|
|
On
Tuesday, Gov. Jim Justice joined several state leaders at the
Putnam County Career and Technical Center in Eleanor to officially
announce the start of an all-new, comprehensive program aimed at
combating the state’s drug crisis: Jobs & Hope West Virginia.
The program is the result of the concept brought forth by Gov.
Justice during his 2019 State of the State address, to remove
barriers to job opportunities for those recovering from
addiction. Jobs & Hope West Virginia offers support
through a statewide collaboration of agencies that provide West Virginians
in recovery the opportunity to obtain career training and to
ultimately secure meaningful employment. [Watch Video] [More Photos]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On
Monday, Gov. Justice joined leaders with the West Virginia
Aeronautics Commission, holding a series of events at a trio of
airports across the state, to present
hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars-worth of grant funding to go
toward major improvement projects. The grant award ceremonies were
held at Huntington Tri-State Airport in Wayne County, Yeager
Airport in Kanawha County, and Mercer County Airport near Bluefield
– three of 11 airports statewide that have been awarded a combined
total of $677,483 in grant funding. Each of the grants come
from Special Revenue, provided by the Aviation Fuel Tax. These
grants will also make it possible for airports to secure
$12,194,700 in funding from the Federal Aviation Administration. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
Gov.
Justice’s first stop of the day came at Huntington Tri-State
Airport in Wayne County, where he announced the airport had been
awarded a total of $325,072 of WVAC funds from the Fuel Tax.
Additionally, the airport will receive $5,851,291 from the FAA. These
funds will be used for projects to improve the airport drainage
system, to make slide repairs to the taxiway, and to make
additional improvements to the runway safety area. [Watch Video] [More Photos]
|
|
|
|
Gov.
Justice’s second stop came at Yeager Airport, just outside of
Charleston in Kanawha County, where he announced the airport had
been awarded a total of $146,500 of WVAC funds from the Fuel
Tax. Additionally, the airport will receive $2,637,000 from the
FAA. These funds will be used for a project to make substantial
improvements to the airport’s drainage system. [Watch Video] [More Photos]
|
|
|
|
Gov.
Justice’s final stop came at Mercer County Airport, just outside of
Bluefield, where he announced the airport had been awarded a
total of $46,029 of WVAC funds from the Fuel Tax.
Additionally, the airport will receive $828,528 from the FAA.
These funds will be used for a project to build a new and
secure perimeter fence around the airport. [Watch Video] [More Photos]
|
|
|
|
On
Tuesday, President Donald J. Trump included four West Virginia
educators among 215 elite educators across the country as
recipients of the 2017-18 Presidential Award for Excellence in
Mathematics and Science Teaching. The West Virginia awardees
include Bradley Elementary School teacher Allison
Shriver, West Virginia Department of Education Office of Middle and
Secondary Learning assistant director and former Winfield Middle
School teacher Erika Klose, New Martinsville Elementary School
teacher Craig Mason, and Moundsville Middle School teacher Jaime
Pettit. The President hosted the awardees this week at a White
House ceremony. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
On
Wednesday, Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia’s tourism
industry grew for the second consecutive year in 2018. This
two-year growth trend reverses years of decline and outpaces
national growth by 58 percent. The finding comes from yearly
economic impact research, released just on the heels of the
industry’s annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism. The
research shows traveler spending in West Virginia grew at a rate of
6.5 percent, totaling $4.55 billion in 2018. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
Throughout
this week, several schools across West Virginia were presented with
grant funding from the Department of Arts, Culture and
History, through a partnership with the Save The Music Foundation
and matching monetary donors, for new musical instruments to any
traditional West Virginia public elementary or middle school that
has a certified music teacher and wants to build its instrumental
music program. The Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit
organization committed to ensuring that music instruction is a core
component to a complete education. [Watch Video] Among the
grant recipients was Western Greenbrier Middle School. First Lady
Cathy Justice stopped by during the award presentation to lend her
support. [More
Photos]
|
|
|
|
On
Wednesday, Gov. Justice issued an Executive Order, officially
establishing the West Virginia Complete Count Commission; which
will serve to assist the United States Census Bureau in conducting
the 2020 Census. The Commission will act in an advisory capacity to
the Governor and have two main objectives: to educate and encourage
full participation by the citizens of West Virginia in the 2020
Census and to develop plans and strategies to reach isolated groups
or areas that typically do not respond to the Census. The Executive
Order also established the members of the Commission. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
On
Tuesday, the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs announced
that it is accepting grant applications for a new pilot program
that aims to improve community health and economic development in
Kanawha, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties. The pilot program,
called Building Resources In Diverse Geographic Environments
(BRIDGE), is a comprehensive community revitalization effort with a
mission of addressing poverty, improving community-wide health,
stimulating labor force participation and supporting economic
development. The program also aims to combat substance abuse,
improve crime rates, and includes neighborhood revitalization. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
On
Saturday, Gov. Justice and First Lady Justice rode in the West
Virginia Black Walnut Festival Parade in Spencer. In this, the 65th
year in the history of the event, the Justices greeted attendees
from across Roane County and beyond. [More Photos] [Read More]
|
|
|
|
Last
Friday, the Division of Natural Resources announced that this
year’s West Virginia fall trout stockings will run as scheduled
during the weeks of Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, despite the long stretches
of summer heat and dry conditions across the state. [Watch
Video]
|
|
|
|
On
Thursday, Gov. Justice appointed John "J.R." Pitsenbarger
to the 11th Senatorial District seat, vacated by the resignation of
Greg Boso. The district covers all of Nicholas, Pendleton,
Pocahontas, Randolph, Upshur, and Webster counties; as well as part
of Grant County. Pitsenbarger is a 5th-generation farmer and a
lifelong resident in Nicholas County. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
This week,
Gov. Justice issued a proclamation, in accordance with President
Donald J. Trump’s proclamation, ordering all U.S. and West Virginia
State flags on all state properties across West Virginia be lowered
to half-staff as a mark of respect for the memory and longstanding
public service of Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland,
who passed away Thursday. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
Last
Friday, the Department of Environmental Protection announced
that they are offering free rain barrel installation for West
Virginia schools. The goal of the program is to teach students
about stormwater pollution and how collecting rainwater helps to
reduce the amount of pesticides, bacteria, and litter in our
waterways. [More Photos] [Read More]
|
|
|
|
On
Tuesday, the Department of Environmental Protection approved 12
applicants for grants totaling $133,261 for their Covered
Electronic Devices (CED) Recycling Grant Program. Established in
2008 under the WVDEP’s Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan,
the CED Program requires that manufacturers register their brands
with the state. The fees collected from this program allow counties
and municipalities to apply for CED grants to conduct electronic
collection events and support ongoing collection programs. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
On
Thursday, the Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission
announced that it is seeking nominations of individuals and
organizations for the 2020 “Living the Dream Awards.” Five awards
are given to individuals who best exemplify – through action or
personal traits – the principles and ideals characterizing Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. in his pursuit of social change. Any
person, regardless of race, color, or creed may be nominated. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
On
Wednesday, the Division of Motor Vehicles announced it is
encouraging DMV customers to obtain the REAL ID license or card as
soon as possible. Starting in October 2020, citizens wishing
to board aircraft or gain entry into federal buildings will need to
present a Federal, REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or
Identification card, or an approved alternative. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
Last
weekend, over the Columbus Day holiday, the Governor's Highway
Safety Program conducted a safety campaign called "Operation
Crash Reduction," increasing police visibility during what has
historically been one of the most dangerous holidays for motorists.
[Read More]
|
|
|
|
|
|