Passover Amid The War In Gaza On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, the Jewish holiday of Passover is coming to an end. It is a time for celebration and reflection. This year, it has been a bit more difficult, according to Rabbi Victor Urecki from Charleston. He spoke with News Director Eric Douglas to discuss the holiday and the struggle with the war in Gaza.

On this West Virginia Morning, the Jewish holiday of Passover is coming to an end. It is a time for celebration and reflection. This year, it has been a bit more difficult, according to Rabbi Victor Urecki from Charleston. He spoke with News Director Eric Douglas to discuss the holiday and the struggle with the war in Gaza.

Also, in this show, student protests in support of Palestine have emerged on college campuses across the country in the past few weeks. As Chris Schulz reports, students at West Virginia University (WVU) joined their voices to the movement Sunday.

And we listen to the latest story from The Allegheny Front, a public radio program based in Pittsburgh that reports on environmental issues in the region. Their latest story is about a planned advanced plastics recycling plant along the Susquehanna River.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

White Supremacist Group Marches Through Downtown Charleston Saturday

On the same day the YWCA Charleston had a Race to End Racism in the capitol city, a group of men from the white supremacist group Patriot Front marched through the streets of downtown.

On the same day the YWCA Charleston had a Race to End Racism in the capitol city, a group of men from the white supremacist group Patriot Front marched through the streets of downtown.

Witnesses reported the seeing the men unload two U-Haul trucks at Daniel Boone Park and marching to the Capitol in front of the statue of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, on Kanawha Boulevard and California Street. They then marched down the boulevard and turned onto Capitol Street.

The group marched carrying a banner that read “America is not for sale.” They chanted slogans and handed out the organization’s propaganda.

According to the Anti Defamation League, the “Patriot Front is a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them alone. They define themselves as American fascists or American nationalists who are focused on preserving America’s identity as a European-American nation.”

They often use flash demonstrations like toady’s event around the country.

The men were all wearing matching khaki pants, hats and dark colored polo shirts. They were also wearing masks over their faces from the moment they jumped out of the back of the trucks.

Mayor Amy Goodwin put out a statement that said, in part, “It is important for our community to celebrate coming together and stand up against hate. When our city team learned of a national hate group demonstrating earlier today, we acted quickly and appropriately to make sure all in our community remained safe.”

The Charleston City Police stayed close by to avoid any trouble and the march appeared to be peaceful. It is unclear if the group had a permit for the march.

**Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly said the YMCA Charleston held a Race to End Racism event. The event was held by the YWCA Charleston. The story has been updated to reflect the correction.

Crime Survivors, Advocates Honored With Ceremony

A ceremony held Thursday morning in Charleston honored survivors of crimes and their advocates. The annual event featured remarks from U.S. Attorney Will Thompson.

Survivors of crimes and their advocates gathered Thursday morning for a ceremony at the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse in Charleston.

Held days before the start of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the annual event aims to raise awareness about victims’ rights and grant recognition to the daily resilience of crime survivors.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia and Operation Reach Out organized the event. U.S. Attorney Will Thompson honored survivors and those who support them.

“We see the trauma and the lifelong journey of dealing with the tremendous grief and loss,” Thompson said. “We also get to see the strength and tenacity of survivors and families.”

All five current justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia — Chief Justice Tim Armstead, Justice Beth Walker, Justice John Hutchison, Justice William Wooton and Justice Haley Bunn — attended Thursday’s ceremony.

During the ceremony, Thompson also presented awards to advocacy groups across the state for their work supporting survivors.

“I look out here, and I see a lot of people representing different roles. I see people who [have] been working with victims for their professional career. Perhaps more importantly, I see victims and I see survivors,” he said. “Take a moment, think about them. I think it shows remarkable strength and courage for the surviving families to come out today.”

Thompson presented awards for excellence in victim advocacy and justice to the following recipients:

  • The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
  • Mission West Virginia
  • YWCA Charleston
  • An investigative team from Mercer County, which included representatives from the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Child Protect of Mercer County and the West Virginia Department of Human Services

For more information about national Crime Victims’ Rights Week, visit the United States Office for Victims of Crime’s website.

Naloxone And Natural Gas, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, harm reduction advocates celebrate an anniversary and a discussion about the state’s role in supplying the global market of natural gas.

On this West Virginia Morning, harm reduction advocates celebrated the first anniversary of the installation of a Narcan vending machine in Charleston on Monday.

Also, Curtis Tate speaks with Charlie Burd, president of the West Virginia Gas and Oil Association, about the state’s role in supplying the global market of natural gas after a record year of production.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Fire Hydrant Task Force Launched By Public Service Commision

The Public Service Commission (PSC) launched a task force to address antiquated and defective fire hydrants — like the three fire hydrants that failed to deliver water while a West Side, Charleston house burned down. 

Updated on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 5:15 p.m.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) launched a task force to address antiquated and defective fire hydrants — like the three fire hydrants that failed to deliver water while a West Side, Charleston house burned down. 

The homeowner filed a lawsuit against water utility West Virginia American Water. The utility is arguing that it was not their responsibility to guarantee functioning fire hydrants.

A few months after the fire, the PSC launched an investigation into fire hydrants across the state. The investigation depended on utilities to report working fire hydrants. In October, Charlotte Lane, chair of the PSC, asked the West Virginia Legislature to grant the PSC regulatory power over the fire hydrants and asked for a fiscal note for testing. 

What the commission got in the end was a bill creating a task force that brings stakeholders and experts to the table to make fire hydrants the responsibility of water utilities — officially. 

“People hadn’t really focused on fire hydrants,” Lane said. “The incident on the West Side did bring it into focus and we determined that there was no clear cut law as to who was responsible.”

Lane said the task force will be made up of stakeholders like the West Virginia Rural Water Association, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, county commissioners and fire chiefs. 

The task force will meet and discuss adopting national standards for fire hydrants in the state, and review and process rules for managing fire hydrants. Lane said that for fire hydrants, age is just a number, and that “float” testing will determine if the hydrants are adequately functioning. 

“I think the magic is that the fire hydrants pass the inspection and the flow testing, and then no matter how old they are, if the water pressure is there, then the fire hydrant should be okay,” Lane said. 

Safer fire hydrants could translate into higher water costs for some utilities customers. 

“Seems to me that anything dealing with infrastructure today is very expensive,” Lane said. “But that’s one of the facts of life that we need to keep up on.”

She said that if water utilities do not have fire hydrant management and care built into their rates, or if new regulations result in the utilities investing money into hydrants, then it’s possible that utilities will raise rates. 

“If that happens, we will scrutinize their numbers. And we will rule on whether or not increases are necessary,” Lane said. 

Gov. Jim Justice signed the legislation into law Wednesday.

Cutbacks In The U.S. Postal Service And A Reporter Roundtable On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, the United States Postal Service (USPS) held a public hearing in Charleston last week where officials discussed their plans to downsize a local mail processing facility. But union representatives came away from the hearing with questions left unanswered. Now, they say their trust in the USPS has only further eroded.

On this West Virginia Morning, the United States Postal Service (USPS) held a public hearing in Charleston last week where officials discussed their plans to downsize a local mail processing facility. But union representatives came away from the hearing with questions left unanswered. Now, they say their trust in the USPS has only further eroded. Jack Walker has the story.

Also, in this show, in our most recent episode of The Legislature Today, we had our weekly reporter roundtable. Last week, Brad McElhinny from West Virginia MetroNews joined Randy Yohe and Curtis Tate in our studio to discuss the governor’s latest legal trouble and the library obscenity bill, among other things.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

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