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Gov.
Justice joins EPA Administrator to announce the addition of Minden
to the National Priorities List
On Monday, Gov. Jim Justice joined U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler to announce that the Shaffer
Equipment / Arbuckle Creek area site in the Fayette County
community of Minden has officially been added to the National Priorities
List of Superfund sites. Being added to this list is a
significant step toward ridding the area of chemical contamination
that has built up over the years. [Read More]
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Being
added to the list also will allow the EPA to utilize federal funding
and other resources to conduct comprehensive, long-term cleanup
initiatives on the site.
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Gov.
Justice and elected officials welcome a proposal for major
investment in electric infrastructure
On Thursday, Gov. Justice and local elected officials welcomed
plans for the Black Rock Wind Farm, a proposed wind energy power
plant that straddles the Mineral and Grant County line. With a
generation capacity of up to 170 megawatts, the project expects to
create hundreds of jobs during construction, bolster the region’s
electricity infrastructure, and generate significant new tax
revenues for Mineral and Grant counties and the state as a whole. [Read More]
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First Lady
Cathy Justice continues expansion of Communities In Schools program
in Lincoln, Clay and Calhoun counties
Throughout this week, First Lady Cathy Justice visited a handful of
schools in Lincoln, Clay and Calhoun counties to announce further
expansion of the Communities In Schools (CIS) program, which aims
to utilize community support resources to reduce dropout rates and
increase student engagement.
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This week,
the First Lady met with students from Lincoln County High School,
Hamlin PK-8 School, Clay County Middle School, Clay County High
School, Arnoldsburg Elementary School and Calhoun Middle School. A
total of 49 new schools in eight new counties will be participating
in the program for the 2019-2020 school year. [More
Photos]
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Gov.
Justice announces $150,000 in federal grant funding for broadband
upgrades in Jefferson and Grant counties
On Thursday, Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia has secured
a combined total of $150,000 in federal grant funding that will be
used to improve broadband and high-speed internet connectivity in
Jefferson and Grant counties. [Read More]
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A total of
19 different communities throughout West Virginia have been awarded
similar CDBG grants for this year, combining for $13.1 million in
federal funding. Gov. Justice has announced all of these awardees
over the past month.
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Gov.
Justice addresses Class of 2019 at West Virginia Graduates
Baccalaureate Service in Raleigh County
Gov. Jim Justice provided words of wisdom to hundreds of graduating
high school seniors Sunday night, in an address made during the
annual West Virginia Graduates Baccalaureate Service at the
Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center. [Read More]
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This
spring marks the 2nd annual WV Grads Baccalaureate Service, which
aims to honor seniors from all schools across Raleigh County and
southern West Virginia on their upcoming graduations. The event was
organized by 15 area churches and brought in a crowd of about 600
students and their family members.
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Gov.
Justice talks tech with state technology directors from across the
eastern U.S. at regional seminar
On Tuesday, Gov. Justice addressed a collection of state
technology directors from across the eastern United States, who
gathered in West Virginia this week for this year’s National
Association of State Technology Directors Eastern Region Seminar. [Read More]
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The
seminar provides an opportunity for these various state technology
directors to share information about progress they have made over
the past year, while also reflecting about challenges they’ve faced
as well as strategies they’ve used to solve these problems to help
their respective state governments run more efficiently.
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First Lady
addresses standouts of Letters About Literature Competition
On Thursday, First Lady Cathy Justice stopped by the Culture Center
and spoke at a ceremony honoring participants and winners of the
annual West Virginia Letters About Literature competition, a
reading promotion where young readers write a personal letter to an
author, of any genre, explaining how his or her work changed their
view of the world or themselves. [Watch
Video]
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Top honors
for 2019 were awarded to Tessa Moore from the Linsly School in
Wheeling, Clare Seibert from the Linsly School in Wheeling
and Bethany Nutter from Nicholas County High School.
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Gov.
Justice orders state and U.S. flags to half-staff in honor of Peace
Officers Memorial Day
Gov. Justice issued a proclamation this week, in accordance with a
similar Presidential proclamation, ordering that all United States
and West Virginia state flags on all state-owned facilities be
displayed at half-staff on Wednesday in honor of Peace Officers
Memorial Day, which honors all men and women of law enforcement who
have given their lives in the line of duty. [Read More]
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Gov.
Justice issues proclamation honoring National Salvation Army Week
In honor of an organization that, for years, has worked to help
those in need, Gov. Justice issued a proclamation Monday that
officially recognizes this week as National Salvation Army Week in
West Virginia. [Watch
Video]
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The
Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Ann Urling, read the proclamation
to a group of representatives with the Salvation Army inside the
Governor’s Reception Room at the State Capitol Building.
