As competition increases from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, West Virginia casinos are losing customers.
And the lost revenue is poking a hole in the state’s tax base and budget.
Nowhere is that better exemplified than at Charles Town. When they first opened, business boomed beyond expectations, and tax revenue flowed into the state’s coffers.
West Virginia’s two panhandles were situated to draw out-of-state dollars – the Northern Panhandle drew gamblers from Pennsylvania and Ohio, while the Eastern Panhandle, where Charles Town is located, drew bettors from Maryland, Virginia and the D.C. region.
Pennsylvania’s foray into casino gambling weakened the northern casinos in Wheeling and Mountaineer Park, but Charles Town continued for a number of years to keep its monopoly on the D.C. market.
That changed when Maryland legalized casino gambling.
Tag: Government
Tests Show Presence of MCHM at Five W.Va. Schools
Tests conducted more than two weeks after a chemical spill tainted the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians show the presence of the chemical remains in five schools.
The state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on Friday released the results of water samples taken at 83 schools in five counties.
The chemical that spilled Feb. 9 from Freedom Industries was present in tests at Andrew Heights Elementary, George Washington High School and John Adams Middle School in Kanawha County; Buffalo High School in Putnam County; and Lincoln County High School.
The tests conducted Tuesday and Wednesday don’t detect levels of crude MCHM below 10 parts per billion, and 78 samples are listed as “non detected.” No results were released for samples taken at 24 other schools.
Update: Friday, January 31, 2014 at 5:30 p.m.
In a news release issued Friday afternoon, state Department of Education officials say they are working closely with schools whose water tested positive for MCHM and the West Virginia National Guard are conducting another round of flushing.
“It is important for students, parents and educators to understand that the five schools highlighted by the most recent round of testing were well below the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommended level, but were not yet at the more stringent screening level that the interagency team was directed to achieve beyond the CDC guidelines,” said West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Jim Phares.
The release state that this second round of flushing is to achieve a non-detect level, below 10 parts per billion, which is 100 times more rigorous than the 1 part per million screening level provided by the CDC for protecting public health.
The news release also states that hand sanitizer, bottled water and food preparation with bottled water will continue to be used in impacted county schools until the schools have been cleared below 10 parts per billion.
Two W.Va. Agencies Join Lawsuit Against Drug Company
Two West Virginia agencies are joining a lawsuit against an Ohio drug company, alleging its negligent practices have helped fuel the state’s pain pill abuse epidemic.
The Department of Health and Human Resources and the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety recently signed on as plaintiffs in the attorney general’s lawsuit against Cardinal Health.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey recused himself in August from the lawsuit filed by the office because his wife lobbies for the company in Washington, D.C.
The suit was filed during former Attorney General Darrell McGraw’s last term. Morrisey defeated McGraw in the 2012 general election.
The Charleston Gazette reports that outside lawyers handling the case will now report to the heads of the other departments and their agencies’ attorneys.
W.Va. PSC Orders Water Company to Continue Quality Reports
State utility regulators have ordered West Virginia American Water to continue providing quarterly reports on the quality of its service. The Public…
State utility regulators have ordered West Virginia American Water to continue providing quarterly reports on the quality of its service.
The Public Service Commission’s order says the information will allow it to monitor whether the company’s response to a Jan. 9 chemical spill has any lasting impact on its distribution infrastructure in the Kanawha Valley.
The PSC’s Consumer Advocate Division cited the spill when it requested the reports’ continuance last week.
The reports contain statistical information about water line breaks, staffing levels, average response times to repair leaks and other service-related metrics.
The PSC ordered the reports in 2011 in a case involving the company’s staffing levels. The reports were to run through the fourth quarter of 2013. Tuesday’s order extends the reports for another year.
Harrison Board Names Mark Manchin as Schools Chief
West Virginia School Building Authority executive director Mark Manchin has been named schools superintendent in Harrison County.
The Harrison County Board of Education approved a three-year contract for Manchin on Wednesday. He will begin his new job on July 1.
Manchin will replace Susan Collins as superintendent. The board voted last week to not renew Collins’ contract.
Manchin has served as the SBA’s executive director since 2006. He previously served as the state-appointed superintendent of McDowell County Schools and as Webster County’s superintendent.
State Health Officials, Water Company Say Reports of Formaldehyde Are 'Misleading', 'Unfounded'
Officials from the Bureau for Public Health and West Virginia American Water released separate statements regarding Dr. Scott Simonton’s testimony Wednesday to Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on State Water Resources, calling his remarks on the discovery of formaldehyde in the water of a Charleston restaurant “unfounded”, “misleading”, and “irresponsible.”
In a release from the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Commissioner and State Health Officer Dr. Letitia Tierney said experts who have been assisting the state through this response say that the only way possible for formaldehyde to come from MCHM is if it were combusted at 500°F.
Dr. Tierney cited The World Health Organization (WHO) and says formaldehyde is the most frequent aldehyde found in nature and is naturally measurable in air and water. Formaldehyde is created through the normal breakdown cycle of plants and animals.
“Formaldehyde dissolves easily in water and does not last a long time in water,” said Dr. Tierney in the statement issued Wednesday afternoon.
“Additionally, formaldehyde is naturally produced in very small amounts in our bodies as a part of our normal, everyday metabolism and causes no harm,” she added.
The Bureau for Public Health says they are unaware of Dr. Simonton’s testing procedures and notes they are interested in finding out whether another issue is affecting Vandalia Grill.
In a separate statement, West Virginia American Water said the following:
“We believe it is misleading and irresponsible to voice opinions on potential health impacts to residents of this community without all of the facts. Procedures for water analysis are carefully prescribed, outlined and certified. West Virginia American Water will continue working with governmental health and environmental professionals and, in conjunction with these professionals, we and public health agencies will make public any reliable, scientifically sound information relating to risks to public health, if any. As a regulated water utility, West Virginia American Water adheres to industry best practices and is in compliance with all federal and state regulations and guidelines.”