Latest news with #PierpontCommunityandTechnicalCollege
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Marion County hydrogen hub leaders travel to Ohio for inspiration
FAIRMONT — Before they can build the future, the planners of Fairmont's proposed Hydrogen Hub had to see it. Last week, members of the Hydrogen Hub project team, including Brian Redmond, traveled to Canton, Ohio to view what hydrogen as a fuel source looks like in practice. The Stark Area Regional Transit has 22 hydrogen powered buses. 'It was great to see hydrogen vehicles in action,' Brian Redmond, owner of Hog Lick Aggregates, said. 'So it kind of proves the point. They demonstrated it can be done cleanly, safely — it's right in the middle of a more residential neighborhood. So it's very safe.' Members of the hub team included Lynn Lyon, industry consultant, Redmond, Joni Grey, Joseph Filchock and Blake Lillard from Pierpont Community and Technical College, Ana Claudia Sant Ana, Munkaila Lambongang from West Virginia University and Mothusi Pahl, vice president of Modern Hydrogen. Redmond said SARDA's operation will be a model that Fairmont's hub will try to build on. Redmond is one of the leads, if not the spearhead, for the project. While he and the rest of the project team will be working with SARDA, both groups are not sharing information and forming no contractual relationships. SARDA is just a good source of information, he said. Lyon, president of Energy Connects, said SARDA is the largest hydrogen transit fleet east of the Mississippi River. Aside from viewing how the hydrogen busses operate, the group also toured a facility that provides support to the fleet. The kind of work and best practices used in Canton are the type that Lyon and Redmond want to see deployed in Fairmont. To accomplish that will require a facility that qualifies as a training, maintenance and demonstration unit at the Fairmont site. Such a facility is already one of two key components of the future Hydrogen Hub, Redmond said. The Clean Fuel Services Institute for traditional transportation fuels and new alternatives will be one of the pillars at the hub. Lyon also appreciates one other aspect of the CFI since it appeals to her background in the oil and gas industry. 'What I really like about what we're working on with this facility is yes, it's about CDL, yes it's about maintaining the trucks, but one unique piece of it is the focus on the fuel. And in addition to traditional liquid fuels like diesel, we have a huge emphasis on innovative, alternative fuels like hydrogen or natural gas,' he said. Lyon said it was important to prove alternative fuels can power day to day operations with heavy duty trucks and off road mining equipment. Redmond said the CFI was in a planning grant right now. West Virginia University and Pierpont Community and Technical College are developing a curriculum for the institute, as well as conducting an economic analysis of the potential impact. Right now initial planning for the facility is being made, with facility and site design in progress. Lyons said she expects the design work to be done by next year, at which point she'll be able to provide a concrete timeline of when the project will be finished. Hydrogen Hubs are key to domestic energy production and regional economies across the U.S., according to the Clean Air Task Force. The organization advocates for the change in technologies and policies to get to zero emissions while producing high energy at a reasonable cost. Redmond cautioned that fuel production won't be part of the purpose of the Fairmont one, but rather act like a refueling station for hydrogen. 'For hydrogen to become a widely traded energy commodity, the hydrogen industry needs to build out regional, national and global networks of producers and off-takers,' Rachel Starr and Jonathan Lewis wrote in a policy brief for the Clean Air Task Force. 'Companies are not going to invest in hydrogen fuel equipment if hydrogen is only available in some pockets of the country.' Redmond has previously emphasized the importance of building out a hydrogen infrastructure in order to make the fuel reach the mainstream. 'We're excited about continuing forward and moving along,' Redmond said. 'And looking to see how we can bring some economic development to the region and county.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Thousands of pet owners receive wrong ashes from Pittsburgh-area funeral home: AG
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — Thousands of owners who had their pets cremated in the Pittsburgh area, including a woman who works in West Virginia, were recently told that the ashes they received don't belong to their pets. 'Total shock, disbelief, deceived, was kind of the worst thing you could ever hear,' said Bobbi Loveridge, assistant professor of Vet Tech at Pierpont Community and Technical College in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Nearly two weeks ago, Loveridge was stunned to learn that the ashes she received may not be from her three beloved pets. Owners of the ashes received them between 2021 and 2024. Last week, the office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General, David Sunday, filed criminal charges against 70-year-old Patrick Vereb, the owner of Eternity Pet Memorials. Charges against him include deceptive business practices, theft by deception and receiving stolen property, with allegations of deceiving more than 6,500 pet owners out of more than $650,000. According to the AG's office, in many cases, instead of providing the pet's ashes, the pet's remains were discarded in landfills, and customers were given ashes from unknown animals. 'Like we give you our pets and you send a letter—the letter was the worst. With each ashes that you get back, you get a letter, and it says something to the effect of 'Thank you for entrusting us with your beloved pet,' and it's signed the Verebs. And when I was initially asked who had cremated my animals, I remember the Vereb name because of that letter,' Loveridge said. Worthington couple charged after kids found in trailer with raw sewage Loveridge was able to confirm with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office that her cat Lilac and dog Lewi were not cremated, but her Rottweiler mix Neyely was cremated. It's still unknown what portion of Neyely's ashes went to Loveridge and what may have gone to others. Loveridge frequently brought Neyely to class, and she was loved by students. Due to health conditions, she also had implants that Loveridge said were very unique to her. 