Friday, May 18, 2012

Area Crafters Practice the Art of Business Expansion

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.

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.”

West Virginia Counties Complete Canvass of Primary Election

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.

Gilmer County Vision Meeting Rescheduled – 06.01.12

Census Shows Whites Lose U.S. Majority among Babies

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 ~~

Public Tour at Coopers Rock State Forest Saturday, May 19, 2011

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.

OddlyEnough™: Man Bitten by Rattlesnake at Walmart

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.

WV’s Smallest Hospitals Like Those in Our Area Cannot Afford to Have Medicaid Reimbursement Pulled

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.

WVDEP Accepting Public Comments on Impaired Streams List

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.

G-Comm™: Voter ID Laws: Silencing the American People

Despite the propaganda being advanced by the government, the purpose of voter ID laws is not to eliminate voter fraud and protect the integrity of elections. Rather, their aim is to silence and suppress as many American voters as possible and increase the already widening chasm between the electorate and our government representatives. In fact, voter ID laws are the icing on the cake when it comes to public officials shutting Americans out of the decision-making process, silencing dissent, and making sure that those in power stay in power and have the last word on government policy. In other words, voter ID laws are the final step in securing the American corporate oligarchy, the unchallenged rule by the privileged and few.

Voter ID laws which have swept the nation since 2011 effectively erode our system of representative government by blocking access to the seats of power by those who need it most: the young, the old, women and minorities. For example, Viviette Applewhite, who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement, has cast a ballot in almost every presidential election since she first voted for John F. Kennedy in 1960. However, as a result of Pennsylvania’s new voter ID law, which requires voters to present a photo ID to election officials on Election Day, this may be the first year the 93-year-old is not able to vote because she, like many others, does not have access to the required legal documents necessary in order to acquire a photo ID.

This is not the first time in American history such tactics have been used to suppress the populace. For example, the South after Reconstruction was a textbook example of voter suppression, from poll taxes to grandfather clauses. At the same time in the North, immigrant voters were being suppressed via literacy tests. These were not formal barriers which said “no blacks” or “no immigrants” may vote, but requirements which while ostensibly aimed at preserving the integrity of elections were in reality meant to silence average Americans, much like today’s voter ID laws. During that same time period, the state of New Jersey, which had for 17 years allowed women to vote, pulled the plug on women’s suffrage. In contrast, as Judith Browne-Dianis of the Advancement Project noted, today’s voter ID laws are “the most significant setback to voting rights in this country in a century.”

The Philadelphia Delegation of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently issued a Voter Identification Education Guide in order to help voters navigate the state’s new voter ID requirements. Incredibly, at 112 pages, the guide may prove to be more off-putting than helpful to those already intimidated by the bureaucratic hoops that must be leaped through in order to access the ballot box come November. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, 25% of blacks, 15% of people earning less than $35,000 a year, and 18% of young voters do not have government-issued photo IDs. The Brennan Center also notes that only 48% of women have access to birth certificates with their current legal name and only 66% have proof of citizenship with their current legal name, making it difficult for them to acquire the ID required for voting.

Twenty-four laws or executive orders restricting access to the ballot have passed in 17 states since the beginning of 2011 and 74 more such bills are pending. By November 2012, there will be at least 30 states that will require identification to be shown at the polls. This requirement will disenfranchise up to 11% of eligible voters in America, and will have an even larger impact on groups that have traditionally faced discrimination at the polls.

Thus far, voter ID laws have passed or are on their way to passage in Alabama, Kansas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Rhode Island. However, in March 2012, the Justice Department blocked the laws in Texas and South Carolina that would disproportionately hurt minority voters. The concern in Texas arose over its disproportionate impact on Hispanic voters and a lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud.  Insisting that Mississippi’s voter ID law will violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Mississippi NAACP has asked the Justice Department to block its state’s voter ID law, as well.

Surprisingly, there is an overwhelming lack of evidence that voter fraud—the official justification for these laws—is occurring on a mass scale. For example, Florida has only seen 31 potential cases of voter fraud in the past three years, only three of which resulted in arrests. Between 2002 and 2007, the Justice Department conducted an investigation in order to rout out potential voter fraud. During that time period, there were 300 million votes cast, but only 86 successful convictions under anti-voter fraud laws. Of those 86 convicted, many were simply ex-felons and immigrants unaware that they were unable to vote.

Then there are the innocent victims. Take, for example, Kimberly Prude of Wisconsin who did not realize that she was not allowed to vote while on probation for cashing a counterfeit check. Once she realized her mistake, she went to election officials to rescind her vote. The reward for her honesty was being sentenced to over a year in prison. Usman Ali of Florida, a Pakistani immigrant who owned a jewelry store and, for all intents and purposes, embodied the American dream, had lived in America as a legal resident for ten years with his family. During a visit to his local DMV to renew his driver’s license, Ali was handed a stack of forms to fill out, including a voter registration form. Ali completed the form, not realizing that his honest mistake constituted a federal misdemeanor. For his so-called “crime,” Ali was deported back to Pakistan.

Clearly, voter fraud is not the real reason for these laws, so what’s really going on? Once again, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which epitomizes the Corporate State, i.e., the incestuous liaison between mega-corporations and the government, has been working behind the scenes. As The Nation reports, ALEC’s “‘Public Safety and Elections’ task force … has been the prime vehicle for proposing and advancing what critics describe as voter-suppression and anti-democratic initiatives—not just restrictive Voter ID laws but also plans to limit the ability of citizens to petition for referendums and constitutional changes that favor workers and communities.”

This is corporatocracy in action—what former presidential advisor Bertram Gross referred to as “fascism with a smile.” “Anyone looking for black shirts, mass parties, or men on horseback will miss the telltale clues of creeping fascism,” warned Gross in his 1980 book, Friendly Fascism: The New Face of Power in America. “In America, it would be super modern and multi-ethnic—as American as Madison Avenue, executive luncheons, credit cards, and apple pie. It will be fascism with a smile. As a warning against its cosmetic façade, subtle manipulation, and velvet gloves, I call it friendly fascism. What scares me most is its subtle appeal.”

Moreover, as Gross recognizes, “the subversion of constitutional democracy is more likely to occur not through violent and sudden usurpation but rather through the gradual and silent encroachments that would accustom the American people to the destruction of their freedoms.” In fact, the elite utilizes “triplespeak” to keep the public in line, feeding people myth and jargon to divert them from the truth. And, of course, the apathy and naivety, or possibly the cynicism and hopelessness, of the American citizenry contributes to their own oppression.

Let me be clear: This entire debate over voter ID laws isn’t about voter fraud and electoral integrity. Nor is it about Republicans trying to pull a fast one at the polls this year or suppress minority voters, although the facts would suggest otherwise. If these laws appear to favor one party or one segment of the populace over another, that’s just smoke and mirrors—something to keep us distracted and convinced that we have a say in whatever happens on Election Day. Yet when all is said and done, these voter ID laws are just one small piece of a systematic, wide scale effort to ensure that our corrupt, bloated, bilious government populated by self-serving politicians, bureaucrats and corporate yes-men remains exactly as it is—entrenched and unchanging.

~~  John Whitehead ~~

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Program Grant Awards

Fifty-four public and private non-profit agencies throughout West Virginia received a total of $2,757,156 in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Victim Assistance grant funds.

These grants will provide direct services, such as counseling, personal advocacy, court advocacy, client transportation and support services to victims of crimes including domestic violence, sexual violence, child abuse, and elderly abuse.

