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Gov.
Justice announces all-time state record for single-year revenue
growth
With the twelfth and final month of Fiscal Year 2019 now in the
books, Gov. Jim Justice announced Tuesday that the general revenue
growth of $511 million for the year marked the greatest single-year
revenue growth total in West Virginia history. For perspective, the
$511 million in revenue growth for FY2019 alone is more than
one-and-a-half times the combined revenue growth in West Virginia
for the entire decade from FY2007 to FY2017. [Watch
Video]
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West
Virginia’s general revenue growth rate has grown to one of the best
in the country. Only five states in the nation reached double-digit
revenue growth as of April 2019, with West Virginia’s 11.5 percent
ranking second in the United States. Also this year, West
Virginia's personal income growth rate for the first quarter of
2019 of 5.6 percent ranked #1 in the nation, per the United States
Department of Commerce. The Governor championed West Virginia's
record-setting numbers on a national stage, in a series of recent
interviews aired countrywide. [Watch
Video]
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Gov.
Justice wishes West Virginians a happy Fourth of July
On Thursday, Gov. Justice released a video message wishing all West
Virginians a happy Independence Day. In the video, the Governor
said as we celebrate our nation’s freedom, we should remember all
those who have served and have lost a loved one fighting for our
country. [Watch
Video]
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Gov.
Justice offers prayers and condolences to family of Chris Cline
On Thursday, Gov. Justice issued a statement on the passing of
Beckley native and billionaire coal executive Chris Cline, known
for his many charitable contributions to southern West Virginia and
Marshall University. [View Social
Post]
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Gov.
Justice honors graduates of newest State Police cadet class
Last Friday, Gov. Justice attended and spoke at a graduation
ceremony for the West Virginia State Police’s 67th Cadet Class. The
event celebrated the successful graduation of 28 new cadets from
the West Virginia State Police training course, which includes
hundreds of hours of training, over the course of six months, in
subjects like defensive tactics, firearms, criminal law, traffic
law, crash investigation, crime scene investigation, cultural
diversity, and emotional intelligence. [Watch
Video]
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The event
also marked the second State Police cadet class graduation since
November 2018. Before that, the WVSP had not graduated any new
cadet classes for nearly four full years. [More
Photos]
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Gov.
Justice declares State of Emergency for counties affected by flash
flooding
In the aftermath of significant flooding over the weekend, Gov.
Justice officially declared a State of Emergency for Grant,
Pendleton, Preston, Tucker, and Randolph counties. The
Governor authorized the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security
and Emergency Management to support local counties and to use all
state resources necessary. The Governor also directed the West
Virginia National Guard to assist. [Read More]
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The State
Emergency Operations Center was also activated and began
coordinating with officials in the declaration area to determine
their needs.
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Gov.
Justice signs education bill, supplemental appropriation bills, and
others, unlocking new opportunities for all West Virginians
Last Friday, Gov. Justice signed a total of 23 bills that were
passed during the recent special legislative session, all of which
aim to provide better opportunities for West Virginians in various
ways. Among the bills signed was House Bill 206, a
comprehensive education bill designed for the betterment of
children, teachers, and the entire education community. [Read More]
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Gov.
Justice names former Rainelle Mayor Andrea Pendleton a
Distinguished West Virginian
On Tuesday, Gov. Justice named former Rainelle Mayor Andrea
“Andy” Pendleton as a Distinguished West Virginian. The award was
presented to the mayor at a luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion in
Charleston. [Watch
Video]
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Mayor
Pendleton served the city of Rainelle as mayor for eight years. She
retired after completing her fourth two-year term. While in office,
she helped the town get back on its feet after the devastating
2016 flood. She was elected as Rainelle’s first female mayor
in 2011.
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WEST VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD
&
DIVISION OF
HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
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Guard and
emergency personnel respond to flooding
This week, personnel with the West Virginia National Guard and the
West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency
Management worked together to provide emergency response and
assistance to residents impacted by heavy rainfall and
flooding on Sunday. The WVNG had a dozen soldiers on State
Active Duty, providing initial damage assessments,
conducting debris removal at the Harman K-12 school and more. [Read More]
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WVDHSEM
also sent several teams to the affected region to assess damages in
the impacted areas. Director Mike Todorovich believes that the
Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending damage
assessment teams in the coming days to determine if the threshold
for a federal disaster declaration has been met in the affected
counties.