'When I had her cremated, I did ask to have her implants returned in hopes I could use them as a teaching aid for my students to be able to see. I had every intent of having them put into resin, and normally, I move pretty quickly and, like, do things so that the students can benefit. However, I haven't done that, and I feel like there was a reason maybe that I hadn't because maybe that's the only ashes that I do have of hers,' Loveridge said. Loveridge still has a memorial light-up orb made from what was supposed to be Neyely's ashes. 'I chose to turn it on because I thought maybe it was somebody's baby, and I wanted to honor them,' she added. West Virginia man found with nearly 1500 child porn images, troopers say Loveridge said in the future, if she chooses cremation services, she will opt for ones she can observe, even if it's difficult. For now, her trust in crematoriums has been broken. 'All of my animals have been processed through that funeral home. I did work at Loyalhanna Animal Clinic in the past, and that's how I got hooked up with Eternity Pets because that's who we had used. As far as we knew, he was a trustworthy person, and that's why we chose him. However, in the event that we found out he is not,' Loveridge said. According to an email sent to Loveridge from Loyalhanna, Loveridge purchased the private cremation service for all three of her pets in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The total cost of the three services was $290. When asked what she would do if there was a return of funds after the court cases, Loveridge originally said, 'No money's going to change it, it's dirty money, probably going to donate it if there is anything.' Then, after pondering the question further, Loveridge later told Nexstar's WBOY, 'Should I receive a settlement, I would like to memorialize my pets by creating a scholarship for vet tech students.' Vereb waived his right to a preliminary hearing. All of the charges will now proceed to the court of common pleas, but no date has been announced as of this publication. Loveridge is now part of a class action lawsuit against Vereb, seeking to know exactly what happened to all the pets during that time. According to the attorney general's press release in the case, 'the victims in this criminal case were walk-in and direct-pay clients of Eternity Pet Memorials, as well as pet owners from 20 veterinarians/businesses.' To learn more about the case and to go to the dedicated page for it, you can go here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pierpont Community and Technical College president gone after a little over a year and a half
FAIRMONT — Milan Hayward is out as president of Pierpont Community and Technical College. The school confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Provost Michael Waide has been named interim president. The updated information is also present on the school's website. It's not clear under what circumstances Hayward left the school, or what impact the revolving door of presidents has on the school's faculty and staff. According to the Board of Governors' meeting minutes from a special session on Jan. 9, the board discussed approving a separation agreement as well as the need to name an interim president before Jan. 21. The meeting took place behind closed doors. Stephanie Moore, the school's new marketing director, said the board of governors has officially approved Waide as interim president, and that the school is grateful for Hayward's service to Pierpont. She added the school was in the midst of making preparations to formally announce Waide as the interim president. David Hinkle, chair of the school's board of governors, did not return a phone call requesting comment on the change by press time. The Pierpont Board of Governors unanimously agreed to hire Hayward in April 2023. '[Hayward's] experience in workforce development, grant development, community outreach and building partnerships with K-12 school systems fits perfectly with Pierpont's vision for its future,' Hinkle said in 2023. 'We look forward to working with Dr. Hayward as he begins his presidential leadership of Pierpont Community and Technical College.' After Hayward's predecessor, Johnny M. Moore, stepped down in 2021, the board spent two years looking for a replacement. During that period the school went through two interim presidents, Anthony Hancock and Kathleen Nelson. The school faced the threat of dissolution in 2022, when a bill in the West Virginia State Legislature sought to re-merge Fairmont State University and Pierpont. The dissolution episode led to poor relations between both schools which Hayward made a point to fix during his presidency. His mission gained new currency after Fairmont State's new president, Mike Davis, also signaled his desire to bring both institutions together in cooperation rather than rivalry. Hayward and Davis hosted a luncheon in August 2023 at the Marion County Chamber of Commerce where both men made it clear rivalry was not the way forward, and that a better Fairmont 'first requires breaking bread.' At the event, Hayward said he intended to meet with Davis at least once a quarter. Hayward also had the task of carving out an individual identity for Pierpont. The college held regular 'Experience Pierpont' days to introduce the community to the school and get the word out about the opportunities it offered. 'The community college is all about meeting folks where they are,' Hayward said. 'And helping them realize their interests, strengths and develop those talents and come away with skill sets that they can put to work right away and make a difference in their family and their community.' Waide began his administrative career at Pierpont in 2016, when according to his LinkedIn account, the school hired him as a chief judicial officer. Waide's job was to investigate complaints of violations of the student code of conduct and impose sanctions. From there, Waide became academic dean of the School of Health Sciences, as well as interim provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. Waide is also a tenured professor in the Medical Laboratory Technology program and is a licensed medical laboratory scientist. In 2022, Waide spoke in support of a plan to allow Pierpont students who complete a health science degree to qualify for credit hours at Fairmont State University. According to his bio on the school's website, Waide has two masters degrees as well as a doctorate in education. Waide's research focused on the relationship between the resilience and persistence of nontraditional-aged community college students and academic success.