The funds will also finance assistance to victims as they move through the criminal justice system.

The VOCA funds are awarded from the Office for Victims of Crime, the Office of Justice Programs of the U. S. Department of Justice.

These funds are administered by the West Virginia Division of Justice and Community Services.

Grant Recipients in our area:

DODDRIDGE, GILMER, HARRISON, LEWIS & MARION

Task Force on Domestic Violence, HOPE, Inc. $171,643.00

These funds will provide for the salaries of a full-time Family Therapist, a part-time Victim Advocate in Marion County, a Marion County Victim Services Case Manager, a Lewis County Victim Services Case Manager, and a Harrison/Doddridge County Victim Services Case Manager, and a portion of the salaries of a Marion County Victim Services Case Manager, a Gilmer County Victim Services Case Manager and a Children’s Case Manager to provide direct services to victims of domestic and sexual violence and their children in Marion, Harrison, Lewis, Gilmer, and Doddridge Counties.

Contact: Ms. Harriet Sutton
Phone: 304.367.1100
Email: “hsuttonhope@ma.rr.com”

LEWIS

Lewis County Commission $31,173.00

These funds will provide for the salary of a full-time Victim Assistance Advocate in the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department to provide direct services to crime victims in Lewis County.

Contact: Sheriff Michael Gissy
Phone: 304.269.8251
Email: “lcsomikegissy@yahoo.com”

RITCHIE & JACKSON

Family Crisis Intervention Center $39,364.00

These funds will provide for the part-time salary of a Case Manager and the full-time salary of a Ritchie County Outreach Advocate to provide direct services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Wood and Ritchie Counties.

Contact: Ms. Judith A. Ball
Phone: 304.428.2333
Email: “fcic@citynet.net”

ROANE

Roane County Commission $10,900.00

These funds will provide for the salary of a part-time Victim Advocate in the Roane County Prosecuting Attorney’s office to provide direct services to crime victims in Roane County.

Contact: Mr. Joshua Downey
Phone: 304.927.2091
Email: “jdowney@court.state.wv.us”

UPSHUR

Upshur County Commission $35,175.00

These funds will provide for the salary of a full-time Victim Advocate in the Upshur County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to provide direct services to crime victims in Upshur County.

Contact: Mr. Jacob E. Roger
Phone: 304.472.9699
Email: “jreger@upshurcounty.org”

49th Annual State Youth Environmental Day Set for May 19, 2012

Hundreds of young people from across West Virginia are expected to attend the 49th annual state Youth Environmental Day on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at North Bend State Park in Cairo, WV in Ritchie County.

The popular event is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and several corporations, businesses and other organizations.

Following a night of camping at North Bend, awards totaling more than $11,000 will be presented during May 19’s Youth Environmental Awards ceremony.

Youth group members will receive awards for their participation in community environmental projects that include litter cleanups, recycling drives, school landscaping projects, tree planting, backyard composting, wildlife management, watershed protection and much more.

“The work these young people are doing is significant in creating a better environment through projects that produce communities that are cleaner and more beautiful places to grow up in,” said Diana Haid, coordinator for the DEP’s Youth Environmental Program.

In addition to the awards ceremony, Youth Environmental Day will include exhibits, hiking, sporting events and other activities for participants and their families.

For more information about Youth Environmental Day and how to participate, please call Haid at 304.926.0499x1114 or email “diana.k.haid@wv.gov”.

Stop Violence Against Women Act Program Grant Awards

West Virginia’s 25 projects have been awarded a total of $1,071,794 in STOP Violence Against Women Grant Program funds.

“These grants are for people like Roger Lockridge. When Roger was just a boy, police brought him, his siblings and mother to safety after a domestic violence incident,” Governor Tomblin said. “Today, Roger advocates for children at a local center in Lewisburg. I am pleased to be able to present these grants to people like Roger, and the programs they work for, so that the victims can find the help they need.”

“These grants are very important on multiple levels. It is not only women, but also their children, that benefit from the grants that are given to help those that work against domestic violence. I am living proof of this,” Roger Lockridge said. “If my mother didn’t have anyone or a group to help her, there is a good chance I wouldn’t be here today. Because of the shelter we stayed at, the staff that worked extremely hard, and the money from the grants that funded it all, our lives were saved and I was able to join in the cause myself later on in my life.”

The purpose of the grant program is to establish or enhance teams whose core members include victim service providers, law enforcement, and prosecution to improve the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women.

Grants provide personnel, equipment, training, technical assistance, and information systems for the establishment or enhancement of these teams.

Additionally, statewide projects are funded to provide training and educational opportunities for all victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecution, and court personnel throughout the state.

STOP funds are awarded from the Office on Violence Against Women, Office of the U.S. Department of Justice. The funds are administered by the Division of Justice and Community Services.

Area grant recipients are:

CALHOUN

Family Crisis Intervention Center $23,451.00

The purpose of this grant is to enhance and continue the Calhoun County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system’s response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Calhoun County Prosecutor’s Office, the Family Crisis Intervention Center, and the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department.

Contact: Ms. Judith A. Ball
Phone: 304.428.2333
Email: “fcic@citynet.net”

ROANE

Family Crisis Intervention Center $19,050.00

The purpose of this grant is to enhance and continue the Roane County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system’s response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Roane County Prosecutor’s Office, the Family Crisis Intervention Center, the Spencer Police Department, and the Roane County Sheriff’s Department.

Contact: Ms. Judith A. Ball
Phone: 304.428.2333
Email: “fcic@citynet.net”

UPSHUR

Upshur County Commission $30,000.00

The purpose of this grant is to enhance and continue the Upshur County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system’s response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team members include the Upshur County Prosecutor’s Office, Women’s Aid in Crisis, and the Buckhannon Police Department.

Contact: Mr. Jacob E. Reger
Phone: 304.472.9699
Email: “JacobReger@aol.com”

G-Comm™: What’s NATO Ever Done?

Wondering why anyone would confront NATO’s summit in Chicago this month? A look at some of its more well-known crimes might spark some indignation.

Desecration of corpses, indiscriminate attacks, bombing of allied troops, torture of prisoners and unaccountable drone war are a few of NATO’s outrages in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere. On March 20, 2012 Pakistani lawmakers demanded an end to all NATO/CIA drone strikes against their territory. As reported in The New York Times, Pakistan’s foreign secretary Jalil Jilani said April 26, 2012, “We consider drones illegal, counter-productive and accordingly, unacceptable.” On May 31 last year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai gave what he called his “last” warning against NATO’s bombing of Afghani homes, saying “If they continue their attacks on our houses … history shows what Afghans do with trespassers and with occupiers.”

While bombing Libya last March, NATO refused to aid a group of 72 migrants adrift in the Mediterranean. Only nine people on board survived. The refusal was condemned as criminal by the Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog.

NATO jets bombed and rocketed a Pakistani military base for two hours November 26, 2011—the Salala Incident— killing 26 Pakistani soldiers and wounding dozens more. NATO refuses to apologize, so the Pakistani regime has kept military supply routes into Afghanistan closed since November.

The British medical journal Lancet reported that the US-led unprovoked 2003 bombing, invasion and military take-over of Iraq—which NATO officially joined in 2004 in a ‘training’ capacity—had resulted in over 665,000 civilian deaths by 2006, and 200,000 in the UN-authorized, 1991 Desert Storm massacre led primarily by the US with several NATO allies.

