On this West Virginia Morning, an experimental apple orchard in the state is helping to fight pollution, improve food scarcity and some hope even heal veterans. Briana Heaney has the story.
Manchin Courts ATV Companies to Build Vehicles in W.Va.
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U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is hoping to attract more manufacturing jobs to southern West Virginia. And he wants to encourage ATV companies to build their vehicles here.
The Hatfield and McCoy Trail System has helped to bring new economic opportunities to the southern coalfields in the state. A report prepared by Marshall University said the ATV trail system created an estimated economic impact of more than$38 million in 2019.
Sen. Manchin showed off the backwoods trails on Monday to ATV company executives with Polaris, Kawasaki and Honda. The trip into the woods was also meant to highlight West Virginia’s expanding ATV and tourism industries. Manchin hopes the tour might convince the companies to build their brand vehicles in the region.
According to a release from Manchin’s office, Kawasaki business leaders agreed that the state has the ability to play a key role in “future growth of the powersports industry in the U.S.”
Still, no plans to build a facility have been announced.
The Hatfield-McCoy trails consist of 10 trail systems covering 900 miles throughout nine counties.
On this West Virginia Week, Earth Day was Monday. We’ll hear from a hydrologist about the state’s rivers. We’ll learn more about why two leading candidates for governor are trading accusations in ads over transgender youth. And we’ll visit a community in southern West Virginia affected by contaminated water.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has granted West Virginia $1.2 billion for affordable broadband services. More than 300,000 West Virginia households were underserved by broadband in 2023.
Real estate developers who construct housing units in the Huntington area are now eligible for a tax credit through a West Virginia Department of Commerce program.