Duncan Slade, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

School Board Grants 14 Counties Approval for 4-Day, In-Person Instruction Through School Year’s End

West Virginia education officials emphasized the importance of in-person instruction during a Wednesday meeting of the state board of education.State Superintendent Clayton Burch said most school systems in West Virginia are offering five days a week of in-person instruction while 14 counties have been granted a waiver to offer four days of in-person classes.

West Virginia education officials emphasized the importance of in-person instruction during a Wednesday meeting of the state board of education.

State Superintendent Clayton Burch said most school systems in West Virginia are offering five days a week of in-person instruction while 14 counties have been granted a waiver to offer four days of in-person classes.

He said counties with the waiver are using their fifth day for a variety of purposes such as providing teachers with the time to keep up with students who remain in full-time virtual learning.

Around 40,000 students are still completely online but Burch said this number is decreasing and he expects all students to return to in-person learning next school year.

State board of education members, as well as the superintendent, emphasized the importance of in-person classes for students.

“The more and more I’ve watched this pandemic, every single day a school is not open to children is a day that I’m worried they don’t have access to the supports,” Burch said. “And that’s academic, that’s the folks that look out for them, that’s a meal.”

The state board decided they won’t require counties to go five days a week with less than two months left in the school year but as counties plan for the fall, they want to see schools open five days a week.

Morgantown Man Pleads Not Guilty On U.S. Capitol Attack Charges

George Tanios, the owner and operator of Sandwich University restaurant in Morgantown, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal court on a number of charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Tanios and Julian Khatar of Pennsylvania face 10 counts, including conspiring to injure police. They were arrested by federal law enforcement last month and have now both pleaded not guilty.

During a previous hearing last month in West Virginia, prosecutors said Tanios purchased bear and pepper spray at a Morgantown store before the two men traveled to Washington, D.C.

According to court documents, Tanios handed chemical spray to Khatar who then used it on U.S. Capitol Police. One officer, Brian Sicknick, died the next day and investigators are still determining the cause of death.

Tanios was denied bond once already. His attorneys said they plan to appeal that decision at a bond hearing set for April 27.

Remote Worker Program Offers Cash, Outdoor Recreation For Moving To W.Va.

West Virginia officials unveiled a new program on Monday to attract outdoor enthusiasts with remote jobs to the state.

After moving to the state, participants in the Ascend WV program will receive a package valued at over $20,000. The package includes a no-strings attached $12,000, outdoor recreation, coworking space and social events.

“Absolutely, without any doubt in my mind, I could not see how anyone could not choose West Virginia,” said Gov. Jim Justice.

The program is in partnership with West Virginia University and is financed by a $25 million donation from Brad Smith, executive chairman of Intuit’s board of directors and Wayne County native.

Smith said he hopes the program will attract new residents and they’ll experience the many outdoor activities that set West Virginia apart from similar programs in other states.

Applications are now open for the first 50 spots in Morgantown, with the goal of having people relocate in the early fall. In the coming months, the program will expand to Lewisburg and Shepherdstown.

When selecting cities for the program, Smith said they looked for areas with affordable housing, broadband connectivity, inclusivity, a variety of dining options, and access to outdoor recreation.

“The neat thing about these three host cities and others that will come in the state is that they had all of these qualities about them which makes them a really attractive opportunity for a remote worker,” Smith said.

He said the idea for the program started before the COVID-19 pandemic but the last year has only increased the number of remote workers. He hopes the project reverses the state’s current trend of population decline and attracts new workers.

“The gates to almost heaven are open,” Smith said.

Medical Students To Assist State COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

Medical students from across West Virginia are signing up to help administer COVID-19 vaccines as the statewide vaccination campaign kicks into high gear.

State officials and higher education leadership created the West Virginia Vaccine Administration, Collaboration, and Support (WV VACS) Team to help local health departments get vaccines into arms.

“We are thrilled to provide this opportunity to students pursuing careers in healthcare,” said Sarah Tucker, chancellor of the Higher Education Policy Commission, in a statement. “This unique experience is allowing them to play a critical role in West Virginia’s already remarkable vaccination campaign.

