Jim Workman, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Russian Vodka Sales Suspended In West Virginia

Gov. Jim Justice signed Executive Order 2-22 Feb. 28, which directs the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration to cease the purchase and sale of all Russian produced liquor until further notice.

Justice’s executive order explained that his action was a response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Feb. 24 declaration of war by Russia against Ukraine, and further stated, “the Governor desires to express West Virginia’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine and the hope for a peaceful outcome of this Russian War against Ukraine” by directing the WVABCACommissioner to implement his request.

“We’ve closed the codes on our ordering portal and are no longer selling it,” Fred Wooton, WVABCA commissioner, confirmed just a few hours later.

Wooton said his office had several retailers calling Monday saying they are pulling the Russian brands off their shelves voluntarily.

“They were ahead of us on the deal,” Wooton said.

The executive order also directs the WVABCA Commissioner “to order and make Ukrainian-made liquor brands available for purchase by licensed liquor outlets, including, but not limited to, MHW LTD dba Conecuh Ridge Distillery – Nemiroff Vodka, depending on availability.”

West Virginia currently distributes four brands of Russian liquor: Russian Standard, Beluga Vodka, Moskovskaya, and Hammer & Sickle Russian Vodka, according to the executive order.

The WVABCA estimates that there are approximately 73 cases of Russian liquor in the state’s warehouse.

“We are in the process of compiling those products and staging them out of the main flow of the warehouse,” Wooton explained. “We won’t be selling it until further notice.”

The in-stock Russian vodka will not be destroyed nor auctioned for charity.

“We don’t actually own the product until we sell the product,” Wooton explained, adding that West Virginia is a bailment control state, meaning the WVABC administration is the only entity authorized to warehouse liquor in the state of West Virginia.

“One possible option is that we could tell our supplier that we no longer want to support this product,” Wooton said. “We would ask our suppliers to pick that product up.”

All other liquors branded with Russian names for marketing purposes are purchased from distilleries not located in Russia and are not affected by the order. Some are made in the United States.

The governor also requested that the West Virginia Retailers Association remove Russian-made liquor from their shelves and not sell the products until further notice.

“We’ve already got the information out to our stores,” Bridget Lambert, president of the West Virginia Retailers Association, said just a few hours following the order. “Our members were glad to step up. We commend the governor, along with the West Virginia Legislature, on taking that action.”

The WVABCA regulates the distribution of liquor in West Virginia to 181 licensed retail liquor outlets statewide. It licenses approximately 6,000 alcohol producers, distributors, representatives, retailers, and other licensees.

Yohe Joins West Virginia Public Broadcasting News Team

West Virginia Public Broadcasting has hired Randy Yohe as its Government Reporter. He began his full-time duties with WVPB this month.

Yohe brings decades of reporting experience in television, radio and print. He has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri. He has worked locally at WSAZ-TV and WOWK-TV in the Charleston/Huntington market.

“Before coming to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Randy has had a long history of reporting the news in our region and his contact list is deep. He understands that all news is local. As our Government Reporter, he plans to make sure that every story answers the question, ‘What does this mean for me?’ Eric Douglas, WVPB’s Interim News Director, said. “We think that makes Randy a perfect fit for our news team and we are excited to have Randy on our team.”

“I’ve always thought my skill set, my journalistic demeanor, my passion for good storytelling and my commitment to local and regional concerns makes me a great fit for Public Broadcasting,” said Yohe. “As the WVPB Government Reporter, no issue is too small or too big, if it will make a difference in a West Virginian’s life. I’m a team player and thrilled to be working with a group of bright, insightful, helping and caring colleagues.”

“I will strive to adhere to the WVPB motto – ‘Telling West Virginia’s Story’ – in every story I tell,” Yohe added.

Yohe hails from Detroit but has lived in Huntington since the late 1980s.

For more information and links to Yohe’s archived stories, visit https://www.wvpublic.org/randy-yohe

WVSU Graduate Students Chosen As Fellows For West Virginia Public Broadcasting's Folkways Project

West Virginia State University graduate students Leeshia Lee and Angelica Willis have been selected as fellows for West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Inside Appalachia Folkways Project.

Working with WVSU, the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation and the West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority, the Folkways Fellowship spans a nine-month period during the regular college academic year. WVSU is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) located in Institute, said Folkways Project coordinator Eleanor Gould.

“Leeshia and Angelica are outstanding candidates for our fellowship,” said Eleanor Gould, Folkways Project coordinator. “Our goal is to support the growth and development of the fellows in their storytelling and leadership skills.”