On April 12, 1999, NATO attacked the railway bridge over the Grdelica Gorge and Juzna Morava River with two laser-guided bombs. At the time, a five-car civilian passenger train was crossing the bridge and was hit by both bombs. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused NATO of violating binding laws that require distinction, discrimination and proportionality.

NATO rocketed the central studio of Radio Televisija Srbije (TRS) in Belgrade, the state-owned broadcasting corporation, on April 23, 1999 during the Kosovo war. Sixteen civilian employees of RTS were killed and 16 wounded when NATO destroyed the building. Amnesty Int’l reported that the building could not be considered military, that NATO had violated the prohibition on attacking civilian objects and had therefore committed a war crime.

Headlines chronicle NATO’s crime spree

“U.S. troops posed with body parts of Afghan bombers.” Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2012

“Drones At Issue…: Raids Disrupt Militants, but Civilian Deaths Stir Outrage.” New York Times, March 18, 2012

“G.I. Kills 16 Afghans, Including 9 Children In Attacks on Homes.” New York Times, March 12, 2012

“NATO Admits Airstrike Killed 8 Young Afghans, but Contends They Were Armed.” New York Times, February 16, 2012

“Informer Misled NATO in Airstrike That Killed 8 Civilians, Afghans Say.” (Seven shepherd boys under 14.) New York Times, February 10, 2012

“Video [of U.S. Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters] Inflames a Delicate Moment for U.S. in Afghanistan.” New York Times, January 12, 2012

“Commission alleges U.S. detainee abuse.” Minneapolis StarTribune, January 08, 2012

“Six Children Are Killed by NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan.” New York Times, November 25, 2011

“American Soldier Is Convicted of Killing Afghan Civilians for Sport.” New York Times, November 11, 2011

“Pakistan: U.S. Drone Strike Kills Brother of a Taliban Commander.” New York Times, October 28, 2011

“Afghanistan officials ‘systematically tortured’ detainees, UN report says.” Guardian, & BBC Oct. 10; Washington Post, October 11, 2011

“G.I. Killed Afghan Journalist, NATO Says.” New York Times, September 09, 2011

“Cable Implicates Americans in Deaths of Iraqi Civilians.” New York Times, September 02, 2011

“Civilians Die in a Raid by Americans and Iraqis.” New York Times, August 07, 2011

“NATO Strikes Libyan State TV Transmitters.” New York Times, July 31, 2011

“NATO admits raid probably killed nine in Tripoli.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 20, 2011

“U.S. Expands Its Drone War to Take On Somali Militants.” New York Times, July 02, 2011

“NATO airstrike blamed in 14 civilian deaths.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 30, 2011

“Libya Effort Is Called Violation of War Act.” New York Times, May 26, 2011

“Raid on Wrong House Kills Afghan Girl, 12.” New York Times, May 12, 2011

“Yemen: 2 Killed in Missile Strike.” Associated Press, May 05, 2011

“NATO Accused of Going Too Far With Libya Strikes.” New York Times, May 02, 2011

“Disposal of Bin Laden’s remains violated Islamic principles, clerics say.” Associated Press, May 02, 2011

“Photos of atrocities seen as threat to Afghan relations.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 22, 2011

“Missiles Kill 26 in Pakistan” (“most of them civilians”) New York Times, March 18, 2011

“Afgans Say NATO Troops Killed 8 Civilians in Raid.” New York Times, August 24, 2010

“A dozen or more” Afghan civilians were killed during a nighttime raid August 05, 2010 in eastern Afghanistan, NATO’s officers said. Chicago Tribune, August 06, 2010

“Afghans Say Attack Killed 52 Civilians; NATO Differs.” New York Times, July 27, 2010

In June 2008, NATO bombers attacked a Pakistani paramilitary force called the Frontier Corps killing 11 of its soldiers. New York Times, November 27, 2011

“Afghans Die in Bombing, As Toll Rises for Civilians.” New York Times, May 03, 2010

~~  John LaForge ~~

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

WV Emergency Communication Trunk and Broadband Project

It was Friday morning May 11, 2012 about 8:50 AM and representatives from Gilmer County Fire Department, Gilmer County PSD, Gilmer County Ambulance Service, Lewis/Gilmer E-911, Gilmer County Sheriff Department, Regional Representative of West Virginia Homeland Security, GSC Public Safety, Gilmer County Commission, Gilmer County Administrator, and The Gilmer County Clerk, and several interested individuals were waiting at the Court house for a meeting when the Gilmer County Office of Emergency Services Director Suzie Kirkpatrick informed everyone that the meeting would start after 9:00 AM because Mr. Joe Gonzalez, the Director of the Medical Communication Division of WV Homeland Security was stuck in traffic due to an accident on I-79. Of course that worked out well for the County Commission President since he has a habit of being late for the meetings all the time which was the case here again.

Mr. Gonzalez is also the project coordinator for the state broadband project, and was to speak about it at this meeting.

About 2 ½ years ago a resolution was passed by the state of WV to have a good communication system in the state.

A study was done on the status of emergency communication and broadband system statewide to include federal, state, and local.

As a result of the study and lack of a reliable communication system, funds were allotted to come up with a system to improve the communication.

The funding for the 2 ½ year project is $125 million, of which $33 million is for microwave system and the rest for the Frontier Communication to build 900 miles of fiber to the areas that normally could not get it.

The broadband portion of the project is to build the infrastructure to allow the service to be used by those who are willing to pay for it.

The study for our area resulted in building the microwave system from Roanoke, WV in Lewis County to Glenville, WV in Gilmer County, and then to Five Forks, WV in Calhoun County to split to Pennsboro, WV in Richie County and Spencer, WV in Roane County, connecting to Kenna, WV and then to Charleston, WV.

Gilmer County already has the tower site on Nutter Run and the state has already taken care of all the right-of-ways.

Two years was available to build the tower system in Gilmer County and one year has already passed.

As part of this statewide communication system a tower has to be built in the Snowshoe area as well which, according to Mr. Gonzalez, has taken longer than anticipated due to the Greenbank quiet zone.

Every communication site will have a 400 foot tower weighing 60 tons, a 10x20 foot precast building, a 20 KW propane fired generator, and 2 redundant heating and cooling systems.

Currently, Gilmer County Emergency Services uses the 190 foot tower at the Gilmer site. The tower has to be removed to erect the new tower. As a result, the county emergency services have to move their communication devices to a temporary location.

The Gilmer County PSD has agreed to let other agencies in the county use the water tank site at FCI-Gilmer.

Once the new tower is completed, all the agencies can use the statewide trunk system for their communications. However, Mr. Gonzalez recommended all the agencies keep their system as backup to the statewide system so they can be used in case of emergencies. Doing so allows them to use the local system as well as the trunk. He suggested this would be a good method of redundancy.

Using the statewide trunk, all the agencies can communicate with each other or they can use one of 250 channels for local communication.

All communications on the trunk are digitally recorded and the recording and use of it are fully confidential and confirms with HIPPA rules.

The anticipated date for starting to use the system is June 15, 2012.

This communication project is a partnership between the county and the state.

There is absolutely no cost to county taxpayers for this project as the WV Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security pays for the project.

The state will assume the cost of the electric at the site which is a saving since currently county pays for the electricity.

The state also puts up all the antennas and feed-lines and takes care of the maintenance of the site as well as the road.

The site will be under full security with cameras.

County agencies are still responsible to maintain their local radios and repeaters.

Mr. Gonzalez stated it will take about one month to complete the construction.

Suzie Kirkpatrick the GCOES Director thanked Mr. William Stalnaker from Gilmer County PSD for the use of their site during the construction period.

