Latest news with #Oliverio
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Honda leaders visit Ohio to announce major Olympic partnership
MARYSVILLE, Ohio (WDTN) — Honda leadership arrived in Marysville to reveal their latest and largest partnership yet: as a founding sponsor for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. 'I'm thrilled to announce Honda as the official automotive partner of the U.S. official Olympic and Paralympic teams,' said Toshihiro Mibe, Honda CEO. EPA awards $1.2 million to clean up contaminated sites in Dayton The announcement was shared just across the road from Honda's first American manufacturing plant, constructed in 1979. Leaders said it was only natural to celebrate the announcement in Marysville. 'We have the Honda footprint across the U.S.,' said Monica Oliverio, American Honda General Administration vice president. 'We would like to try and promote that partnership and that presence.' This partnership means Honda will be providing nearly all of the ground transportation options for the events, including for the athletes. 'It's so exciting to be a part of this moment,' said Oliverio. 'We're hoping to take advantage of this three-year journey to the Olympics themselves.' New Dayton Children's facility opens in Washington Township 2 NEWS spoke with an Olympic athlete from the Miami Valley, Annette Echikunwoke, who won a silver medal in 2024. 'I'm excited to see what the next three years look like, leading up to LA 28,' said Annette Echikunwoke, an Olympic silver medalist for hammer throw. 'It's super, super cool to see what Honda's going to do in here with it.' Born and raised in Pickerington, Ohio, Echikunwoke is now back home for a full circle moment in helping announce the partnership. 'Being so close to home, being near Columbus, like it's super exciting to be here for the event.' said Echikunwoke. 'I always say, I feel like Ohio has really cool people and really bolsters their people well.' Echikunwoke says she's working hard to once again make the Olympic team in 2028. 'Upgrading the silver to a gold, that's the biggest thing for sure,' said Echikunwoke. While it's unclear how this new announcement will affect Honda associates here in the Miami Valley, Oliverio says there are still a lot of unknowns, but more information will be coming on how we could see those effects stretching from LA to Ohio. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Doggie Jams draws thousands to Downtown Greenville for annual concert
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT)- A busy weekend in Greenville started with the 12th-annual Doggie Jams concert hosted in the heart of Downtown Greenville by restaurant favorite, Sup Dogs. The event was headlined by grammy award winning artist, 2 Chainz and DJ group, Cheat Codes. Doggie Jams returns to Greenville for 12th year. Event preparations started the morning of Friday, Apr. 25, with stage set-up, sound check, and Sup Dogs staff members helping to stock drink stations along Five Points Plaza. Last year the event attracted thousands of people into the parking lot, and organizer Bret Oliverio says he expects the same number, if not more at this year's event. The twelve years of tradition started from one idea, from none other than Oliverio's brother. 'I mean, my little brother started this in 2010, I believe, and it started out just like 25 people out here in a parking lot,' Bret Oliverio said. 'So, you know, I knew I wanted to sort of turn this into a mainstream music event. So, it's tough because every year you sort of have to keep topping yourself. And, you know, people expect a great show and we're ready and excited and we're lucky that you and all these new graduates in the community support it and support us.' Sup Dogs hosts the annual event each year, attracting artists like DJ Diesel, also known as Shaquille O'neal, as well as Lil John in past concerts. Some of the event proceeds also benefit the Downtown Greenville Partnership, which will benefit all the local businesses in the area. Click the video above for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Restaurant Road Trip: Cafe Oliverio
CHEAT LAKE, (WBOY) — The Oliverio's family of restaurants in north central West Virginia dates back to the 1960s, but this year, the family grew to include a new location near Cheat Lake in Monongalia County. 'For a long time, now, probably a decade or more, we've heard: 'y'all should be at the Cheat Lake area,'' Cafe Oliverio co-owner Patrick Oliverio said. The new location is in the Fort Pierpont Plaza, just fifteen minutes away from Oliverio's Ristorante in Morgantown's Wharf District. While there's a more casual vibe at the new location, everything is rooted in family tradition. 'I wanted to make sure that we put it on the door,' said Oliverio. 'It says 'Tradition Never Stops' out there. That's kind of our slogan here. I wanted to make sure that everybody knew that it was the same family and same traditions. My grandfather started in the 1960s and the family's just carried it on since.' Restaurant Road Trip: La Guadalupana Antojitos Mexicanos While it offers its own unique specialties, Cafe Oliverio's menu is largely one you'll find familiar. 