Latest news with #SenateBill1020
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New economic opportunity district approved for Mercer County
princeton – When July 1 arrives, a new district for economic opportunities and development will materialize in Mercer County and create a way to bring youth sports tournaments and other events to the region. During its Tuesday meeting, the Mercer County Commission unanimously approved an order creating The Ridges Economic Opportunities District. The goal of this project, also known as The Ridges, is to create a youth sports complex between Halls Ridge Road and Turnpike Industrial Road close to Exit 9 near Princeton. The travel ball sports complex will host baseball and softball games for traveling youth teams and host tournaments. The plan includes multiple athletic fields as well as lodging, shopping, restaurants and other features. Public hearings about the project were conducted in July 2023 and the West Virginia Legislature passed Senate Bill 1020 that same month authorizing the Mercer County Commission to levy a special district excise tax for the complex. Attorney Carrie Cecil, who has been working with the Mercer County Economic Development Authority, told the commission that there was only action left to create the new economic development district. 'What you have before you for consideration this morning is an order that is the last step in creating The Ridges Economic Opportunity Development District,' Cecil said. 'As you know, back in 2023, we started this process during a public hearing and we submitted the initial application to the state for approval; and the Legislature approve it initially, so we got through the initial steps and it became apparent that the Legislature was willing to add some additional acreage to the proposed district.' In March, the county received the final approval of a supplemental application from the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, so the order presented Tuesday to the county commission would create the new development district, Cecil said. 'You are authorized to impose a special district excise tax on the new businesses that would locate within the district that is equivalent to the state sales tax and it would be imposed starting on July 1 after we work with the state to get a special fund created for your revenues to be segregated,' she said. This excise tax is for new businesses coming into the district. The Ridges district will have 420 acres, Cecil said. Jordan Maynor, executive director of the Mercer County Economic Development Authority, said work on The Ridges could start this year. 'That's the hope. Before the year is out, we hope to see some progress being made,' he said after the meeting. 'Obviously, today was a big day – the official district established. We got the approval from the state. Now the final icing on the cake was getting the final approval from the Mercer County Commission to move on. This will start July 1 of this year and the district will be officially established.' 'All the other moving parts are subject to the developer that's on board and the tenants they get and the progress of the entire project, so I'd be hesitant to give you exact dates right now, Maynor said. 'My best guess is before the year is out you're going to start seeing some movement at Exit 9.' People living near The Ridges district can reach out to the Mercer County Economic Development Authority if they have any questions about the project. 'Absolutely. They can give us a call at our office,' Maynor said. 'It's all publicly posted. The website's available. The email and the phone number is available. They can reach out to us anytime and we would be happy to respond.' The Mercer County Economic Development Authority is located at 241 Mercer Springs Road near Princeton. The email address is mercereda@ and the phone number is 304-431-8521. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arizona wants to allow concealed carry at college games? Bad idea
I'm a 20-year-old student at Paradise Valley Community College and volunteer with Students Demand Action. I urge Gov. Katie Hobbs to veto Senate Bill 1020, which would force Arizona's colleges and universities to allow people with concealed-carry permits to bring guns to our classrooms, dorms and sporting events. This reckless bill would make my campus less safe. The Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board, which oversees my campus and nine others, has prohibited firearms except in very limited circumstances. Just like the Arizona Board of Regents, they have made this smart choice to protect students, teachers and visitors. This bill would take the choice away from university governing boards and instead mandate allowing concealed carry on campus. As a student, I know that nobody needs a gun to go to school. If this bill becomes law, it would allow guns where they do not belong. Students like me would no longer feel safe at school. The Legislature has again tried to make campuses less safe, but Governor Hobbs can still veto SB 1020. The lives of our students, staff and faculty depend on it. Carmen Rojas, Phoenix What's on your mind? Send us a letter to the editor online or via email at opinions@ This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Concealed carry will make Arizona colleges less safe | Letter
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New director to take helm of Mercer County Economic Development Authority
princeton – After a scheduled meeting Thursday morning, the Mercer County Economic Development Authority's board of directors appointed a new executive director to head up the county's ongoing economic expansion. Jordan Maynor, the development authority's assistant director, was named its new executive director, Vice Chairman Bill Hopkins said. Maynor will be succeeding Executive Director John O'Neal, who recently announced his plans to retire. 'We had a meeting this morning that had been scheduled,' Hopkins said later. 'John did tender his retirement. Jordan Maynor has been working with the development authority for several years. We had named him interim director, but this morning we voted to go ahead and make him executive director of the development authority.' Maynor said he was excited about his new position. 'With the backing of our board of directors, I am eager to take on this role and advance our mission of economic development,' he said. 'We have exciting projects on the horizon that will drive significant growth and opportunity. I look forward to working with everyone to bring jobs and investment to Mercer County.' Prior to Thursday's board meeting, the Mercer County Commission appointed two new members to the authority's board of directors and re-appointed other board members. Gene Buckner, a former Mercer County Commissioner and Mayor Ron Martin of Bluefield have joined the board. Re-appointed board members included Hopkins along with Frank Brady, Mercer County Commission President Bill Archer, Josh Cline, Princeton Mayor David Graham, Tim Pike, Randy Price, Deborah Rachel and Mori Williams. All the board of directors' terms end on Aug. 15 this year. Commissioner Greg Puckett said the commission looked at the development authority's bylaws and saw that the board of directors needed an update. 'There hadn't been a collective reappointment for a few years so we wanted to make sure everybody was on par to go forward equally,' he said. The commission's job is the appoint the board of directors, Puckett said. 'We just want to make sure we had the board in 100% compliance. We've fulfilled our obligations and I'm excited about the movement.' The county's economic development authority is currently working on multiple projects, Hopkins said. One known as The Ridges at Interstate 77's Exit 9 near Princeton includes a youth sports complex with ball fields, lodging and other amenities. In July 2023, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 1020 which authorized the Mercer County Commission to levy a special district excise tax for the project. 'Phase I looks like it's moving forward nicely,' Hopkins said. 'We hope to have a groundbreaking in the very near future and be looking at the next phases. It's a huge deal for the county. It's going to take a few years to come to fruition.' Another advancing project is a natural gas pipeline extension going up John Nash Boulevard in Bluefield, Hopkins said. It will take natural gas to the Bluefield Industrial Park and other boulevard sites including the future Omnis home manufacturing plant. 'The project should be completed by the end of June,' Hopkins said about the pipeline. 'That's a pretty significant development for us. That will provide natural gas to all those developed plots plus Omnis. We're pretty pleased with that as well.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
