Latest news with #WestVirginiaLegislature
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fayette County veteran honored with bridge dedication
OAK HILL, WV (WVNS) – A Fayette County hometown hero has been recognized for his service and sacrifice for his own Darrell Lee Burgess was only 19 when he lost his life on the frontlines. A member of the United States Marine Corps during World War II, Burgess held the rank of Private First Class and was gunned down just two weeks shy of his 20th birthday. Now, more than 80 years later, the Oak Hill Main Street bridge is being dedicated in his honor. Fayette County Delegate Elliott Pritt told 59News that Burgess lost his life while protecting others around him.'He died on the gun. He was shot by a Japanese sniper in the head and was killed instantly,' Pritt said. 'But he was at his gun trying to provide covering fire for other marines in his platoon.' The dedication of the bridge came after the passage of a resolution sponsored by Pritt and Delegate Ridenour in the most recent session of the West Virginia Legislature. Located just near the dedication site for another highly significant historical figure, one Hank Williams Sr., the USMC PFC Darrell Lee Burgess Memorial Bridge will ensure that a local American hero is never forgotten. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
If not now, then when? Silica dust has been a problem for decades
Hawk's Nest Tunnel during construction in 1930. Workers had to drill through rock that contained high levels of silica, making workers sick within months. (National Park Services photo) As the West Virginia Legislature wound up its less than stellar session this year, the titled words to this commentary, rooted in the teachings of Hillel the Elder, a Jewish sage who lived in the first century CE, echoed in my mind, reaching an even greater, fevered pitch knowing that JFK and John Lewis were known to echo the phrase often in the context of political and social activism. The power in those five words resounds loud and clear to each of us — at least we can hope they do. While state legislators were tasked with a number of vital pieces of legislation, I honed in on the continued and shameful disregard for the certain and necessary protections of West Virginia's coal miners whose lives continue to be threatened from the inhalation of silica dust particles, which is the leading cause of black lung disease, along with lung cancer, kidney disease, COPD and cardiovascular illnesses. In learning that a federal appeals court issued a temporary stay on the implementation of what advocates have called a long overdue industry rule that would have limited how much silica dust coal miners are exposed to, I recalled one of the nation's worst industrial tragedies — the building of the Hawks Nest Tunnel in Fayette County, West Virginia, in the early 1930s, when an economic depression plagued this country. Stop for a minute to consider the incredulity of a period of time fighting the same issue that spans nearly one hundred years. It's outrageous. In the fall of 1990, shortly after completing my graduate work, I wrote a piece for Goldenseal titled, 'Hawks Nest, the Novel.' Since my graduate thesis focused on the history of early West Virginia authors, it would not have been complete without a discussion of Hubert Skidmore's controversial work. Still, after all these years, the same threat to every coal miner's life continues. It's unfathomable that this is still an issue. In fact, it's obscene. The silica rock that the builders of the Hawks Nest Tunnel drilled through — completely unprotected — is being breathed by Appalachian coal miners today, in 2025. The tunnel workers developed horrendous coughs and had trouble breathing, ending their shifts covered in a thick blanket of dust. Some died and were buried in unmarked graves in a field in Summersville, often before their families were informed of their death. The only time the dust was abated was when the foreman announced the arrival of the mine inspector and turned on the water to keep the dust down. Once the mine inspector left, the water was turned off and remained off. A reviewer for the New York Times reported in 1941, 'It is a story of crass injustice to make the reader's blood boil.' Fast forward decades later and the problem persists. Why? The answer is simple — money. Imposing regulations in order to keep the related diseases caused by the breathing of silica dust at bay cost money, and coal operators/owners don't want their bottom lines (i.e., profits) affected negatively. Valuing profits over people's lives is incomprehensible. How can basic, decent concern for your fellow man, the very men who risk their lives to line your pockets with even more profit, be ignored? Yes, we are a country that is divided at every turn, wrestling with politicians who, on one side, fight for the worker and who, on the other, quite simply don't. Corporate profits versus tighter safety measures for coal miners has a long history, none more obvious than in West Virginia. Are we going to be writing this same story in yet another decade from now? Are we going to leave it to the next generation to tackle? At what point are we going to say, 'Enough!' Theodore Roosevelt issued these resounding words: 'There can be no life without change, and to be afraid of what is different or unfamiliar is to be afraid of life.' I don't think it's inherent in the human spirit to belittle the worker and be concerned only with corporate greed. I think that the latter is a conscious choice that must certainly plague the conscience of those who choose to put their own interests above everything that is inherently decent and good about mankind. I often wonder what events, experiences led someone to toss aside respect and decency and concern for their fellow man and prioritize only their own agenda. I guarantee there is a reason, for to suggest that the workers' concerns are irrelevant is a clear example of pure disregard for those who built this country, brick by brick and shovel by shovel, asking only that they be protected as they reaped enough to provide the basic necessities for their families, while the industry barons rode their backs all the way to the banks, not feeling the least bit responsible for the price paid by the workers. It was unacceptable then, is now, and always will be unacceptable. Yet still, it continues. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Dominion Post
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Dominion Post
Has Morgantown conducted its last standalone election?
