West Virginia Week in Review: February 18, 2023

2/18/2023

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Gov. Justice directs Administration to continuously monitor air, water quality after East Palestine train derailment
Gov. Justice directed his Administration to continually track and monitor the air and water quality throughout parts of West Virginia following the trail derailment in East Palestine, Ohio on Feb. 3, 2023.
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According to the West Virginia DHHR, which regulates drinking water in the state, there have been no confirmed contaminants from this spill in any water system in West Virginia. There are currently no water advisories issued at this time.

Recent sampling results have shown concentrations under 2 parts per billion, which is well under the provisional health guidance value issued by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which is 560 parts per billion.

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Gov. Justice issues State of Emergency for all 55 counties after heavy rain and storms
Gov. Justice declared a State of Emergency for all of West Virginia’s 55 counties on Thursday due to impacts from heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.
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As the weather system traveled through the state, creeks and streams spilled over, and officials were forced to close certain roads. If you're still having trouble related to flooding from this week's storms, please contact emergency officials.

As part of this State of Emergency, the Governor directed the West Virginia Emergency Management Division to implement the West Virginia Emergency Operations Plan as it relates to flood response.

Update from WVDOH
On Friday, the Department of Highways announced that is is keeping a close eye on road conditions as temperatures are predicted to drop below freezing. If you encounter snowplows, please be patient and slow down. If you come across rain-covered roads, remember to turn around, don't drown.
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Gov. Justice hosts Grover Norquist, Stephen Moore, legislative leaders and guests to Tax Reform Roundtable
On Monday, Gov. Justice hosted a Tax Reform Roundtable, inviting two of the nation's leading experts to speak on the benefits of reducing or eliminating the personal income tax.

Grover Norquist is the President of Americans for Tax Reform, and Stephen Moore is a Distinguished Fellow in Economics at The Heritage Foundation.
Members of the state legislature and hardworking West Virginians also participated in the roundtable discussion, sharing their opinions on what reducing the state income tax might do for the state.

This move is seen by many as a way to attract new businesses and residents to the state while also easing the financial burden on existing residents.
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Gov. Justice says West Virginia is first state in country to offer certain users a fully digital clearinghouse for vehicle titles
Gov. Justice announced earlier this week that he has signed House Bill 2506, creating a vehicle title clearinghouse for non-resident businesses in West Virginia. 

The bill's purpose is to allow West Virginia licensed non-resident businesses to transfer existing out-of-state titles into a West Virginia title in their name, even when the vehicle is located in another jurisdiction.
The legislation's passage takes advantage of the advanced title and registration system that the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (WV DMV) enabled in 2022. 
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Gov. Justice congratulates defense and communications company Zylinium for relocating to Morgantown

Gov. Justice celebrated the news that Zylinium Research plans to relocate to Morgantown, West Virginia.

The company, which develops specialized communications tools to support military engagement efforts, made the announcement earlier this week.

Zylinium's business operations and technology development activities will be based at the Civil-Military Innovation Institute (CMI2) business incubator, which is headquartered in Morgantown.

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Babydog accurately guesses winner of Super Bowl LVII after picking Kansas City
Babydog has become West Virginia's expert canine analyst over the years. After sniffing through the stats, she delivered a spot on Super Bowl prediction, picking the Kansas City Chiefs Chiefs to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

Babydog has been correct on two of the last three Super Bowls!
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Gov. Justice celebrates Valentine's Day with First Lady Cathy Justice
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Gov. Justice, First Lady remind high school students to get Promise Scholarship applications finished
Gov. Justice and the First Lady remind all 2023 high school seniors and parents to apply for the Promise Scholarship as the deadline approaches on March 1, 2023.
Apply for the Promise Scholarship Here
They need to complete the application and FAFSA by the deadline to be eligible for up to $5,000 each year to cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees at public or independent institutions in West Virginia.

The Promise Scholarship is a merit-based financial aid program for West Virginia high school graduates planning to attend one of the state’s public or independent two- or four-year institutions.
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Gov. Justice, First Lady invite students to participate in Golden Horseshoe Knighting Bench Contest
Gov. Justice and the First Lady are thrilled to present the Golden Horseshoe Knighting Bench Contest as the next installment of the Student Artist Series.

All 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade West Virginia students are invited to channel their creativity and draw an original design that will be used to collaborate with a local WV Career and Technical Education Center to construct a knighting bench for the ceremonial knighting of top 8th grade students as they become Knights of the Golden Horseshoe.
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The top five finalists will then be asked to bring their drawing to life to be judged by a distinguished panel of judges. The winner’s creation will be used for Golden Horseshoe Knighting Ceremonies for years to come.
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Contact Information

Jordan Damron, jordan.l.damron@wv.gov; CJ Harvey, cj.harvey@wv.gov

Contact

Office of the Governor
State Capitol, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E
Charleston, WV 25305

Office Phone:
304.558.2000 or 1.888.438.2731

Governor's Mansion:
304.558.3588

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