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Huntington’s Hal Greer Boulevard Upgrade Nears Completion

Road construction challenges around the state are not confined to the interstates. In Huntington, a nearly two year upgrade to one of the city’s main traffic arteries is nearing completion. But some are concerned that the traffic element of the upgrade will remain a challenge.

Milling and paving machines are grinding their way through several blocks of Huntington’s 16th Street, better known as Hal Greer Boulevard. In December 2022, Gov. Jim Justice announced a $13.5 million comprehensive upgrade of the corridor to run from Washington Boulevard to Third Avenue.

Hal Greer Boulevard leads people from I-64 to Cabell Huntington Hospital, the downtown area and Marshall University. When announced, the upgrade elements highlighted safety, accessibility, beauty and economic development. Huntington City Communications Director Bryan Chambers said once the repaving, and some road marking and striping are finished, the project will be complete.

“For all intents and purposes, all of the signalization work has been completed,” Chambers said. “The majority of the lighting work has been completed. All of the storm and sewer improvement projects, all of those projects have been completed.”

The upgrades reduce Hal Greer Boulevard from two wide lanes of traffic in one direction to one narrower lane going into the city and another going out. That change has created intermittent traffic back ups, especially during morning and afternoon rush hours. DoorDash driver Ethan Peltier is one of a few workers and business owners complaining about the narrowed roadway.

“If you’ve ever been to the Baskin Robbins across from the hospital, or the McDonald’s in that area, I get frequent pickups there, and usually, traffic can get pretty backed up,” Peltier said. “I’ve actually been late on a few of my orders, and everything’s time based, so it can be quite an inconvenience.”

When asked about the lane reductions, Chambers said traffic improvement will come with the changes made to traffic signals along Hal Greer.

“We do anticipate that this will ease traffic congestion overall,” Chambers said. “And we are really excited about this project being completed for all users of it being pedestrians, motorists and also bicyclists.”

New bike lane and walkways on upgraded Hal Greer Boulevard.

*Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Marshall University student Alex Grimes said the wider bike lanes and sidewalks, the new lighting and extensive landscaping doesn’t help with his car commute to class.

“It’s terrible to drive through,” Grimes said. “I can count on more than one occasion where it’s not even rush hour and I was backed up because of traffic. It’s too busy of a road to only just have one lane.”

Chambers said the pedestrian and bike paths make the busy corridor safer and the lighting and landscaping offers stimulus toward future economic development along Hal Greer. At the December 2022 project announcement, Huntington Mayor Steve Williams spoke of expected growth.

“With all of the business development that is planned on Hal Greer Boulevard, in five years, anybody who’s coming through here right now will not recognize Hal Greer Boulevard,” Williams said at the project announcement. “It will be absolutely transformed.”

Chambers said the hope continues that this project does stimulate economic activity along Hal Greer Boulevard.

“We are certainly hopeful that that will occur. We don’t have anything to announce just yet,” Chambers said. “Obviously everyone is also focused on the Northcott Court former property, which is owned by the Huntington Housing Authority.”

Northcott Court was a long-standing, low-income Hal Greer Boulevard housing complex that was demolished in 2018.

As a pedestrian, Marshall University Senior Emma Johnson said crossing at the busy corner where Fifth Ave and Hal Greer meet has offered evolving challenges.

“For the longest time, there was no crosswalk that kind of matched up with the lights, and it was very dangerous to cross that part of the street,” Johnson said. “It still kind of is, especially with the lane changes. People are still getting used to it, so it’s always a risky move to cross any of those crosswalks there.”

Chambers said there will be some growing pains, but congestion will ease overall when the construction and upgrade are completed.

Emma Johnson is one of many who embrace the aesthetic and safety upgrades to the boulevard, with a caveat.

