Huntington is now the fourth city in the Mountain State to ban conversion therapy.
In a 7 – 4 vote, Huntington city council banned conversion therapy for minors within city limits.
The updated city ordinance says that attempting to change the gender identity or sexual orientation of a minor is discriminatory.
Huntington joins Wheeling, Morgantown, and Charleston in banning the practice.
“Everyone, from the American Medical Association to the American College of Physicians, all of these subject matter experts have said that this is nothing more than abuse,” said Vice Chairwoman Sarah Walling,
More than 30 residents came to speak. Resident of Huntington, and board member for the West Virginia Psychological Association, Sheila Robinette told the council that conversion therapy is ineffective and causes harm to minors.
“The youth of our city, this includes not just LGBTQ youth but all youth, deserve and have the right to be able to receive mental health treatment in a safe, ethical manner free from discrimination and in a manner that makes people better, not worse,” said Robinette.
City of Huntington
Sheila Robinette speaking to Huntington City Council
Before hearing from the public, Councilmember Dale Anderson motioned to table the ordinance and wait for the state legislature to act.
“Mr. Anderson, we are not going to lay down and wait for the state, because they’re slow and sometimes ineffective,” said Huntington resident Joseph Crutcher. “The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims has labeled conversion therapy torture.”
Interactions between a child and their parent or someone in their religious group about sexual orientation or gender identity are not part of the ban.
Huntington’s City Council chambers were filled Monday night with employees participating in two separate strikes at the Cabell Huntington Hospital and Special Metals. Members of the council considered a resolution that called for both organizations to come to the negotiating table in good faith.
The motion was blocked by Huntington’s legal team on grounds of impartiality.
The resolution in support of the strikers was introduced by Councilman Bob Bailey. He noted the importance to “get behind these people in these picket lines. Christmas is coming. […] They need Christmas presents for their children. So I’m only going to pray that you’ll do the right thing. And back these union people. These are our people.”
A federal mediator has called on the Cabell Huntington Hospital and SEIU to return to the negotiating table on Nov. 30.
Molly Frick, director of human resources for Cabell Huntington Hospital, issued a statement Monday. “We eagerly await confirmation to return to the bargaining table,” Frick said. “We presented our last offer to the SEIU District 1199 on Nov. 9. As of today, not only have we not received a counteroffer, we have not received any response. We recognize a strike is a serious matter that deserves earnest action.
She added: “Work stoppages at hospitals differ from those at industrial facilities. The very health and well-being of human lives are the responsibility of the entire team. We have heard from many union members that they’re ready to return to caring for patients and supporting operations. We encourage the SEIU to either respond to our offer or return to the bargaining table, so that our team members can return to work.”
The organizing director of SEIU District 1199, Sherri McKinney, argued in a statement that the Cabell Huntington Hospital isn’t truly acting in good faith, “when they have made an offer far less than what we have already had for decades and bargained for on Nov. 3.”
“It is our hope that the hospital will do what is just and fair and stop this strike in good faith during this holiday season for the Huntington Community at-large, but after the many false statements to the media and divisive tactics, they need to find another way of conducting business,” McKinney said.
Two union hospital employees came to speak before the council in support of Bailey’s resolution to support the striking workers.
Union worker Trish Burns shared with the city council how her sudden loss of health care has affected her 25-year-old son. “He’s a full-time college student. He has worked full time to pay for his education. Last week he was admitted to the hospital with no insurance because Cabell ripped my insurance away.”
The City of Huntington
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Huntington City Council Broadcast
Trish Burns speaking at the 11-22-2021 City Council Meeting
Council member Tia Rambaugh called for her colleagues to take a position. “Ultimately, I think that governance and administration should not remain impartial in these situations, because this is our community,” Rambaugh said.
Despite her background in business, she argued that it was unethical to stay quiet on the sidelines. “You guys are our workers. We are your neighbors. And it’s important for us to make our opinions known so that administration in these businesses can potentially recognize that they’re not working in a silo, that we all have to work together, and that our opinions mean something.”
Councilman Patrick Jones was the last to speak on the resolution. With tears in his eyes, Jones argued it is not unreasonable to demand higher compensation to keep pace with inflation. “Their children, many of whom I see in the halls of our schools each day while I’m working, can enjoy this holiday season in the same manner with a feeling of security and peace that the families of officials in management at these institutions will surely enjoy,” Jones said.