Gonzalez noted that Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) will be part of this project and Hams can put their repeater on these towers since they are of great help during the time of emergencies.

He made sure everyone knows that no one is allowed to climb the tower except the state.

The tower can be used by all public emergency services and it can be rented to commercial customers upon approval so they won’t interfere with emergency services. In this case the customer is charged for the use of the tower and the revenue is shared 90/10 by the state and the county.

The statewide communication system is designed to be fully functional with all mobile systems and is not guaranteed to work with portable radios at all locations.

Finally, although the Gilmer County tower construction started later than planned due to the fact it took 9 months for West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection agency to check the impact of the communication on bird migration and such, it is still a 2-year project and will be completed on time.

G-Fin™: April Consumer Prices Flat as Gasoline Drops

Consumer prices were flat in April as households paid less for gasoline and natural gas, possibly giving the U.S. Federal Reserve more room to help economic growth should the recovery stumble.

The Labor Department said on Tuesday its Consumer Price Index was unchanged last month after rising 0.3% in March.

April’s increase was in line with economists’ expectations.

Outside the volatile food and energy category, inflation pressures also appeared to be modest.

Core CPI edged up 0.2%, matching the increase posted in March.

A number of officials at the Federal Reserve appear loath to take further action to help the economy, with some arguing the central bank needs to get ready to start removing monetary stimulus.

A separate measure of inflation targeted by the Federal Reserve, and which is not included in Tuesday’s report, continues to hover around the central bank’s 2% goal.

The Federal Reserve has maintained since January that it expects economic conditions to warrant holding interest rates near zero through at least late 2014.

Last month, the CPI index was held back by a 2.6% fall in gasoline prices.

Natural gas prices dropped 1.8%. Prices also fell for fuel oil.

Food prices climbed 0.2% last month.

Overall consumer prices rose 2.3% year-on-year, down from a reading of 2.7% in March.

In the 12 months to March, core CPI increased 2.3%, the same pace clocked in March.

Rising gasoline prices have helped keep the overall inflation hotter than core inflation in recent years.

April was the first month since October 2009 that headline 12-month reading did not exceed the measure of core inflation.

Magistrate Carol Wolfe: Thank You

Should WV SOS Have More Authority?

The President of the state Senate says he expects the Legislature to have a bill to consider next year that would give the Secretary of State more power to reject filings from potential political candidates.

“If it’s clear on its face that somebody’s ineligible to hold the office, then we need to empower the Secretary of State, or someone, to say, ‘We’re not going to accept the filing,‘“ Senate President Jeff Kessler said.

In the May 08, 2012 Democrat Primary Election, Keith Judd, a prison inmate in Texas, picked up 41% of the vote compared with 59% for President Barack Obama, the expected Democrat nominee.

According to MetroNews election data, Judd beat President Obama in the following counties: Boone, Clay, Gilmer, Hardy, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo, Tucker, Webster and Wyoming.  The Democrat nomination race was close in several others.

Since then, West Virginia’s filing requirements have come under scrutiny.

Secretary of State Natalie Tennant has said the U.S. Constitution is clear when it comes to who can and who cannot run for President.  Candidates have to be natural born citizens, at least 35 years old and have lived in the U.S. for 14 years.

Tennant has said filings are rejected only if a person has changed their party affiliation within the past 60 days, if they’ve filed for more than one office, if they’ve missed the deadline, if they have not correctly filed the right form or if they have not paid the filing fee.

“You could dig deeper (than the filing), but I don’t have that authority and this just goes to show that,“ Tennant said last week.  If the Secretary of State can determine candidate eligibility based on qualifications, she argues, that would put too much power into one office.

Senator Kessler says members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will be taking a look at a possible law change to address that in the coming months.

He says there should be a way to keep people cannot serve in an office, for whatever reason, from running for the position.

“I’ve got a six year old and a three year old at home.  If they want to be President or state Senator, I guess they could go out and pay the filing fee and say, ‘I want Daddy’s job,‘“ Senate President Kessler said.

“Clearly, they’re ineligible to hold the office due to their ages, so at some point, you’ve got to empower the election officer to say, ‘No, I’m not going to accept your certificate of candidacy.‘“

Auctioneer Continuing Education Seminar Set for May 20, 2012

West Virginia auctioneers are urged to avoid the year-end rush and attend the six-hour continuing education seminar to be held Sunday, May 20, 2012, at the Gus R. Douglass Agricultural Center at Guthrie, in the basement of Building 2.

The Gus R. Douglass Ag Center is located in Sissonville, WV.

The seminar runs from 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM and covers the annual continuing education requirements auctioneers must complete to keep their license in good standing.

Doors will be open at 9:30 AM.

“Auctioneers are responsible for thousands of dollars that quickly change hands during a sale,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. “When you hire an auctioneer in West Virginia, you are hiring a professional, who is evaluated and licensed by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.”

The event is sponsored by the West Virginia Auctioneers Association.

Pre-registration is required because lunch will be provided on-site. For more information, call Bob Stewart at 304.884.7595. Directions to the Gus R. Douglass Ag Center can be found at www.wvagriculture.org.

Why a Felon Got on the WV Presidential Primary Ballot: The Untold Story

All around West Virginia, people are asking: how can a felon run for president, but remain ineligible to vote?

While many blame the West Virginia secretary of state for this national fiasco, she is not the only elected official with culpability.

The fundamental problem with Keith Judd’s ability to easily access the ballot lies both in the lack of specificity of the West Virginia election code and the inability of Attorney General Darrell McGraw to provide the secretary of state and the Legislature with legal strategies to make it very difficult or practically impossible for a felon to run.

The attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer in the state and should have proactively identified and sought to fix this and other basic election law problems a long time ago.

Let’s start with some threshold issues.

The U.S. Constitution establishes the qualifications for an individual to run for president. It requires an individual to be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years of age, and a resident of the United States for 14 years.

Presumably, Keith Judd met these qualifications.

But this doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Since the Constitution arguably does not dictate the rules under which a state must run a presidential election (the Constitution discusses only the qualifications for an individual to serve), such power is “arguably reserved to the states” under the 10th Amendment.

Indeed, states have latitude to establish the time, manner, and method of holding this election.

This means the Legislature could have created more rigorous ballot access requirements for individuals running for president, including felon Keith Judd.

Such rules might have included requiring a certain number of signatures on a petition, or a physical-presence certification process.

These rules would need to be crafted in a manner to overcome judicial scrutiny.

Of course, interpretations of relevant provisions of the Constitution, case law, and the West Virginia code are legal issues.

As such, while there is a role for the secretary of state in this process, the attorney general bears the ultimate responsibility for serving as the state’s chief election lawyer and issuing legal opinions about interpretations of law..

Unlike the attorney general, the secretary of state has a ministerial function that limits her discretion. The attorney general should be leading on this issue and counseling the secretary of state and the Legislature about how to avoid such an embarrassing problem.

He is the state’s chief lawyer after all.

An attorney general must be competent in election law and identify the ambiguities in the state code that place our state’s reputation at risk. A competent attorney general would not allow crisis after crisis to occur in our electoral process.

Confusing, inadequate, or inconsistent areas of the state election code and regulations should be addressed in advance of:

1) a vacancy for governor;

2) disputes over state Senate residency requirements; and

3) when a felon files to run for president.

The West Virginia code must also be clarified to ensure that one constitutional officer — the attorney general — possesses the power to enforce election law rules and violations and bears official responsibility to solve problems before they are sent to the courts.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Corey Palumbo has indicated that he plans to focus on clarifying some of our state’s election laws this week during legislative interim meetings. That’s a good idea.