MORGANTOWN — The current iteration of the Morgantown City Charter was approved April 29, 1977. Among the municipal powers and responsibilities outlined in the document are details explaining exactly when and how the city is to conduct elections — on the last Tuesday in April each odd-numbered year. As it turns out, the final election conducted to those specifications may have been held Tuesday on the 48th anniversary of the charter's passage. A bill passed by the state Legislature and signed into law last week by Gov. Patrick Morrisey requires municipalities to align their standalone elections with county-run primary or general elections by 2032. With that in mind — coupled with a perceived change in the majority opinion on city council following Tuesday's election — is it safe to assume Morgantown has conducted its last stand-alone election? That remains to be seen. 'I do not believe that we will do it any earlier than we are forced to,' Councilor Danielle Trumble said. While the question of moving the city's election has been raised periodically going back a decade or so, it's never really gotten any traction until about two years ago. Trumble initially called for a charter review immediately following her re-election in 2023, citing the elimination of the city's standalone election as the number-one issue raised by voters. Ultimately, moving the election was one of a handful of charter changes taken up by council — but the body voted 4-3 in October not to put the question before the city's voters. Trumble was joined by Dave Harshbarger and Brian Butcher in backing the charter change as a ballot question. She cautioned at the time that the city should make the jump proactively as it was only a matter of time before the West Virginia Legislature required it. Six months later, that requirement is in place, along with the 2032 deadline. Trumble said the scenario currently being discussed by city administration would have the city conduct its own elections in 2027, 2029 and 2031. In this scenario, candidates in the 2nd, 4th and 6th wards would run for special, three-year terms in 2029, and candidates for the other four seats would run for three-years terms in 2031 in order to move the city from odd to even year elections. 'I think plenty of municipalities have proactively done this, and it was not quite the big deal that we are making it out to be. I know there's a lot of talk about making precinct lines match with the city boundaries and things like that, but, you know, the other municipalities in Mon County have already figured this out,' Trumble said. 'I don't know why it's going to take us another seven years to figure it out.' Ultimately, the question of when and how to move the election will be up to the city council. It would seem — based on campaign comments from newcomers Jodi Hollingshead and Mark Downs — that the votes are there. Proponents point to the promise of increased voter turnout and the elimination of election expenses. Those opposed to the change, like outgoing 2nd Ward Councilor Bill Kawecki, have long expressed concerns that city issues would get lost in the partisan noise of county, state and federal politics. Hollingshead, the incoming 2nd Ward councilor, has a different take. 'That's up to us. It's up to us to make sure we're educating voters and getting out there and registering people to vote and stating our causes and letting people know about us,' she said. 'That's our job. That's on us.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Has Morgantown conducted its last standalone election?