'It is our traditional marinara sauce and our traditional meat sauces,' said Oliverio. 'We do the crab balls that we're kind of famous for in north central West Virginia. Meatball recipes, these are the exact same in all locations. That's what we strive to do, is make everything in our core the same.' The new Cafe Oliverio boasts two kitchens, a full bar, indoor and outdoor dining areas and an Italian market. 'So far, it's been fantastic,' said Oliverio. 'The clientele's been great and they're showing up in bunches, which we obviously love. We're excited to be here.' 'This place would not be able to be open without my parents, my aunts and uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters,' said Oliverio. 'None of it would run without family.' Cafe Oliverio is located at 200 Fort Pierpont Drive in Morgantown. Its hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 4-10 p.m. on Saturday and its closed on Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate passes House bill stripping some university board of governors members of voting rights
Apr. 9—DBeard @ MORGANTOWN—A divided state Senate on Wednesday passed the House bill stripping the voting rights from certain members of university governing boards. The vote followed an unsuccessful effort by Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, to restore those rights during a Tuesday evening floor session. During Wednesday's debate on HB 3279, Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, obliquely addressed an issue that's been discussed in the hallways but not on the record: the origin of the bill. All the members know the origin, he said. "Somebody applied for a job. They didn't get the job. And now we're running a bill to change the board of governors for every college and university in the state." Woelfel was referring to an unsuccessful applicant for the WVU president's job—a member of the West Virginia Legislature who has been named in media reports, but not confirmed by WVU. Students are being removed from voting positions at schools they pay to attend, he said. "If you think our students are not knowledgeable or sophisticated enough to cast a thoughtful and intelligent vote, you don't know our students, " he said. HB 3279 turns the student, faculty and staff members of boards of governors across the state into non-voting advisory members. For WVU specifically, it makes the Extension service faculty representative also a non-voting member. When Oliverio explained his amendment on Tuesday evening, he said, "If we fail to adopt this amendment, we will eliminate the voting rights for students, faculty and staff at all institutions." All the members, he said, may have heard from their constituents the importance of those voices in the governing process. He's heard from Fairmont State and WVU in his district. Government Organization chair Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, defended the measure, saying only two Big 12 university BOGs have voting faculty members, six have voting student members and none have voting staff. She cited similar numbers among 20 WVU peer institutions. A survey by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, she said, shows that 18.4 % have voting faculty and 8.7 % have voting staff. "The duty of loyalty to the institution obligates board members to act in good faith and put the interests of the institution above any personal or private interest, " she said. Faculty and staff have incontrovertible conflicts, and even without an actual conflict, there's always an appearance." Oliverio suggested that Rucker better understands BOGs everywhere than in her own district. West Virginia has had this setup for 30 years without any complaint. "To suggest that the thousands of men and women in this state who serve as faculty members at our institutions would be disloyal to their institution if they had an opportunity to vote on their governing board, I find offensive, " he said. Oliverio read a letter from WVU President Gordon Gee, who said the university is strong when everyone is engaged and invested in the outcome. Compromise is built when all sides have a place in decision making, and voting power creates a buy0in from the groups most affected by BOG decisions. He knows of many instances where those voices have shaped policy for the better. Oliverio's amendment failed in a 14-19 vote. Education chair Amy Grady, R-Mason, supported the amendment along with, locally, Sens. Charles Clements, R-Wetzel, and Joey Garcia, D-Marion. Sens. Chris Rose, R-Monongalia, Jay Taylor, R-Taylor, and Senate President Randy Smith, R-Tucker, opposed it. Two other Oliverio amendments also failed: one to require a geographical balance on the WVU BOG by requiring five members from each congressional district, and one to make sure advisory members aren't edged out by explicitly allowing