It would also be helpful to draft legislation that will ensure that the attorney general’s office becomes more intimately involved in election law decisions in the first place.

In my campaign for attorney general, I have proposed significant reforms to the state’s election law enforcement process. Perhaps some of those commonsense ideas could be advanced during the next session.

West Virginia is now the brunt of unflattering jokes about how we run our elections.

This is unacceptable, but not surprising because of the confusion in job duties between two of our state’s constitutional officers.

In the final analysis, the secretary of state is not an attorney and should not be viewed as the state’s principal election lawyer.

The election law function clearly rests within the office of attorney general.

Isn’t it time we clarify the roles of these offices so that we can proactively solve problems before they rise to the level of a Keith Judd fiasco?

With just a little bit of planning, we can avoid constant election law sideshows.

~~  Patrick Morrisey ~~

Morrisey, who lives in Harpers Ferry, is the Republican candidate for attorney general. A former election lawyer, he has handled multiple ballot access issues and counseled individuals and political parties on how to prevent voter fraud.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Advocate for Smaller Schools Says West Virginia Needs a New Educational Philosophy

An advocate for small community schools says, 30 years later, it should be clear the Recht decision has not worked for the benefit of West Virginia’s students.

Challenge West Virginia Executive Director Thomas Ramey says the ruling, issued in May 1982, was supposed to help students in the state’s poorest, most rural areas.

“The education systems in those counties and the education those children in those counties receive has not improved.  In many cases, it’s gotten worse,“ Ramey said on Monday’s MetroNews Talkline.

In the landmark decision in the case of Pauley v. Bailey out of Lincoln County, Ohio County Circuit Judge Arthur Recht helped change education in West Virginia when he ruled the state’s school funding system violated the Constitution and did not create a “thorough and efficient” education system.

As part of that decision, Recht ordered an overhaul to equalize the system, an order that lead to the creation of the state School Building Authority.

Now, twice a year, members of the SBA determine how the millions of dollars available for school construction and maintenance projects in West Virginia are spent.

Ramey says, over the years, the SBA has favored consolidations.

Since 1990, he says 350 schools in West Virginia have closed because of those consolidations, creating long bus rides for some students who no longer attend school in their communities.

SBA officials, though, say consolidations have led to better facilities and create more educational opportunities for students.

At the same time, they say they are helping with local projects that may not have adequate funding without the SBA.

Ramey does not agree.

He says West Virginia needs a new education philosophy.

“I actually think that children, low income children and children in rural areas, have just as much as a difficult time succeeding today than they did prior to the Recht decision,“ he said.

West Virginia’s Unemployment Rate at 6.7% in April 2012

West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched downward one-tenth of a percentage point to 6.7% in April.

The number of unemployed state residents fell 1,000 to 53,800.

Total unemployment was down 8,200 over the year.

The national unemployment rate declined one-tenth of a percentage point to 8.1% in April.

Total nonfarm payroll employment declined 1,800, with losses of 1,300 in the goods-producing sector and 500 in the service-providing sector.

Within the goods-producing sector, employment declines included 1,000 in mining and logging, 200 in manufacturing, and 100 in construction.

Within the service-providing sector, employment declines included 800 in professional and business services, 700 in government, 200 in financial activities, and 100 in other services.

Employment gains included 800 in educational and health services, 300 in trade, transportation, and utilities, and 200 in leisure and hospitality.

Since April 2011, total nonfarm payroll employment has risen 6,200, with gains of 4,800 in the service-providing sector and 1,400 in the goods-producing sector.

Employment gains included 4,000 in educational and health services, 2,200 in construction, 1,700 in leisure and hospitality, 1,000 in professional and business services, and 900 in government.

Employment declines included 2,100 in trade, transportation, and utilities, 600 in manufacturing, 500 in financial activities, 200 in mining and logging, and 200 in other services.

West Virginia’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined three-tenths of a percentage point to 7.0% in April.

Mountaineer Food Bank Holds Open House - 05.10.12

On Thursday, May 10, 2011, Mountaineer Food Bank held its annual Open House & Volunteer Recognition.

Over 100 volunteers and supporters attended as volunteers were recognized for the tremendous service they provide towards hunger relief in West Virginia. In 2011, 336 volunteers provided 4,542 hours of volunteer service at Mountaineer Food Bank.

At the Volunteer Recognition, the following volunteers were recognized:

(For 10 years’ service)

•  Adam McMillion

•  Lillian Bennett

•  Ronnie Miller.

(For 5 years’ service)

•  Iva Hall, Hope Ballenge

•  Mildred Doddrill

•  Mildred Pegelo

•  Robert Stewart

•  Thelma Fitzgerald

•  Mabel Hall

(For 500 hours)

•  Robert Stewart

(For 100 hours)

•  Walmart Associates

•  Chesapeake Energy

•  JROTC of Nicholas County

•  Harland Walls

•  Jean Dickinson

•  Esther Hacker

In addition to recognizing volunteers, Mountaineer Food Bank recognized the following outstanding donors from 2011:

•  Dominion Foundation, represented by Bob Orndorff

•  Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, represented by Kim Tieman

•  One Shot Committee, represented by Frank Jezioro

Frank Jezioro presented a check to Mountaineer Food Bank for $75,000 from the 5th annual Governor’s One Shot Deer Hunt.

The Governor’s One Shot event is sponsored by the WV DNR and the One Shot Committee.

The event helps fund the Hunters Helping the Hungry program.

Flags Ordered Lowered in Commemoration of Peace Officers Memorial Day

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin today issued a proclamation ordering all U.S. and state flags (under Public Law 103-322), displayed at state facilities be lowered to half-staff the entire day of Tuesday, May 15, Peace Officers Memorial Day, to commemorate all federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have fallen in the line of duty.

“The untimely death of an officer is a harsh reminder of the dangers encountered by our law enforcement personnel,” said. Gov. Tomblin. “Joanne and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the families of these brave men and women who left this world far too soon. We are truly grateful for their selfless service and their commitment to upholding the law and ensuring our safety.”

May 15 was designated in 1962 by presidential proclamation as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.

More West Virginia Students to Get Free Meals

More West Virginia public school students will be allowed to eat breakfast and lunch at school for free beginning in the fall.

West Virginia education officials say West Virginia is one of only four states to be selected to participate in the Community Eligibility Option for the coming school year.

Under this program, if at least 40% of a school’s students qualify for free meals, the entire school can participate.

At least 293 schools in West Virginia already qualify which means thousands more children will get free meals every day.

West Virginia currently has a pilot program providing free meals for all students in Cabell, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Lincoln, Mason, McDowell and Mingo counties.

West Virginia: Medicaid Changes

West Virginia officials outlined plans to shift around 57,000 people who rely on Medicaid into managed care, telling lawmakers the move would improve the health of some of the sickest people who rely on this government program while also cutting an estimated $15 million annually in prescription and medical costs.

Several members of the House-Senate Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability greeted the details with cautious optimism. But several also echoed concerns from advocates for these low-income residents about the state’s ability to provide the needed care.

Through managed care, primary physicians develop individual treatment plans, and refer these patients requiring specialists to a network of providers. Pre-approval is required for certain procedures or for seeing an out-of-network provider.

Nearly all states have begun covering people on Medicaid through managed care. West Virginia’s program now covers nearly 170,200 people this way, mostly members of families who receive federal welfare-related benefits. The plan detailed Monday would affect low-income seniors and people with disabilities who also receive help through the federal Supplemental Security Income program.

