Tag: Government

Justice Declines Debating Elliott In US Senate Race

Gov. Jim Justice has declined to debate former Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, his Democratic opponent in the race for U.S. Senate.

“The people of this state know me,” Justice said during a virtual press briefing Thursday. “They know me and they know me really well.”

Justice said he has done “almost zero campaigning” for the race. He is the current frontrunner for the seat in a heavily red state.

“The race is over,” he said. “You know, we’re going to win the race.”

Justice’s refusal comes after Republican nominee and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey agreed to debate Democratic nominee and Huntington Mayor Steve Williams in the state’s gubernatorial race.

Elliott said he would be willing to debate Justice in a statement to West Virginia Public Broadcasting following Justice’s Thursday briefing.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Jim Justice has no interest in debating me,” Elliott said. “Frankly, he has shown very little interest in actually being governor, giving me no reason to believe his tenure as senator would be much different.”

However, both candidates responded to issue-based questions from Morgantown newspaper The Dominion Post in an article posted on Tuesday.

During his Thursday briefing, Justice referred to the Post’s interview as a “little debate.” While the two candidates were on the same Zoom call, they did not directly respond to each other.

The newspaper’s candidate Zoom invitations and interview rules use different terminology, describing the questions as “an interview, not a debate.”

I-79 Reopens After Severe Acid Spill, Repaving Complete

Updated on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 at 11 a.m.

All lanes of Interstate 79 South near the Goshen Road exit between Fairmont and Morgantown are back open following quick repair to damage caused by an acid spill.

A tractor-trailer carrying a strong acid overturned in a work zone near the Goshen Road Exit at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. No one was injured, but a large amount of acid was spilled on the roadway.

Following hazardous material crews cleaning up the acid, crews worked around the clock to dig up and repave about 500 feet of asphalt. The acid severely damaged the road. The road reopened at approximately 2:30 a.m., Friday, Sept. 20, 2024.

Original Story

A tractor-trailer overturned on Interstate 79 South between Monongalia and Marion counties, spilling strong acid onto the highway and halting traffic.

All lanes of traffic are currently closed near the I-79 Goshen Road exit, just south of Morgantown. The area will remain closed until Friday or Saturday, according to a Thursday press release from the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT).

The spill occurred around 1 p.m. Wednesday. No injuries have been reported, but crews are still cleaning up the hazardous material.

Earl Gaskins, who oversees the region as a local district manager for the West Virginia Division of Highways, said in the Thursday press release that the acid severely damaged the roadway.

Crews must dig up and repave 500 feet of asphalt along the southbound lanes, he said.

The WVDOT said the area will remain closed to traffic for 24 to 48 hours. For the time being, drivers will be detoured off the highway near the Goshen Road highway, then rerouted back onto I-79.

For live updates on the status of major West Virginia roadways, visit the WVDOT’s WV511 informational webpage.

PSC Takes Appalachian Power Rate Increase Off The Table, For Now

Ultimately, the PSC found problems with the Appalachian Power’s August filing and dismissed it because it was missing information.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission late Wednesday dismissed Appalachian Power’s application for a $265 million revenue increase.

It would have raised residential customer rates by 17 percent, or roughly $28 a month.

The commission’s docket was peppered with comments in opposition, from residents, local governments and school districts.

Ultimately, the PSC found problems with the Appalachian Power’s August filing and dismissed it because it was missing information.

Other, smaller increases the PSC approved took effect this month.

Karen Wissing, a spokeswoman, said Appalachian Power is looking at the options presented in the order.

“We appreciate the opportunity to revisit the filing to see if there are ways to reduce the impact on our customers from the millions of dollars invested in the state to improve the plants, poles and wires that deliver the energy and power West Virginia’s economy,” she said.

Emmett Pepper, policy director for Energy Efficient West Virginia, said his group would be watching closely at what the company proposes. Among other things, the group objected to a potential reduction in credit rooftop solar customers receive for the power they send to the grid.

“We also hope that AEP reconsiders some of its proposals before it files another case like this. Increasing rates on families, small businesses, churches, and schools by 15-25% can really harm our communities,” Pepper said, referring to Appalachian Power parent company American Electric Power.

Drought Likely To Affect Fall Foliage

After a dry hot summer, the leaves are already beginning to change to their fall form. Despite an expectation of duller colors, New River Gorge National Park Superintendent Eve West said she thinks this will still be a great fall with lots to see and do. She spoke with reporter Briana Heaney. 

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 

Heaney: It’s been a very dry summer, the worst drought on record. How will this affect the fall leaves? 

West: Well, it’s probably not going to affect them very well. I’ll just be honest. But you know, we hopefully will get some rain between now and when things begin to turn. Of course, things are already kind of starting to turn a little bit. But you know, what typically triggers fall is when you have the longer nights, the shorter days. But, you do have other varying factors, such as moisture and then also temperature. And so moisture has been kind of our limiting factor this time. It’s been hot, too. So I’m not sure we’ll have to kind of see what happens.

Usually when you get your best falls is when you have, like, a warm, wet spring, and you have a really good summer, and then in the fall you get warm, sunny days, and you get those cool, crisp nights. So maybe we’ll get some cool, crisp nights and warm, sunny days in the fall. So that’ll help but, a little bit of moisture would definite8ly help as well.