“There are some things that could be done a little better, such as working ways out that traffic isn’t going to get backed up, or setting plans into place to make the streets a little safer to cross,” Johnson said. “I think those were bigger issues, rather than making it look pretty. But… I’m always for the improvements, because I think when it is eventually done, it will look nice and all of the safety features and stuff like that will be up to date.”

Chambers anticipates the Hal Greer Blvd project will be completed this fall.

W.Va. National Guard Headed To Areas Hit By Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene devastated the southeast and now members of the West Virginia National Guard are heading to help with their recovery.

Thirty guard members are set to leave for South Carolina on Friday to assist with reconstruction and debris cleanup. The troops will be there for around two weeks.

Busick, North Carolina received nearly 31 inches of rain, the highest rainfall in the Appalachians from any tropical weather system.

Gov. Jim Justice, as the commander in chief of the state’s National Guard, activated the guard to aid communities devastated by the storm.

“The West Virginia National Guard is running to the fire without hesitation, as we always do,” Justice said in a statement. “That’s what we do in West Virginia – we pull the rope together. I’m proud we can join forces with other states to support North Carolina and South Carolina in their recovery efforts. My thoughts and prayers are with our brave service members.”

National Guard Major General Bill Crane said he is grateful the governor has activated the Guard to help other states that have been impacted by the catastrophic weather.

“You’ve seen the devastation. The governor has seen the devastation, and we want nothing more than to go in and try to help as much as we can,” Crane said. “That’s what we’re here for. That’s why we work so well together.”

Crane says the guard will be teaming up with other state’s air teams to access areas that are still currently not accessible by land due to flooding, and infrastructure damage.

Originally 12 more guard members were slated to head to North Carolina to assist in fatality search and recovery. However, that has been canceled. Guard officials said the North Carolina National Guard has put their request on hold as they continue to assess their response needs.

Morrisey, Williams Agree To Gubernatorial Debate Oct. 29

Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Democrat Huntington Mayor Steve Williams released statements Tuesday that they will participate in a general gubernatorial debate on West Virginia MetroNews Oct. 29.

Scheduling was finalized after controversy last week around a canceled WOWK debate.

Williams’ campaign said they had proposed multiple debates, but that the Morrisey campaign was “resistant.” Morrisey’s campaign declined to comment.

Williams said he was “grateful” for the debate, prioritizing discussion of “jobs, healthcare, and education.”

Morrisey said he was “excited” for the debate, outlining plans to talk about tax cuts, job creation, and the Hope Scholarship, a funding avenue for school choice.

Hoppy Kercheval, the debate moderator, confirmed in an email to WVPB that the debate will be a round-table discussion, with him asking questions and follow-ups to the candidates. Rather than a traditional debate with time limits for each candidate, he said it will model a forum discussion without an audience.

Kercheval said the debate will run from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and be available to broadcast on multiple platforms including West Virginia Public Broadcasting. .

Switching From Coal To Gas And The Legislature’s Second Special Session, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, Appalachian Power is considering a conversion of two West Virginia power plants from coal to natural gas, and the West Virginia legislature convened for its second special session.

On this West Virginia Morning, Appalachian Power is at least considering a conversion of two West Virginia power plants from coal to natural gas. The region produces a large amount of natural gas, which has become the preferred fuel for generating electricity nationwide and in the states surrounding West Virginia.

Also, the West Virginia legislature convened for its second special session of the year Monday to focus on supplemental appropriations, as well as proposed tax cuts.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Special Session Fails To Pass Income Tax Cut Or Childcare Relief, Advanced Nuclear Regulations

The West Virginia Legislature came together today in a Special Session.

In comments leading up to the special session, Gov. Jim Justice said he called the legislature to address three main issues: pass supplemental appropriations bills, cut the income tax by five percent, and give parents whose children are in daycare some tax relief.

The legislature only did one of those things.

Both the House of Delegates and the Senate suspended rules and passed supplemental appropriations bills. Those bills divy out surplus money that the state has to different state organizations.

