Latest news with #EricYoung
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Public hearing set for today on amended solar ordinance in Tazewell County
tazewell, va. — A public hearing has been scheduled for today on an amended ordinance pertaining to a large-scale solar energy project for Tazewell County. The public hearing stems from a proposed solar energy project in the Southern District of Tazewell County. Today's public hearing is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. before the county Board of Supervisors and will be held at the Tazewell County Administration Building located at 197 Main St., Tazewell. The supervisors passed an ordinance last year pertaining to solar energy facilities in the county. That ordinance requires that potential large-scale solar energy facility operators provide to the board and the Tazewell County Planning Commission a list of 21 specific documents prior to approval of any large-scale solar energy facility. The amended ordinance also requires Material Safety Data Sheets and Product Safety Data Sheets concerning any potential exposure to hazardous chemicals, according to a legal advertisement that appeared in the May 30 edition of the Daily Telegraph. Tazewell County Administrator Eric Young said the amended solar energy facilities ordinance was initiated by the county's planning commission. 'What this would do would simply require the company that was installing the solar panels to provide a data sheet containing the component and chemical composition of the components,' Young said. Young said the amended ordinance is in response to potential environmental concerns associated with the proposed project. The solar energy project is planned at a site not far from the Cavitt's Creek Recreation Area, which is also near the municipal limits of the town of Tazewell. The solar energy project is still in the planning stages and the developer has not yet applied for a building permit, according to Young. As currently proposed, the project would generate almost a quarter of a million dollars a year in annual tax revenue for Tazewell County. At least one full-time job would also be created to oversee and make sure the solar panels are functioning correctly. 'It's actually two separate projects that will be done in stages over the years,' Young said. 'The tax revenue would be about $240,000 a year for us, which would be significant.' Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tazewell County looks for clarification after reportedly being wrongfully included on 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list
TAZEWELL COUNTY, VA (WVNS) — Officials in Tazewell County reportedly stated that the County was incorrectly listed on a federal 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list. According to a press release on Friday, May 30, 2025, officials in Tazewell County found that the County was wrongly added on a list of reported 'sanctuary jurisdictions' under Executive Order 14287. The press release stated that the listing is allegedly incorrect and does not show how the County deals with immigration enforcement or public safety. We're unsure why Tazewell County appeared on this list. We are in the process of contacting the appropriate federal offices to request clarification and are asking that this be corrected without delay Eric Young | County Administrator According to the press release, Tazewell County reportedly never had a policy that prevented or limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and that the County works with federal partners and follows state and federal laws to help with the safety of the community. The press release stated that officials in Tazewell County are working to talk with the Department of Homeland Security and figure out the situation, as well as to make sure that information in the future shows correct information about practices and policies in the County. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fish farm still a go in Tazewell County
wardell, va. — Despite some design changes, including a move toward trout, a large-scale fish farm for Tazewell County is still on target for a 2026 opening. The Pure Salmon project was announced several years ago, and is planned on land adjacent to Southwest Virginia Community College. The project is expected to create more than 200 new jobs for the region. The company recently implemented some design changes for the fish farm, including a reduction in the total square footage. It is also moving from salmon to steelhead trout, according to Tazewell County Administrator Eric Young. 'In their current design they have consolidated buildings and made some changes to the facility surrounding the large tanks in an effort to reduce the total square footage,' Young said. 'I believe the 750,000 square foot figure is still accurate for the largest building, but there will be more activities under that roof than originally planned and fewer buildings.' Pure Salmon is an international aquaculture company based in Abu Dhabi. The company is developing a vertically integrated aquaculture facility for the local Tazewell County project. Young said the company still anticipates creating more than 200 new jobs with the fish farm project. 'The jobs number is still 218,' Young said. 'In our working with them to have the water and waste water needs met we are all working on a schedule that allows them to begin operations at the end of 2026.' The project was originally envisioned to produce fresh salmon for markets on the Eastern Seaboard. But the Tazewell County facility will now produce steelhead trout, which is a larger form of trout, according to Young. The fish farm, also known locally as Project Jonah, has been in the planning stages for a number of years. When completed, the fish farm will be about 30 feet tall with different levels inside to handle the entire process, from growing the trout to processing and packaging, and ultimately getting the product ready for market. Other support industries also are expected to be developed near the fish farm to help with the needed products and services it will require for its daily operations. Talk of a possible fish farm for the region dates all the way back to 2013. That was when Delegate James W. 'Will' Morefield, R-Tazewell, visited Israel in search of an economic development project for the region that ultimately took shape as Project Jonah. More than 200 acres of land near Southwest Virginia Community College was later purchased in the summer of 2020 for the project. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of raping teen over 4 years, threatened to kill himself for sex
CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Curwensville man was placed in the county jail over Easter weekend after a teen accused him of raping her over four years. Eric Young, 42, was placed in the Clearfield County Jail following his arraignment Saturday, April 19 after Magisterial District Judge David Meholick denied his bail citing in court documents that he 'is an imminent threat to the minor victim.' The 14-year-old girl arrived at the Curwensville Borough Police Station on Friday, April 18 to report Young for sexual assault. State police arrived at the station to speak with the girl about the alleged assaults. Altoona man accused of punching woman fought with police, tried escaping from moving ambulance When speaking to authorities, the teen claimed that Young had been raping her for the past four years. She described that Young allegedly touched her multiple times in intimate places. According to the criminal complaint, the girl told troopers Young sexually assaulted her three to four times per month. She also described incidents in which Young would make her touch him inappropriately along with making her perform sexual acts on him or Young performing sexual acts on her. In one incident, the girl claimed Young forced her into having sex with her after he allegedly threatened to 'kill himself if she didn't,' according to the affidavit. Troopers noted the girl said she and Young had sexual intercourse at least six times. Young was also alleged to have given the teen his cell phone so she could take pictures of herself when she had no clothes on and he also had sent her pornographic pictures. The girl further claimed that Young told her not to tell anyone about what they did allegedly saying that he 'would get in trouble,' according to the complaint. Later on April 18, troopers executed a search warrant on Young's Curwensville home regarding the sexual assault case. During the search, several items of drug paraphernalia and marijuana were found. State police said approximately three pounds of marijuana in a glass jar was found along with 15 glass smoking devices, two grinders with marijuana residue and two marijuana plants growing in a heated tent. According to court documents, Young did not possess a license or was authorized to grow marijuana. When troopers questioned Young about the sexual assault allegations, he allegedly admitted the incidents occurred multiple times and admitted to having sex with the girl on two separate occasions. Young was charged with six felony counts of rape, six felony counts of statutory sexual assault of a person 11 years or older, 24 felony counts of deviate sexual intercourse forcible compulsion and a slew of felony and misdemeanor charges. He's facing a total of 138 charges in this case. Young was also charged in a separate drug case with one felony count and 17 misdemeanor counts involving drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. A preliminary hearing in the sexual assault case is scheduled for April 23. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grant funding sought for Tazewell County flood project
tazewell, va. — The Tazewell County Board of Supervisors are seeking public input on a state grant application for a planned flood control project. If the state funding is approved, the project would allow the county to take steps now to prepare for future flooding and other disasters. The board has set a public hearing for April 29 at the Cedar Bluff Town Hall to receive input on a Community Development Block Grant application for the project, Tazewell County Administrator Eric Young said. Young said there is $5 million available statewide in Community Development Block Grant funding, but in order to qualify for a potential grant award, a public hearing must be held first by the county. The project envisioned for Tazewell County is comprehensive, and would involve the Richlands, Doran, Raven, Bandy and Cedar Bluff areas, according to a legal advertisement in the Daily Telegraph. The project involves a monitoring of water levels along the Bluestone and Clinch Rivers and the purchase and installation of generators for water pumps and stations, which would help to power community shelters and water pump stations in the event of another disaster or outage. Tazewell County has experienced several floods in recent years, including the Feb. 15 storm and the Memorial Day 2023 flood. But when the remnants of Hurricane Helene slammed into the county last September, thousands were left without power for more than a week. Young said the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development recently announced a one-time state-wide urgent need flood relief grant program. 'There is $5 million available statewide,' Young said of the grant funding. 'The application process requires a hearing. We are applying for generators to help power community shelters and water pump stations.' Young said power outages across the county were widespread after Helene last fall. 'Our strategy of deploying mobile generators to those pump stations had problems,' Young said. 'First everywhere was without power. So we did not have enough generators. Second we could not access the pump station sites due to trees in the roads. This grant would assure that we had new generators at each pump station.' Having generators installed at pump stations will ensure that citizens won't run out of drinking water in the event of another major storm or disaster, Young said. The project also seeks to add telemetry beacons. 'The beacons are cellular based,' Young said. 'They would report water levels in tributaries of the Bluestone and Clinch. Hydrological modeling and AI would then tell us how much time we had before the river left its banks down stream. This would be critical in determining where and when to deploy rescue crews.' Another part of the project involves rental assistance for those displaced by the February floods. 'They were primarily in the western end of the county,' Young said of individuals displaced by the Feb. 15 flood. 'That is why we decided to have the hearing in Cedar Bluff. But anyone who was displaced would be eligible.' Young said the board is hopeful that it will be approved for funding. 'There is only $5 million available statewide, so we are not sure how much funding we will get from this round,' Young said. 'Last week the governor announced a separate round of flood funding this summer of $50 million. We will apply for that as well when the application period opens.' Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
