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Wearing
his most festive Santa suit and full of Christmas spirit, Gov.
Justice visited Chamberlain Elementary School in Charleston on
Saturday, delivering nearly 700 toys, games, and more to
dozens of little boys and girls from all across Kanawha
County in need of a little extra cheer this holiday season.
The gifts were purchased by the Governor and First Lady Cathy
Justice themselves and were given out to children ranging in age
from toddlers to preteens. [Watch Video] [More Photos]
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On
Thursday, Gov. Justice announced that, working alongside the
West Virginia Legislature, the West Virginia State Auditor’s
Office, and several local governments, the State of West Virginia
has reached an agreement with the State of Maryland to continue
Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) Train service to the
Eastern Panhandle. [Watch Video]
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Last
Friday, Gov. Justice announced that he has directed the Department
of Health and Human Resources to immediately initiate a formal
study to determine options for eliminating the waitlist for their
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Waiver program.
Elimination of the waitlist, which can last as long as four years,
would allow 1,060 more West Virginians, including 606 children, to
receive critical services through this waiver program. Gov.
Justice has directed the study be delivered to him by mid-January. [Read More]
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Last
Friday, Deputy Chief of Staff for Gov. Justice, Ann Urling,
joined officials from the U.S. Department of Justice at the Robert
C. Byrd United States Courthouse in Charleston to announce awards
of nearly $38 million to fight crime and improve community safety
in West Virginia. Nearly $8 million of the total will support
families, children, and crime victims ensnared by the nation's
ongoing opioid crisis. [Read More]
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After
learning, Monday, of the passing of World War II hero, West
Virginia Air National Guard founder, former West Virginia Delegate,
and Braxton County native Brig. Gen. J. Kemp McLaughlin, Gov.
Justice released a statement on the legacy of this great American.
McLaughlin was 101 years old. [Read More]
The Governor also encouraged every West Virginian to honor
General McLaughlin’s unparalleled legacy by reading the story of
his incredible life, written by the
West Virginia National Guard in celebration of the general’s 101st
birthday earlier this month. [Read More]
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This week,
leaders with the West Virginia National Guard, including Adjutant
General Maj. Gen. James A. Hoyer and Air National Guard Commander
Brig. Gen. Christopher S. "Mookie" Walker, also offered
statements honoring the life and legacy of McLaughlin. [Read More]
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The West
Virginia National Guard continues to transform lives for at-risk
youth with its Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy. Last Friday, 148
cadets graduated from the academy as part of Class 53. Almost half
plan to enter the workforce, while more than a third plan to attend
a four-year college or a vocational or technical program. [Watch Video] [Read More]
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The
National Guard is older than the country itself, and the West
Virginia National Guard helped celebrate its 383rd birthday last
Friday. More than 120 West Virginia National Guard members and
guests attended a special anniversary for the occasion, complete
with cake, at the Joint Forces Headquarters in Charleston. The WVNG
traces its heritage to 1735 and the militia company established in
Berkeley County by Morgan Morgan. It now has more than 4,100 Army
soldiers and 2,100 Air Force personnel. [More Photos]
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On Monday,
with West Virginia experiencing heavy rainfall across many areas of
the state, Gov. Jim Justice directed emergency response personnel
in various State agencies to be on standby to respond to a
potential flooding event. Fortunately, the resulting damage was
minimal, but crews were on standby if the situation had escalated. [Read More]
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Last
Friday, Gov. Justice spoke directly with Major League Baseball
Commissioner Rob Manfred about his organization's proposal for a
significant realignment of the Minor League Baseball structure,
which could have an effect on West Virginia's four minor league
teams. Following the conversation, the Governor released a
statement, saying the Commissioner has pledged to continue
listening to the concerns of the people of West Virginia. [Read More]
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On
Wednesday, First Lady Cathy Justice moderated a spelling bee at
Rupert Elementary School in Greenbrier County. Six students from
the 4th and 5th grade competed to be the school champion
and go on to the county-wide spelling bee. James Hunt, a fifth grader,
correctly spelled "powder" to win the competition. [Watch Video] [More Photos]
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On
Tuesday, Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia will once
again be joining in on the innovative competition, known as Girls
Go CyberStart, that is designed to encourage girls and women to
explore careers in cybersecurity. For the competition, each student
takes on the role of a security agent and solves puzzles and
challenges to earn points that allow her to progress to the next
level with new challenges. High school girls in grades 9-12 can
register to play alone or in teams of up to four students.
Participants solve challenges to gain points and advance through
levels, earning prizes along the way for themselves and for their
schools. Registration is already underway, and the first phase of
the games begin Jan. 13, 2020. [Read More]
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On
Wednesday, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
spotlighted lifetime hunting and fishing licenses as a gift option
for friends or family members this Christmas. WVDNR offers both an
adult and an infant version of the lifetime license. When you
purchase the license, you can choose between hunting only, fishing
only, or a combination license. A lifetime license for an infant,
before the age of two, is half price. [Watch
Video]
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Last
Friday, the Division of Natural Resources announced preliminary
data collected from the electronic game checking system indicates
that deer hunters in West Virginia harvested 36,796 antlered deer
during the two-week buck firearms season, which ran from Nov. 25
through Dec. 7, 2019. [Read More]
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Last
Friday, officials with West Virginia State Parks announced
that the sled run at Blackwater Falls State Park is now open
for business for the winter season. This year tickets will be
available for advance purchase online for the first time. [Read More]
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Last
Friday, the West Virginia Department of Transportation took a deep
dive into the crew that maintains the camera systems and lights
along our state-owned roads. The crew does work that includes a
variety of maintenance and is done dozens of feet in the air. If
you see a crew out working, remember to slow down and give them the
space they need. [Watch
Video]
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On Monday,
State Fire Marshal Ken Tyree and Military Affairs and Public Safety
Secretary Jeff Sandy recognized a group of eight Wood County
first responders who helped save a 6-year-old girl from a deadly
house fire. The group includes six members of the East Wood
Volunteer Fire Department including Gary Goodwin, Kevin Harris,
Keely Pritchett, James Dawson, Kyle Craig, and Levi Cross, as well
as Sgt. Della D. Matheny and Deputy Tasha L. Hewitt of the Wood
County Sheriff’s Department. [Read More]
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The
Division of Natural Resources Police has four new officers ready
for the field after they graduated from basic training at the West
Virginia State Police Academy last Friday. They joined DNR Police
in August and entered the academy later that month. [Read More]
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