West Virginia Week in Review - July 5, 2019

7/5/2019

 
 

​GOVERNOR'S OFFICE

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]

 

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]

 

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]

 

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]

 

 

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]

 

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]

 

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]

 

The State Emergency Operations Center was also activated and began coordinating with officials in the declaration area to determine their needs.​

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]

 

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]

 

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.

WEST VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD
&
DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

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]

 

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.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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]

 

All work, on the affected interstates, will resume on Monday, July 8.

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]

 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

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]

 

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.

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION

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.

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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]

 

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.

WEST VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD

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]

 

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.

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

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]

 

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]

 

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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Contact Information

Jordan Damron, jordan.l.damron@wv.gov

Contact

Office of the Governor
State Capitol, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E
Charleston, WV 25305

Office Phone:
304.558.2000 or 1.888.438.2731

Governor's Mansion:
304.558.3588

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