Apr. 30—MORGANTOWN — The current iteration of the Morgantown City Charter was approved April 29, 1977. Among the municipal powers and responsibilities outlined in the document are details explaining exactly when and how the city is to conduct elections—on the last Tuesday in April each odd-numbered year. As it turns out, the final election conducted to those specifications may have been held Tuesday on the 48th anniversary of the charter's passage. A bill passed by the state Legislature and signed into law last week by Gov. Patrick Morrisey requires municipalities to align their standalone elections with county-run primary or general elections by 2032. With that in mind—coupled with a perceived change in the majority opinion on city council following Tuesday's election—is it safe to assume Morgantown has conducted its last stand-alone election ? That remains to be seen. "I do not believe that we will do it any earlier than we are forced to, " Councilor Danielle Trumble said. While the question of moving the city's election has been raised periodically going back a decade or so, it's never really gotten any traction until about two years ago. Trumble initially called for a charter review immediately following her re-election in 2023, citing the elimination of the city's standalone election as the number-one issue raised by voters. Ultimately, moving the election was one of a handful of charter changes taken up by council—but the body voted 4-3 in October not to put the question before the city's voters. Trumble was joined by Dave Harshbarger and Brian Butcher in backing the charter change as a ballot question. She cautioned at the time that the city should make the jump proactively as it was only a matter of time before the West Virginia Legislature required it. Six months later, that requirement is in place, along with the 2032 deadline. Trumble said the scenario currently being discussed by city administration would have the city conduct its own elections in 2027, 2029 and 2031. In this scenario, candidates in the 2nd, 4th and 6th wards would run for special, three-year terms in 2029, and candidates for the other four seats would run for three-years terms in 2031 in order to move the city from odd to even year elections. "I think plenty of municipalities have proactively done this, and it was not quite the big deal that we are making it out to be. I know there's a lot of talk about making precinct lines match with the city boundaries and things like that, but, you know, the other municipalities in Mon County have already figured this out, " Trumble said. "I don't know why it's going to take us another seven years to figure it out." Ultimately, the question of when and how to move the election will be up to the city council. It would seem—based on campaign comments from newcomers Jodi Hollingshead and Mark Downs—that the votes are there. Proponents point to the promise of increased voter turnout and the elimination of election expenses. Those opposed to the change, like outgoing 2nd Ward Councilor Bill Kawecki, have long expressed concerns that city issues would get lost in the partisan noise of county, state and federal politics. Hollingshead, the incoming 2nd Ward councilor, has a different take. "That's up to us. It's up to us to make sure we're educating voters and getting out there and registering people to vote and stating our causes and letting people know about us, " she said. "That's our job. That's on us."
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
These items were vetoed from West Virginia's 2026 budget
CHARLESTON, (WBOY) — West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed the state's budget for Fiscal Year 2026 Thursday night, and some things that were approved by congress didn't make the cut. In a press release Thursday night, Morrisey called the budget 'fiscally conservative' and applauded the West Virginia Legislature for passing a budget that 'closely resembles my original proposal and begins to address long term issues while funding West Virginia priorities.' Morrisey signs bill allowing teachers to remove students from class Here are the items that Morrisey chose to reduce or veto from the budget passed by the legislature. The listed dollar amount is how much money will be saved from the changes. Keep in mind that the following cuts are not to the amount previously given, but to the amounts approved by the West Virginia Legislature for Fiscal Year 2026. Funding for Willowbend Agricultural Innovation Center ($100,000) Funding for Mountwood Park ($300,000) Funding for Math Counts within MATH Program ($50,000) Funding for Green Acres Regional Center, Inc ($300,000) Funding for West Virginia College of Law ($250,000) Funding for LPN to BSN ($250,000) Funding for Directed Transfer – Surplus, 'to address likely fiscal challenges related to Medicaid, PEIA and potential changes to the federal tax code' ($85,000,000) Funding for Current Expense – Surplus, 'to address likely fiscal challenges related to Medicaid, PEIA and potential changes to the federal tax code' ($250,000) 2% reduction for Local Economic Assistance ($100,000) 10% reduction for Tourism – Industry Development ($300,000) 33% reduction for Martinsburg Berkeley Public Library ($500,000) 3% reduction for Safe Schools ($200,000) Within Safe Schools, 6% reduction in funding for school mapping ($200,000) 70% reduction for Computer Science Education ($1,400,000) 23% reduction for Mountain State Digital Literacy Program ($300,000) 60% reduction for Ronald McDonald House of Morgantown ($3,000,000) 9% reduction for In-Home Family Education ($100,000) 5% reduction for West Virginia State Police Trooper Class ($161,172) 73% reduction for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) ($800,000) 40% reduction for Federal Funds/Grant Match ($500,000) 1.6% reduction for Veterans Nursing Home ($187,650) 13.5% reduction for Tuition Contract Program ($208,000) 3.5% reduction for Maintenance related to State Road Funds ($25,000,000) 20% reduction for Direct Transfer – Surplus, 'to address likely fiscal challenges related to Medicaid, PEIA and potential changes to the federal tax code' ($25,000,000) Morrisey did clarify in his press release that 'the budget fully funds Medicaid, senior services, and the HOPE scholarship.' He also said that 'In the case of a surplus, up to $100 million will be allocated to funding road maintenance and improvement projects across the state.' You can read Morrisey's full communication regarding the budget to Secretary of State Kris Warner here, which includes reasons for his vetoes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
