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Last
Friday, Gov. Jim Justice and officials with the West Virginia
Department of Transportation visited Wood County to announce a
Roads To Prosperity construction project, building a new
roundabout intersection that will significantly improve
traffic flow to the city of Williamstown and the surrounding
area. The Williamstown project is one of nearly 1,000 Roads To
Prosperity projects that have either already been completed, are
currently under construction, or will be underway before the end of
2019. These projects represent more than $1.1 billion-worth of work
covering more than 1,700 miles. [Watch Video] [More Photos]
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On
Tuesday, leaders from the West Virginia Division of Highways,
including Deputy Commissioner of Highways Jimmy Wriston, P.E.,
hosted members of the media for a press conference to preview the
upcoming interstate widening project between the Merritts Creek and
Huntington Mall exits on I-64 in Barboursville. Road crews
began putting up orange construction barrels in the area Wednesday,
Nov. 6, signifying the start of preparation work for the
project. This major project is expected to take approximately
three years to complete. [Watch Video] [Read More]
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On
Wednesday, First Lady Cathy Justice unveiled the limited-edition
2019 First Lady Christmas Ornament at the Culture Center in
Charleston. The 2019 ornament is made of hand-cut West Virginia
steel, crafted in the shape of the Mountain State. West Virginia
artists Matt and Tessie Wallace, of Wallace Metal Works, designed
this year's ornament. There were only 500 ornaments produced. They
are on sale at the Culture Center Museum Gift Shop in Charleston
and will be available at the Tamarack in Beckley on Friday, Nov.
15. [Watch Video] [More Photos]
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Last
Friday, Gov. Justice attended a ceremony to introduce the Fraternal
Order of Police "Back the Blue" license plate. The event
was held at the W. Kent Carper Justice & Public Safety Complex
in Kanawha County. The license plate signifies West Virginians who
currently serve as part of a police force and those who we have
lost in service. The plate will be available at your local DMV
office beginning Jan. 1. [Watch Video] [More Photos]
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On Monday,
Gov. Justice sent out a message of support on social media for the
community in Bluefield, WV, after their high school football
field – Mitchell Stadium – won a USA Today poll as
"America's Best High School Football Stadium." [Read More]
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On
Thursday, Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School sixth-grade history
teacher Brian Allman was surprised at a school assembly where he
was presented with a Milken Educator Award by CEO of the National
Institute for Excellence in Teaching, Dr. Candice
McQueen and West Virginia Superintendent of Schools, Dr.
Steven Paine. Allman was named a 2019-20 recipient of the
national recognition, which comes with a $25,000 cash prize. He is
the only Milken Educator Award winner from West Virginia this year,
and is among up to 40 honorees nationwide for 2019-20. [Read More]
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On
Thursday, Gov. Justice addressed dozens of transportation
professionals, including engineers and state highways leaders, at
the American Council of Engineering Companies of West Virginia
(ACEC-WV) 2019 Joint Transportation Forum in Charleston. The
ACEC-WV is a statewide organization representing the consulting engineering
community in West Virginia. Forum attendees included contractors
and consultants from the private sector as well as workers with the
West Virginia Division of Highways. [Watch Video] [More Photos]
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Last
Friday, TSA and WV DMV officials hosted a press event to remind
West Virginia residents about the approaching REAL ID-compliant
deadline. Those who want to board an airplane will soon need a gold
star on their driver’s license, indicating that it is REAL
ID-compliant or they will need another form of approved
identification to board their flight or enter a secure federal
facility. West Virginia’s REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and
identification cards have a small gold star in the upper right
corner to indicate that it meets federal regulations that establish
minimum security standards. October marked the one-year countdown
until all travelers will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license
or another acceptable form of ID if they want to fly domestically
starting October 2020. [Watch
Video]
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On
Monday, Gov. Justice issued a proclamation, officially ending
the State of Emergency that had been in place statewide since last
month due to drought conditions. The original State of
Emergency declaration was made on Oct. 3, 2019, and applied in
all 55 West Virginia counties. It was put in place due to a
prolonged shortage of rainfall that has caused moderate drought
conditions across much of the state and severe drought conditions
in southern West Virginia. In the time since, however, those
drought conditions have dissipated, according to the National
Integrated Drought Information System. All mandatory and voluntary
water usage restrictions or guidelines that were included within
the State of Emergency declaration are also now lifted. [Read More]
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Last
Friday, Gov. Justice issued a proclamation ordering all United
States and West Virginia State Flags at the Capitol Complex and all
state-owned facilities in Mercer County to be displayed at
half-staff, from dawn to dusk on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, in
commemoration of the distinguished life and service of former West
Virginia Delegate Bob Holroyd. [Read More]
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On Monday,
Gov. Justice hosted Japanese Ambassador Shinsuke J.
Sugiyama for a meeting at the Governor’s Mansion to continue
developing the strong relationship between West Virginia and the
nation of Japan. [More
Photos]
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On Monday,
Gov. Justice hosted a lunch at the Governor's Mansion with members
of the Board of Public Works to discuss issues impacting the state
and its people. [Read More]
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The West
Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) recently
recognized four educators as “Environmental Teachers of the Year”
and announced the recipients of the “Clean County Award” and the
“Clean Community Award.” The awards were presented at the Annual
Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP)/Association of West
Virginia Solid Waste Authorities Joint Conference at Canaan Valley
Resort State Park. [Read More]
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The West
Virginia Army National Guard's 753rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal
(EOD) unit recently returned to the Mountain State after
successfully completing a nine-month overseas deployment in support
of Operation Freedom's Sentinel, where they earned praise and
recognition for their vital support to the United States mission in
Afghanistan. The 753rd EOD, based out of Kingwood, West Virginia,
consists of over 40 personnel from around the United States, 32 of
which were deployed. The unit specializes in the identification,
safe handling, and rendering safe of unexploded ordnance (UXO), and
is tasked with protecting U.S. forces from improvised explosive
devices (IED), hazardous munitions, and weapons of mass destruction
(WMD). Members of the unit work with cutting-edge technology and
are some of the U.S. Army's most highly trained and skilled
Soldiers. [Read More]
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On
Wednesday, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human
Resources (DHHR) announced Aetna Better Health of West Virginia has
been selected to serve as the Managed Care Organization (MCO) for
the specialized managed care program for children and youth in
adoption and foster care placement, and the state’s Children with
Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) waiver. The implementation
of managed care services for the state’s child welfare population
will aim to streamline the administration of health services,
tailor services to meet the needs of enrolled populations,
coordinate care for members, and work to transition members from
out-of-state care to community-based treatment in West Virginia. [Read More]
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The WV
DHHR's Bureau for Medical Services is now accepting public
comments on the new Children with Serious Emotional Disorder
Waiver (CSEDW) policy manual until December 1, 2019. The CSEDW
is part of DHHR’s child welfare reform effort and will provide an
array of services to enable children, who would otherwise require
institutionalization, to remain in their homes and communities. [Read More]
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