Fayette commission addresses community corrections, other issues
Fayette County commissioners addressed several topics and issues during a regular commission meeting Thursday.
Among the activity during the meeting:
• Commissioners fielded a budget presentation from Teresa Gregory on behalf of Fayette County Community Corrections.
As a separate part of the conversation, Gregory requested funding for a part-time driver to be added to complement the lone full-time driver on the organization's employee roster and improve the transportation situation for clients. Including insurance, the total cost for the part-time driver would be $47,500 per year, Gregory said.
Commissioners praised Gregory for the progress made within the system in recent years.
'I attribute most of our success to the grass roots approach,' she said, adding that the program's clients are getting 'support they don't get anywhere else.'
She also thanked the commission for its support.
• The commission voted to move $50,000 of about $130,000 remaining in a Paint Creek spill settlement fund to the Fayette County Health Department for county-wide water testing, which would include a focus on sewage runoff in the Valley District.
To find out more about the water testing program, contact the health department.
• Commissioners approved a funding request for $6,500 from Active Southern West Virginia to dedicate toward a race timing system.
Melanie Seiler, the organization's executive director, and Brandon Mehlinger, the director of programs and events, explained to commissioners the impact of the group's various fitness-centric efforts, saying the annual races are a big part of the equation.
In the organization's decade in existence, it marked the first funding request to the Fayette County Commission, Seiler said. 'We feel we are an asset for the residents. We really want to grow our races …'
Active SWV's signature races include the Bridge Day 5K Run (Oct. 18 this year), the Rim 2 Rim 6 mile (May 3) and the Thurmond Triathlon (June 28), as well as other events. The first two races attracted over 500 participants last year, Seiler said.
Mehlinger briefed commissioners on the economic impact various ASWV races bring to the community. According to Seiler and Mehlinger, Active SWV worked with the National Park Service-RTCA to calculate the economic contribution of its race events in 2024 (1,243 racers total). The racers supported $344,434 in total economic output, which averages to $214.45 per racer. That was an increase from 2023, when 913 racers supported $279,793.95 in economic output.
Active contracts with Appalachian Timing Group to service its various races, but Seiler said the organization possessing its own timing system would allow more financial return locally, which in turn could benefit the myriad services Active provides. Seiler said Active is currently pricing timing systems, with some packages costing up to $8,000. Additional donations are welcomed through the website donation button at www.activeswv.org, she said.
Commissioner John Brenemen asked ASWV to appear before the commission in May to provide details of what the organization offers to the surrounding community.
• The commission voted to postpone a board of equalization and review decision involving Imperial Colliery until its next regular meeting on Feb. 12.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
2 Texas A&M WR commits listed as Top 5 Rivals Camp performers
2 Texas A&M WR commits listed as Top 5 Rivals Camp performers Texas A&M's wide receiver future will depend on quarterback play and, of course, offensive coordinator Collin Klein's performance during the 2025 season. However, if starting QB Marcel Reed improves from the pocket combined with Klein's solid playcalling, the future is very bright for two incoming 2026 wide receiver commits, as four-stars Aaron Gregory and Madden Williams were reportedly two of the top-performing pass-catchers during the Rivals Camp Series. Ahead of the annual Rivals Five-Star event taking place in Indianapolis at the end of the month, Rivals recruiting insider Sam Spiegelman detailed the top performers, which included Gregory and Williams, who both increased their recruiting stock before their official visits this summer. Last weekend, Gregory was one of three Aggie commits to shut down his recruitment. At the same time, Madden Williams, who Florida State is heavily pursuing, will take his official visit to Texas A&M on June 20, his final visit of the summer. Here's what Spiegelman had to say about each player's Rivals camp performances: 2026 4-star WR commit Aaron Gregory "Gregory has been one of the crown jewels of Texas A&M's 2026 recruiting class. After turning in a monster junior season for Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County, Gregory has enjoyed a sensational offseason, including a strong showing in Atlanta." "The future Aggie has a knack for wow receptions. He's extremely smooth with outstanding polish and the ability to get open. He's a problem for opposing defenses with the ability to work at all different levels of the field." 