http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/index/ Gilmer County, WV en tellus@gilmerfreepress.net Copyright 2012 2012-05-18T07:38:12-05:00 http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/area_crafters_practice_the_art_of_business_expansion/ http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/area_crafters_practice_the_art_of_business_expansion/#When:06:38:12Z Eight West Virginia artisan entrepreneurs are collaborating with Tamarack Foundation to sharpen their marketing skills and expand their businesses. The artists recently displayed their talents at one of the nation’s largest craft trade shows. The artists exhibited at the 2012 Buyers’ Market of American Craft show in Philadelphia, with support from Tamarack Foundation and grants from the West Virginia Departments of Commerce and Agriculture. The 2012 show attracted representatives of more than 1,200 galleries and more than 30 media companies from the United States and Canada. West Virginia craftsman Matt Thomas shows his wood and metal work to attendees at the Buyers Market of American Craft show The participating artists were: - Matt Thomas, wood and metal, Gilmer County - Mark Schwenk, metal, Morgan County - Phil Holcomb & Teresa Holcomb, wood, Roane County - Susan Ramey Bisgyer, ceramics, Preston County - John DesMeules, glass, Putnam County - Connie McColley, jewelry, Calhoun County - Ellie Conlon, specialty foods, Wetzel County - Robin Hildebrand, specialty foods, Fayette County The Commerce and Agriculture departments provided grants that covered part of the costs to participate in the national show. The Tamarack Foundation provided the remainder. “The Tamarack Foundation has worked with these artisans on entrepreneurial skills,” said Sally Barton, executive director. “Now thanks to support from West Virginia, they’re able to take that to the next level, with the materials and contacts to grow their businesses in this state and to expand their markets.” The artists’ performance at Buyers’ Market of American Craft has already shown measurable results. Barton cited the example of Matt Thomas, a crafter of fine wood furniture, including a line ornamented with hand-forged steel. Thomas supported his growing family as a licensed general contractor, supplemented by making furniture as a sideline. That changed in 2011, when a fall from a roof abruptly halted his construction career. Over the months that followed, Thomas regained mobility and refocused on his art-quality furniture. “When I was invited to be a part of the group to exhibit in Philadelphia, I was elated,” Thomas said. “I hoped that by making the most of the opportunity I was given, I could regain the income source that I lost and I could work from home.” He contacted galleries in advance of the show, introducing himself and his work. During the show, he received orders from 56 galleries from Maine to California, most notably the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. Thomas sees potential for growth in the future. The local economy is seeing benefits now. “As a result of this success, I’ve hired a part-time office worker,” Thomas said. “I am excited about the possibility of hiring others from my community to help grow my home-based business.” The Tamarack Foundation mentored the artists for about a year, helping them develop marketing materials and get professional-quality photos of their work. The photos were enlarged and mounted on fabric-covered display panels. The professional displays created a unified look that allowed the West Virginia group to stand out at the national show. Tamarack executives also persuaded the show to include specialty foods among the artistic wares for the first time in its history. “Artisan entrepreneurs create jobs here at home and produce quality crafts that are made in America,” said Barton. “That is good for our economy, from the local community to the national level.” “The support made possible by the Tamarack Foundation has helped make the transition to artisan entrepreneur possible,” Thomas said. “By continuing my marketing and wholesale efforts, I will be able to do what I love, where I love, around those I love.” Business | G-Biz™, Entertainment, Art | Craft | Photography, Events | Announcements, Festival | Expo | Fair | Exhibit, Politics | Government | Election, State-WV 2012-05-18T06:38:12-05:00 http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/west_virginia_counties_complete_canvass_of_primary_election/ http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/west_virginia_counties_complete_canvass_of_primary_election/#When:06:37:12Z All 55 counties in West Virginia completed their canvass of the results of the 2012 primary election on Thursday, May 17, 2012. During a canvass the County Commissioners, acting as the Board of Canvassers, oversee the recounting by hand of the ballots cast at a randomly selected five percent of a county’s precincts. The Boards of Canvassers also carefully examine each provisional ballot cast in the county, making a legal decision on whether a provisional ballot should be counted. After the canvass is complete, a county “declares” their election results. Counties started declaring their election results Monday morning. Declaring results starts a 48 hour time period in which a candidate can request a recount. Recount requests for county and multi-county