Gov. Justice announced Tuesday that, under his leadership, West Virginia reached the 2nd-highest export growth rate of any state in the nation for 2021. West Virginia’s exports surged to $6.2 billion in 2021, a 37.6 percent increase over 2020’s total of $4.6 billion.
“Our days of being 50th in every category coming and going are over. Nowadays, more and more often, West Virginia is ranking at the very top of the list of states, especially when it comes to how our state is growing from a business and economic standpoint,” Gov. Justice said.
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Gov. Justice announced Wednesday that West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 3.9% for February 2022; breaking the all-time record for the lowest unemployment rate recorded in state history for the 5th consecutive month. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has now decreased for 22 straight months. The number of unemployed state residents decreased by 1,400 in February, while total employment grew by 2,000 over the month.
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Gov. Justice took part in a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday at the site of Omnis Building Technologies’ future home in Bluefield, celebrating the beginning of work on their $40 million, 150,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that will produce housing materials revolutionizing the future of residential construction. Located just off Interstate 77 in Bluefield, West Virginia, the new facility will create 150-300 new jobs available to West Virginians.
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Gov. Justice hosted an event Wednesday at Hawks Nest State Park to announce that West Virginia is once again blazing new trails in the tourism industry with an all-new Vacation Guide unlike any ever seen before.
Instead of the traditional single-copy guide, West Virginia is releasing an exclusive four-part vacation guide collection. West Virginia the first state in the country to adopt a multi-part vacation guide format.
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The Governor was also joined by state Department of Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby and WVDNR Director Brett McMillion ceremonially cut the ribbon on over $7 million in improvements to the park lodge and museum.
Upgrades include new landscaping, a new outdoor pool with a splash pad, a brand new lobby, front desk area, and public restrooms. Lodge rooms have been renovated with new furnishings, ADA accessibility has been expanded, and more.
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On Friday, Gov. Justice signed SB 250, the $4.635 billion Fiscal Year 2023 budget that was passed by the West Virginia Legislature on Saturday, March 12. The only change to the budget bill was one line-item veto. He also signed 18 supplemental appropriation bills.
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During Friday’s briefing, Gov. Justice reported that, this week, active cases dropped as low as 781; the lowest daily case count since July 4, 2020 – 622 days ago.
“Think about how long ago that is,” Gov. Justice said. “That’s a really meaningful achievement.”
Total active cases have decreased by more than 96% from their latest peak eight weeks ago.
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With Thursday marking the two-year anniversary of the first case of COVID-19 being identified in West Virginia, the Governor also aired a video recapping the state’s pandemic response in that time.
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Gov. Justice announced Monday that the West Virginia Gold Rush will return for its fifth year on March 29 and provide anglers and their families 12 days to catch golden rainbow trout and win prizes.
From March 29 to April 9, the WV Division of Natural Resources will stock 50,000 golden rainbow trout at 62 lakes and streams around the state, including waters in or near 15 state parks and forests. Stocking locations and details about the Gold Rush can be found at wvdnr.gov/goldrush.
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During Monday’s briefing, Gov. Justice was joined by West Virginia National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Bill Crane, who announced that, with COVID-19-related hospitalizations continuing to receed across the state, the WVNG has officially concluded its mission of providing additional staffing support at West Virginia hospitals.
“This week marked the two-year anniversary of the Governor activating us to provide support to the State of West Virginia in response to the pandemic – making this the longest continuous activation of the National Guard in the state’s history,” Crane added. “At the height of our mission, we had about 700 service members providing support to the state."
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Gov. Jim Justice issued a statement Thursday after the Minority leaders from the West Virginia Legislature sent a joint letter, calling on the Governor to suspend the 37.5 cent state tax per gallon of gas:
“I would absolutely love to suspend this tax and provide at least a little bit of relief for hard working West Virginians who are paying the price for rampant inflation and soaring energy costs. However, I cannot legally suspend this tax, only our Legislature can," said Gov. Justice.
Read the full statement here.
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Gov. Justice announced Thursday that nearly $23 million in grant funding has been awarded to 26 nursing education programs at colleges, universities, schools of nursing, and career technical education centers across West Virginia. These awards, which are expected to support up to 600 new nursing students, are part of the West Virginia Nursing Workforce Expansion Program, first announced by Gov. Justice in December 2021 as a multifaceted approach to train and retain nurses in and attract nurses to the Mountain State.
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On Friday, Gov. Justice announced the preliminary approval of over $3.9 million in Line Extension Advancement and Development program funds for various broadband infrastructure projects throughout the state. This marks the second round of grants awarded as part of Gov. Justice’s Billion-Dollar Broadband Strategy, also known as the West Virginia Broadband Investment Plan.
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Since November, West Virginia Division of Highways maintenance crews have cleared more than 170 acres of trees and branches overhanging West Virginia's roadways. That's enough trees and branches to fill up about 170 football fields. The process is called canopy clearing, and WVDOH maintenance crews have cleared trees and branches along more than 500 linear miles of roadway.
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The West Virginia Department of Education honored 101 educators Tuesday as part of the annual National Board Certification (NBC) Recognition Celebration. This year, 35 educators are newly certified and 66 renewed their certification during the 2020 – 2021 school year. National Board Certification is the gold-standard credential for educators in the United States. Much like other professions, NBC symbolizes accomplished practice beyond licensure. The rigorous process – which can take three years to complete – includes four components: content knowledge; differentiation in instruction; teaching practice and learning environment; and effective/reflective practice.
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