Together the chambers passed six appropriations bills. Those bills sent money to the Department of Education, The Department of Transportation and Division of Highways, Department of Veterans Assistance, The Department of Homeland Security and the West Virginia State Police, Higher Education, and the State Board of Education.

A total of 27 bills were introduced into both chambers.

Two bills that the House sent over were not considered by the Senate.

One was HB 205, which would appropriate $15.675 million towards West Virginia National Guard projects.

Nuclear Regulations

The other was HB208, which would make West Virginia an agreement state with the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, passed with the smallest margin of 73 yays out of 91 votes cast.

Thirty nine states are currently part of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. HB208 would shift nuclear waste management from the federal government to the state’s health department.

The House discussed HB208 for about 40 minutes. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed concerns around the bill being pushed during a special session.

Delegates in support of HB 208 pointed to a 2023 bill HB2896, which would have the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission but would have cited state level regulation with the Department of Environmental Protection, saying the issue had passed the House with a wide margin before. HB2896 stalled in the Senate.

“I think I even voted for a bill like this before,” Del. Jim Butler R-Mason, who voted against HB 208, said. However, he continued that the risks of low-level radiation gave him pause about pushing the bill in a Special Session.

“I have some concerns about this, and I don’t know if anyone else has given this very, really serious consideration, and I don’t know if there’s really a rush that we have to do this during this special session,” Butler said.

Del. Todd Longanacre, R-Greenbrier, also spoke against the bill.

“I want to see nuclear power come to West Virginia, I have to make a decision on behalf of my constituents back home, who’s probably just as confused right now,” Loganacre said.

Lawmakers also expressed concern about the bill opening up West Virginia to out-of-state nuclear waste storage and corporate projects. Del. Henry Dillon, R-Wayne, raised a 2022 Mingo Messenger article on Curio, a nuclear waste company, seeking to build in the state.

Del. Bill Anderson, R-Wood, rebuked concerns and spoke in favor of the bill.

“I can assure you that as chair of the Energy Committee and manufacturing committee of this state, I’ll have no part in opening large scale nuclear waste disposal facilities in this state, period,” Anderson said following the House adjournment.

Income Tax

Justice put a five percent personal income tax reduction in the call for the legislature’s second special session. This comes after the legislature has passed multiple tax cuts since Justice took office. *

Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, said based on the legislature’s calculations the state cannot afford that tax cut.

“I’m doubtful, and the reason I’m doubtful is just because the revenues are coming in slower than they have for the past few years,” Tarr said. “Right now, we’re under estimates for the year, on estimates that are probably already low estimates.”

However those estimates are based on Senate Finance calculations. Tarr said he would like to see the governor’s numbers. However Justice, unlike previous governors, has not delivered a five year projected fiscal analysis of proposed budgetary legislation — like this tax cut.

Tarr says without the governor’s numbers to prove otherwise, it’s hard to see where the money will come from to make up for the lost revenues without running a deficit.

“That’s part of going into things eyes wide open, you know? So it’s very important to have a forecast of revenue and expenses that are on the book,” Tarr said.

Across the hall, the House introduced House Resolution 1, which would require the House to receive that five year fiscal analysis from the state Tax Department before imposing a tax cut.

Childcare

The House introduced a bill that would give parents a 50 percent tax cut to their state income tax based if their children are enrolled in childcare. That bill will likely be considered starting on Sunday.

Childcare has been an ongoing issue in the state, with parents and childcare providers asking for a change in state policy. There are an estimated 20,000 children needing a spot in day care.

However after multiple tax cuts, and expiring pandemic era federal funds, some lawmakers worry if there is space in the budget for another tax cut.

Tarr is concerned that the tax cut may cost taxpayers money without delivering any economic development.

“You’re playing favorites when you do tax credits,” Tarr said. “To me, that doesn’t help with West Virginia’s competitive ability in the market nationally to attract people and to attract businesses.”