Commissioner Nancy Atkins of the Bureau of Medical Services told the legislators that her agency hopes to expand managed care gradually, a few counties at a time, between December and August. The agency has already sought federal approval for the planned changes, which includes shifting pharmacy benefits, and the projected savings reflects the entire managed care population, Atkins said.

Atkins said around 35% of people on Medicaid are seniors or the blind and disabled, but they account for 70% of the program’s annual costs. She also said that these people also often have such chronic ailments as diabetes, heart disease and mental illness.

“These folks, I think, have a difficult time navigating the health care system,” Atkins said. “Our goal with this population is to improve their health outcomes and coordinate care around the Medicaid member.”

Atkins also said that the state’s approach embraces several health-related measures recently passed by lawmakers. One is the medical home concept, which also promotes individual care plans to address a person’s chronic ailments. Another is the physician-sponsored care network.

Louise Reese, chief executive of the West Virginia Primary Care Association, told the legislators Monday that one such network will compete with the state’s existing managed care companies to provide this coverage for Medicaid. All but four of the state’s 28 federally qualified health centers helped found this effort, called the West Virginia Family Health Plan. The other centers will be part of its network of providers, Reese said.

“We’re very excited to be able to participate,” Reese said.

Alderson-Broaddus College Awards Doctorate of Public Service to McKinley

Congressman David B. McKinley (R-WV) was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Public Service at Saturday’s Commencement exercises at Alderson-Broaddus College in Phillipi, West Virginia.

“It was truly an honor for me to receive this honorary doctorate from an institution that has been educating West Virginia’s finest for the past 140 years,” said Congressman McKinley.  “Alderson-Broaddus has been providing a quality education for students seeking various fields in liberal arts while focusing on their spiritual well-being, at the same time.”

Alderson-Broaddus College overlooks the picturesque Tygart River Valley in Philippi, West Virginia.

Alderson-Broaddus College is a health-related and professional educational institution.

Alderson-Broaddus College is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, USA, and the West Virginia Baptist Convention.

The annual commencement exercises took place, Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 2:00 PM in Rex Pyles Arena in the Memorial Coliseum.

James C. Justice, II, the C.E.O. and owner of The Greenbrier Resort, delivered the keynote speech, “Lead with Passion,” to 101 graduates.

Ron Paul: The Fed:  Mend It or End it?

Last week I held a hearing to examine the various proposals that have been put forth both to mend and to end the Fed.  The purpose was to spur a vigorous and long-lasting discussion about the Fed’s problems, hopefully leading to concrete actions to rein in the Fed.

First, it is important to understand the Federal Reserve System.  Some people claim it is a secret cabal of elite bankers, while others claim it is part of the federal government.  In reality it is a bit of both.  The Federal Reserve System is the collusion of big government and big business to profit at the expense of taxpayers.  The Fed’s bailout of large banks during the financial crisis propped up poorly-run corporations that should have gone under, giving them a market-distorting advantage that no business in the United States should receive.  The recent news about JP Morgan is a case in point.  JP Morgan, a recipient of $25 billion in bailout money, recently announced it lost another $2 billion.  If a corporation shows itself to be a bottomless money pit of “errors, sloppiness and bad judgment,“ the Fed shouldn’t have expected $25 billion in free money to change that or teach anyone a lesson in fiscal discipline.  But it determined that this form of deliberate capital destruction was preferable to one business suffering bankruptcy.  Clearly, some changes need to be made.

Several reforms for the Fed were discussed at the hearing.  One was a call for the full employment mandate to be repealed, in order to allow the Fed to focus solely on stable prices.

Another reform calls for changes to the composition of the Federal Open Market Committee.  Still another proposal was for outright nationalization of the Fed or of its functions.  But if what the Fed does now is bad and inflationary, allowing the Treasury to print and issue money at-will would be even worse, and could possibly lead to a Weimar-like hyperinflation.

The problems and advantages of the gold standard were discussed at the hearing.  The era of the classical gold standard was undoubtedly one of the greatest eras in human history.  For a period of several decades in the late 19th century, the West made enormous advances.  However, the gold standard was still run by government.  The temptation to suspend gold redemption reared its head again with the outbreak of World War I.  Once the tie to gold was severed and fiscal restraint thrown to the wind, undoing the damage would have required great fiscal austerity.  Instead, the Western world proceeded to set up a gold-exchange standard which lasted not even a decade before easy money led to the Great Depression.

While returning to the gold standard would certainly be far better than maintaining the current fiat paper system, as long as the government retains the power to go off gold we may end up repeating the same mistakes.

The only viable solution is to get government out of the money business permanently.  The way to bring this about is through currency competition: allow parallel currencies to circulate without receiving any special recognition or favor from the government.  Fiat paper monetary standards throughout history have always collapsed due to their inflationary nature, and our current fiat paper standard will be no different.

It is imperative that the American people be educated on the dangers of the Fed and the importance of restoring sound money.  The laying of the groundwork must begin today, so that the American people will be prepared for the day when the mirage the Fed has created evaporates completely.  The full hearing footage is available on my website and I would encourage every American to take a look.

Monday, May 14, 2012

West Virginia Honors Budding Writers - 05.11.12

Hundreds of student authors were honored May 11, 2012 as part of the 29^th Annual Young Writers Celebration, a statewide competition that recognizes and encourages writing excellence in all grades.

“Writing is one of the most important skills for academic and professional success,” said West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Jorea Marple. “As we prepare students for the 21st century, clear communication through writing is more important than ever for future success.”

The annual event is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and the West Virginia Writing Project, which is part of the effort to improve writing in America. With three sites in West Virginia, Central West Virginia Writing Project (Central WVWP), Marshall University Writing Project, and the National Writing Project at West Virginia University, the Writing Project builds the leadership, programs and research needed for teachers to help their students become successful writers and learners.

The contest is funded through an allocation in the state budget to West Virginia’s National Writing Project sites and supported by the WVDE, Marshall University Graduate College of Education and Professional Development, the University of Charleston and the Charleston Daily Mail. The contest encourages classroom writing and honors first through 12^th grade writers in every West Virginia county.

In addition, the Barbara W. Walters Memorial College Scholarship was awarded to Amanda Entinger from Mountain View Christian, Fayette County

The celebration included talks by Marple and University of Charleston President Ed Welch. Workshops also were offered by West Virginia authors Colleen Anderson, Anna Smucker, Cheryl Ware and Elizabeth Campbell. Ron Sowell, songwriter and music director of West Virginia Public Radio’s Mountain Stage, performed as well.

As many as 800 students, teachers and family members attend Young Writers Day at the University of Charleston each year from all over the state of West Virginia.