“We’re pleased to welcome these outstanding mentees to our Folkways Fellowship program,” said Butch Antolini, interim executive director for West Virginia Public Broadcasting. “It will provide them hands-on reporting skills and generate content highlighting African American folk life, arts and culture in Appalachia.”

Mentoring student producers of content focusing on the African American Appalachian experience, actively building a diverse corps of Folkways reporters, and partnering with African American teachers, trainers and producers, is an integral part of the project. The long-term goal is greater diversity, not only in content but to begin to foster an atmosphere where greater diversity can thrive across the organization, said Gould.

The intended goals and outputs of the fellowships include:
* Fellows producing at least two stories per year.
* Participating in all aspects of the Folkways Reporting Corps and being mentored by esteemed African American content producers from across the region.
* Learning the basics of audio reporting and folkways storytelling as a part of the Folkways Reporting Corps, and working with Folkways editors, as well as the hosts of the Black in Appalachia Podcast.
* Expanding the Folkways Project to purposefully include exploration of the African American experience in Appalachia.

Workgroup Seeks Solutions For Coal Communities

Delegates Mark Dean, R-Mingo, and Lisa Zukoff, D-Marshall, are members of the House of Delegates Coal Community Workgroup. They joined a dozen other legislators touring coal communities and asking people what they need to grow and prosper. The main issue residents across the state identified was help with infrastructure.

“I think a large part of this is addressing dilapidated buildings and that is legislation we will see coming out of the committee as well,” Dean said.

Zukoff agreed. “We also have mountaintop removal areas that are flat and ready to develop, but there is no access to the water and electricity they need,” she said.

There’s legislation moving through the House of Delegates to supply communities with the required matching funds needed to receive the federal dollars now available.

This help is available for all small communities in the state for economic development planning and grant writing along with tourism.

“A lot of these coal towns had big things happening when coal was booming, we want to bring people to visit these areas,” Dean said.

Workgroup members also learned there are other uses for coal besides producing energy. Some companies in Wheeling are “using coal for spacecraft work and other manufacturing. It’s very strong and relatively inexpensive,” Zukoff said.

Both agreed it’s rare when committee findings quickly develop into bipartisan legislation that can pass and immediately help people. “I think folks want us to take action, and this committee is allowing us to do that,” Zukoff said.

Read the Coal Committee Workgroup’s report.

Vulnerable Mine Reclamation Bond Concerns Has W.Va. Senate Planning To Be Proactive

Concerns over vulnerable mine reclamation bonds in West Virginia has the Senate attempting to be proactive according to Senate President Craig Blair (R-Berkeley) who introduced Senate Bill 1, “Creating a Mining Mutual Insurance Company” on the first day of the 2022 legislative session.

Blair spoke during the Senate Finance Committee Thursday.

The bill passed through the finance committee unanimously. It will be reported for approval to the full Senate.

“We don’t have a lick of coal in the Eastern Panhandle, but I recognize how important it is to the state of West Virginia,” said Blair, an eastern panhandle resident. “I was around for workers comp. It took us a decade to get out of that mess.”

Blair suggested that drawing Procter & Gamble to invest in building its facility in the state may not have happened if the workers comp issues weren’t previously addressed.

The P&G facility broke ground in 2015 on its $500 million, 2.5 million square foot facility near Martinsburg and went into production in 2018. It now has more than 1,400 employees.

“P&G wouldn’t be here if we didn’t get out of that (workers comp) mess,” Blair said. “I propose we be proactive this time.”

At the annual Legislative Lookahead meeting Jan. 7, Blair said one company holds about 60 percent of the mine reclamation bonds and if anything would happen to that company it could cost the state between $1 billion and $8 billion, according to estimates.

“We need to ensure some stability and protect ourselves as much as possible,” Blair added.

“We’re hoping to take a $50 million loan, just as we did for workers comp and physicians mutual and make it so that these coal companies that choose to have their own mutual, that they can have their own mutual that they can get the mine reclamation bonds through there,” Blair explained during the annual Legislative Lookahead sponsored by the West Virginia Press Association Jan. 7.

“My confidence in this bill is strong,” Blair said. “I’m making an exception in sponsoring bills. It will provide an insurance policy for the state of West Virginia and the mining industry in this state. This isn’t a bailout. It’s an insurance policy of $50 million to protect us from an exposure of between $2-4 billion. We can’t afford to let that happen.”

None of the funds will come from the mine reclamation fund, Blair said.

“There’s other places to find the $50 million,” he stated.

