By WVPA staff
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Press Association’s 2024 Legislative Lookahead, held at Charleston’s Culture Center on Jan. 5, was an opportunity for the media to get a preview of the upcoming session from lawmakers and other stakeholders.
The 2024 West Virginia Legislature’s 2024 session starts Wednesday.
The event featured three panels: Legislative Leadership, Economic Development and Healthcare. After each panel’s remarks and discussion, the panelists answered questions from reporters.
The Legislative Leadership panel featured Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley; House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay; and House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell. HD Media’s Doug Skaff moderated the panel.
The Economic Development panel — Mitch Carmichael, W.Va. secretary of Economic Development; Erienne Olesh, executive director of the Office of Student and Faculty Innovation at West Virginia University; and Bill Bissett, president of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, answered questions from moderator John McCabe, editorial director for Ogden Newspapers.
On Healthcare, James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., president of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM); Elizabeth Pellegrin, vice-president and chief marketing officer for Vandalia Health; and Stephen Pachuta, dean of the WVU School of Dentistry; answered questions from moderator Derek Redd, managing editor of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register, along with other members of the media, about some of the most pressing issues in healthcare today.
The event was presented by WV Press with support from AARP West Virginia, WVU University Relations and WVU Today, Vandalia Health, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and the West Virginia Press Association Foundation.