legislative offices are handled differently than statewide offices. For county offices, the 48 hour recount request period begins when that county declares its results. For multi-county legislative offices, the 48 hour recount request period begins when the last county in that district declares their results. For statewide offices, the 48 hour recount request period begins when the last county in the state declares their results. Since the final county declared its results at 3:20 PM on Thursday, May 17, 2012, the 48 hour recount window for a statewide race won’t close until 3:20 PM on Monday, May 21, 2012. Saturdays and Sundays do not count toward the 48 hour time period. To see the election results on the WV Secretary of State’s website Click H E R E. Politics | Government | Election, Local, State-WV 2012-05-18T06:37:12-05:00 http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/gilmer_county_vision_meeting_rescheduled_06.01.12/ http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/gilmer_county_vision_meeting_rescheduled_06.01.12/#When:06:36:57Z Gilmer County Vision Meeting Friday, June 01, 2012, 6:00 PM Gilmer County Recreation Center This is a great opportunity to come and participate in a county wide discussion of several of the key issues facing Gilmer County. A potluck dinner will also be served. The County Commissioners will personally provide the meat, condiments, and tableware. The Commissioners request that everyone please bring a covered dish. Community, Gilmer County, Glenville, Events | Announcements, Meeting | Forum, Reunions | Parties | Banquets | Picnics, Politics | Government | Election, Local 2012-05-18T06:36:57-05:00 http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/census_shows_whites_lose_u.s._majority_among_babies/ http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/census_shows_whites_lose_u.s._majority_among_babies/#When:06:36:54Z For the first time, racial and ethnic minorities make up more than half the children born in the U.S., capping decades of heady immigration growth that is now slowing. New 2011 census estimates highlight a historic shift underway in the nation’s racial makeup. They mark a transformation in a country once dominated by whites and bitterly divided over slavery and civil rights, even as it wrestles now over the question of restricting immigration. “This is an important landmark,“ said Roderick Harrison, a former chief of racial statistics at the Census Bureau who is now a sociologist at Howard University. “This generation is growing up much more accustomed to diversity than its elders.“ The report comes as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the legality of Arizona’s strict immigration law. Many states are weighing similar get-tough measures as fewer Hispanics are opting to enter the U.S. due to the weak economy. “We remain in a dangerous period where those appealing to anti-immigration elements are fueling a divisiveness and hostility that might take decades to overcome,“ Harrison said. As a whole, the nation’s minority population continues to rise, following a higher-than-expected Hispanic count in the 2010 census. Minorities increased 1.9% to 114.1 million, or 36.6% of the total U.S. population, lifted by prior waves of immigration that brought in young families and boosted the number of Hispanic women in their prime childbearing years. But a recent slowdown in the growth of the Hispanic and Asian populations is shifting notions on when the tipping point in U.S. diversity will come—the time when non-Hispanic whites become a minority. After 2010 census results suggested a crossover as early as 2040, demographers now believe the pivotal moment may be pushed back several years when new projections are released in December. The annual growth rates for Hispanics and Asians fell sharply last year to just over 2%, roughly half the rates in 2000 and the lowest in more than a decade. The black growth rate stayed flat at 1%. The immigrants staying put in the U.S. for now include Narcisa Marcelino, 34, a single mother who lives with her two daughters, ages 10 and 5, in Martinsburg, WV After crossing into the U.S. from Mexico in 2000, she followed her brother to the eastern part of the state just outside the Baltimore-Washington region. The Martinsburg area is known for hiring hundreds of migrants annually to work in fruit orchards. Its Hispanic growth climbed from 14% to 18% between 2000 and 2005 before shrinking last year to 3.3%, still above the national average. Marcelino says she sells food from her home to make ends meet for her family and continues to hope that one day she will get a hearing with immigration officials to stay legally in the U.S. She aspires to open a restaurant and is learning English at a community college so she can help other Spanish-language speakers. If she is eventually deported, “it wouldn’t be that tragic,“ Marcelino said. “But because the children have been born here, this is their country. And there are more opportunities for them here.