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Gov.
Justice visits with elementary school students at Capitol
On Wednesday, Gov. Justice met two groups of young students who
were in Charleston to visit the State Capitol for the day. The
Governor took time to chat and take photos with the students from
Paden City Elementary School in Wetzel County. [Social
Post]
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The
governor also took time to get to know another group of students
from Leading Creek Elementary School in Lewis County. [Social
Post]
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DIVISION OF NATURAL RESOURCES
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Students
receive fishing tutorial from top professionals at Fishing Derby
On Thursday, the Division of Natural Resources hosted a fishing
derby at Camp Virgil Tate in Charleston. During the event, DNR
staff members took time to teach school children top-of-the-line
fishing techniques. The goal is to instill the importance of conservation
at an early age and expose the children to a healthy, lifelong
hobby. [Watch
Video]
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DNR crews
utilize rail car to stock Shavers Fork with trout
In the past week alone, the Division of Natural Resources stocked
more than 1,500 pounds of trout along Shavers Fork of the Cheat
River. This was a unique process, as parts of the stream require
the use of a rail car to be accessed. [Watch
Video]
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Stocking
has become a top priority since Gov. Justice issued a directive to
implement a new and improved method for trout stocking. Instead of
dumping all the trout in one place, DNR crews have been encouraged
to spread out across each body of water, in order to make sure the
fish are spread out too.
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West
Virginia hunters harvest more than 11,000 spring turkeys
Officials with the Division of Natural Resources say that
spring turkey hunters harvested about 11,210 gobblers this
year, which is three percent above the five-year average and
nine percent above the 10-year average. The five counties with the
highest harvests this season were Mason (464), Preston (455),
Jackson (447), Wood (362), and Harrison (347). [Read More]
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DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION
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State
Government Career Fair provides outlet for job opportunities
serving West Virginia
Dozens of West Virginia state agencies and many more interested
members of the public stopped by the Culture Center Wednesday to
participate in this spring's State Government Career Fair. The
event was aimed at providing job seekers with information
on full-time state government employment opportunities and
benefits. [Read More]
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Additionally,
information was distributed to college students who may be
interested in participating in the Governor’s Internship Program.
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Agency for
Surplus Property holds 3rd annual open house
On Thursday, the West Virginia State Agency for Surplus Property
(WVSASP) – which makes
available good, usable property no longer needed by the owning
state agency to eligible organizations – held its 3rd annual
open house event in Dunbar to teach other state agencies, local and
county governments, schools boards of education, volunteer fire
departments, and more about the benefits of their program.
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More than
25 eligible organizations attended the event in Dunbar, including
the Clay, Calhoun and Mercer county boards of education; Challenged
Athletes of West Virginia; Kanawha Valley Senior Services; and
Water Matters in West Virginia.
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
RESOURCES
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CDC's Tips
From Former Smokers campaign visits West Virginia
On Thursday, the Department of Health and Human Resources hosted
the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
for a media and public awareness event to discuss the dangers of
smoking as a part of the CDC's Tips From Former Smokers campaign at
the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. [Read More]
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The event
featured a former smoker, named Amanda, who has appeared in
nationally-broadcasted TV ads by the CDC. Amanda shared her story
of how smoking impacted her pregnancy and how she managed to
quit.
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DHHR
partners with U.S. Department of Justice on child welfare reform
On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Resources entered
into a partnership with the United States Department of Justice,
officially agreeing to serve children with serious mental health
conditions in the most integrated setting appropriate, by expanding
community-based mental health services and reducing the number of
children in residential mental health treatment facilities. [Read More]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
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Major work
on interstate overpass bridges near I-77/I-79 split in Charleston
set to begin
Another project to improve the long-term sustainability of a major
West Virginia roadway will begin Saturday morning. Travelers in
Charleston will experience a work zone and slow moving traffic
along I-77/I-79, just north of the I-64/I-77 split, as the
Division of Highways replaces the decks on three overpass bridges,
and an overlay on one other bridge. [Read More]
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The
interstate project, as per its contract, will impact I-77 for
approximately 100 days, with crews working around the clock, 24/7.
The first phase will require the closure of I-77 northbound and the
adjacent ramps to all traffic on the Westmoreland interchange. The
Westmoreland Drive, Garrison Avenue, Cora Street and Spring Street
underpasses will be closed at various times throughout the duration
of the project, although emergency vehicles will be accommodated.
