Tag: Economy

Star Gazing Party Planned in Calhoun

Amateur astronomers are signed up to watch the sky over central West Virginia this weekend.

The third annual Calhoun Stargaze is set for Friday through Sunday at the Calhoun County Park in Grantsville. The park is known for its pitch-dark conditions for favorable nighttime viewing.

Among the partners in the event are the Appalachian Regional Commission, the West Virginia Development Office, the University of Tennessee, Fairmont State University and the West Virginia University Extension Service.

University of Tennessee political scientist Tim Ezzell says in a news release that the event is aimed at expanding science in a rural area and showing that places like Calhoun County are “positive, important and necessary.”

Space is limited at the event. A small campground is located within the park.

2 Decades Pass Since Toyota Groundbreaking in W.Va.

Two decades have passed since ground was broken on Toyota West Virginia Motor Manufacturing’s engine and transmission plant in Putnam County.

On Sept. 18, 1996, Japanese and American officials planted 10 Japanese maple trees at a ceremony in Buffalo.

The plant opened in 1998 with about 300 employees. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the plant now employs about 1,100 workers.

A new $90 million production line opened in 2014, increasing the plant’s annual capacity from 500,000 transmissions to 700,000. The plant has expanded eight times since it opened.

The plant was one of the signature achievements of then-U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who was chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and has known Toyota’s founding family since the 1960s.

Airline Adds West Virginia Flights to Baltimore, Charlotte

An airline is adding flights from North Central West Virginia Airport to Baltimore and Charlotte. 

The Exponent Telegram in Clarksburg reports that Via Air will add the service starting Oct 1. Airport Director Rick Rock announced Thursday that the Alternative Essential Air Service contract was approved by the federal Department of Transportation.

Via Air will offer 32 flights each week, including 24 nonstop to and from Baltimore. Another eight trips to and from Charlotte will include a stop in Beckley.

The contract with Silver Airways ends Sept. 30. The airline has offered Washington-Dulles flights at the North Central West Virginia Airport.

W.Va. State Leaders Petition Obama for Flood Relief

In a rare unified effort, Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito joined with Representatives David McKinley, Alex Mooney, Evan Jenkins, and Governor Tomblin today to petition president Obama on behalf of flood victims in the state.  

23 are dead and eight counties are still under a state of emergency after flooding this June. The delegation from West Virginia pointed out in a letter that 5,000 homes and businesses were damaged, and 90 percent carried no flood insurance.

Dear Mr. President:   The hardworking men and women of West Virginia have pulled together to help each other rebuild from the devastating one-in-a-thousand-year floods that inundated their communities earlier this year and led to a major disaster declaration on June 25, 2016 (DR-4273). While we are humbled by the heroic actions of our first responders and the thousands of individual citizens who helped friends, neighbors and complete strangers escape rising flood waters, we now find ourselves unable to help many of these same individuals begin down their own road to recovery, and we urge you to include West Virginia in any Presidential supplemental appropriations request that your Administration may submit to Congress.   In West Virginia, more than two months after the deadly June floods that killed 23 people, eight counties remain under a state of emergency. More than 5,000 homes and businesses were damaged during the disaster and over 70% of all applicants incurred at least some FEMA-verified loss. Unfortunately, much like Louisiana, the vast majority of the flooded homes and businesses (nearly 90%) did not carry flood insurance at the time of the disaster, and, according to FEMA estimates, the average grant award for each eligible West Virginian will be less than $9,000. The challenge we face is clear – without additional assistance, these individuals and the communities in which they live simply cannot afford to rebuild.    We strongly support West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s request for $310 million in disaster funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-DR) program to address the critical unmet needs of our constituents. The additional CDBG-DR funding requested by the Governor would help homeowners rebuild safer and stronger. It would give our small businesses an opportunity to reinvest in the communities on which they depend. It would give these communities the resources they need to reduce their exposure to flood threats and promote sustainable development for decades to come. It would be a shame to miss this opportunity. While the scope and scale of this disaster may seem relatively small to some, we cannot forget the 23 men, women and children whom we lost during these floods.   This was one of the deadliest disasters our country has experienced this year, and we owe it to the memory of those that we lost to do everything in our power to ensure a tragedy like this never happens here again.    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

 
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s separate  letter to the president asked for 310 million dollars in disaster funding through the Community Development Block Grant program. In his request, Tomblin also pointed out that, “Most of the areas devastated by floods were towns and communities that had been reliant on coal. The industry’s downturn has left most of the with no capacity to build back on their own.”

FEMA estimates the average grant award for each eligible West Virginian will be less than 9 thousand dollars. Tomblin announced Tuesday total damages in the state topped $300 million.

Fifth Third Bank to Shed 44 Branches

Fifth Third Bank says it plans to consolidate or sell 44 branches and five parcels of undeveloped land next year.

The Cincinnati-based bank unveiled the plan during an industry conference Tuesday. The announcement comes more than a year after it started consolidating or selling about 100 branches and about 30 other properties.

The latest cuts would remove nearly 4 percent of the bank’s 1,191-branch network. Officials didn’t identify the branches that will close but said affected employees and customers would be informed of the changes next month.

Bank officials expect the plan will result in asset write-downs of $25 million to $30 million and require $4 million to $6 million for lease terminations.

Besides Ohio, Fifth Third has branches in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia

State Unemployment Rate Unchanged in August

West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged in August at 5.7 percent.

WorkForce West Virginia said in a news release Tuesday that the number of unemployed state residents dropped by 200 last month to 44,800.

Job gains included 1,200 in trade, transportation and utilities; 600 in educational and health services; 600 in leisure and hospitality; 400 in professional and business services; and 200 in mining and logging.

Job declines included 600 in government, 500 each in manufacturing and financial activities and 200 in information.

The state’s overall nonfarm payroll employment has increased by 1,500 since August 2015, including gains of 5,100 in educational and health services, 2,600 in leisure and hospitality and 500 in government. Mining and logging lost 3,900 jobs.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent.

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