City of Huntington
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Huntington City Council Broadcast
Huntington Councilman Patrick Jones
Council members officially didn’t side with either the workers or the companies. It is the 53rd day since the Special Metals strike began, and it is the 20th day of the Cabell Huntington Hospital strike.
Jones swore that if there is not a deal made in the next two weeks, he will introduce another resolution to the city council.
The West Virginia House of Delegates has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case attempting to overturn a decision by the state’s high court that dismissed impeachment cases last year.
In a reply brief filed Thursday, attorneys for the House of Delegates say the U.S. Supreme Court should review a decision in West Virginia that limited the legislature’s constitutional powers of impeachment. They say the decision “eviscerates the state’s republican form of government.”
In October — just before then-Chief Justice Margaret Workman was set to stand trial in the state Senate — an ad hoc bench of the West Virginia high court ruled hers and other impeachments were unconstitutional.
The House of Delegates voted to impeach four of the state’s five justices last year on charges they misused state funds on lavish office renovations and failed to hold one another accountable.
However, only one impeachment trial was held, in which Justice Beth Walker was acquitted on a maladministration charge.
The Closure Order for the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area was lifted on October 5, 2016 and all trails are now open. A Fire Ban in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area is still in effect due to prolonged drought and will remain in place until weather conditions improve. Gas powered backpacking/camping stoves are allowed in the wilderness area. The current Fire Ban no longer includes the Red Creek Campground and Dolly Sods Picnic Area.
Updated on 09-29-16 5:55 p.m.
Two out of the five wildfires in the Dolly Sods Wilderness have been completely extinguished, and two more fires have been 100 percent contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service team that is managing the Red Creek Fires. There is a fifth fire that firefighters haven’t yet been able to contain. This fire was discovered Wednesday, September 29. An explosive safety specialist has been called in to inspect the area surrounding the fifth fire to make sure there are no unexploded ordinances nearby. During World War II, the Dolly Sods Wilderness area was used as a training ground for soldiers, and many artillery and mortar shells shot into the area for practice still exist.
The southwestern portions of Dolly Sods in Tucker County are closed until further notice. The rest of the wilderness area is still open for camping and hiking.
The fires are a 4-mile hike from the nearest road. Thirty Forest Service employees are managing the fires, with the assistance of horses that have packed in supplies.
Credit courtesy U.S. Forest Service
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Updated on 09-28-16 4:40 p.m.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, there are now five wildfires burning in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area. All of the fires are small, less than an acre in size. Three of the five wildfires are 80-100 percent contained. It has been determined that three of the five wildfires were caused by unattended campfires. The cause of the fourth and fifth fire is still under investigation. Fire suppression efforts continue Wednesday and rain is forecasted for the next couple of days, which authorities say should help their efforts to fight the fires.
The Big Stonecoal Trail, Little Stonecoal Trail, Breathed Mountain Trail, Rocky Point Trail and Dunkenbarger Trail all remained closed in Dolly Sods. A fire ban is in place throughout most of the Dolly Sods area.
Updated on 09-26-16 9:30 p.m.
This past weekend was the peak time for tourists to visit Dolly Sods to see the leaves change for fall. But some of these visitors left behind smoldering campfires, and now four wildfires are burning in the area.
The first fire was discovered two weeks ago on September 16th. That fire is still burning, as well as three more that were discovered last Thursday, and this past weekend. Unattended campfires are believed to have caused three of the fires – and the cause of the fourth is still under investigation.
dolly_sods_for_web.mp3
This year’s weather conditions are partly to blame, says Cliff Hensley with the Monongahela National Forest. “West Virginia normally doesn’t have a lot of forest fires.”
But the last few months have been unusually dry. What’s especially abnormal about this year’s fires is they’re burning through the top layer of soil, catching all the dry debris, and continuing to burn as much as a foot and a half underground.
Fires this deep, Hensley said, haven’t been common here for seventy years. “Back in the ‘40s there was similar fires but nothing since.”
Over thirty U.S. Forest Service employees have been on the scene working to contain the wildfires in the last few weeks. Three of the fires are 80-100 percent contained.
The first and most significant fire is still burning but is under control. Rain fell Monday evening, helping the firefighters with the suppression efforts.
All hiking and camping is temporarily prohibited in the Red Creek area, though the Northern and Eastern Portions of Dolly Sods are still open.
