By PHIL KABLER Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Following the “wonderful success” of passage of the state road bond referendum Oct. 7, state Transportation Secretary Tom Smith told legislators Sunday the state will be moving deliberately on what ultimately could be the issuance of a total of $2.6 billion of[Read More…]
Month: October 2017
Special session to expedite roads program begins today
By RUSTY MARKS The State Journal CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said he will call the Legislature into special session today to speed up implementation of his $3 billion road construction and maintenance program. On Oct. 7, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment allowing state highways officials to[Read More…]
Delegate Stephen Baldwin appointed to state Senate
By ANDREA LANNOM The Register-Herald CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice has appointed Delegate Stephen Baldwin to fill the Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Ron Miller, who resigned to accept a position with the Justice administration. Baldwin, a Democrat, will fill the state Senate seat in District 10, comprised of[Read More…]
Report: Many WV jobs don’t pay living wage
By FRED PACE The Herald-Dispatch CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia has always been known as a place where people have to work incredibly hard in order to barely get by. The recently released 10th annual “State of Working West Virginia” report for 2017 shows that poverty is a persistent problem in[Read More…]
State’s new computer system hampers payroll for employees, audit finds
By PHIL KABLER Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s $150 million wvOasis supercomputer lacks payroll functions that were available on older, previously used state computers, requiring Division of Personnel to hire additional employees to process payroll, a legislative audit released Sunday concluded. According to the audit, the Division of[Read More…]
Elkins’ $37M water plant nearly finished
By BRAD JOHNSON The Inter-Mountain ELKINS, W.Va. — The city of Elkins’ new water plant is expected to go online and begin producing water in December, and city officials hope residents understand the improvements and services their increased water bill rates will be financing. “We’re proud of what we’ve been[Read More…]
GOP candidates for West Virginia senate seat question each other’s abortion stances
By JESS MANCINI The Parkersburg News and Sentinel CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The campaign for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia racheted up a notch this week. Evan Jenkins and Pat Morrisey are hurling accusations over each’s pro-life position, each questioning whether the other stands with the[Read More…]
WV American Water aims to keep Webster project but lowers proposed rate hike
By MAX GARLAND Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia American Water’s proposed rate increase will be a little less than originally planned because the company found a different way to pay for a Webster County project many residents are questioning, if the state Public Service Commission accepts a settlement[Read More…]
Number of homeless students spikes in Jefferson County
By TIM COOK The Journal CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — Some consequences from the opioid addiction crisis in the Eastern Panhandle can be hard to overlook, but a sometimes less-prominent effect from the drug crisis that Jefferson County Schools administrators see is a dramatic increase in the number of students whose home[Read More…]
Coal, nuclear power are vital to grid reliability and national security, McKinley says
By JIM ROSS The State Journal CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The change in administration in Washington means coal and nuclear power can again be considered important to maintaining the electric power supply during emergencies, says Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va. “Now we have someone across the table who’s willing to listen to[Read More…]