“ Of the 30 large metropolitan areas showing the fastest Hispanic growth in the previous decade, all showed slower growth in 2011 than in the peak Hispanic growth years of 2005-2006, when the construction boom attracted new migrants to low-wage work. They include Lakeland, FL; Charlotte, NC; Atlanta; Provo, Utah; Las Vegas; and Phoenix. All but two—Fort Myers, FL, and Dallas-Fort Worth—also grew more slowly last year than in 2010, hurt by the jobs slump. Pointing to a longer-term decline in immigration, demographers believe the Hispanic population boom may have peaked. “The Latino population is very young, which means they will continue to have a lot of births relative to the general population,“ said Mark Mather, associate vice president of the Population Reference Bureau. “But we’re seeing a slowdown that is likely the result of multiple factors: declining Latina birth rates combined with lower immigration levels. If both of these trends continue, they will lead to big changes down the road.“ William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution who analyzed the census data, noted that government debates over immigration enforcement may now be less pressing, given slowing growth. “The current congressional and Supreme Court interest in reducing immigration—and the concerns especially about low-skilled and undocumented Hispanic immigration—represent issues that could well be behind us,“ he said. Minorities made up roughly 2.02 million, or 50.4% of U.S. births in the 12-month period ending July 2011. That compares with 37% in 1990. In all, 348 of the nation’s 3,143 counties, or 1 in 9, have minority populations across all age groups that total more than 50%. In a sign of future U.S. race and ethnic change, the number of counties reaching the tipping point increases to more than 690, or nearly 1 in 4, when looking only at the under age 5 population. The counties in transition include Maricopa (Phoenix), AZ; King (Seattle), Wash.; Travis (Austin), Texas; and Palm Beach, FL, where recent Hispanic births are driving the increased diversity among children. Also high on the list are suburban counties such as Fairfax, VA, just outside the nation’s capital, and Westchester, NY, near New York City, where more open spaces are a draw for young families who are increasingly minority. According to the latest data, the percentage growth of Hispanics slowed from 4.2% in 2001 to 2.5% last year. Their population growth would have been even lower if it weren’t for their relatively high fertility rates—seven births for every death. The median age of U.S. Hispanics is 27.6 years. Births actually have been declining for both whites and minorities as many women postponed having children during the economic slump. But the drop since 2008 has been larger for whites, who have a median age of 42. The number of white births fell by 11.4%, compared with 3.2% for minorities, according to Kenneth Johnson, a sociologist at the University of New Hampshire. Asian population increases also slowed, from 4.5% in 2001 to about 2.2%. Hispanics and Asians still are the two fastest-growing minority groups, making up about 16.7% and 4.8% of the U.S. population, respectively. Blacks, who comprise about 12.3% of the population, have increased at a rate of about 1% each year. Whites have increased very little in recent years. Other findings: • The migration of black Americans back to the South is slowing. New destinations in the South, including Atlanta, Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, and Orlando, FL, saw sharp drop-offs in black population growth as the prolonged housing bust kept African-Americans locked in place in traditional big cities. Metro areas including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco had reduced declines or gains. • Nine U.S. counties in five states saw their minority populations across all age groups surpass 50% last year. They were Sutter and Yolo in California; Quitman in Georgia; Cumberland in New Jersey; Colfax in New Mexico; and Lynn, Mitchell, Schleicher and Swisher in Texas. • Maverick County, Texas, had the largest share of minorities at 96.8%, followed by Webb County, Texas, and Wade Hampton, Alaska, both at 96%. • Four states—Hawaii, California, New Mexico and Texas—as well as the District of Columbia have minority populations that exceed 50%. The census estimates used local records of births and deaths, tax records of people moving within the U.S., and census statistics on immigrants. The figures for “white” refer to those whites who are not of Hispanic ethnicity. ~~  AP ~~ Features, Study | Report, Politics | Government | Election, USA 2012-05-18T06:36:54-05:00 http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/public_tour_at_coopers_rock_state_forest_saturday_may_19_2011/ http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/public_tour_at_coopers_rock_state_forest_saturday_may_19_2011/#When:06:36:38Z The West Virginia Division of Forestry will conduct a public tour at Coopers Rock State Forest on Saturday, May 19, 2012. This is an informational tour for the public to learn about plans for a proposed timber management project prescribed to meet recreational, wildlife and forest management objectives. Project plans include constructing a designated parking area along Pisgah Road and developing a 2.4 mile road/trail loop. Wildlife objectives include increasing young forest habitat and food sources. Other plans include creating savannahs and varying habitats for different bird species, including turkey, grouse and songbirds like the golden-winged warbler. This is the opportunity for the public to tour the proposed project area and ask questions prior to providing written comments. The