The Clorox Company says it plans to build a new manufacturing facility that would employ 100 workers in West Virginia.
Company officials told The Journal that they took the first step in the process of locating to the area by filing draft plans with the Berkeley County planning commission. Plans call for the plant to be located in the Tabler Station Business Park.
“We’ve been excited about everything we’ve seen in West Virginia,” said Michael Holly, Clorox vice president of product supply.
It would be the third Clorox manufacturing plant in the state.
Holly said the Berkeley County site offered existing infrastructure, easy access to Interstate 81, access to a “great, skilled and capable workforce” and rail access.
The plant is expected to be operational by 2022 and hiring could begin next year, said Eric Fetterman, Clorox project manager for the Tabler Station facility.
State officials praised the announcement.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am that Clorox is exploring this expansion opportunity in West Virginia,” Gov. Jim Justice said.
“We’ve seen time and time again that commitments like these enhance the local economy and further develop our workforce,” Secretary of Commerce Ed Gaunch said.
Two incidents in the Eastern Panhandle that occurred over the Christmas holiday have seen some resolution.
On Dec. 21, a train derailed in Harpers Ferry damaging a footbridge that is part of the Appalachian Trail. No injuries were reported. The footbridge remains closed, according to the National Park Service. But all areas that were temporarily closed due to the derailment, such as John Brown’s Fort, have now reopened.
On Dec. 23, residents and businesses were evacuated within a half-mile radius of downtown Martinsburg because of a chemical mix up near a sewage treatment plant. Sodium hydrochloride and ferric chloride mixed during a tanker offload, according to Berkeley County officials.
Emissions from the incident were said to cause “mild respiratory irritation” without delayed or long-term effects.
The evacuation was lifted Christmas Eve, according to the Berkeley County Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The pedestrian footbridge remains closed, according to the National Park Service. However, all areas that were temporarily closed, such as John Brown’s Fort and The Point, have now reopened.
Visitors will be unable to cross between Harpers Ferry and C&O Canal via the towpath. Visitors are also unable to cross from Harpers Ferry to the Maryland Heights trail.
The footbridge is part of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Hikers should check with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for updates about the trail.
The derailment affected access to parts of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Chesapeake & Ohio National Historical Park, and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
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A freight train derailed as it crossed the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, sending two cars into the water and damaging a footbridge that is part of the Appalachian Trail.
CSX said in a statement that there were no injuries early Saturday morning when seven cars in total derailed. CSX said all the cars were empty and no hazardous materials were involved.
CSX said the cause of the derailment is under investigation and it will work swiftly to clean up and restore the area.
The National Park Service said the derailment closed access to some parts of Harpers Ferry National Historic Park and the Chesapeake & Ohio National Historic Park.
Photos released by the park service showed damaged to a footbridge that’s attached to the CSX bridge and is a part of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The park service said that footbridge was closed indefinitely and referred hikers to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for updates.
Gov. Jim Justice has agreed to provide the remaining funding Maryland officials requested to keep the Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) in the Eastern Panhandle at its current service. The governor is also hopeful to expand the service to promote tourism in the region.
After months of uncertainty, Gov. Jim Justice, along with Eastern Panhandle municipalities, have pulled together the remaining $2.3 million to keep the MARC train running in West Virginia at six trains per weekday.
The announcement was made Thursday at a press conference at the Martinsburg Train Station.
The $2.3 million joins $1.1 million the West Virginia Legislature already provided during the 2019 session.
The governor said in a press release that he’s grateful to everyone who worked together to provide the funding needed to “keep this vital connection between our state and Washington D.C. alive.”
Gov. Justice and West Virginia leaders are in ongoing contract negotiations with the Maryland Transit Administration to reach a multi-year agreement.
The governor has also directed Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby to research and pursue increasing tourism-related MARC train ridership in West Virginia.
Every year for Christmas, cats are often given as gifts. But many end up in animal shelters. In fact, 3.2 million cats enter animal shelters every year in the United States, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
And every year, about 860,000 are euthanized in shelters. But places like “cat cafes” may be helping more cats find forever homes.