Over 1,000 professional students pursuing healthcare careers from dozens of colleges and universities have volunteered for the program and will be deployed in the coming weeks. They will assist with vaccination clinics throughout the spring, summer and fall.

Students complete online training about the vaccine and how to administer it before working under local health partners. They can receive college credit or community service hours for their time.

“Participating in the vaccine distribution has allowed us more vaccine training during a time when some of our regular clinical rotations weren’t available because of COVID,” said Claire Miller, a nursing student at Marshall University, in a press release. “This has been good for me professionally and provided me the opportunity to help my community at the same time.”

State Lawmakers Move To Rename Highway For Former President Trump

The West Virginia House of Delegates is considering a resolution to name a section of highway after former President Donald Trump.

House Concurrent Resolution 53 would rename Interstate 68 from the Maryland state line to the intersection with Interstate 79 in Monongalia and Preston counties as “President Donald J. Trump Highway.”

At a Thursday morning meeting of the House Technology and Infrastructure committee, Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, said local lawmakers had not been consulted, as is the usual practice for highway renaming.

“I wouldn’t sponsor a naming resolution to name a road after President Obama in Mineral County,” he said in an interview Thursday. “He shouldn’t sponsor one in Mon. County.”

The legislation is sponsored by two dozen Republican delegates with Del. Gary Howell, R-Mineral, as the lead sponsor.

The six delegates who represent the two counties the highway runs through did not sponsor the bill.

The proposal moved to the House Rules committee on Thursday.

“To me, it’s just another example of some of the legislation this session that the supermajority is pushing that is sometimes vindictive and not in the best interests of the people of West Virginia,” Hansen said.

In the 2020 election, Trump won every county in West Virginia but had the narrowest margin in Monongalia County where he received 49.4% of the vote compared to 48.2% of the vote for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Over the years, West Virginia lawmakers have named hundreds of roads after notable public figures, athletes, veterans and politicians.

Former President Barack Obama has over a dozen different roadways named after him. None are in West Virginia.

Earlier this year, a Florida lawmaker introduced similar legislation to rename a highway after former President Trump.

Streaming Issues, Lawsuit Threat Sends Bills To House Tech Committee For Second Time

A number of bills were sent back to a West Virginia House of Delegates committee meeting for a second debate Thursday after technology issues prompted a state group to threaten legal action

In a letter, the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV) threatened to sue the House for a “blatant violation” of the open meetings act after the audio stream was unavailable or inaudible for a Wednesday morning meeting of the House Technology and Infrastructure Bill.

“When in-person access to the Capitol is restricted, it is more important than ever to ensure that the public may remain informed through the limited channels available,” wrote ACLU-WV legal director Loree Stark.

According to the ACLU-WV letter, committee members and staff were notified but the meeting continued in violation of the Open Meetings Act. The act requires government meetings remain open to the public.

During the meeting, the committee debated measures on water authorities, social media censorship, and Department of Motor Vehicle protocols.

After the lawsuit threat, the House recommitted the bills to the tech committee for a Thursday afternoon meeting and they were swiftly passed without debate.

“Staff members had been attempting to correct technology issues that were affecting sound quality this week, but when we became aware audio from a meeting was unusable, we made the decision to recommit the affected legislation and allow them to be debated again in committee for the benefit of the public,” said House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay.

The ACLU-WV is still reviewing the committee’s move to advance the bills a second time and has not made a decision on potential litigation, said communications director Billy Wolfe in an email Thursday.

The organization’s initial letter gave 30 days notice of litigation that would seek to nullify any decisions made during Wednesday’s meeting that was beset with audio issues.

The midweek saga shows the hurdles between the public’s input and legislators during a session with restricted access due to the pandemic.

Before the session, 40 different advocacy groups across the state signed a letter with six recommendations for ensuring public access to legislators.

Among their demands were access to legislators in a safe manner, such as virtual office hours, public hearings, and the posting of agendas before meetings.

Several public hearings have been held on bills before the legislature, such as water standards, the income tax repeal plan, and others.