2012 WV Young Writers Contest Winners

Grade 1-2                                  

1^st      Nate Smith              Madison Elementary, Boone County

2^nd      Kiah Napier             Wayne Elementary,  Wayne County

3^rd      Andrew Adkins        Clay Elementary, Clay County

Grade 3-4                                  

1^st      Rebecca Whetzel    East Hardy Early Middle,  Hardy County

2^nd      Jessica Fleming      Madison Elementary, Boone County

3^rd      Julianna A. Brown   Berlin McKinney Elementary, Wyoming County

Grade 5-6                                  

1^st      Jessica Taylor,        Clay County Middle, Clay County

2^nd      Abbey Delk             Triadelphia Middle, Ohio County

3^rd      Alli Suter                 Paden City Elementary, Wetzel County 

Grade 7-8                                  

1^st      Sarah Rowe            Buffalo Middle, Wayne County

2^nd      Paige Conrad          Shepherdstown Middle, Jefferson County

3^rd      Grace Ward            John Adams Middle, Kanawha County

Grade 9-10                                

1^st      Emily Hough           University High, Monangalia County

2^nd      Madalynn Payne     East Hardy High, Hardy County   

3^rd      Heather Green        Doddridge County High, Doddridge County

Grade 11-12

1^st      Brittany Strother      Lewis County High, Lewis County

2^nd      Catlin Wilson           James Monroe High, Monroe County

3^rd      Rebekah Honce      Bridgeport High, Harrison County

Barbara W. Walters Memorial College Scholarship 2012 Senior Winner: Amanda Entinger, Mountain View Christian, Fayette County

G-Fin™: U.S.A.: Economic Brief – 05.11.12

Producer Price Index

The Producer Price Index for finished goods fell 0.2% in April.

Prices for finished goods were unchanged in March and increased 0.4% in February.

The index for finished goods less foods and energy rose 0.2%.

U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes

U.S. import prices declined 0.5% in April, following a 1.5% increase in March.

The April decrease was driven by lower fuel prices which more than offset a small increase in nonfuel prices.

The price index for overall exports rose 0.4% in April after a 0.8% increase…

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

There were 3.7 million job openings on the last business day of March, little changed from February, but up significantly from a year earlier.

The hires rate (3.3%) and the separations rate (3.1%) were unchanged in March.

U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, March 2012

Total March exports of $186.8 billion and imports of $238.6 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $51.8 billion, up from $45.4 billion in February, revised.

Legislative Update – by – Delegate Brent Boggs - House Majority Leader - 05.14.12

Anna Jarvis had it right many years ago when she initiated the recognition that we now know as Mothe’s Day.  Nothing compares to the love of a mother and I am thankful beyond words for my Mom and to be able to spend some time with her last Sunday on Mother’s Day.  I’m further blessed that I live close by to see her often, not to mention the positive influence she has on three generations of our family.  Whether your mom lives nearby, far away or if she’s no longer living, I hope each of you honored you mom on this special day.

Interim meetings were held this week, May 14, 15 and 16 at the Capitol.  These are the first interim meetings for 2012 and members are eager to get started with interim study assignments, initial preparations for new legislation during the 2013 regular session and refining bills for carryover.

Children are our future and our most important treasure.  They will be the workers, leaders, decision makers and taxpayers of tomorrow.  Among the bills passed and signed into law during the 2012 session are the following:

Senate Bill 161 (Reporting Sexual Abuse of a Child) expands the list of those required to report abuse and neglect of children, requires all persons to report sexual abuse of children, and increases the fine for those who fail to report. It requires any person over the age of 18 who has actual knowledge of or observes any sexual abuse or sexual assault of a child, must immediately report the abuse within 48 hours to the State Police or other law enforcement agency having jurisdiction.  The law-enforcement agency that receives a report under this subsection shall report the allegations to the Department of Health and Human Resources and coordinate with any other law enforcement agency as necessary to investigate the report.

Penalties for not reporting were raised from $100 to $1,000 as well as an increase in jailed confinement from 10 days to 6 months.

Senate Bill 507 (Involuntary Hospitalization/Firearm Possession/Mental Hygiene) authorizes a parent or guardian to commit a child without his or her consent if the child is under 18 years of age.  It also clarifies the procedures for previously involuntarily committed persons petitioning to regain the right to possess firearms to enable West Virginia to become eligible for federal funding.

Senate Bill 596 (Banning Child Erotica) prohibits the possession, distribution, display, or production of child erotica depicting minors under the age of 18. Any person found guilty of committing this offense will be subject to a misdemeanor and either be confined to jailed, fined or both.

Senate Bill 611 (At-Risk Youth Pilot Project) aims to improve outcomes for at-risk youth in West Virginia by creating a DHHR community based pilot project, if funds are available. At-risk youth are defined as those between birth and age 21 who are low-income; receive benefits from DHHR, and under the jurisdiction of DHHR, or who are in custody of juvenile services, juvenile court, or the alternative school system.  A centrally located, community-based non-profit organization that has adequate facilities and community leadership to facilitate the four year pilot project will be chosen by the DHHR and be put in a county with the most at-risk youth. The pilot project will be operated under the direction of DHHR and in collaboration with educational and juvenile justice entities.

House Bill 4130 (Felony Charge for Sale or Purchase of a Child) covers a multitude of situations regarding the sale or purchase of a child. The bill spells out that any person or agency who knowingly offers, gives or agrees to give to another person money, property, service or other thing of value to buy a minor child for any purpose which entails a transfer of the legal or physical custody of the child is guilty of a felony.  The bill also declares that any person who knowingly receives a child in a sale is also guilty of a felony and, subject to fine and imprisonment.  Upon conviction of this felony, a person will face up to one-to-10 years in a state correctional facility and fined $2,000 to $10,000.  The child may be placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Resource or with a responsible person as the best interests of the child dictate.

It is sad indeed that there are those in society that exploit and commit horrendous crimes against children.  The system is far from perfect, but it is the responsibility of all citizens to protect the most vulnerable among us.  I’m committed to always work to protect our children.

How to Contact
Please send address your inquiries to the Capitol Office at: Building 1, Room 226-M, Charleston, WV 25305.  Or, call the Capitol office at 304.340.3220 or my Assistant to the Majority Leader, Mr. Tom Bennett at 304.340.3262 or fax to 304.340.3213.  If you have an interest in any particular bill or issue, please let me know.

For those with Internet access, my e-mail address is “Boggs34@aol.com”. You also may obtain additional legislative information, including the copies of bills, conference reports, daily summaries, interim highlights, and other information from the Legislature’s web site at www.legis.state.wv.us/.  If you write or leave a message, please remember to include your phone number with your inquiry and any details you can provide.  Additional information, including agency links and state government phone directory may be found at www.wv.gov and on the Facebook site of the West Virginia Legislature.

Conclusion
Remember to thank a veteran for their service to our nation and continue to remember our troops - at home and abroad - and keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers.  Until next week – take care.

Manchin’s Message from the Hill to the Mountains: STAYING CONNECTED TO WEST VIRGINIA

As your U.S. Senator, I believe there is nothing more important than staying connected with the people and commonsense values of our great state. Since I joined the Senate, I have relied on your feedback, thoughts and ideas – and I’m always looking for more ways we can stay connected. You deserve the very best in service from those you’ve elected to represent you, and I always want to hear from you if you think there is something we could be doing better. So this week I am so proud to announce two very important ways that we can stay in touch with each other, even when I’m in Washington.

First off, my office has started a completely new event for West Virginians at the U.S. Capitol. Every Wednesday that the Senate is in session, I will host a coffee hour for any West Virginians who come to Washington.

We’re calling it “Wednesday Wake-Up with Joe,” and I want every West Virginian to know that they have an open invitation to join me in my Washington office.

I truly hope that when you and your family come to our nation’s capital – whether for work or for fun – you know that you have a place to come visit, say hello and tell me in person what’s on your mind.

I’ll be hosting “Wednesday Wake-up with Joe” each week that the Senate is in session. To find out if I’ll be hosting a coffee session during a week you’ll be in town, you can visit my website: manchin.senate.gov and click on “Contact Joe.” There, you’ll see plenty of information about our constituent coffee series. And, you can RSVP online. You can also call my office at (304) 342-5855 if you need any more information and to RSVP.