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
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Several
WVDOH work zones freed up for Fourth of July travelers
With travel for the July 4th holiday fully underway this week,
the Division of Highways announced that it will, where possible,
remove barrels and suspend work on several interstate road projects.
[Read More]
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All work,
on the affected interstates, will resume on Monday, July 8.
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Secondary
road maintenance work in District 8 highlighted
Yet again this week, crews with the Division of Highways worked
around the clock and across the entire state, fixing secondary
roadways in need of repair. Over the past week, work done in DOH
District 8 has been highlighted. The district includes Randolph,
Tucker, Pocahontas and Pendleton counties. [Watch
Video]
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Natural
Resources Police to crack down on boating safety for Independence
Day weekend
This weekend, Natural Resources Police Officers will be patrolling
the state’s rivers and lakes during Operation Dry Water weekend;
part of a national campaign to reduce the number of accidents and
fatalities related to boating under the influence. [Read More]
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The goal
of Operation Dry Water is to raise awareness about the dangers of
boating under the influence and to reduce the number of accidents
and deaths attributed to impaired boating. Officers will be out in
force looking for boaters whose blood alcohol concentration meets
or exceeds 0.08, the legal limit in West Virginia.
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DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION
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Three West
Virginia high schools place in top 100 of national cyber
competition
Recently, teams from Morgantown High School, Scott High School, and
Fayetteville High School all placed in the top 100 of the SANS
Institute’s national Girls Go CyberStart competition. The
competition, which is designed to encourage girls and women to
explore careers in cybersecurity, kicked off in March with 9,500
girls from 27 different states. After advancing to the national
level, Morgantown High School placed 41st in the nation, with
Fayetteville High School finishing 72nd and Scott High School
coming in 99th.
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Six
finalists announced for 2020 West Virginia Teacher of the Year
On Monday, the Department of Education announced six finalists for
the 2020 West Virginia Teacher of the Year award. Finalists were
selected among 2019 County Teachers of the Year from each school
district. This year’s finalists represent elementary, middle and
high school educators from all regions of the state. [Read More]
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The
finalists include Alexandria Amorim from Wayne High School in
Wayne County; Kara Bowles from Mountaineer Middle School in
Harrison County; Clara “T.C.” Tucker-Clemons from Highlawn
Elementary School in Cabell County; Aaron Fedorke from
Wheeling Park High School in Ohio County; Jennifer
Schwertfeger from Cameron High School in Marshall County; and
Lucas Woods from PikeView High School in Mercer County.
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WEST VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD
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WVNG
Special Forces train with Polish, Latvian forces in West Virginia
West Virginia Army National Guard Special Forces
Soldiers recently completed a training program
with members of the Polish Territorial Defense Forces and
Latvian Zemmessardze as a part of the Ridge Runner program in West
Virginia. Ridge Runner is a WVARNG training program that
provides various National Guard, active duty, and NATO ally nation
armed forces training in irregular and asymmetrical warfare tactics
and operations. [More
Photos]
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Both
nations have newly established national guard-type forces for their
militaries, the Territorial Defense Forces for Poland and the
Zemmesardze for Latvia, that are focused on defense of their
homeland and resistance against an aggressor.
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DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
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WVDEP's
Project WET teams up for event with Girl Scouts
The Department of Environmental Protection teamed up with
Girl Scouts this past weekend at the national GIRLS Fest event
at ACE Adventure Resort in Minden. The scouts were challenged to
describe water's unique molecule properties and WVDEP staff showed
them how they can be an environmental steward in their communities. [More
Photos]
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WVDEP
announces tire collection events for July
The Department of Environmental Protection announced this Tuesday
that its Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan is hosting
several tire collection events around the state in the month of
July. A list of upcoming tire collection events can also be
found on the WVDEP website. [Read More]
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Residents
may dispose of up to 10 tires per person with a valid West Virginia
ID for the county in which the tire collection event is being held.
The tires must be off the rims, and only car and light truck tires
will be accepted.
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