On this West Virginia Morning, Memorial Day weekend brings the return of the Vandalia Gathering at the state capitol. Also, we listen to an excerpt from the latest Us & Them. In this episode, host Trey Kay explores childhood trauma.
State Lawmakers Meet in Fayette Co. to Discuss Revitalizing Southern Coalfields
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The second meeting of the SCORE task force met in Fayette County Tuesday night. SCORE, Southern Coalfields Organizing and Revitalizing the Economy, is an initiative aimed to give southern West Virginia much-needed opportunities to diversify the economy and strengthen communities.
Nothing was off the table as each person that chose to speak had two minutes at the podium.
Other areas of concern brought up by the community included:
drug abuse
aging population
disaster preparedness
quality child care
clean water
Suggestions from other speakers included:
renewable energy tax credits
selling water as a natural resource
funding water protection plans
resisting attempts to weaken environmental law
Ensuring the DEP is enforcing the laws
Some folks brought up investing in tourism marketing- something brought up by Co Chair of the Committee Senator Art Kirkendoll of Logan County and Senator Bill Laird of Fayette County.
“One of the things that are particularly significant in this senatorial district the tourism the natural beauty of the area. The Greenbrier Valley certainly the New River Gorge ,” he said.
A recent article in the Charleston Gazette points to a sharp decline in the rafting business, over the past few years.
And as lawmakers talk about investing more into marketing the tourism industry the state audit is questioning the ethics of the Hatfield and McCoy Authority which oversees some of the ATV trails in the state. The state auditor said it was operating as if laws didn’t apply to it.
The SCORE Committee plans to meet two more times. While the last meeting will be held in Logan County, the next location has not been established yet.
On this West Virginia Morning, the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced last week it would postpone delivery network changes that would downsize the Charleston Processing and Distribution Center. But this news hasn’t remedied months-long tensions between local workers and USPS officials. As Jack Walker reports, union representatives are now filing grievance claims for some workers.
A postal workers' union in Kanawha County has entered grievance procedure over the removal of four workers from a Charleston mail processing facility's schedule.
PSC Chair Charlotte Lane said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules would jeopardize hundreds of millions of dollars of investments in the state’s coal fleet.