Heaney: Moisture, even this late, could still be a positive thing? 

West: It could help. It’s better to have it early on, but it could still help. 

Heaney: So moisture, that’s the factor that we have going against us in this very, very dry summer. What other factors contribute to a good fall turnout? And what are some things that could happen this fall to help the colors last a little longer or shine a little brighter?

West: Well, you know, as long as the fall temperatures, don’t You know, we don’t have some sort of summer time extremes in the fall. You know, we’ve had cooler temperatures late this summer, which has not been a bad thing at all. But if we end up with some nice fall days that are warm and sunny, and we don’t get high winds, that’s the other thing- these high winds, once the leaves start to dry out, they can really knock the leaves off the trees fairly quickly. So, if we get those cool nights, warm, sunny days during the fall, and we get some moisture between now and then and then, we will maybe still have a good fall, we’ll see. I mean, it’s, it could very well be. 

Heaney:Yeah, my fingers are crossed, because I love fall here in West Virginia, and so do a lot of people, including people who don’t live here in West Virginia, the fall colors are a big driver of tourism.

West: Exactly,

Heaney: How will some of these lackluster colors, or short lived colors affect how many people come to visit the region and visit the National Park this year?

West: I don’t really think it’ll have a huge impact, because people come. I mean, the fall is a wonderful time of the year here. I think with all the events that we have going on, Bridge Day, all the smaller town festivals and things, the good hiking weather, Gauley season coming on. I think we’ll do just fine.

Heaney: Yeah. I mean, that goes right into my next question for you, which you kind of hit on already. But other than the beautiful fall colors, what are some things happening in and around the park this fall?

West: We actually have one of our biggest events in a park, from the park standpoint, that is our primary event. It’s called Hidden History week, and it’s for the next, really month, throughout the middle part of September and also into October. We do a lot of guided walks. We actually have “Sounds of the Appalachia Music Festival” that’ll be at Grandview the very last weekend of September, on that Saturday, and we have a lot of live music that day featuring bluegrass and some traditional, you know, Appalachian music. So that’s going to be the last weekend of September. And then a lot of our partners are going to be having guided walks and all sorts of things. And of course, you know, there’s other stuff. There’s a ton of stuff that the communities are putting on. As I mentioned, Bridge Day is always the third Saturday in October, and that’s shaping up to be a big event again this year. And then, you know, Gauley seasons going on right now. So we’ve got the Gauleyfest coming up, and that’s in Summersville, and that’s always a big event that pulls in people from, you know, all over the United States.

Feds Partner With Local Agencies To Reduce Domestic Violence

Two regions of West Virginia have been given a special designation intended to reduce domestic violence involving firearms.

Of the 19 West Virginia homicides linked to domestic violence in 2020, 14 of them involved firearms. Now the Charleston and Wheeling areas are among 78 communities nationwide approved for concerted federal efforts to reduce intimate partner firearm violence.

U.S. Attorney Will Thompson, of the Southern District of West Virginia, will oversee efforts in Kanawha County.

“Usually [in a] highly volatile domestic violence situation, somebody’s going to end up dead,” Thompson said. 

“Not only do we worry about the victims of domestic violence, I also worry about my law enforcement partners. Some of the most volatile situations they ever have to encounter while they’re on duty is walking in not knowing who’s gonna be armed or not armed,” he added.

In the Northern District of the state, U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld will handle cases in Ohio, Brooke, and Hancock counties. He says the designation means prosecutors won’t always have to rely on victims, who are often reluctant to testify against abusers. 

“Most of the domestic violence cases are charged in state court. We’re talking about misdemeanor domestic battery and domestic assault. We’re talking about felony domestic violence. We’re talking about violations of protective orders that occur just within a particular county and don’t involve interstate commerce,” Ihlenfeld said. “The overwhelming number of those cases are prosecuted at the state level. What we can offer from the federal level is stiffer penalties.”

Ihlenfeld also said the designation makes it easier to prosecute domestic violence cases because they don’t rely as heavily on testimony from victims who may be reluctant to testify.

The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions will be designated for focused attention in the future.

State Supreme Court Hears Arguments on AmerisourceBergen’s Insurance Litigation Timeline

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals heard two cases Tuesday morning involving AmerisourceBergen, a major drug company involved in opioid settlements with the state.

AmerisourceBergen has asked two of its insurance companies – ACE American and St. Paul – to pay for their opioid settlement costs. However, the case the state Supreme Court heard Tuesday morning is about whether litigation on AmerisourceBergen’s insurance coverage in West Virginia should influence how and when parallel cases in other states, centering on Delaware, should continue. 

Lawyers argued whether AmerisourceBergen sought a “preferable” state judiciary system rather than letting cases in other states proceed at the same time. Arguments to halt the other cases concern the concept of “comity,” which involves respecting other state’s judicial systems and consistency between rulings.

Chief Justice Tim Armstead voluntarily disqualified himself from hearing the case on Sept. 12. Armstead cited the general disqualification rule in the Code of Judicial Conduct but did not provide further comment. Judge Robert Ryan from the Twenty-First Judicial Circuit sat in on temporary assignment.

The court’s fall term ends in November.

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