Associated Press, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

West Virginia Receives Funding For Juvenile Justice System

West Virginia is getting more than $620,000 to help kids who are incarcerated and prevent others from entering the criminal justice system, two U.S. senators announced.

“It’s important that we do all we can to make sure people feel safe and support efforts that help prevent crime in the first place,” Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said in a press release. “This funding does just that by focusing on building that trust by helping young West Virginians stay away from crime and to help their communities.”

Capito made the announcement last week with Democrat U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin. The two West Virginia senators sit together on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The U.S. Department of Justice funding will support nine program areas within West Virginia’s juvenile justice system. They include community-based programs; programs designed to prevent and reduce hate crimes committed by juveniles; projects designed to protect juvenile civil rights; programs designed to provide mental health services for incarcerated juveniles; and programs to address the disproportionate number of youth members of minority groups who enter the juvenile justice system.

Lawmaker Proposes Fiddle As W.Va. State Instrument

A state lawmaker wants to see the fiddle named the official instrument of West Virginia.

A resolution by Republican Del. Josh Holstein introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday states that the fiddle has “importance and significance” in “West Virginia’s history, traditions and culture.”

The fiddle arrived in Appalachia in the 18th century with immigrants from the British Isles, according to the resolution.

“The fiddle soon became a staple of life in West Virginia, being played in churches, in logging and mining camps, at weddings and summer picnics, and in the homes and on porches of many West Virginians,” Holstein wrote. “It has remained so ever since.”

The proposal cites several prominent West Virginia musicians, including fiddler Blind Alfred Reed. Reed was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Born in 1880, Reed was among the artists who played in the first recordings of traditional country music at the Bristol Sessions in 1927. Reed, who was blind, performed locally until 1937 when the state passed a law prohibiting blind street musicians. He is buried in Elgood.

After its introduction in the House Wednesday, Holstein’s proposal was sent to the House Rules Committee. The fiddle is also the state instrument of Missouri and Arkansas.

George Washington High Wins W.Va. High School Academic Contest

George Washington High School of Charleston on Friday won an academic competition involving teams of students from across West Virginia.

George Washington defeated Spring Mills High School of Berkeley County in the championship round of the West Virginia Academic Showdown at the state Culture Center in Charleston. George Washington won $10,000 and Spring Mills $6,000.

In addition, George Washington team captain Reese Mason received $1,000 for being chosen the top competitor.

Under the competition, which was based on the popular History Bowl quiz format, 29 teams from 19 high schools signed up for four regional events. The eight regional winners then advanced to the state finals.

Berkeley Springs and PikeView were eliminated in the semifinals and received $4,000. Greenbrier East, Ripley, Sherman and Tug Valley were eliminated in the quarterfinals and received $3,000.

The competition subjects included literature, math, history, science, geography, fine arts, religion and mythology, social science, philosophy, current events, pop culture and general knowledge.

Schools formed teams of four students from grades 9 through 12 with a fifth member serving as an alternate.

Longtime AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Has Died

Richard Trumka, the powerful president of the AFL-CIO labor union, has died, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Schumer, an ally of the union boss, announced Trumka’s death from the Senate floor Thursday.

“The working people of America have lost a fierce warrior at a time when we needed him most,” Schumer said.

President Joe Biden called Trumka “a close friend” who was “more than the head of AFL-CIO.” He apologized for showing up late to a meeting with Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander civil rights leaders, saying he had just learned Trumka had died.

Further details of Trumka’s death were not immediately available. The AFL-CIO did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Trumka oversaw a union with more than 12.5 million members, according to the AFL-CIO’s website.

A longtime labor leader, Trumka was elected at age 33 in 1982 as the youngest president of the United Mine Workers of America.

There, he led a successful strike against the Pittston Coal Company, which tried to avoid paying into an industrywide health and pension fund, the union’s website said.

Eulogies quickly poured out Thursday from Democrats in Congress.

“Richard Trumka dedicated his life to the labor movement and the right to organize,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. “Richard’s leadership transcended a single movement, as he fought with principle and persistence to defend the dignity of every person.”

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia offered similar sentiments upon news of Trumka’s passing.

“I am heartbroken to learn of the death of my dear friend Richard Trumka. Rich’s story is the American story – he was the son and grandson of Italian and Polish immigrants and began his career mining coal,” Manchin said. “He never forgot where he came from. He dedicated the rest of his career to fighting for America’s working men and women. He was a fierce advocate for working people and a truly decent man.”

Judge Extends Order Halting W.Va. Needle Exchange Law

A federal judge Thursday extended a temporary restraining order on West Virginia’s new law that tightens requirements on needle exchange programs.

U.S. District Judge Chuck Chambers said he will mull the argument by plaintiffs that the law, which was due to take effect Friday, is unconstitutional, The Herald-Dispatch reported.

Republican Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill in April over the objections of critics who said it will restrict access to clean needles amid a spike in HIV cases. The American Civil Liberties Union’s West Virginia chapter filed the federal lawsuit last month and Chambers issued the restraining order June 28.

The law would require licenses for syringe collection and distribution programs. Operators would have to offer an array of health outreach services, including overdose prevention education and substance abuse treatment program referrals. Participants also must show an identification card to obtain a syringe.

Programs also would be required to receive majority support from local county commissions and municipal councils.

Advocates view the regulations as onerous.

Supporters said the legislation would help those addicted to opioids get connected to health care services fighting substance abuse. Some Republicans lawmakers had said the changes were necessary because some needle exchange programs were “operating so irresponsibly” that they were causing syringe litter.

The ACLU chapter said the law would likely lead to more HIV cases and the spread of other bloodborne illnesses.

It would take effect amid one of the nation’s highest spikes in HIV cases related to intravenous drug use. The surge, clustered mainly around the capital of Charleston and the city of Huntington, was attributed at least in part to the cancellation in 2018 of Charleston’s needle exchange program.

The surge has led to an investigation by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that last month found emergency departments and inpatient medical personnel rarely conducted HIV testing on intravenous drug users in Kanawha County.

Previously, city leaders and first responders complained that the program in Kanawha County led to an increase in needles being left in public places and abandoned buildings, and it was shut down.

The CDC describes syringe programs as “safe, effective, and cost-saving.”

Public Hearings Set On West Virginia Redistricting Process

Public hearings have been set on West Virginia’s redistricting process.

The Legislature’s joint redistricting committee will hold 12 in-person hearings and three virtual hearings.

The first hearing is July 27 at the Putnam County Judicial Building in Winfield. Other hearings are set for July 29 at Chief Logan State Park in Logan, Aug. 3 at Tamarack in Beckley, Aug. 4 at the Summersville Arena and Conference Center and Aug. 10 at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke.

Lawmakers will decide on legislative district boundaries as well as how to split the state into two congressional districts, down from the current three. West Virginia’s long population slide cost the state its third congressional seat, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released in April.

A special session is expected to convene later in the year on the redistricting process.