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OPINIONS
Editorial: On jail costs, breeder subsidies and an aging state
For once, Cabell County is not at the top of the list as the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority tries to get counties to pay their past-due bills for housing inmates in regional jails.
The authority said several counties owe large amounts, with Berkeley, Mercer and Kanawha counties all owing more than $1 million. Cabell County had owed a large amount, but after a case that went to the state Supreme Court, it has paid down that debt and owes about $200,000.
With counties owing most of the $6.5 million in unpaid fees, another state agency also owes a large bill. The state Division of Corrections owes more than $800,000. For the most part, regional jails hold people who have been arrested and are awaiting trial. The Division of Corrections uses regional jails to house some people who have been convicted of crimes.
Officials from many counties complain about the cost of using the regional jail system, but the rate charged by the state most likely is less than what a county would have to pay to build and operate a jail that meets modern standards. Also, the regional jail system reduces the counties' liability if something goes wrong inside the jail.
Cabell County officials led the way in complaining about jail costs, but the fact they have paid down so much of their past-due bills shows the money is there for counties to use the system.
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Slot machines and table games have taken the place of horse races and dog races as the main attractions at West Virginia's racetrack casinos. Money from the machines is supposed to help education. So why is West Virginia still subsidizing the breeding of racehorses and racing dogs?
Last year, the state distributed $12.6 million to the breeders, according to The Associated Press. The money comes from tax proceeds on video lottery machines at the state's four racetracks.
It's time to end this subsidy. Every dollar going to a breeder is a dollar not going to education.
The median age of people in Cabell County last year was 38.2, according to figures released recently by the Census Bureau. That means half the people in the county were younger than 38.2 years, and half were older.
If that looks old, there is a bit of good news when it's compared with other counties in the state. Cabell County was the fourth-youngest county in West Virginia, trailing Monongalia (30.4), Berkeley (35.8), Jefferson (36.8) and Gilmer (36.8).
Now for the bad news: Only 13 of West Virginia's 55 counties had median ages younger than 40. Most of the counties in this part of West Virginia were in that group: Lincoln, 39.1; Putnam, 39.8; and Wayne, 39.9.
The oldest county in the state was Pendleton County, where the median age was 45.3.
Yes, West Virginia is getting older, but it doesn't have to. In the long term, it needs to improve its economy and its quality of life so younger people will find the state a good place to live.