Blair introduced David Rader, whom Blair said, “He’s coming out of retirement to help us with this.”

Rader was appointed to the board of directors of BrickStreet Mutual in 2006 when it became a private company and served on its board until 2017. He retired in 2011 as president and CEO of West Virginia Mutual Insurance Company, the largest medical professional liability insurer in the state.

“I’m here to help if you want to do this,” Rader told the committee. “I’m making myself available and glad to do that. I love West Virginia.”

Sen. Ron Stollings (D- Boone) asked Rader of the $50 million base, “How will it help us?”

“No one knows how bad it will be,” Rader answered. “In case there’s a crisis, you have to have a minimum to start with. It’s critical.”

Sen. Stephen Baldwin (D- Greenbrier) asked, “We don’t know the source (of the $50 million)?”

“That’s this committee’s responsibility,” Rader answered. “It’s something (Sen. Finance Chair Eric) Tarr is working on. To pass this bill without the $50 million, we have nowhere to go. Until we can show that surplus, there’s no reason to apply for insurance. They won’t talk to me.

Tarr (R-Putnam) said there are “several options” for the $50 million base.

“This will be a loan,” he said. “It’ll likely come from surplus.”

Rader said the base would permit the state to write about $200 million in bonds.

“$50 million is a good number to start,” he said. “I’m optimistic that even in a worst case scenario – it’s still a win-win. It’s a benchmark, not knowing what it’s going to be. My goal is to establish stability.”

Sen. Robert Plymale (D-Wayne) voiced approval, saying “What is being designed can be of great benefit to the people of West Virginia.”

W.Va. Democratic Legislators Discuss Legislative Priorities

As Sen. Stephen Baldwin (D-Greenbrier) and Del. Doug Skaff (D-Kanawha) spoke about the minority party’s priorities for the 2022 Legislative session Thursday, they wove several common themes into the discussion.

Child welfare, economic development, education and better roads peppered the presentation as the legislators painted a hopeful plan for the 60-day session.

But the Democratic leaders also lamented that the legislative focus may be driven away from positive developments due to Republican agendas that have already addressed social issues in the first week of the session.

Skaff used the words “disheartening,” “sad” and “disappointing” during the press conference at the State Capitol.

An agenda item concerning abortion limits introduced in a House Health Committee meeting by Republican leaders, the same afternoon as hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development were announced by three manufacturing companies around the state, especially irked the Democratic leaders.

“We’ve heard that this isn’t going to be a divisive session and that we’re not going to see a lot of social issues,” said Baldwin. “That we’re going to get things done for West Virginians. But Day Two, in the House Health Committee, we have about the most divisive bills that you could ever imagine. So that gives me a little bit of trepidation about where we go from here.”

“Day one, what a day,” Skaff said. “We were all out here celebrating in the hallways, enjoying, saying, ‘This is going to be great for West Virginia.’ Day Two. Like Stephen says, what did we do? We didn’t waste any time. We go back out here and put some controversial issue out here that’s not going to do one thing but change the narrative in the wrong way and send the wrong message. That we have our priorities all mixed up.”

“There are things we can all agree on, bi-partisan priorities, that we need to focus on first,” Skaff added. “We need to get things done.”

“I’ve had conversations with Senate President (Craig) Blair and he says he’s open to any good idea,” said Baldwin. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a Democratic idea or a Republican idea. I’m hopeful, but I still have a little bit of trepidation.”

Baldwin said current legislative agenda items should address two primary concerns: “How can West Virginia bring displaced state natives back home?” And, “How can West Virginia create opportunities and incentives to keep its young people from leaving the state?”

“Population decline is at the root of most problems we have in our state,” Baldwin stated. “What are we going to do about it?”

The Democrats listed affordable and reliable broadband, quality education from infancy to high education, jobs, pay raises for public employees and retirees, health care, non-discriminatory laws, supporting local farms, eliminating utility rate increases, supporting public education, fair tax policies for working families, child care and better roads as items the minority party is eager to address.

“We need to put West Virginians first in everything we do,” Skaff added.

Revitalizing former coal communities using available federal dollars makes sense, Skaff said.

“We need to create opportunities and focus on those hurting communities,” he added.

Skaff also addressed the crisis in workforce shortages, especially in the healthcare field.

“Are we helping people get back to work?” Skaff asked. “We are in crisis mode with a lack of nurses.”

Skaff said that creativity may be the answer to workforce staffing issues.

“We need to explore flexible workplaces without burdening small businesses,” he stated.