This is a developing story.
Updated 09-26-16 4:44 p.m.
Officials with the U.S. Forest Service say two new wildfires have been identified in the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Four wildfires in the Red Creek area are now under investigation. The fires are all believed to be caused by human activity. The fires remain small in size.
Original story: 09-24
Two wildfires are burning in the Dolly Sods Wilderness area within the Monongahela National Forest. The cause of both fires is under investigation, but it is believed they were caused by human activity.
The fires are small, less than 1 acre in size. Fire activity has been low intensity with minimal fire spread. At this time, Red Creek Fire #2 is 90 percent contained. It will continue to be monitored daily for some time. Fire suppression efforts continue with firefighters focusing on the original fire.
The Red Creek Fire was discovered on Friday, September 16, 2016. A second fire was discovered on September 22, 2016, now called Red Creek Fire #2.
Credit courtesy USDA Forest Service
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The Forest Service has closed trails and the surrounding area due to the potential presence of unexploded ordinance in the wilderness area. The intent is to create a safety zone of at least one-half mile around the fires to prevent injuries should the wildfire cause an undetected ordinance to explode.
For this reason, a Forest Supervisor’s Closure Order (see map) was issued for the southwestern portion of the Dolly Sods Wilderness on September 23, 2016. The closure order applies specifically to an area bounded by the Wilderness boundary on the west, and area 100 feet east of Forest Road 80, an area 100 feet south of Blackbird Knob Trail (TR 511), an area 100 feet west of Red Creek Trail (TR 514) and an area 100 feet north of Laneville Road (CO 45/4).
This includes all cross-country travel and travel on the following trails: Big Stonecoal Trail (TR 513), Little Stonecoal Trail (TR 552), Breathed Mountain Trail (TR 553), Rocky Point Trail (TR 554) and Dunkenbarger Trail (TR 558).
Due to dry conditions, a closure order related to outdoor burning is also in effect. A fire ban is in place for the entire Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, the Red Creek Campground and the Dolly Sods Picnic Area. No campfires or charcoal grills are allowed. Gas-powered grills and backpacking stoves can still be used.
Credit courtesy U.S. Forest Service
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Area damaged by one of the wildfires
Troy Waskey, Cheat-Potomac District Ranger, said, “The timing of these two closures is unfortunate with so many visitors to the Dolly Sods at this time of year. All of the hikers and hunters that firefighters have encountered on the trails have been very understanding.”
He said the closures will be lifted as soon as possible. He emphasized that firefighter and public safety are his top priority.
West Virginia State Auditor Glen Gainer will resign from his position earlier than expected.
Longtime State Auditor Glen Gainer announced Thursday he will be stepping down from his position on May 14 to take a job with a Virginia-based nonprofit group.
The 56-year-old had announced in December he would not seek re-election this year but planned to serve out the rest of his term, which would have ended in January 2017.
In a statement Thursday, Governor Tomblin thanked Gainer for his years of public service. Gainer has served as State Auditor since 1993.
In recent months, Gainer had taken heat from state lawmakers over the transition to a bi-weekly pay system for state employees. A legislative audit said the change would result in an extra paycheck for employees every 11 years.
Tomblin must appoint a replacement to finish-out Gainer’s term.
A group is working to create a transportation plan for Raleigh and Fayette Counties. The Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO, is working to identify transportation investments needed to move the region forward.
The MPO office is federally and state funded but it’s made up of local governments, business leaders, and others. The group is responsible for long range transportation planning.
When the 2010 Census was published in 2012 is showed six towns across Route 19 in Fayette and Raleigh Counties had a population density of 50,000 or more. This makes the region “urbanized.” The municipalities included with this new designation include Fayetteville, Mt. Hope, Oak Hill, Sophia, Mabscott, and Beckley.
When an area is deemed ‘urbanized’ the federal government mandates the formation of an organization to come up with a transportation plan. As mandated by the federal government, the MPO is working to develop a 25‐year Regional Transportation Plan, which addresses travel by all modes, including streets and highways, bikeways and walkways, public transportation, aviation, rail and waterways.
Folks are encouraged to attend the second meeting to share ideas with leaders on what should be included in this plan. The is Tuesday, September 30 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Beckley City Hall Council Chambers in Beckley.
You can also share your ideas for the Fayette Raleigh County 25 year transportation plan online.
