Computers Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Computer Mainframe Issue Leads To DMV Outages

A computer issue has left 26 regional offices of the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), as well as kiosks and the organization website, with limited capacity.

In a press release Thursday morning, the DMV said a mainframe computer is down because of a hardware issue and no driver’s licenses or IDs, or motor vehicle renewals can be issued. The computer issue means the county sheriff’s offices are also unable to process vehicle renewals.

There is no estimated time as to when services will be restored. Regional offices remain open, but DMV customers should be aware that all services could be disrupted. Customers are advised to continue monitoring the DMV website and social media for updates.

W.Va. City And County Bill Pay Goes Online Statewide

West Virginia will soon launch its new WV Go-Pay program, giving local government residents an online payment system for all their bills, fees and taxes.

Senate Bill 280, which passed in 2021, requires all West Virginia state and local governments to provide online payment options by March 1, 2023.

WV Go-Pay will feature credit/debit card and ACH processing and allows for daily direct deposits.

State Treasurer Riley Moore said the single location payment option gets West Virginia into the 21st Century, and makes local government bill payments more convenient.

“They no longer have to take time off of work and go down to the courthouse and spend time doing that,” Moore said. “They can pay for everything online.”

The on-line payment system comes at no cost to cities and counties. Moore said there may be a 1.75 percent fee for online payments, but he said some local governments plan to waive that fee

Concord University Esports Scholarships On The Line For Gamers

Concord University has announced two Concord Scholarship Invitational esports events for this fall.

Gamers, high school-aged and older, can compete for Concord University scholarships and other prizes, but the winnings are only available as scholarships at Concord University.

The events will be held online. A League of Legends competition is scheduled for Sept. 11 and 12 and a Rocket League competition is planned for Nov. 13 and 14.

Concord University is the first public college or university in West Virginia to offer varsity esports to its students.

“After the success of our first Concord Scholarship Invitational with Elo Hell Esports (EHE) with getting recruits and from a viewing standpoint, we have decided to host two more Concord Scholarship Invitational events with EHE,” said Concord Esports Head Coach Austin Clay.

The fall scholarship invitational events are being produced and run by Elo Hell Esports. Also partnering to present the tournaments are Appalachian Eye Care and HyperX.

More information about Concord Esports and these upcoming events can be found on their website.

Computer Virus Affects Hospitals' in KY and W.Va.

Federal authorities are investigating after a computer virus infected all electronic services of the Appalachian Regional Healthcare system in Kentucky and West Virginia.

ARH spokeswoman Melissa Cornett said in a statement Saturday that the system is dealing with technical complications.

She said the ARH system of hospitals in Kentucky and West Virginia are operating under the Emergency Operations Plan because of a computer virus “that has limited our use of electronic web-based services and electronic communications.”

All ARH computers have been shut down to prevent the virus from spreading. It’s unclear where the virus came from.

On Sunday, Cornett said that federal authorities were investigating the situation.

All patient-care, registration, medication, imaging and laboratory services are being managed manually. Critical patients may be transferred to another facility.

West Virginia Legislature Switching to Word Processing

After having spent tens of thousands of dollars, the West Virginia Legislature is ready to make the switch to the Microsoft Word program.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the Legislature has used Word Perfect software for word processing for the past 15 years.

Legislative Auditor and Legislative Manager Aaron Allred says the transition to Microsoft Word hasn’t been so easy. Staff member have had to convert about 38,000 files from one program to the other.

The $55,000 project started after last year’s session ended. Allred estimates that the IT department has spent between 4,000 to 8,000 hours on the project.

Allred says using Word will help make the drafting bills process more standardized and flexible. He says the system will be in place Wednesday.

Computer Science Education Week on LearningMedia

If you search for definitions of the word “computer” from different eras, you’ll see how we have defined it has changed over time. Today, computer use as we know it is so prevalent that many cannot imagine life without them. So who invented the first real computer?

There are more than a dozen contenders to consider, all designers of unique, remarkable machines, from British mathematician Charles Babbage’s analytical engine to American physicist John Mauchly and engineer Presper Eckert’s ENIAC, the first all-electronic computer controlled by a program. With facts and timelines clouded by intrigue, controversy and contradiction, debate has raged in courtrooms and classrooms for decades. The answer of “who invented the computer” may surprise your students: WATCH: Who invented the computer.

Included with this video is a discussion guide to allow student to put this event into an historical context.