices.

The court sets its own budget, and those of all state courts. Many state legislators dislike that, saying it allows for mismanagement and extravagant spending.

Four years later, he said, the court had spent all but about $300,000 of those carryover funds, although it has built up another surplus since. Canterbury also told the committee the court started spending the money after two ranking Democratic senators had sharply criticized it during a Finance Committee hearing.

"Senators [Roman] Prezeioso and [John] Unger were just livid about the huge amount of carryover money, that there was this excess of funds that were in the court," Canterbury said. "The general thought was that we should bring down this carryover amount. And we did."

Lawmakers look likely to impeach Justice Allen Loughry, who also faces 23 counts in a separate, federal criminal case.

The House committee also heard evidence about the $3.7 million renovation of the court offices in the State Capitol. Canterbury said in some cases, they had to replace the original, paper-covered wiring. He said one office was picked to go first because, as he put it, "You could smell the wires burning in the walls."




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The Keystone State continues offering a favorable landscape for Pennsylvanians seeking employment opportunities.

Claire Kovach, senior research analyst at the Keystone Research Center, said the steady trend has been ongoing for months, with the rate hovering below the national average of 4.1% during the past year.

"Pennsylvania is on a roll," Kovach asserted. "We added, I think, 15,600 jobs in June, and that's 11 months straight now that Pennsylvania has added jobs. The data we got showed that Pennsylvania's unemployment rate is still quite low through 3.4%, and it's been at that or around that for over a year now."

Kovach pointed out inflation is falling as nominal wages are growing steadily and the persistence of the combined effects is helping the labor market recover. She noted the number of nonfarm jobs rose to a record high of more than six million.

Kovach emphasized the largest increase in jobs in June was in education and health services.

"There's just some of the jobs that are most in demand," Kovach observed. "Jobs, especially like in health services, are consistently projected to be some of the most in-demand jobs over the next years and decades, especially in Pennsylvania. I believe leisure and hospitality also reached a record high in June."

Kovach added as the economy improves and nears full employment, the jobless rate will not continue to drop forever. It is expected to gradually stabilize at a low level, with the lowest so far at 3.2%.

A coalition of South Dakota groups is voicing its opposition to a ballot measure intended to end a state sales tax on consumables.

If passed this November, Initiated Measure 28 would repeal the state's 4.2% sales tax on "anything sold for human consumption," including food and other products from toothpaste to tobacco, CBD and vaping products.

Sandra Waltman, director of public affairs for the South Dakota Education Association, said the teachers union opposes the repeal because it does not include a plan to replace the money the current tax contributes to education.

"Our main reason for opposing this is the lack of a plan for replacing the $176 million and what that will do, not only for K-12 students but for higher education," Waltman explained. "Districts would probably be looking at a very bare-bones budget."

Currently, Waltman said about 60% of public school funding comes from state coffers, and the other 40% from local property taxes. She called the potential effect on education "drastic," saying they could lead to fewer teachers, larger class sizes and cuts to newer resources like mental health support and programs for career and technical education.

Proponents of the measure said repealing the tax could help the nearly 9% of South Dakotans who are food insecure but Waltman countered the same people would likely feel the effects of underfunded school systems.

"To repeal one tax without a more broad conversation about how you replace that revenue is shortsighted, and we think you shouldn't just be repealing a tax without a plan."

Other groups opposing the measure include the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, South Dakotans Against a State Income Tax and the South Dakota Farm Bureau.

North Dakota officials will highlight a new project today to boost childcare access for parents with nontraditional work hours.

A local provider likes what the state's been doing to help facilities and families but hopes for more action. Health and Human Services leaders will appear at a child care facility in Fargo to discuss a pilot initiative, giving operators financial incentives to increase capacity for childcare slots outside the hours of 7:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m.

Kathy Busche, owner of Kathy's Kids Daycare in Hazen, said she will need to see more details but would have interest in signing up. She explained it has been a big need in her area.

"We're right in the middle of coal country and so, a lot of our plant workers are working 12-hour shifts, starting at 6:30 in the morning," Busche observed. "We have hospital workers that are working 12-hour shifts."

The announcement is part of a series of investments the state adopted last year to ease the childcare burden felt across North Dakota. Busche noted she especially likes the inclusion grant to provide day care for kids with special needs. She feels the state could go further in offering incentives to retain staff.

The state has been providing a stipend, which maxes out at $3,600, to help stabilize the child care workforce. Busche emphasized her workers have already used up their portions.

"Now, there's really no incentives left to keep staff," Busche contended. "Without staff, we can't have more kids."

Busche feels the state should not write a "blank check" to address problems and wants policymakers to keep evaluating what is working. She hopes staff retention is among the topics state lawmakers revisit when they return to session early next year.