Others, like Sen. Oliverio, R-Monongalia, said this bill is a step in the right direction.

“It’s going to take some additional dollars, but I don’t know of any place where we could invest more dollars and have a greater return,” Oliverio said.

He said that the state could benefit from many types of childcare reform like TriShare where employers, employees, and the state are all putting some money towards childcare which he says could help childcare facilities stay open, and help parents have access to high quality care.

House Democrats held a caucus press conference following adjournment, where legislators critiqued the special session’s lack of action on childcare and children’s issues.

“It’s not necessarily what’s on the call this legislative special session, but what’s not on the call,” Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, said.

“We’ve had a lot of issues regarding children in this state, regarding rules along homeschooling and keeping children safe, and they were unable to do anything about that in the special session,” Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said.

The Legislature will reconvene on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. to consider the remaining bills.

W.Va. Churches Now Eligible To Incorporate

Updated on Monday, September 30, 2024 at 3:40 p.m.

Churches and religious organizations in the Mountain State can now also operate as businesses, following a Thursday decision from the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.

The federal court ruled that a clause of the West Virginia Constitution prohibiting churches and religious bodies from incorporating violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which protects the “free exercise” of religion.

Incorporation is the process of registering a business with the state government as a legal and financial entity. Corporations have central management and are owned by shareholders who are “not personally liable for the obligations of the company,” according to the West Virginia Secretary of State Business Division.

West Virginia was the only state in the nation that prohibited churches from incorporating, according to the district court. Virginia had a similar provision in its constitution until 2002, when a separate district court ruled the policy unconstitutional.

The district court’s memorandum opinion and order released last week said the West Virginia secretary of state “began issuing certificates of incorporation to churches” after the 2002 decision, despite being prohibited under state law. According to Michael Queen, deputy chief of staff and director of communications for the secretary of state’s office, the practice was followed through three different secretary of state tenures, resulting in the registration of more than 400 religious groups as nonprofit corporations in West Virginia.

The court said this practice continued until 2022, when a ballot measure to remove the policy from the West Virginia Constitution was voted down by the public.

“After the majority of voters voted down the proposed amendment, and given the previously cited constitutional language, there was no longer an arguable potential for exercising discretion when interpreting the incorporation prohibition, and our office stopped accepting corporate filings from churches and religious organizations to form nonprofit corporations,” Queen wrote in a Monday email to West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

The state then continued to refuse applications to incorporate from churches until a complaint was filed by Hope Community Church, located in the Berkeley County town of Hedgesville. The church did not respond to phone call or email requests for comment on this story.

The West Virginia secretary of state filed an answer to this complaint, after which the church filed a motion for judgment from the court. This gave the district court the opportunity to review the provision in the state’s constitution, which it ultimately deemed unconstitutional.

“West Virginia’s prohibition on the incorporation of churches is neither neutral nor generally applicable because it denies incorporation to a defined class of individuals solely based upon their religion,” read the decision. “Every other group in West Virginia may apply for incorporation, but members of ‘any church or religious denomination’ are uniquely prohibited from incorporating the organizations to which they belong.”

Queen said the court’s decision took effect immediately upon release.

“The staff in the West Virginia secretary of state’s office has been made aware of this judicial directive,” Queen wrote. West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner “has indicated that we will no longer reject applications for incorporation by churches or religious organizations.”

Queen wrote that he has not personally seen any requests to incorporate from churches since the decision was released Thursday. Any religious groups interested in registering would file an application with the secretary of state’s office including articles of incorporation and a 501(c)(3) statement from the Internal Revenue Service, he wrote.

Queen also said Warner has no plans to appeal the court’s decision.

View the full text of the court decision here:

Memo opinion and Order – Granting Pltf’s mot for judg on pleadings Download

**Editor’s note: This story was updated to include comment from Michael Queen, deputy chief of staff and director of communications for the West Virginia secretary of state’s office.