proposed project area is located within the main body of Coopers Rock State Forest, south of Interstate 68, east of the Scott Run trail and west of Pisgah Road (Preston County Route 73/2). ABOUT COOPERS ROCK STATE FOREST At approximately 12,747 acres, Coopers Rock State Forest is the largest in the West Virginia State Forest system. Located 13 miles east of Morgantown and eight miles west of Bruceton Mills, Coopers Rock is easily accessed by Exit 15 of Interstate 68. The spectacular scenic view from the Coopers Rock Overlook and the numerous hiking and biking trails make this State Forest one of the most visited areas in West Virginia. Environment, Nature, Events | Announcements, Program | Travel, Politics | Government | Election, State-WV 2012-05-18T06:36:38-05:00 http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/oddlyenoughtrade_man_bitten_by_rattlesnake_at_walmart/ http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/oddlyenoughtrade_man_bitten_by_rattlesnake_at_walmart/#When:06:36:31Z When Mica Craig reached down to brush what he thought was a stick off some mulch in the garden section of a Washington state Walmart, it turned around and sank its fangs into his hand. The encounter with a rattlesnake sent Craig, age 47, to the hospital, where he said he remained in excruciating pain and may lose feeling in two fingers. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has apologized. “I reached down to grab the stick to move it out of the way, and the snake stretched out, turned around and got its fangs in my right hand,“ he said. “I slung it off and I did a tap dance on it until it was dead.“ Craig was rushed to the hospital by fellow customer Maria Geffre, who told Reuters she saw him crumple to the ground after crying out that he had been bitten by a snake. “He had punctures on his hand and there was the dead rattler he’d stomped on,“ Geffre said, describing the snake as at least a foot long with four buttons, or rattles. Craig, a married father of two, said the mulch was for his marijuana plants, which he is licensed to grow for medical reasons. It was unclear whether the snake came from an adjacent field or arrived at the store along with garden supplies. Craig said doctors who initially thought the snake had inflicted only a “dry bite” - or one that did not inject venom - treated him with six bags of anti-venom after his right hand swelled to the size of a melon. A Walmart spokeswoman offered an apology to Craig and said the retailer was looking into how the incident could have happened at the store in Clarkston, in eastern Washington. “At this point, it appears to be an isolated incident. We are working with a pest management team, which is conducting a sweep of the property to ensure there is no additional rattlesnake activity,“ Walmart spokeswoman Kayla Whaling said. Travis Taggart, director of the Center for North American Herpetology, said about half of documented rattlesnake bites, which are usually defensive when directed at humans, are “dry” but still cause severe pain. News, Accidents, OddlyEnough™, Politics | Government | Election, USA 2012-05-18T06:36:31-05:00 http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/wvs_smallest_hospitals_like_those_in_our_area_cannot_afford_to_have_medicai/ http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/wvs_smallest_hospitals_like_those_in_our_area_cannot_afford_to_have_medicai/#When:06:36:17Z Every member of West Virginia’s Congressional delegation is calling on those with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to take another look at revised regulations dealing with reimbursable costs for, what are considered, critical access hospitals. With the changes, officials with the CMS are attempting to clarify the treatment of reimbursements for provider taxes. Right now, CMS reimburses the state’s critical access hospitals for the provider taxes they pay under West Virginia law. The changes would stop those reimbursements in the future, but also be applied retroactively, meaning the hospitals would have to pay back reimbursements from the past couple of years. The change affects the state’s “critical access hospitals.“ Those are rural hospitals with 25 or fewer beds, like Roane General in Spencer, and Braxton County Memorial in Gassaway. Second District Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito says such changes could cost about 18 of the smallest, most rural medical sites in West Virginia millions of dollars. “In certain areas, like in a critical access hospital or a community health center, you get a higher reimbursement rate because it’s important to have access in rural areas to be able to attract health professionals and all those kinds of things,“ Congresswoman Capito said. She says that’s why, on this issue, West Virginia cannot be treated the same way as other states. “If these facilities close, then if you’re sitting over in Calhoun County or something, you have an emergency, you have to come all the way to Charleston,“ she said.  “That’s an hour and a half.  That’s life threatening.