them to attend all BOG meetings. The debate continued Wednesday when the bill was up for passage. Oliverio asked Woelfel whether he agreed that the tone of Tuesday's debate reflected a view that boards are better run by lawyers and business people. Woelfel agreed and noted that Marshall President Brad Smith, perhaps the most successful businessman in the state, opposes the bill because he wants to hear from students and staff and faculty. "He felt that participation of those people on the board are the yeast that helps the loaf rise, " Woelfel said. And Oliverio noted that for the past three weeks, no legislator has approached him to advise him of any problems with the current setup. Rucker, alluding to Woelfel's assertion about the origin of the bill, said, "This bill was not meant to attack anyone." It's a policy decision and those members will remain on the boards as advisory members, he said, and many alumni serve as board members and know and understand the students and faculty. The vote to pass the bill was 19-15, with the senators named above voting in the same way: opposing the amendment and supporting the bill. Other measures in the bill include mandating that one BOG member for WVU and West Virginia State University — the two land-grant institutions — represent agriculture, forestry or the related sciences. It raises the number of gubernatorial appointees for WVU's BOG from 12 to 15, and requires one of them to be the agriculture /forestry representative, one to represent WVU Tech, and one to represent Potomac State. It raises total WVU BOG membership from 17 to 19. For West Virginia State, it requires one of nine gubernatorial appointees to be the agriculture /forestry representative. HB 3279 now returns to the House for concurrence with some Senate tweaks.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State Senate passes bill to prohibit ranked choice voting
Mar. 4—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — The state Senate passed on Tuesday its version of a bill to prohibit the use of ranked choice voting in local, state or federal elections, and sent it to the House of Delegates. The House has its own, slightly different version that will be on second reading — the amendment stage — on Wednesday. The Senate bill is SB 490. It defines ranked choice voting — generally abbreviated as RCV — as occurring in rounds where losers are eliminated until one candidate scores a clear majority. As previously reported, RCV is used statewide in Alaska, Hawaii and Maine. RCV is prohibited in Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. It was noted on the Senate floor that eight other states are considering banning RCV. Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, a bill co-sponsor, stood in support of it. He cited the hypothetical example of WVU meeting Pitt in the Backyard Brawl, where Pitt outscores WVU in the first three quarters, but WVU makes a fourth-quarter comeback and seemingly wins by a point. But, Oliverio said, the referee decides that Pitt won three quarters compared to WVU's one, and gives the game to Pitt. "We live in a society where we have winners and losers and this bill just restates that, " he said. "We have in West Virginia an incredible electoral system. We get it right in West Virginia, " he said. "I think it's important that we pass this bill ; we get rid of this silliness that has taken place in other states, and we continue to have the finest elections in the country." His 13th District colleague, Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Marion, rose in good-natured opposition to the bill, noting that the Brawl features just two opponents, while RCV typically applies to elections with multiple candidates, especially primaries. Primary winners often score only 30 % of the vote, he said. RCV can lend some moderation and if a city or county wanted to try it, he'd be interested in seeing what happens. "I do think we're rushing in the other direction a little too quickly." Tuesday was Marshall University Day at the Capitol, and Judiciary chair Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, prompted chuckles across the room by saying, "Other than a bad analogy using a non-football school like Pitt, rather than Marshall University to play WVU, I've got nothing." The vote was 31-2, with the only other Democrat, Majority Leader Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, joining Garcia. The House bill is HB 2683. It contains a shorter definition of RCV and different phrasing of the prohibition. The most significant difference is a sentence saying the prohibition doesn't apply to internal political party processes. Municipal elections bill On Monday, the Senate unanimously passed SB 50, to align municipal election dates with statewide primary and general elections. It sets a compliance date of July 1, 2032, for municipalities with charters that have to be amended by the voters, and for municipalities without charters that can do it simply by ordinance. SB 50 also heads to the House.
