Governor Tomblin Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

The 10 Biggest Stories from West Virginia's 2016

What were the top stories in West Virginia from 2016? We searched our archives from the past year and compiled this list of the most popular stories.

As we cap off 2016, West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s producers and programs share their most memorable moments of the year. Find each of our Best of 2016 posts at wvpublic.org/term/best-2016.

10. Chlorine Leak from Axiall Corp. Sends Two to Hospital, Evacuates Communities

Two people were transported to hospitals for inhalation injuries, others were treated at the site of a reported chlorine leak in Marshall County.

9. Governor Tomblin Signs Budget that Taps Reserves

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed that took $147.5 million from the state’s $922 million Rainy Day Fund to cover a projected shortfall.

8. Blankenship Gets One Year in Prison, One Year Supervised Release, $250,000 Fine

Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was sentenced to the maximum one year in prison and another year of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy at the company to skirt mine safety standards.

7. Ohio Man Arrested in Connection with Huntington Overdoses

An Akron, Ohio man was arrested connection with a rash of overdoses in Huntington. Emergency crews responded to 26 overdoses in a four-hour span and two people died in connection with the same batch of heroin distributed in the city.

6. W.Va. Medicaid Doctors Put on Alert as State’s Cash Flows Dwindle

More than 24,000 doctors across West Virginia who accept Medicaid were put on alert Monday that the state may not be able to “continue to process claims at the same consistent level.”

5. PEIA Board Approves $120 Million in Cuts for Second Time

the state Public Employees Insurance Agency, or PEIA, Finance Board voted unanimously to reinstate benefit cuts, affecting health care costs for some 230,000 West Virginians.

4. Common Core, School Calendar Bills Vetoed

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin vetoed two education bills, one that would have repealed Common Core aligned standardized tests in the state and a second that would have allowed county boards to schedule fewer then 180 days in their school calendars.

3. West Virginia Senate Approves ‘Brunch Bill’

Senators unanimously passed a bill that would move the start of Sunday alcohol sales from 1 p.m. to 10 a.m.

2. Election 2016

From the primary elections in May to the general election in November, election stories were constant sources of headlines in 2016. Here were the top posts:

Live Blog: 2016 West Virginia Primary

10 Takeaways from the W.Va. Primary Election

‘Trump Digs Coal’ at Charleston Rally

Election 2016: West Virginia Goes For Trump, Justice Wins, State Legislature Remains with GOP

1. June 2016 Flood

Heavy flooding in West Virginia during June claimed 23 lives, destroyed more than 4,000 homes and businesses and resulted in 10 counties being declared federal disaster area. Through statewide coverage and individual stories, this disaster produced the most compelling stories of 2016

Flooding in Richwood: Image Gallery

Greenbrier Resort Opens Doors to Flood Victims

‘I Almost Gave Up’: Flood Survivor Remembers the Voice Who Saved Her

Inside Appalachia: West Virginia’s 1,000 Year Flood

You’ve now experienced 2016 through West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Make sure to follow @wvpublic on social media and sign-up for our email newsletter to keep up with 2017’s stories.

Colorectal Cancer Screening Saves Lives

Google colorectal cancer survival rates and a rather shocking American Cancer Society chart pops up.

On the one end is stage I, on the other stage IV. Several subgroups are in between. For stage I patients, the five-year survival rate is 92 percent. For stage IV, that number drops to 11.

“If you’re screened early enough you can prevent yourself altogether from having cancer,” said Kevin Tephabock, senior manager of primary care systems for the American Cancer Society. His job is to work with health care facilities in West Virginia, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington D.C. to improve cancer screening rates. Currently only about 63 percent of West Virginians are getting screened.

“For years, colonoscopy was the gold standard…and colonoscopy helps significantly. It decreases colorectal cancer mortality about 30 percent,” he said. “However, many people were not comfortable with the idea of having a colonoscopy. So now there is actually some new testing out there that’s available.”

Called Fecal Occult Blood Tests, they basically test for blood in feces. They are available at primary care facilities and can be taken home by the patient, used, then returned to the doctor or lab. If a polyp or cancer is suspected, further testing is needed.