“ She signed a letter, this week, asking the CMS to look closer at the issue. U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, First District Congressman David McKinley and Third District Congressman Nick Rahall all signed the letter as well. Business | G-Biz™, Community, Braxton County, Calhoun County, Financial & Economy | G-Fin™, Politics | Government | Election, State-WV, USA 2012-05-18T06:36:17-05:00 http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/hand-washing_key_to_child_safety_at_petting_zoos2/ http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/hand-washing_key_to_child_safety_at_petting_zoos2/#When:06:36:12Z With fairs and festivals season just around the corner, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture is issuing an urgent warning regarding the need to thoroughly wash hands after touching animals at petting zoos popular at many events throughout the state. “It is possible to contract a dangerous form of E. coli by touching animals and fences or equipment they may have come into contact with,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. “It is imperative that parents ensure that children immediately wash their hands after visiting a petting zoo. If there are no hand-washing facilities available, children should not be allowed to touch the animals.” The primary pathogen of concern, E. coli O157:H7, is particularly dangerous to humans, according to Dr. Robert Pitts, Director of WVDA’s Meat and Poultry Inspection Division. “Various strains of E.coli are always present in the digestive tracts of many animals, including humans, but studies have shown that as few as 10 cells of this particular strain can cause infection in people,” said Dr. Pitts. “Children are especially at risk because their immune systems have not fully developed, and exposure to this strain can result in irreversible kidney damage or death.” The disease is transmitted by ingestion of fecal material that may be found on animals and around their pens. Although studies show that only a small percentage of animals carry this dangerous strain of E.Coli, the popularity of petting zoos and the enthusiasm of children mean adults should exercise extra caution. “Animals will pick up fecal matter when they lay on the ground and their immediate environment may also become contaminated. Therefore, any contact with the animal should be considered a possible contamination,” said Dr. Pitts. Other Tips: •  Young children who suck thumbs, etc., should not be allowed to touch the animals, the fences surrounding the animals, or any equipment that is in close proximity to the animals. •  Waterless hand sanitizers are good, but nothing beats warm, soapy, running water to clean hands. •  “Finger foods” are very popular at fairs and festivals. Hands should be washed immediately after touching animals and again before eating anything as an extra measure of safety. •  E. coli can survive for extended periods outside the body. Shoes can be a source of infection if they come into contact with manure. Wash your hands after touching potentially contaminated shoes. Consider scrubbing and rinsing the soles with warm, soapy water. Events | Announcements, Advisory | Cancellation, Pets 2012-05-18T06:36:12-05:00 http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/wvdep_accepting_public_comments_on_impaired_streams_list/ http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/wvdep_accepting_public_comments_on_impaired_streams_list/#When:06:36:07Z The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, under the authority of the federal Clean Water Act, Section 303(d) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Quality Planning and Management Regulations, 40 CFR Part 130.7, has developed a draft list of the state’s impaired streams and lakes. An “impaired water” is a water body which, due to a pollutant or combination of pollutants, fails to meet state water quality standards. By violating applicable water quality standards, impaired waters fail to support one or more of their designated uses such as public drinking water supply, aquatic life propagation and maintenance, or contact recreation. The WVDEP is required to update its list of impaired waters every two years. The list, commonly known as the 303(d) List, is compiled from readily available information and serves as an inventory of waters for which Total Maximum Daily Loads must be developed. In order to allow public participation in the listing process, a public comment period is in effect through June 11, 2012. Comments may be submitted by e-mail to: “Stephen.A.Young@wv.gov” or via U.S. mail to: West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Division of Water and Waste Management 2010 303(d) List – Attn: Stephen A. Young 601 57th St., S.E. Charleston, WV 25304 The draft West Virginia 2012 Section 303(d) List may be viewed on the WVDEP Web site at: www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/303d. Environment, Politics | Government | Election, State-WV 2012-05-18T06:36:07-05:00 http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/glenville_lions_club_carnival_-_may_23_-_26_2012/ http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/xyz.php/site/glenville_lions_club_carnival_-_may_23_-_26_2012/#When:06:35:48Z Lions Club Carnival is coming to town. Starting Wednesday, May 23, 2012 to Saturday, May 26, 2012. Carnival stats at 6:00 PM. Wednesday, May 23, 2012 is Family Night with $1.00 off each arm band purchased. Hot Dog stand to open at 11:00 AM on Monday, May 21, 2012. Community, Gilmer County, Glenville, Events | Announcements, Parade | Carnival | Show | Circus 2012-05-18T06:35:48-05:00