David Adkins, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

W.Va. Students Train With Computer Controlled Machines

A group of students recently got a taste of how to create metal equipment with computer-controlled machines.

The Robert C. Byrd Institute is offering free CNC Machining Bootcamps to attract new people to the field of machine manufacturing. CNC stands for Computer Numerical Controlled, meaning that the machines are operated through computer inputs.

Rick Smoot is an instructor for the inaugural bootcamp. He says that the bootcamp works as an introduction to working with CNC metal mills and lathes.

“It introduces people to manufacturing, specifically machining; how to set coordinates; operate the machines to produce good parts,” he said.

Carol Howerton is the senior strategic advisor for Workforce Development at RCBI. She says the bootcamps are accessible for anyone, regardless of their familiarity with manufacturing.

“We may have someone fresh out of high school, a 17 year old up to a 60 year old,” Howerton said. “It’s a great skill to have, whether it’s for a hobby; you want to do something around the house, or you want a full time career.”

The bootcamps are offered through the U.S. Department of Defense-funded America’s Cutting Edge, or ACE initiative, and in partnership with the National Composites Institute.

“We have guys that maybe have been displaced. We also have people that through workman’s comp, can’t do the normal job they used to do and are being retrained,” Smoot said. “A lot of veterans! Generally all it takes is a really genuine interest in it.”

According to Michael Gomez, a Senior Innovation Research and Development Engineer at MSC Industrial Supply Company, ACE aims to improve American manufacturing by developing new technology and using it to train people in manufacturing.

“We’re going to help show people with CNC Machining early on and understand machine dynamics early on, so that when those students and those people go out into industry, they understand what it is,” Gomez said.

Gomez gave a presentation at the bootcamp on the CNC program Mill Max.

The program works by tapping the metal mill’s tool-tip with a hammer, and measuring the tip’s vibrations. This measurement can be used to optimize the mill’s speed, which affects its cutting efficiency.

Noah Smith is both a student with RCBI’s associates program for CNC Machining and their bootcamp. He works at a machine shop and says he applied to the bootcamp to expand his skills.

“There’s a lot of machine shops around here that deal with RCBI and looking to employ students that come straight out of here,” Smith said.

RCBI plans to offer the bootcamps monthly starting in January, with more programs available in Charleston and Huntington.

Rite Aid Agrees To Opioid Settlement

The pharmacy chain Rite Aid has settled a case over its involvement in the state’s opioid crisis.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced a settlement Thursday with the pharmacy chain Rite Aid that could provide up to $30 million dollars for recovery efforts in the state. The lawsuit alleged that Rite Aid contributed to the state’s opioid crisis by oversupplying addictive pills.

The West Virginia First Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, is an agreement by counties and cities on how to spend funds received from opioid settlements. Following the MOU, the settlement funds from Rite Aid go to state and local programs for the reduction of opioid addiction.

In May, Teva and Allergan settled for $161.5 million; in April, drug manufacturers Johnson & Johnson settled for $99 million; and in March, Endo Health Solutions settled for $26 million.

In a July ruling, the three big drug distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen were found not liable in a case brought by Cabell County and the City of Huntington. In August, the same distributors settled for $400 million with other cities and counties in the state.

Although Rite Aid settled their case, a trial is set in September as part of the Mass Litigation Panel for remaining pharmacy defendants.

Justice Announces Third Round Of LEAD Broadband Funding

A new round of funding has been announced for the State’s LEAD program.

Gov. Jim Justice announced $6 million in grant funding Tuesday for the Line Extension Advancement and Development, or LEAD program, a component of the state’s Billion-Dollar Broadband Strategy.

The funding will go toward two broadband projects, building 768 miles of new fiber infrastructure across Kanawha, Jackson, and Lincoln Counties and connecting to 9,337 addresses.

One project will expand broadband services in Sissonville and its surrounding areas. The other will take place in Alum Creek and portions of northern Lincoln county.

The LEAD program includes $75.6 million, including $48 million in state funding, that is being invested into 18 broadband projects throughout West Virginia. The projects are projected to add 1800 miles of fiber infrastructure and expand to 20,000 properties.

National Black Lung Association Leadership Reacts To Black Lung Tax Legislation

In a news conference Thursday, leadership of the National Black Lung Association defended the recently introduced Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which could permanently restore Black Lung excise tax.

The Black Lung Disability Fund pays benefits to coal miners with black lung disease, but the excise tax meant to support the fund was cut in half at the start of 2022.

In a news conference Thursday, leadership of the National Black Lung Association defended the recently introduced Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which could permanently restore the excise tax.

The bill was introduced after U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reached a deal after months of negotiations.

“I just really want to thank Manchin for what he’s doing,” said Gary Hairston, president of the National Black Lung Association. “I know we gave him a hard way to go, but thank him for everything he’s doing right now.”

A joint statement by coal industry groups, including the West Virginia Coal Association, said the bill would cost mining companies millions of dollars in taxes.

“The coal companies don’t care. It’s up to us to fight for our benefits that was promised to us,” coal-miner, and president of the Kanawha County Black Lung Association, Jerry Coleman said. “We shouldn’t have to fight: we need a permanent extension.”

