Gov. Jim Justice traveled the state Thursday to surprise some of the biggest winners from the second week of prize giveaways as part of his “Do it for Babydog: Round 2” Vaccination Sweepstakes.
Gov. Justice provided a life-changing opportunity to two West Virginia students when he and Babydog surprised them at their schools and revealed that they had each won a full ride college scholarship through the sweepstakes.
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Later in the afternoon, Gov. Justice and Babydog also stopped by Fairmont State University to present four more major prizes to a group of north central West Virginia residents.
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A total of 25 West Virginians were announced as “Do it for Babydog” winners Thursday, taking home a variety of exciting prizes, including those mentioned above as well as a dream wedding valued at $150,000, a custom fishing or pontoon boat, WVU and Marshall University football or basketball season ticket packages, and season passes to West Virginia ski resorts.
Vaccinated West Virginians have four more chances to win in Round 2 of the “Do it for Babydog: Save a life, Change your life” Vaccination Sweepstakes. All West Virginians who have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can register at DoitforBabydog.wv.gov for an opportunity to join the list of winners.
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On Friday, Gov. Justice and State medical experts announced that the latest updated hospitalization data shows that 818 West Virginians are currently hospitalized with COVID-19; matching the all-time record high number of hospitalizations for the entire pandemic.
According to State Coronavirus Czar Dr. Clay Marsh, the number of West Virginians in ICUs is still at the all-time record mark of 252, while the number of West Virginians on ventilators has once again broken the all-time high, reaching 152 individuals.
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On Wednesday, a report by the health news website statnews.com shows that West Virginia had – by far – the highest rate of acceleration of new COVID-19 cases in the country, with 2.69 cases per 100,000 people per week per day; more than 60% higher than the state with the 2nd-highest rate of acceleration.
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Gov. Justice announced that registration is now underway for the recently announced Healthy Grandfamilies vaccination incentive program. The program will provide a $150 voucher for back-to-school supplies to all vaccinated grandfamilies in West Virginia; families where grandparents are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren.
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Today, Sept.11, Gov. Justice will host a virtual September 11th 20th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony.
“Some of the speakers include our U.S. Senators. Dr. and Mrs. Ambrose, who lost their son Paul in one of the planes, will speak. General Crane, the First Lady, and myself will also speak,” Gov. Justice said. “I encourage all West Virginians to tune in and join us in honoring those we lost 20 years ago.”
The ceremony will premiere at 11:00 a.m. and will be available on Gov. Justice’s social media channels (Facebook | Twitter | YouTube), the Governor’s Office website, and will be broadcast on TV by West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Find your channel here.
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Gov. Justice also announced that he signed a proclamation, ordering that all United States and West Virginia flags on all State-owned facilities throughout all of West Virginia be displayed at half-staff from dawn to dusk on Sept. 11, 2021, to honor the memory of the Americans lost on 9/11, and to pay tribute to all of the patriots who have sacrificed their lives in the defense of our nation’s freedom.
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On Wednesday, Gov. Justice took time to announce that, in honor of all West Virginia heroes, past and present, he issued a proclamation officially declaring today, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, as “Heroes Day” in West Virginia. This annual observance – held on the second Saturday of each September – celebrates the bravery and sacrifice of first responders in West Virginia; including firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency medical services workers, and 911 telecommunicators.
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On Friday, Gov. Justice took time to announce that the Town of Clay is receiving a CDBG Disaster Recovery grant award in the amount of $7,091,500. The funding includes $191,809 from the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council and $899,609 from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. These Disaster Recovery grants are designed to respond to the long-term economic needs in communities impacted by the 2016 flooding.
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Gov. Justice visited Bluefield last weekend to participate in the pre-game festivities for the revamped Bluefield State College football program, which played its first game in 41 years last Saturday.
“I was able to do the coin toss,” Gov. Justice said. “Bluefield State is on the move. It was a good day. I’m really proud of that school and their contributions to southern West Virginia. Keep up the great work.”
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The West Virginia Division of Highways debuted a new traffic pattern on Wednesday with the opening of the Oakwood Intersection Improvement project on Corridor G. The new traffic pattern will alleviate traffic backups at the intersection of Oakwood Road and Corridor G with the opening of two new Restricted Crossing U-Turns (R-Cuts) to improve traffic flow off Oakwood Road.
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On Tuesday, the West Virginia Board of Education and the West Virginia Department of Education announced the 2022 West Virginia Teacher of the Year and School Service Personnel of the Year winners. Brian Casto of Cabell County is the 2022 Teacher of the Year, and Katherine Miller of Wayne County is the 2022 School Service Personnel of the Year. Winners were announced during the Celebration of Excellence in Education ceremony on Tuesday at the Culture Center in Charleston.
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The West Virginia Parkways Authority saw near-record numbers of travelers on the West Virginia Turnpike over the Labor Day weekend. Between Friday, Sept. 3, and Monday, Sept. 6, 418,776 vehicles passed through Turnpike toll plazas, up about 4 percent compared with the same time last year.
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On Thursday, the West Virginia Division of Highways debuted a new entrance ramp for southbound traffic onto US 35 just southwest of the Buffalo Bridge. The new traffic pattern connects the current two-lane section of US 35 with the existing section of completed four-lane. The final 15-mile section of four-lane between the Buffalo Bridge in Putnam County and Beech Hill in Mason County is expected to open to traffic later this fall.
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Gov. Justice and the West Virginia Division of Highways have awarded a project to pave the access road into the former Hobet mine site in Boone County. The project is the first step in developing the old mine site into an economic driver for southern West Virginia. Governor Justice directed WVDOH to come up with plans for a new interchange and improved access road into the site to open up Hobet, now known as Rock Creek Development Park, for development. WVDOH plans to put the second phase of the project, the interchange, out for bid later this fall.
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