Each week, Gov. Jim Justice's
Communications Office will release a recap of the prior week's events
and press releases from across all state agencies within the
executive branch.
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Gov. Justice directs DOH to identify secondary road
maintenance needs statewide at meeting with all district engineers and
county supervisors
On Tuesday, Gov. Jim Justice called all district engineers and
county supervisors within the state Division of Highways to the Capitol
for a meeting at the Culture Center, where the Governor directed all
DOH officials to get to work identifying and prioritizing secondary
road maintenance needs across the state. [View Press
Release]
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During his address, the Governor gave DOH leaders 72
hours to compile a complete list of road problems in their respective
regions and an additional 24 hours to categorize each of the problem
spots, based on severity. Gov. Justice also asked DOH officials to
use the same 72-hour window to identify what materials, equipment, or
manpower is needed for each district to be able to conduct aggressive
maintenance to fix the roads and to keep them in good shape at all
times in the future. [View Governor's
Full Photo Album]
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Gov. Justice said that once he gets all the reports
from each DOH district and county in the state, he will enlist the help
of Revenue Secretary Dave Hardy to find the most fiscally-responsible
solution possible.
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Governor appoints new member of State Board of Education
Gov. Justice Wednesday appointed Daniel Snavely, M.D. to the West
Virginia State Board of Education. Snavely will fill the seat vacated
by Joseph Wallace, following his resignation from the board last month.
[View Press
Release]
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A graduate of the West Virginia University School of
Medicine and Marshall University, Snavely works as the Medical Director
at St. Mary’s Regional Wound Center and as an Interventional
Cardiologist at Huntington Internal Medicine Group. Snavely will
complete Wallace’s unexpired term, which is set to end in November
2024.
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Gov. Justice orders flags flown at half-staff to honor
former state legislator; Huntington mayor
Gov. Justice ordered all United States and West Virginia flags
displayed at the Capitol complex in Charleston and all state facilities
throughout Cabell County be lowered to half-staff on Tuesday, in
commemoration of Robert R. “Bobby” Nelson, who worked as a state
delegate, senator, and as the mayor of Huntington at various points
over the course of his 28-year career in public office. [View Press
Release]
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Gov. Justice proclaims Small Business Development Center
Day
In honor of an organization that, for years, has helped boost small
businesses across the state to big success, Gov. Justice issued a
proclamation Wednesday that officially designated March 20, 2019 as
Small Business Development Center Day in West Virginia. [View Press
Release]
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Gov. Justice appoints Poling as judge for 10th Judicial
Circuit serving Raleigh County
On Monday, Gov. Justice named Darl W. Poling of Beckley, WV to the 10th
Judicial Circuit Court, which serves Raleigh County. Poling fills the
seat vacated by Judge John Hutchison, following his appointment as a
Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. [View Press
Release]
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Poling has spent the past 23 years serving as a
Municipal Court Judge in Beckley, WV. For the past 22 years, Poling has
also served as an attorney at his own private law firm, Poling Law
Office.
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Following Governor's signature, Revenue Secretary
provides details on Budget Bill
One day after Gov. Justice signed the state Budget Bill for Fiscal Year
2020, Secretary of the Department of Revenue Dave Hardy provided
further details on the bill during a press conference held inside the
Governor's Reception Room last Friday. [View Press
Release]
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WVDE hosts first four community forums on education
betterment
The Department of Education hosted forum events each evening from
Monday to Thursday this week at various schools across West Virginia,
providing teachers, service personnel, students, parents and other
community members a chance to give their input on ways to improve the
state's education system. The forums are being held to provide
lawmakers with insights ahead of a special session on education
betterment. The first forum was held at Cabell Midland HIgh School in
Ona. [View YouTube
Video]
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Additional forums this week were held at Mount View High
School in Welch, Capital High School in Charleston [View YouTube Video],
and Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley.
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Extra education forum event added as statewide tour continues
On Tuesday, WVDE officials announced they would be adding one
additional education forum to the schedule as these events continue
across the state over the next two weeks. The extra forum will be held
at Blennerhassett Middle School in Parkersburg on March 25 at 6
p.m. [View Press Release]
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The three other remaining forums will be held from April
1 through April 3 at Robert C. Byrd High School in Clarksburg, Wheeling
Park High School in Wheeling, and Berkeley Springs High School in
Berkeley Springs. [View Schedule]
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Career tech skills competition to bring hundreds of
students to north central West Virginia
More than 750 West Virginia Career Technical Education students will
participate in the 2019 state SkillsUSA competition in locations
throughout north central West Virginia beginning Friday and continuing
through the weekend. The event brings together the best CTE students in
the state, allowing each of them to showcase their skills in 52 sectors
including automotive service technology, masonry and urban search and
rescue. [More Details
Here]
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Winners from local CTE competitions will attend the
state conference. Winners at the state level will travel to the 2019
National SkillsUSA Championships in Louisville, Ky., June 24-28.
