Latest news with #W.I.L.D.Institute
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
McDowell County Schools prioritizes school bus safety after several close calls
WELCH, WV (WVNS) – McDowell County School administrators are taking extra steps to ensure the safety of bus drivers and students. During the 2024-25 school year, there have been many close calls when kids are getting on and off school buses throughout the county. Assistant Superintendent, Amanda Peyton explained one specific example where an elementary age girl was trying to cross the road after getting off the school bus. This girl was almost hit by a car that did not stop for the halted school bus. W.I.L.D. Institute unites women in firefighting for first Women's Firefighter Weekend 'Thankfully, the little girl waited on the signal. So she was trained by the [bus] driver to wait. That [car] driver just sped through, just really exceeding through there. One mile an hour [over] is too much. You know that that car was really speeding. We could have lost a child,' said Peyton. Peyton told 59News their Transportation Director, Adam Grygiel has been very insistent that they do something to crack down on the incidents. Cameras were already installed to capture the front-facing view of the bus, but now an additional rear-facing camera has been added to each bus. As soon as the 'stop' arm goes out, that camera starts recording. This captures pictures and camera footage of the driver, car, and license plate. This will be used if the driver decides against stopping for a school bus. McDowell County Schools have began sending the film and photos to the McDowell County Sheriff's Department. Peyton said McDowell County Sheriff Muncy and his team are working to issue citations and fines for those who try to pass stopped school buses on the road. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
W.I.L.D. Institute unites women in firefighting for first Women's Firefighter Weekend
MINDEN, WV (WVNS) – The W.I.L.D. Institute held their First Women's Firefighter Weekend. Local organizations commence Operation 'Bag Drag' to assist growing needs in foster care This weekend united female firefighters from the area, as they took specialized training in ladder throwing, hose handling, forcible entry and people drags. Mystik Miller is the executive director of the Wild Institute, as well as a local volunteer firefighter. She explained they brought in female instructors from all over the nation, from places like Wisconsin and Colorado. 'We wanted to do it that way because [female instructors] intimately know that experience of being a female firefighter, of having to perform these tasks, especially when you are a little bit shorter or you do not have that arm strength, but we have strength in our legs and we have strength in different parts of our bodies,' said Miller. Linda Crane and Ryella Kelly were two of the instructors W.I.L.D. brought in for this weekend. 'This week is really special to have an opportunity to train with women in the fire service and to support each other and come together to uplift each other, to find ways that we can be most effective in doing all of the same things that anyone else on this job is going to do. W.I.L.D. Institute brought us here to basically come together and foster something that we can all grow from and then take back to our department,' said Crane. 'There are a lot of things in firefighting that, stereotypically, people think that females cannot do. We can do them, we just do them a different way. Then this week we were able to really hone in on those skills. Linda did an amazing job of teaching us body mechanics and how to utilize our strength in the best way possible to get the job done,' said Kelly. Miller told 59News they hope to make this an annual event to help grow the local female firefighting community. WV Lifeline Ambulance Services LLC announces upcoming launch She added that there are very few women firefighters in comparison to male firefighters, so having this time to bond was special to them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
