Tag: Airport

Raleigh County Memorial Airport Upgrades Expected To Create Hundreds Of Jobs

The Raleigh County Memorial Airport is getting a facelift, and along with that may come hundreds of new jobs in the area.

The airport, located just outside of Beckley, was awarded $8.3 million in federal, state and local funds on Thursday to make some critical upgrades.

The Airport Industrial Park in Beaver will receive $3.5 million in federal dollars from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

The EDA awarded $1.7 million as part of the Assistance to Coal Communities (ACC) program. The ACC is meant to help communities severely impacted by the declining use of coal.

The ARC awarded $1.75 million as part of West Virginia’s regular allocation of annual funds after a recommendation from Gov. Jim Justice.

According to a release from the EDA, the federal grants will be matched with $4.85 million in state and local funds.

The project will level land, construct an access road, and install water and sewer infrastructure to create prime development opportunities for commercial properties.

Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito championed the announcement as a way to help the economy in Southern West Virginia. Manchin and Capito advocated for the investment that will help connect more sites with direct access to the airport’s runways.

The work is expected to create more than 600 jobs.

Loaded Gun Confiscated At Charleston Airport

A West Virginia man on Tuesday was caught trying to bring a loaded gun in his carry-on bag at Yeager Airport in Charleston, W.Va.

The federal Transportation Security Administration said the man told security he had forgotten he brought his 9 mm handgun to the airport.
He was detained, had his gun confiscated and was cited on weapons charges, according to a news release. The man’s name was not released but officials said he is from Huntington.
A typical fine for someone who brings a handgun to an airport checkpoint is $4,100, according to the TSA.
More than 4,000 firearms were found in carry-on bags at airport checkpoints last year. Two guns have been found by Yeager Airport so far this year.

W.Va Airport Detects Loaded Handgun in Man’s Belongings

A man from Washington state has been caught with a loaded handgun at a West Virginia airport.

The Transportation Security Administration says in a news release TSA officers spotted the handgun Saturday at Tri-State Airport near Huntington.

The statement says the 9 mm handgun loaded with 15 bullets was with the man’s belongings that entered an X-ray machine. TSA officers contacted airport police, who confiscated the gun and detained the Sultan, Washington, man for questioning.

It marked the seventh gun detected at the airport’s checkpoint this year. 

West Virginia Airport Gets Federal $13 Million Grant to Fix Runway

West Virginia’s most used airport will receive a $13.5 million Federal Aviation Administration grant to rebuild the runway safety overrun area that collapsed after a 2015 landslide.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the state’s U.S. congressmen announced the allocation Wednesday for Yeager Airport. Replacing the area allows Yeager to restore 500 feet (150 meters) of runway for operational use.

It nearly matches the $14 million April request airport officials made for the repairs and replacement of the EMAS bed, which stops an aircraft if it overshoots a runway. Last month officials were expecting the FAA to notify on whether an $8 million emergency grant would be given to order EMAS materials and begin work on the project.

Airport governing board chairman Ed Hill says a meeting Monday will accept the grant.

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