Give Purrs A Chance
At a two-story, Victorian-style housein downtown Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, about 50 cats and kittens are roaming freely. All have been spayed or neutered, defleaed, dewormed, socialized and are up to date on their shots.
Give Purrs A Chance opened in May 2017. For an $8 admission fee, visitors have access to Purrs and its feline residents for an entire day. They can come cuddle kitties for an hour or two, walk down the street for a bite to eat or a cup of coffee, and then return for more cuddles.
If you want to take one home, it’s a $100 adoption fee.
Credit Liz McCormick / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A kitten at “Give Purrs A Chance.”
Purrs is a nonprofit cat adoption agency that was created by local resident George Farnham. He got the idea from cat cafes that have been popping up in the U.S. since 2014.
“I’ve just been an animal lover all my life,” Farnham said. “When I first heard about the concept of cat cafes in the United States, it just seemed to be the way of the future — how adoptions are handled — and so, I just wanted to be a part of that.”
Farnham calls Purrs a cat cafe, but it doesn’t serve food or drink. Farnham said to do that, the West Virginia Health Department required a closed off area for food prep and a separate entrance, so he opted not to serve food. But the nonprofit does offer free-ranging cuddle buddies, which is a staple of cat cafes, so he hung onto the term.
Credit Liz McCormick / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“Give Purrs A Chance” has found homes for more than 700 cats since opening in 2017, according to founder George Farnham.
The house has hardwood floors, colorful walls, cat-themed artwork, bean bag chairs, and plenty of toys.There are places for cats to lounge, hide or climb. There’s a room just for kittens, and there’s a space just for cats on the shy side.
There’s also a little shop inside the house called the Catique Boutique that features local artists’ work for sale and accounts for about 10 percent of the overall income of the nonprofit.
The cats mainly come from four nearby rescues and shelters in the Eastern Panhandle and from across the border in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Farnham is a volunteer at Purrs, but there are eight part-time employees who keep the place running, including Brianne VanScoy. VanScoy said what she loves about the concept of a cat café is it can help someone better connect with a potential pet.
Credit Liz McCormick / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A photo of every cat that’s ever been adopted from “Purrs” is posted on the walls in the house.
“I think it’s easier for people to adopt a cat here because there’s less pressure, and they can spend more time getting to know an animal,” VanScoy said. “And that gives them a lot of opportunities to get to know an older cat as opposed to a kitten.”
According to the ASPCA, more than 1.6 million cats are adopted every year from shelters. Since 2014, cat cafes have popped up around the country, and most are adoption focused. But some animal welfare organizations are concerned cat cafes may not be the best environments for the felines – that they create stressful environments that are constantly changing as people come and go.
But for Farnham, Purrs has been successful. Since they opened two-and-half-years ago, they’ve had more than 15,000 visitors, some international, from places like Ireland and France, and more than 700 adoptions.
Credit Liz McCormick / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Two kitties hanging out on a table by a window in “Give Purrs A Chance.”
“We think we have a tremendously positive image for West Virginia, that we’ve attracted so many people from so many states that come specifically just to play with some of the cats here,” Farnham said.
In an emailed statement from the ASPCA, the organization said places like cat cafes and kitten pop-ups “increase the visibility of cats in need” and “generally help to reduce the time it takes for an animal to find a loving home.”
And for the cats themselves, Farnham said he believes having a free range environment gives cats the ability to live freely and happily until they find their forever home.
Gov. Jim Justice has hired a former campaign staff member as his Regional Representative for West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle counties.
Martinsburg-native Summer Ratcliff will split her time between Martinsburg and Charleston and work as a Legislative Assistant during the state Legislative sessions, according to a press release.
After the session, Ratcliff will serve as a Regional Representative to Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, Hampshire, Mineral, Grant, Hardy, and Pendleton Counties.
Her role will be the primary point of contact for constituents in those counties and serve as a direct line to the governor.
The press release states she will assist local governments, organizations, and residents who want to communicate with the governor’s office and state government as a whole.
Ratcliff is a graduate of West Virginia University, and has spent her career in public service and politics.
