Tag: Copper

Lawmakers Talk Homeschooling In W.Va.

On this episode of The Legislature Today, about 20,000 West Virginia children are homeschooled, with that numbers growing every day. Some officials in state education and the West Virginia Legislature help champion school choice. Others worry about the quality of the education and the safety of homeschooled children.  

On this episode of The Legislature Today, about 20,000 West Virginia children are homeschooled, with that numbers growing every day. Some officials in state education and the West Virginia Legislature help champion school choice. Others worry about the quality of the education and the safety of homeschooled children.  

Randy Yohe sat down with public school teacher Del. Jeff Stevens, R-Marshall, and Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, chair of the Senate School Choice Committee, to discuss all things homeschooling.

In the House, spirited debate echoed through the chamber. Bills on third reading included a bill on what air monitoring systems can be used in court, and another bill toughening laws on copper theft. Randy Yohe has more.

In the Senate, the chamber passed four bills and sent them to the House for consideration.

Also, student discipline continues to be an issue in West Virginia schools, and lawmakers continue to try and address the issue through legislation. A bill in the Senate is trying to expand on a law that was passed last year. Chris Schulz has more.

Finally, it was Food and Farm Day at the Capitol, and the emphasis was on West Virginia farmers getting legislative help to better market their produce and products. Randy Yohe has more.

Having trouble viewing the video below? Click here to watch it on YouTube.

The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s only television/radio simulcast devoted to covering the state’s 60-day regular legislative session.

Watch or listen to new episodes Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

W.Va. Man Accused Of Taking Copper Wire From Interstate Lights

A West Virginia man has been charged in connection with the theft of copper wire from interstate lights and selling it.

A West Virginia man has been charged in connection with the theft of copper wire from interstate lights and selling it.

Clarence Wayne Giles, 31, of the Charleston area, was charged with grand larceny, receiving or transferring stolen goods and other charges and was being held on $5,000 bond, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

Giles is accused of selling the copper for about $16,000. Chief Deputy Joe Crawford of the sheriff’s office said it cost about $1.5 million to repair the damage and restore the equipment, news outlets reported.

The case included lights on Interstate 77 in the Edens Fork area and in the Charleston and South Charleston areas.

It wasn’t clear whether Giles was represented by a lawyer who could comment on the case.

Documentary Explores 100-Year-Old History and Mystery

Watch Red Metal: The Copper Country Strike of 1913 on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 9 p.m. on WV PBS.2This new documentary that focuses on the 100th anniversary of…

Watch Red Metal: The Copper Country Strike of 1913 on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 9 p.m. on WV PBS.2

This new documentary that focuses on the 100th anniversary of an epic labor strike that devastated Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Copper Country – and haunts the American labor movement to this day. Among the notable elements of that strike was the death of 73 children at a union Christmas party in what is now Calumet, Michigan. Known as the Italian Hall Disaster, it remains the deadliest unsolved manslaughter in U.S. history.

The tragedy (attributed to strikebreakers yelling “fire” in a crowded auditorium) was immortalized by Woody Guthrie in his ballad “1913 Massacre,” performed in the film by Steve Earle.

Red Metal traces the Copper Country strike from its hopeful start to that tragic conclusion.  Between those endpoints, the film explores the intensifying battle between organized labor and corporate power, as well as related issues of immigration and technology.  Of equal significance is the strike’s cultural legacy, which influenced national discourse, music and legislation during the Progressive Era. As the centennial of the Italian Hall Disaster approaches, a new generation of Americans has begun paying tribute to the victims, while also deliberating the strike’s causes, outcomes and legacy. 

The film is produced, written and directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jonathan Silvers. The presenter is Detroit Public Television. Richard Harris narrates.

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