West Virginia Week in Review - April 29, 2023

West Virginia Week in Review

Share Tweet Forward Gov. Justice announces new West Virginia driver's license design featuring New River Gorge Bridge Gov. Jim Justice announced that starting this week, the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing driver’s licenses and identification cards with a new look and design that matches the state’s tourism branding.    The new design features a background of West Virginia's historic New River Gorge Bridge in the nation’s newest National Park, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, and uses the official state branding. The Almost Heaven tourism mark is also included on the back of each card.  Read More Watch Gov. Justice celebrates hospitality and tourism education programs launching in all 55 counties Gov. Justice spoke earlier this week to students about career opportunities in the state’s growing tourism industry during a visit to Nicholas County Career and Technical Center. The event marked the beginning of hospitality and tourism education programs statewide, developed as a part of a new workforce development initiative, Tourism Works. This program was launched by the Department of Tourism earlier this year to prepare for the projected growth of more than 21,000 annual job openings in the state’s tourism industry through 2025. Read More Photo Album Watch Gov. Justice visits opening of first US Methanol location in West Virginia Gov. Justice visited the opening of the state's first methanol production facility in Dunbar, earlier this week. Methanol is a key component used to manufacture various consumer products, including electronics, and medicine.  With an investment of more than $250 million and the hiring of 54 employees, the site will provide 200,000 metric tons of the material annually to customers in West Virginia and the surrounding states. Read More Photo Album Gov. Justice appoints Anitra Hamilton to 81st District seat in House of Delegates Gov. Justice has appointed Anitra Hamilton to the West Virginia House of Delegates 81st District, which covers Morgantown. View the Appointment Letter Hamilton fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Danielle Walker, who left earlier this month to become the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia. Hamilton will serve the remainder of the unexpired term. Hamilton is the President of the NAACP for Morgantown and Kingwood, serves as Vice President of the WVU Council on Gender Equity, and is the minister of Agape Life in Fairmont. Read More Civil-Military Innovation Institute hosts military field training exercise at Adaptive Experimentation Facility in Fola The Civil-Miitary Innovation Institute is investing in West Virginia in a big way by establishing a one-of-a-kind facility for advanced military training and technology experimentation in Clay County. Last week, the Civil-Military Innovation Institute held its military field training exercise called DIRT Days in partnership with the United States Army and the 101st Airborne Division. The training took place at the Adaptive Experimentation Facility in Fola, West Virginia, a repurposed coal mining facility. The exercise was designed to help soldiers learn new skills, have fun, and prepare for future challenges. The Adaptive Experimentation Facility is one of the best-equipped facilities in the country for military training and experimentation. This event showcases West Virginia as an ideal location for defense companies due to its world-class military training facilities, strategic location, and business-friendly environment. Read More ###