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Secondary
road maintenance work continues across the state
Once again this week, crews with the Division of Highways continued
their work fixing the secondary road system across West Virginia.
With an increased emphasis on road repair and maintenance as the
top priority of the DOH, crews were able to lay more than 22,000
tons of materials to stabilize crumbling roads this week alone in
addition to many other types of maintenance work. [Read More]
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WEST VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD
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Top
soldiers battle for title of Best Warrior in grueling competition
A group of elite Army National Guard soldiers from across the
eastern United States gathered at Camp Dawson in Preston County
Thursday to begin a grueling 72-hour competition, testing both
physical and mental abilities, to determine which individual will
earn the title of Best Warrior for the region. Competitors
from West Virginia, District of Columbia, Virginia,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware zeroed their weapons and
worked to out-run and out-muscle the competition in strength and
conditioning events. [More
Photos]
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The
soldiers also took part in written tests essay writing to test
their mental aptitude. The contest is set to continue into the
weekend, with the eventual champion set to move on to the National
Guard Best Warrior Competition. [More
Photos]
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Young
Writers Day celebration held at University of Charleston
Last Friday, the best of the best young student writers from across
West Virginia gathered at the University of Charleston as part of a
celebration event for top-achieving students who took part in the
annual Young Writers Contest, where students compose a work
of fiction, nonfiction, narrative, memoir, or essay. [Read More]
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University
High School making strides in diverse computer science program
With Advanced Placement testing season fully underway, West Virginia
students joined thousands across the country in exam rooms this
week, and one school in Morgantown – University High
School – is hoping to build on success from last spring,
particularly in computer science. This March, UHS became one of
just 685 schools in the world to receive the College Board's AP
Computer Science Female Diversity Award, recognizing both the
program's high-achieving test scores and its gender diversity in
the classroom. [Watch
Video]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
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WVDEP
presents 2019 Environmental Awards at ceremony
The 2019 Environmental Awards, which honor the initiatives of
organizations and individuals from across West Virginia, were
presented Wednesday during a special ceremony at the West Virginia
Department of Environmental Protection headquarters in Charleston.
In total, 13 individuals, volunteer groups, local government
officials, and industry leaders were honored in categories ranging
from Municipal Stormwater and Water Conservation to Land
Revitalization and Environmental Stewardship. [Read More]
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WVDEP
teams up to help Girl Scouts earn STREAM badge
On Saturday, the WVDEP partnered with Trout Unlimited – an
organization that works to restore watersheds all over North
America – to help several West Virginia Girl Scouts earn their
STREAM badge. STREAM stands for Science, Technology,
Recreation, Engineering, Arts and Math and is a newly created badge
by Trout Unlimited and the Girl Scouts. The event took place at the
Rocky Ledges Black Diamond Girl Scout Camp in Milton and the WVDEP
staff taught about the origin of the water in a stream and where it
goes, how to describe a stream bank in technical terms, and what
types of animals live in the stream and why. [Read More]
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Women
Owning Woodlands workshop comes to West Virginia for first time
ever
A Women Owning Woodlands (WOW) workshop will be held for the first
time in West Virginia. The WOW weekend workshop is for taught by
women, for women and is scheduled for May 31 - June 2 in Watoga
State Park and Calvin Price State Forest in Pocahontas County. The
WOW workshop instructors and attendees are women. The program is
designed to provide women landowners with the opportunity to ask
questions, practice skills and network with other women involved in
managing their own woodlands.
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Forest
industry research reports that the percentage of family forest
ownerships, where a woman is the primary decision maker, doubled
from 2006 to 2013. The session will cover practical skills such as
how to identify common types of trees, manage forests, value
woodlands for timber or wildlife, and much more. The deadline
to register is Friday, May 24.
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WEST VIRGINIA STATE POLICE
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Troopers
participate in Special Olympics Torch Run
On Saturday, West Virginia State Police from Martinsburg
participated in the Eastern Panhandle Law Enforcement Special
Olympics Torch Run, a nationwide campaign to benefit the Special
Olympics. West Virginia Troopers teamed up to carry the torch for
more than eight miles on foot before lighting the flame. [More
Photos]
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Series of
Reverse Job Fairs across West Virginia wraps up
This week marked the final events on the recent statewide series of
Reverse Job Fairs in West Virginia. Each job fair proved to be
beneficial for both the students who showcased their skills and qualifications,
and employers who met potential employees with the talents
necessary to succeed. [Watch
Video]
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