By Ian Karbal (Mountain State Spotlight), includes “On July 1, Gov. Jim Justice announced that in the 2021 fiscal year, which ended the previous day, West Virginia had a budget surplus of $413 million, topping previous expectations for the year. ‘We’re in great shape in West Virginia,’ Justice said, smiling. But, the surplus may not be all it’s cracked up to be. And despite math that suggests a $413 million surplus is more like an $8 million shortage, lawmakers are planning expenditures based on this illusion.”