2026 4-star WR commit Madden Williams "Williams was the Wide Receiver MVP in Los Angeles. Another step forward as a route-runner and playmaker with size, speed and toughness to operate outside the numbers, Williams also flashed more polish and won in various contested-catch situations working on the perimeter and back in the middle of the field. Williams also showed the ability to separate against some elite cornerbacks." "He's another Texas A&M commit who has taken advantage of a big offseason." Gregory's smooth transitions, downfield speed, and soft hands will make him an immediate threat once he finds his groove with the Aggies. At the same time, as Spiegelman notes, Williams has improved as a route runner and could become a nightmare matchup in the middle of the field against zone coverage. Both players, paired with four-star wide receiver commit Mike Brown, currently represent Texas A&M's future at the position. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- NBC Sports
J.J. Spaun achieves an Oakmont first as he grinds way to early U.S. Open lead
OAKMONT, Pa. – J.J. Spaun once dreamed of being a professional skateboarder. No wonder he's embraced this U.S. Open grind. With Oakmont Country Club already wiping out some of the world's top players by lunchtime Thursday, Spaun kept his first round on the rails better than anyone. His 4-under 66 didn't just match the opening-round low in nine previous championships at Oakmont, but he recorded only the eighth bogey-free professional round at Henry C. Fownes' beautiful behemoth and became the first player to tame Oakmont to the tune of 31 or better on his first nine holes of the week. 'You want to say, like, thank you to everyone that's telling you, good playing,' Spaun said, 'but you end up saying it 50 times in one hole.' How does one explain Spaun's execution? His 26 putts are a start, with Spaun considering Thursday's performance on the greens one of his best of the year. 'It felt like one of those days where you couldn't really miss anything that was a reasonable putt to make,' Spaun added. He also gained over a shot both off the tee and on approach. And though he missed six greens, he was a perfect 6 for 6 scrambling, including at the par-5 fourth hole, his 13th hole of the day, where he drove it into the side of one of 13 church pews and later converted an 8-footer after splashing out of the sand. His last up-and-down par was clutch as well, hooping a par putt from 17 feet after finding the right greenside bunker, some 30 yards short of the flag, at the par-3 sixth. 'You're obviously going to have to grind when you're out of position, and I did that really well today,' Spaun said. '… That's kind of the key to this tournament and this venue is just not losing your steam, not losing your focus, and converting those momentum-saving putts.' Perhaps it's no coincidence that Spaun began working with a new short-game instructor this week in Josh Gregory. While Spaun entered the week No. 12 on the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee to green, he was No. 120 around the green, his only negative of the four strokes-gained stats. With Oakmont's juicy, 5-inch rough producing a high variance of lies, Gregory worked with Spaun on not only judging lies better but how to set up and release the club for each lie. 'He's got great hands,' Gregory said. 'He just needed a little guidance.' Just three shots into Thursday's opening round, Spaun chipped in for birdie, and Spaun's caddie, Mark Carens, told his player, 'Nice chip, Josh.' Also contributing to Spaun's best of what is now 27 career major rounds was something he didn't fix. Following just his second missed cut of the season at the Memorial, Spaun went down what he called a 'rabbit hole' with his golf swing. In layman's terms, Spaun's club position at the top was 'a little too down the line' when he prefers the club pointing slightly left of the target to help him hit a cut. Spaun stressed for two days as he tried to manufacture a more laid-off position at the top, but it just wasn't feeling natural. 'I was like, I feel uncomfortable playing at home with this; how am I going to do this at the Open?' Spaun explained. 'I kind of just forgot about it and tried to just use more of, we call it, through-side feel, meaning through the ball. That can kind of get you where you want to be based off of where you're trying to hit it and stuff like that. We just figured just keep up with the rotation in my upper body to kind of keep the club out in front of me.' Spaun's one-shot lead after the morning wave is far better than his career-best major position after 18 holes – a T-16 during the 2022 Masters. He was one of just five players to break par on Thursday morning, and he bested the field average by over nine strokes. Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg, who each posted 72, can't say that. Neither can Bryson DeChambeau (73) or Rory McIlroy (74). It was after Spaun's playoff loss to McIlroy at The Players earlier this year that the 34-year-old veteran, who enters this week at a career-best 25th in the world rankings, talked about how he finally feels comfortable with the ball proverbially in his hand at the end of tournaments. He broke through for his first PGA Tour win a few years ago and has posted three top-3 finishes this year alone. As a skater boy, Spaun admits he never had the guts to do anything big. My, how times have changed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Pure emotion' frequently drives debates on sports stadium deals
