Gov. Manchin breezed into the Panhandle today, celebrated the relocation of an auto company (”Stasis”) from California to Summit Point, the polishing of streets in Shepherdstown (”Streetscape”) and the branding of bridges (now “The Van Wyk Bridge” over I81) in Martinsburg.

Besides the usual blessings, welcomes and thankyous in front of cabinet members, senators, delegates, commissioners and mayors (Snyder, Duke, Doyle, Lawrence, Goesthe, Surkamp, Manuel, Morgan, Auxer and Karos), the Governor did say that he was pleased that the state was weathering the economic ‘correction’ better than many States, but that ‘hard choices were ahead of us in the next two years.’ He said that he had no plans to furlough government workers and was glad that he had cut the state debt prior to the global financial collapse, which had given the state more choices than others.

Though some were not as welcoming as others - like the anti-PATH protesters – most were sympathetic to the state’s leading politician.

Tonight he flies back Charleston West Virginia, just in time for the opening of interims in the next few days.