On Monday, Gov. Justice and State Coronavirus Czar Dr. Clay Marsh both discussed the possibility that West Virginia could soon see the pandemic transition into an endemic stage.
“We are anticipating, very soon, coming to an important fork in the road,” Dr. Marsh said. “We are starting to see a reduction of the most recent surge brought on by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 because of the levels of immunity that we have in our country, both from vaccination and boosting, and also from native immunity."
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On Wednesday, Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia’s number of active COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, ICU patients, and patients on ventilators are now all declining.
“We’re really making improvement,” Gov. Justice said. “We are making some progress, but I ask everyone to still not forget the West Virginians we’ve lost.”
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On Friday, Gov. Justice announced that there will be a third round of the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits allocated to eligible students who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, P-EBT funding has resulted in more than $328 million in food assistance support for West Virginia children.
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Gov. Justice joined WV Department of Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby and officials with WV State Parks Tuesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Blackwater Falls State Park Lodge to celebrate its grand reopening after the completion of a multimillion-dollar renovation project, and to celebrate the completion of several additional major improvement projects at Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley Resort state parks.
The lodge and other facilities at Blackwater Falls State Park are reopening after the completion of $6.85 million in renovations and improvements – including $5.2 million for the lodge alone. Canaan Valley Resort State Park is also nearing completion on $2.65 million in upgrades to its facilities.
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Gov. Justice announced Tuesday that construction on yet another section of Corridor H will soon be underway. The Governor was joined by U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, U.S. Congressman David McKinley, leaders with the West Virginia Department of Transportation, and other officials for a ceremony to announce that he has approved the bid award for the Corridor H Cheat River Bridge Project. The successful bid of $147,839,550 was made by Triton Construction of St. Albans.
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On Friday, Gov. Justice recognized the winners of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources’ first-annual Big Buck Photo Contest during a special event at the State Culture Center. The Governor announced five adult winners and surprised all youth finalists with a free lifetime hunting and fishing license.
The Big Buck Photo Contest is one of the many promotions spearheaded by the Governor to increase participation in the sport. The contest, sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Tourism and the WVDNR, invited sportsmen, women, and children to show off their buck harvest last fall. The response was overwhelming with more than 1,600 contest entries in just five weeks.
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On Wednesday, Gov. Justice held a ceremony to sign House Bill 4264, officially changing the designation of Glenville State College to Glenville State University. The bill passed unanimously in both the West Virginia House of Delegates and the State Senate and takes effect immediately.
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Gov. Justice took time out of his remarks on COVID-19 Friday to ask West Virginians for their prayers amid escalating conflict as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine.
“We offer up our prayers for those people,” Gov. Justice said. “It’s just really sad. We need to realize we have made one whale of a mistake in this country. The pipeline should be finished in West Virginia; the Keystone Pipeline ought to be up and going. When it boils right down to it, we’ve got to realize there’s some real bad actors out there. The United States of America could be totally energy independent and the bad actors would be minimized."
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On Monday, Gov. Justice announced the approval of over $8.3 million in Transportation Alternatives and Recreational Trails Program grants for 29 improvement projects in 21 counties across West Virginia. These grants help towns and cities improve their network of recreational trails, biking/walking paths, sidewalks, and more, by either building from scratch or enhancing what they already have through various types of projects.
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On Tuesday, Gov. Justice declared a State of Preparedness for 41 counties throughout West Virginia due to the threat of flooding this week. The Governor’s declaration directed the State Emergency Operations Center and its partner agencies to prepare to respond ahead of this significant rainfall event, posturing personnel and resources to mobilize a response to any emergency that may develop.
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During his Monday press briefing, Gov. Justice took time to read a letter that he received from 11-year-old Anna Kate Bowen of Huntington, which was written after he tested positive for COVID-19. The Governor then showed off Bowen’s painting that accompanied her letter.
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Funding from Gov. Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program will replace a low water crossing at Seneca Rocks with a 140-foot steel truss bridge. The low water crossing carries Roy Gap Road over the North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River at the base of Seneca Rocks, near the United States Forest Service Seneca Rocks Discovery Center.
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The West Virginia Department of Transportation is actively hiring Transportation Workers all over the state and is ready to hire right now! Interested candidates are urged to go online and apply now for these positions. WVDOT will also hire several West Virginians on the spot at a series of flash hiring events across the state this spring.
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West Virginia’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children has joined 19 other states in the WIC Developmental Monitoring Project through a partnership with the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Learn the Signs Act Early program to promote developmental monitoring.
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