An aerial view shows Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri, home to MLB's Kansas City Royals and the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, respectively. Lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri have pursued legislation to make hundreds of millions of dollars available for sports stadiums. (Photo by DutcherAerials via Getty Images) In promoting his bill to fund professional sports stadiums, Missouri Republican state Sen. Kurtis Gregory warned about the potential hit to jobs and tax revenues if the state were to lose a team. But on the floor of the Senate last week, he acknowledged that pride was also a prime motivator in his efforts to make hundreds of millions of dollars available to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and MLB's Kansas City Royals, both of which are being courted to move several miles away into neighboring Kansas. A former University of Missouri football player, Gregory pointed to the Missouri-Kansas rivalry that dates back to the Civil War and characterized Kansas as 'kind of an archrival.' 'We just let the state of Kansas poach, you know, really the pride and joy of the western side of the state, and I would say the entire state of Missouri?' he said in his floor speech. 'And then I would also say, what's next? What's the next thing the state of Kansas is going to try and take from us?' Days after the 2025 legislative session ended in May, Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe called a special session for lawmakers to consider stadium funding and disaster relief bills. Last week, the state Senate approved Gregory's stadium incentives bill in the middle of the night by a 19-13 vote. On Wednesday afternoon, the state House approved the measure by a 90-58 vote, sending it to the governor's desk. The bill would fund up to 50% of construction or renovation costs and is estimated to cost about $1.5 billion over 30 years, the Missouri Independent reported. Stateline was unable to reach Gregory for comment. Economists have panned the ongoing stadium bidding war between Missouri and Kansas — which has offered to pay up to 70% of new stadium costs — as a waste of taxpayer dollars. But Gregory's comments highlight the emotional undercurrents frequently at play in sports stadium funding debates across the country. Experts nearly unanimously agree that public subsidies for stadiums are a poor investment, but that hasn't slowed a wave of local and state spending for billionaire team owners. More taxpayer money benefits pro sports owners amid 'stadium construction wave' Washington, D.C., could spend more than $1 billion to move the Washington Commanders some seven miles from a suburb in Maryland to a new facility planned for the old RFK Stadium site, described by the team's controlling owner as the 'spiritual home' of the NFL franchise. Geoffrey Propheter, an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver who studies stadium deals, said these kinds of arguments ignore the economic reality of stadium subsidies. 'You're not talking economics. You're talking pure emotion,' he said. Despite mounds of evidence showing the public does not fare well on stadium investments, he said lawmakers and mayors still tout the potential for jobs and new tax revenues with stadiums and arenas. Oftentimes, teams and politicians stir fears about the possibility of losing franchises to another market to increase pressure, he said. But three of the most prominent stadium subsidy deals under consideration now — in Chicago, Kansas City and the district — involve teams looking to move within the same metro area. 'I would appreciate it if lawmakers were that transparent, and they're like, 'I don't care how much this costs, there's no price that's too high for us to pay to keep them here,'' Propheter said. But cities and states have more at stake than raw economics, said Irwin Kishner, a New York attorney who has represented pro teams in multiple stadium deals. He likened the stadium debate to those surrounding the Olympics: Research has found that host cities generally spend well in excess of the revenue generated by the games. But cities and nations still fiercely compete for the chance to host the high-profile event. 'It elevates the status of venues,' Kishner said. 'And I think it's very much the same thing with stadiums and arenas.' He said cities also face potential economic consequences of lost jobs and tax revenues if teams leave altogether. Oakland, California, for example, lost both its pro football and baseball teams to Nevada after local stadium talks fell apart. The NFL's Raiders now play in Las Vegas and MLB's A's are playing temporarily in West Sacramento, California, before moving into their under-construction stadium on the Vegas strip. 'What happened in Oakland is a classic example of what happens when a team doesn't get their building in the way they want it,' Kishner said. And those sorts of relocations can leave lasting marks, he said, pointing to the sour feelings that still persist in Brooklyn decades after MLB's Dodgers left for Los Angeles. Other cities have similarly iconic teams, such as the NFL's Chicago Bears. 