Black lung advocates were also asked if black lung claims could be addressed through settlements.

John Cline is an attorney who has been representing miners with black lung and their surviving spouses for 30 years. He said a fixed amount of money from a settlement would be unfeasible.

“The medical costs, the treatment of black lung are unpredictable and the miner would not be in a position to figure out what his needs would be in the future,” Cline said. “The correct way to reduce costs is to reduce exposure, particularly to silica dust.”

The Mine Safety and Health Administration is developing a silica dust rule.

X-ray of Black Lung

Bob Cohen, director of Black Lung Center of Excellence at the University of Illinois, Chicago campus, explained that the medical costs for black lung don’t end when a patient is no longer working in the mines.

“I think the medical costs really outweigh, hugely, the cash benefits that miners get,” Cohen said. “People have required lung transplantation, which is an incredibly expensive procedure and other procedures that are unpredictable. The process of scarring of lungs continues 5, 10, or 15 years after you come out of the mines.”

Coleman said that the Black Lung Disability Fund is going further into debt and losing around $10.9 million each week.

The restoration of the excise tax will help the fund but not fix it completely.

Eastern Kentucky Prepares For More Flash Floods

More rain is expected across the region this week, while many communities in central Appalachia are still recovering from flash floods last week.

Residents of eastern Kentucky are bracing once again for more storms just as they begin to clean up from deadly floods that killed at least 35 people and left hundreds missing.

As much as four inches of rain fell Sunday, and the National Weather Service expects there to be isolated thunderstorms and damaging winds going into Monday evening.

“There is severe storm potential today and all of the impacted areas,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. “You think about how saturated the grid ground has been. It could knock over poles, it could knock over trees.”

Beshear noted the progress made in restoring phone service, and that search and rescue teams now have access to areas that were previously unreachable.

According to Beshear during an update Monday morning, 14 emergency shelters assisted 483 residents, with 150 other residents being housed in state parks.

Residents of Breathitt, Clay, Knott, Letcher and Perry Counties who were affected by the storms starting in July can apply for individual disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

They can go online to https://www.disasterassistance.gov/, or call 1-800-621-FEMA or 1-800-621-3362. Beshear hopes to expand the assistance to residents in all the flooded counties.

A high pressure system could bring some hot weather on Wednesday, which could help dry portions of the region.

Neighboring States, FEMA Aid Search, Rescue Efforts In Flooded Eastern Kentucky Communities

Search and rescue crews are working around the clock to locate missing people. Communities in eastern Kentucky are being aided by neighboring state governments and FEMA.

As rain dissipates in central Appalachia, search and rescue crews are working around the clock to locate missing people. Communities in eastern Kentucky are being aided by neighboring state governments.

According to state and federal officials, at least 16 people have died amid historic floods in eastern Kentucky, with many more still missing. The North Fork of the Kentucky River crested 6 feet above previous records.

“We don’t have a reliable number of people unaccounted for,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news conference Friday morning. “It’s for a couple of reasons. Number one, communication is still very difficult. We’re trying to amplify cell service. We hope we’re going to get a big step made today in doing that, but it’s going to be really challenging in this area.”

President Joe Biden ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist with recovery in Breathitt, Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike and Wolfe counties.

“What we’ll be working on next is an application and a request on the individual assistance side,” Beshear said.

Search and rescue crews are still unable to reach some of the flooded areas. Maj. Gen. Bill Crane, Adj. Gen. of the West Virginia National Guard, said that he’s coordinating with the Kentucky and Tennessee National Guards to provide helicopter rescues to these locations.

“There are just locations they can’t get to, and with aviation and our hoist capabilities, we can get in and lower the hoist, get folks on that, and get them up out of that area,” Crane said.

Edwin Wriston

U.S. Army National Guard

Crew members from the West Virginia National Guard’s Company C., 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, located in Williamstown, W.Va., prepare to deploy to South Carolina in support of Hurricane Dorian response and recovery operations Sept. 4, 2019. Eight Soldiers from the aeromedical evacuation crew will be on standby for a week to provide assistance as needed.

Officials are encouraging people to wait for the water to recede, and to avoid flooded areas and hazards such as downed power lines and mudslides.

“You need to be extra cautious when you’re traveling,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said. “Make sure that you’re listening to your local officials in what they asked you to do, because we want to make sure that we keep you safe. We want to be able to use our resources to help those that are in need.”

Flooding can undercut roads and wash away bridges. According to Crane, some highways have even lost part of their support structures from flood damage.

West Virginia National Guard

Photo depicting flood damage over Jackson, Kentucky from a West Virginia National Guard UH-60M Blackhawk. Fourteen Soldiers from the WVNG’s Company C, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion (MEDEVAC) and Company B, 1-224th Security and Support Aviation Battalion located in Williamstown, West Virginia, flew more than 25 hours July 28, 2022, rescuing over a dozen people and three pets from southeastern Kentucky following catastrophic flash flooding.

While storms and rain showers are dissipating, some waterways in Kentucky haven’t yet reached their crest. With saturated soil and localized downpours, flash floods continue to be a hazard throughout central Appalachia.

A flood watch issued by the National Weather Service will remain in effect till 10 p.m. Friday.