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State Superintendent accepting applications for Logan
County Board of Education Vacancy
State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Steven Paine, announced Tuesday
that he is seeking applications from those having an interest in
filling an unexpired term on the Logan County Board of Education. [View Press
Release]
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The vacancy resulted from Governor Jim Justice’s
appointment of former Logan County Board of Education President Paul
Hardesty to the West Virginia Senate.
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DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC SAFETY
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State Police crime lab vastly improving caseload
The West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory has reduced the
number of pending cases by more than half, in part by adding to the
ranks of its talented and highly trained staff. The lab began the year
with around 2,300 pending cases. The backlog by the end of 2016 had
been nearly 5,000 cases. [View Press Release]
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As West Virginia’s only full-service crime lab, the
WVSPFL fields an average of 6,700 requests for analysis
annually from as many as 800 federal,
state, county and local agencies across the state.
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Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
holds statewide tornado drill
On Tuesday morning the Divison of Homeland Security and Emergency
Management (DHSEM) held a statewide tornado drill as part of the
scheduled events for Severe Weather Awareness Week. The drill included
a test of the statewide siren system. Several school systems across the
state participated, teaching students the proper way to seek shelter in
the case of a tornado emergency. [View Twitter
Post]
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DHSEM hosts kickoff event for Severe Weather Awareness
Week
On Monday, DHSEM held a news conference in Harrison County to promote
public knowledge of Severe Weather Awareness Week. Speakers at the
conference provided an overview of the historic “Shinnston” Tornado and
gave tips on how to stay prepared for a severe weather event. [View Full
Video]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN RESOURCES
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DHHR announces emergency energy assistance program for
low income residents
The Department of Health and Human Resources announced Monday that
applications for the Emergency Low Income Energy Assistance Program
(LIEAP) will be accepted beginning Monday, March 25, 2019, and ending
Friday, March 29, 2019, or until funds have been exhausted. The
federally-funded program assists eligible state residents who have a
termination notice in paying their home heating bills. [View Press
Release]
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Eligibility for Emergency LIEAP benefits is based on
income, household size, whether or not the household is responsible for
paying its home heating bill, and if a home heating emergency exists.
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DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
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DEP accepting registrations for Adopt-A-Highway Spring
Statewide Cleanup event
Friday, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced it
is now accepting registrations for the Adopt-A-Highway Spring Statewide
Cleanup, scheduled for Saturday, April 27. Volunteers have until April
19th to register. Co-sponsored by the DEP and the state
Division of Highways, the Adopt-A-Highway program improves the quality
of the state’s environment by encouraging public involvement in the
elimination of highway litter. [View Press
Release]
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Individuals, families, churches, businesses, schools,
civic organizations, government agencies and communities can register
to pick up trash on almost any state-maintained road, back road or main
route.
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Putnam Area Robotics Team hosts workshops to train
educators on STEM principles
The Putnam Area Robotics Team (PARTs), a member of the DEP’s Youth
Environmental Program, has begun hosting a series of workshops to
provide resources and train educators in conservation-based STEM
principles. [View Press Release]
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The workshops are set to reach all 55 counties in West
Virginia by May 2020.
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Division of Air Quality participates in Introduce a Girl
to Engineering Day
On Tuesday, the Department of Environmental Protection's Division of
Air Quality participated in a STEM event, geared towards girls, at
BridgeValley Community and Technical College in South Charleston. [View Press
Release]
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HERBERT HENDERSON OFFICE OF MINORITY AFFAIRS
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Financial literacy class shows how to plan smart, avoid
scams
The Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs announced Wednesday
that it will be offering a financial literacy class to members of the
public to highlight financial challenges and pitfalls and present tips
to avoid them. The free class will take place on Tuesday, April 2,
6 p.m., at the Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School, Charleston.
The program is not affiliated with Kanawha County Schools. [View Press
Release]
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The class focuses on money scams, smart planning and
handling unbanked/underbanked obstacles. Unbanked/underbanked
households rely on cash and have little or no access to checking or
savings accounts, credit cards or other traditional financial services.
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