'When push comes to shove, municipalities would be embarrassed to lose a team. I mean, could you imagine the Bears playing in St. Louis as an argument?' Kishner said. 'I think Chicago would have something to say about that in a very emotional way. And by the way, these things take generations to get past.' Currently, Chicago's stadium discussions are more localized. After first sharing plans to build a new stadium along Lake Michigan's shore in Chicago, the Bears are now pursuing a massive football stadium development in suburban Arlington Heights. Despite introducing various tax measures aimed to benefit megaprojects such as stadiums, Illinois lawmakers ended their session on May 31 with no action on the matter. My brain tells me it's not that big of a deal, but my heart and soul as a Chicagoan doesn't want them to leave. – Illinois Democratic state Rep. Kam Buckner Democratic state Rep. Kam Buckner, whose district includes parts of Chicago's South Side, said lawmakers have little appetite to invest heavily in stadiums. The MLS' Chicago Fire just announced plans to privately finance a new $650 million professional soccer stadium in the city's South Loop — the same area the MLB's White Sox are also eyeing as they explore a new baseball stadium. 'The days of widespread public money for private stadiums without public benefit — those days are over, and that is not just a sentiment in the state of Illinois. I think this is a sentiment across the country,' Buckner said. Still, he acknowledged the sway emotions can have in the matter. While the Bears leaving the city limits likely would not affect the region's economy, he said, it would still prove a blow to morale. 'My brain tells me it's not that big of a deal,' he said, 'but my heart and soul as a Chicagoan doesn't want them to leave.' Missouri's stadium debate has been simmering for years now: The Royals first announced plans in 2022 to move downtown from their stadium on the outskirts of the city. And the Chiefs — who share the sprawling stadium complex with the Royals — quickly followed with talks of wanting a new or renovated stadium. After voters in a county election last year soundly rejected extending a stadium sales tax to fund those plans, lawmakers across the border in Kansas passed legislation that would fund up to 70% of the costs of new stadiums. That measure expires at the end of June, pushing Missouri legislators to act. Neil deMause, a journalist who has written extensively about stadium subsidies, said such deadlines are arbitrary and meant to exact political pressure. While politicians once had plausible deniability about the pitfalls of stadium subsidies, the research is now overwhelmingly clear and well covered in the media, he said. (It's been nearly a decade since HBO's John Oliver dedicated an episode of his satirical news show to the folly of stadium finance.) Kansas v. Missouri stadium battle shows how states are reigniting border wars But politicians on both sides of the aisle continue to push stadium subsidies — whether they're touting the potential for wider real estate development or intangibles such as team pride and fears of losing franchises. 'It's this prescribed dance, where everybody sort of pretends to be doing due diligence, but at the same time, everybody knows it's going to happen,' deMause said. He said that appears to be the case in the nation's capital. In April, city and team officials for the Washington Commanders announced plans for a 65,000-seat stadium. The proposed deal, which must be approved by the full city council, would cost taxpayers some $1.1 billion over eight years. But deMause's analysis of the plan determined the public will be spending well in excess of that figure because of billions in free rent and hundreds of millions in property tax breaks. He estimates taxpayers will pay or forgo at least $7.5 billion on the deal. 'Everybody in and around the D.C. Council seems to be saying, 'Yeah, it sure is a lot of money, but the mayor really wants it, so it's going to happen. It's just a matter of whether or not we can improve it some,'' he said. 'It's a little bit like saying, 'World War II is going to happen — just try and keep the death toll down.'' Last week, Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser's office released a report it commissioned that projected the stadium would create billions in new economic output and local tax revenue in the coming decades — figures that were quickly disputed by skeptical economists and academics. Still, much of the district's stadium conversation has centered on intangibles such as hometown pride and nostalgia. Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell waxed about his childhood memories attending games at the old RFK Stadium at an April event announcing the deal. Sitting in front of a 'WELCOME HOME' banner at that event, the mayor said the RFK site was 'where they belong.' 'I want to start by saying welcome home,' she said. Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at khardy@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
