West Virginia University board members hope to select the school’s interim president early next month.
The university’s Board of Governors spent more than four hours in closed executive session Thursday. Later, board chairman James Dailey said the list of potential candidates was narrowed but he didn’t say how many remain.
The board meets again Dec. 3. Dailey said he hopes the board can take the narrowed list and wrap up the selection process.
The board is looking for a temporary replacement for Jim Clements, who accepted the presidency of Clemson University earlier this month.
Author: Associated Press
60,000 More Residents Qualify for Medicaid
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Cabinet Secretary Karen Bowling announced today that a second round of 61,000 auto-enrollment…
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Cabinet Secretary Karen Bowling announced today that a second round of 61,000 auto-enrollment letters have been mailed to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients and parents of children covered by Medicaid notifying them that they may automatically qualify for health insurance coverage.
To date, the DHHR has determined that 58,390 consumers are eligible for Medicaid expansion.
The recipients of the second letter received a simple form asking if they wish to auto-enroll in Medicaid coverage. A response is requested by December 18.
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 gave states, including West Virginia, the option to expand their Medicaid program to include individuals who were not previously eligible. Governor Tomblin chose to expand Medicaid coverage.
Eligibility for Medicaid will depend on two factors: modified adjusted income and the size of the household.
Holiday Event Set for Dec. 3 at State Capitol
West Virginia’s annual Joyful Night celebration is set for Dec. 3.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced that the holiday event at the State Capitol Complex is free and open to the public.
Activities begin at the North Plaza with music by two high school bands. Tomblin and First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin will then light a tree donated by Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Fisher of Charleston, followed by a performance by a children’s chorus.
Then it’s on to the South Plaza for music by another high school band, a tribute to first responders and military members, and another tree lighting.
Other performances and events are set in the first floor Rotunda of the Capitol, the Governor’s Reception Room, the Governor’s Mansion and the Culture Center.
Companies Propose Ohio River Hydroelectric Project
Two companies are proposing to build a hydroelectric power plant at the Pike Island Locks and Dam along the Ohio River in Wheeling.
American Municipal Power and Free Flow Power Project have submitted competing preliminary permit applications for the project, which must be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The project would generate up to 256,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually.
The Intelligencer and Wheeling-News Register reports the commission is accepting public comments on the project.
The project is being proposed as American Electric Power prepares to close its coal-fired Kammer Plant near Moundsville by the end of next year.
Columbus, Ohio-based American Municipal Power currently operates the New Martinsville Hydroelectric Plant at the Hannibal Locks and Dam. Free Flow Power Project is based in Boston.
Straughter Pleads Guilty to Murder in Rand
Tremale Straughter of Rand pleaded guilty to a first-degree murder charge Monday before the start of his trial in the death of 19-year-old Harold Donovan Taylor.
In return for the plea, prosecutors agreed to drop three charges of wanton endangerment against Straughter.
Taylor’s body was found inside a bullet-riddled car. After the shooting occurred last February in Rand, Riverside High School, three middle schools and nine elementary schools were closed while police searched for a suspect.
The 29-year-old Straughter faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 10 in Kanawha County Circuit Court.
Parkersburg Area Plant Closing on Proposed Cracker Plant Land
A plastics manufacturer that employs 130 workers in Wood County is closing the plant on land where a Brazilian petrochemical giant is exploring the possibility of building several facilities.
SABIC Innovative Plastics informed employees at its Washington facility on Thursday.
That news came shortly before Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced Odebrecht had chosen the same site to explore the possible location of an ethane cracker plant and three polyethlene plants.
Plant manager Scott Dansey says SABIC is consolidating U.S. operations involving a type of thermoplastic resin. Some production will be transferred to plants in Ottawa, Ill., and Bay St. Louis, Miss., in 2015.
Dansey says employees will continue to work at the Washington site over the next 18 months to assist with the transition.