Dominion Post article on eye docs

by David Beard

Aug. 17, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex . . .

source: The Dominion Post) --

State optometrists want to expand the scope of their practice, but ophthalmologists don't quite see eye to eye with them about what they want.

Optometrists say they want the freedom to practice what they're trained to do, and to provide more access to affordable eye care.

Ophthalmologists say the optometrists want to perform surgery without medical degrees.

"They've taken this and turned it into a surgery bill," Chad Robinson, spokesman for the West Virginia Optometric Association, said. The true intent is to allow "optometrists who are properly trained to practice what they're trained to do."

They don't want to perform major surgery, he said. "Optometrists should not be doing major invasive surgery."

The Charleston Gazette

August 11, 2009

By Phil Kabler

Kanawha Commission chief links most crime to drugs and alcohol

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper told legislators Monday the solution to adequately fund the state’s regional jail system is not complicated – but does require political courage.

“No one wants to admit, if you hold public office, that you raised a tax,” he told a legislative interim committee on regional jails and correctional facilities.

Kanawha County, along with other counties in the state, is seeing more and more of its operating budget go to pay costs for housing prisoners in state regional jails.

Since alcohol or drugs contribute to the incarceration of roughly four of every five inmates, Carper said it makes sense to raise taxes on alcohol, beer and wine to help fund the regional jails.

Revenue from the increased excise taxes on alcohol could go into a fund that currently helps counties offset about 10 percent of their costs for housing inmates in regional jails.