On this West Virginia Morning, Sue and Stan Jennings for 30 years have run Allegheny Treenware, a company that makes wooden kitchen utensils. But they started off as a couple of coal miners. Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro has more.
Nearly 40 people gathered at the Capitol Wednesday to protest Governor Tomblin’s veto of a bill to allow for herd-sharing in the state, allowing more West Virginians to consume raw milk.
Senate Bill 30 passed with overwhelming support by both the House and Senate, despite some health concerns attached to the bill.
Herd sharing is when the owner of a milk producing animal pays a farmer to board their cow or goat for them. The herd share owner can then obtain the raw milk from their animal, but does not purchase the product from the farmer.
The bill itself acknowledges the bacteria in raw milk can be dangerous for pregnant women, children and people with compromised immune systems, which Gov. Tomblin cited in his veto message.
“A product with these types of health risks should be subject to more supervision than merely requiring a person to release the seller from any liability for such risks,” Tomblin wrote.
Tomblin also said in that message the bill lacks any provisions for oversight or regulation of the handling or storage of the product.
Tinia Creamer led the charge behind getting the bill passed. She is a small dairy farmer from Wayne County who believes the bill is about ownership of the animals and not about the health risks, which she says are minimal.
“This was not about raw milk sales,” she said. “It allowed people to co-own livestock. It’s really not the government’s business to come in and say you need to answer to the public health department before you use milk from your animal.”
Creamer points to lobbying money from the National Milk Producers Federation as the reason why the governor vetoed the bill. The group released a statement in support of Governor Tomblin’s decision shortly after the veto was released.
As fentanyl overdose deaths rise nationally, West Virginia health care providers are looking for new ways to support veterans struggling with substance use disorder or mental health issues.
A new online tool shows residents the candidates and measures they can vote on in this year's primary election in advance, so that they can take more time to consider their decisions.
One day after telling statehouse reporters he was still considering who to endorse in the hotly contested Republican primary for governor, the outgoing office holder, Gov Jim Justice, announced his pick; Moore Capito.
All West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) services are back online after a mainframe issue, affecting multiple agencies, was resolved at 8:30 p.m. Thursday evening.