We’ll start our coffee hour on May 16 at 10 a.m., and Gayle and I truly hope that you can join us.

Of course, the doors to all of my offices – in Washington, Charleston, Martinsburg and Morgantown – are always open to the people of our great state. But I also want my staff to be available to you in your community. That’s why at the end of the month, I’m sending my staff to you.

Starting May 21, my staff will be holding “Commonsense Connections” events all across the state. Representatives from my office will make more than 75 stops across West Virginia – traveling to all 55 counties – to meet with the people of our state and hear your commonsense priorities and concerns.

We launched our first-ever “Commonsense Connections” Week in February 2011, and because these events were so successful, we’ve carried on the tradition. This May will be our fourth series of “Commonsense Connections” events, and I hope West Virginians will use this opportunity to share what’s on their minds. To find out when a representative from my office will be in your area, please visit my website, manchin.senate.gov, where the dates and times for all of our “Commonsense Connections” events are listed. You can also call my office.

I want to thank each and every one of you for all that you do to make our state great. I hope that you’ll be able to join us for coffee in Washington, and that you’ll take the time to visit with my staff when they are in your county.

May God bless you, and my God bless the great state of West Virginia.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

G-Comm™: We Must Do a Better Job of Valuing Working Mothers

It is hard to overstate how much we value our mothers. They are the heart of our families. No job is too big, too small, or too messy for our mothers who spent countless hours packing lunches, kissing sick foreheads in the middle of the night and helping glue together the latest art project.

All mothers work hard, in the home or outside of it. It’s tough to put a price on everything moms do, whether it’s in the workplace providing food for the table or staying at home to make sure their kids get the education they need. Of course she does all of that for the hugs and construction paper Mothers Day cards.

But what about the value we as society place on the work moms—and all women—do in the workforce? Unfortunately, a recent Congressional report showed women are still under-valued in their jobs. In fact, nationally, women make 18 percent less than men doing the same job. And in West Virginia, women make a whopping 26 percent less.

We must do a better job of valuing our mothers in the very state that first began celebrating Mother’s Day.

When Anna Jarvis began that tradition, she recognized the incredible work her mother did treating wounded Civil War soldiers. She understood the extraordinary roles women play—not only in the lives of their children, but also in their communities.

When we under-pay women for the equal work they do, we unfairly hurt families.  Cheating that total household income means tighter budgets for groceries, utilities and savings for homes and education.

And I know we can do better.  West Virginians, more than any other people I’ve known, value fairness and hard work. Those are core values in the hills of West Virginia, and I know you agree that treating mothers fairly is one of the best ways we can honor them.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Mountaineer Food Bank receives $75,000 donation from 2011 One Shot Deer Hunt Event

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro has presented a check to the Mountaineer Food Bank representing $75,000 raised during the fifth annual Governor’s One Shot Deer Hunt, held in December 2011.

The money will go to the Hunters Helping the Hungry Program (HHH), administered by WVDNR, to distribute venison to needy families across the state through the Mountaineer Food Bank and other agencies.

The donation was made at the Food Bank’s headquarters in Gassaway, Braxton County, on May 10, 2012.

The Governor’s One Shot event is sponsored by WVDNR and the One Shot Committee.

Private individuals and businesses donate money for the opportunity to participate in guided antlerless deer hunts on private property near Stonewall Resort State Park in Lewis County and end the event with an auction and an award banquet.

All venison from the hunt, along with profits from the sponsorships, goes to HHH.

The first event in 2007 raised $17,000, the second in 2008 raised $35,000, the third in 2009 raised $50,000, and the fourth in 2010 raised $75,000.

The HHH program allows hunters to donate legally-harvested deer to certified processors so the meat can be distributed to soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, senior centers, missions, churches and community centers around the state.

The HHH program has been highly successful since it began in 1992, providing meals to the neediest of West Virginians.

However, the program also requires cash donations to pay for processing and distribution costs to benefit these needy individuals.

More information about the HHH program is available at wvdnr.gov/Hunting/HHH.shtm.

Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve Doesn’t Work

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant said again Friday afternoon at a news conference that not to allow federal prison inmate Keith Judd on the primary election ballot would have been going against the law of the land!!!

Tennant has been criticized by some following this week’s election and upon everybody learning who Judd is.

Judd not only got on the ballot but he received 41% of the vote in the Democratic Primary against President Barack Obama.

Tennant says the U.S. Constitution sets out who can run for President and it does not exclude felons.

“We can’t let our emotions, we can’t let our passions try and override the law,“ Tennant said.

Tennant says there have been a lot of suggestions about what she should have done.

She says many of those go against what the Constitution requires.

“You must be a naturally born citizen, at least 35-years-old and have lived in the United States 14 years and that is all,“ Tennant said.

“The individual 50 states cannot add qualifications to that list.“

Tennant says Judd filed a lawsuit against her office last fall when he thought he would not be allowed on the ballot.

She says the state Supreme Court threw the case out because the filing period for the election had not yet started. It didn’t begin until January.

Tennant says when it gets down to it the law is the law.

“For people to suggest that I should have never let him on the ballot would be suggesting for me to break the law,“ she said.

WV Governor: Honoring Our Mothers

This Sunday, we honor a woman who answers to many names. You may know her as Mother, Mama, Mommy, or simply, Mom. No matter her title, the responsibility she takes on and the gift she gives so willingly are often incomprehensible to us as children. It is often when we reach adulthood or we, ourselves, become parents, that we truly understand what our own mother has given us.

As an adult, Anna Jarvis of Grafton, West Virginia realized just how important her mother was to her and her entire family. In 1905, after the death of her dear mother, the Tucker County native began a crusade to honor her mother’s wish to establish a day to celebrate all mothers. Jarvis first brought the idea to St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, where her mother had taught Sunday school classes for twenty years. In 1908, the church held its first official Mother’s Day service. West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day as an official holiday in 1912 and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day a national holiday, transforming Anna’s dream into a reality.

The holiday quickly grew in popularity across the globe, and the tradition continues today with the annual celebration of Mother’s Day each May. The church where it all began, St. Andrew’s Methodist Church, now serves as a National Historic Landmark and is known as the International Mother’s Day Shrine.

Whether you live near or far from the woman who raised and cared for you and who loves you unconditionally, take a few moments to offer your appreciation. I encourage all West Virginians to fulfill Anna Jarvis’ dream and celebrate the mothers in your lives This year, show your gratitude for your mother with a simple “thank you,” a hug, or perhaps a gift from the heart.

Mothers give of themselves as they shape babies into children and children into adults. This commitment is lifelong—characterized by many ups and downs, twists and turns. We take each with our mothers holding our hand, giving advice, and watching us persevere—just as she taught us. I am grateful for the mothers in my life and thank them for all they’ve done and what they continue to do for my family.

From my family to yours, I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day.

A Minute with Jay - 05.11.12

Friday, May 11, 2012

Governor Tomblin Proclaims May Motorcycle Safety Month

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, joined by the Division of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Joe Miller, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program Director Bob Tipton and motorcyclists from across the state, as he proclaimed May 2012 as Motorcycle Safety Month.

“As the temperature warms, motorcyclists from across the country come to West Virginia to cruise our roadways, to take in the views of our stunning hills and valleys,” Governor Tomblin said. “When traveling other motorists tend to have difficulty seeing motorcyclists nearby. This year, I encourage all drivers to share the road and look twice for a motorcyclist this month and throughout the riding season.”