Screenings are covered by insurance. A new nationwide initiative called 80 by 18 is attempting to increase screening rates to 80 percent by 2018. (Governor Tomblin was the first U.S. governor to sign the pledge.) State officials hope to achieve this goal, in part, by working with primary care facilities.

“In West Virginia one of our bigger barriers is just geographically,” said Tephabock. “We have somewhat of a shortage in terms of GI docs…and so someone in southern WV may have a very difficult time finding a GI doc.”

The screenings find precancerous polyps that can then be surgically removed. That’s it. You continue getting your screenings every year, but other than that, no major life changes.

Chris Stadelman receives treatment for stage IV colorectal cancer at Charleston Area Medical Center Cancer Center

“As I’ve told several people it’s a day and a half of really unpleasant experience, but it’s a whole lot better than carrying a chemo pack around every two weeks for the rest of your life,” said Chris Stadelman, Governor Tomblin’s Director of Communications.

Stadelman was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer last year at the age of 44 – too young to have needed a screening by federal guidelines.

“I have now been through 28 rounds of chemotherapy,” he said. “Going every two weeks for about 4 hours in the David Lee Cancer Center and then have a 46-hour infusion that’s done through a shoulder badge, a little pack, that I take with me.”

He has been in treatment since October of last year. All the test results so far have been as positive as can be expected. He will likely be in treatment for the rest of his life.

“I had a sense something was wrong and I waited and I waited,” he said. “So paying attention to something that may seem like nothing – well I’m too young for that to happen – clearly a lot of us are not too young for that to happen so I think it makes sense to go ahead and get those screenings if you sense anything might possibly be wrong.”

Stadelman hid his diagnosis for months. He said he’s not entirely sure why. Then added, “I don’t want people to treat me any differently. I want to go about my job the same way…But the more I thought about it I have, because of my job with the governor’s office, because of my experience in media, I have opportunities and connections to help someone else.”

Stadelman laughed and said he takes some credit for Tomblin being the first governor to sign the 80 by 18 pledge. WVU cancer center received a major CDC grant in August to aid in those efforts. The governor has also written to all 49 other governors asking them to sign it as well.

“I think that one to one connection makes such a difference. You can read the studies and hear about what you’re supposed to do, but knowing someone this has happened to makes a big difference for anyone. I have some credibility when it comes to telling people to go get your colonoscopy and get checked and pay attention to things.”

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

Our Children, Our Future Campaign Reveals 2015 Legislative Agenda

According the 2013 American Community Survey, one in three children in West Virginia under the age of 5 lives in poverty. It’s something the Our Children, Our Future Campaign to End Child Poverty in West Virginia is focused on. The group met at the state capitol yesterday to reveal the top ten priorities it will tackle during the 2015 Legislative Session.

There was an air of confidence from each presenter at the Our Children, Our Future Campaign’s announcement, as high expectations were expressed for continual support from lawmakers during the 2015 Legislative Session.

The top ten priorities of the campaign were revealed, and of those top ten, the top five were spoken about at length. The biggest focus was on funding for family support programs and early childhood services.

Shane Brown is a father from Doddridge County and a member of the Doddridge County Starting Points Center. He stood holding his young daughter in front of supporters and media to express how imperative it is to fund family and children’s programs in the state.

“West Virginia as a whole needs this,” said Brown, “Our communities need this, you know. I know probably a lot of you have kids here. What would you do if you didn’t have a resource to go too? If you didn’t have some[one] say, hey, you know, we have something that could help you, we got your back. And I don’t know about everyone else, but I like having my back…someone having my back don’t you?”

According to policy analysts at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, investing in early childhood development programs is likely to have major payoffs in terms of decreasing rates of incarceration, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and other symptoms of poverty that are pervasive throughout the state.

This past May, the Our Children, Our Future Campaign was able to bring both Democrats and Republicans almost unanimously together and agree to restore funds to family and child service programs which had been cut from the state budget by Governor Tomblin. This year, the Our Children, Our Future Campaign hopes that support will continue.

Jim McKay is the State Director of Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia.

“We worked across the aisle. We worked with Republican leaders, Democratic leaders, we worked with the Governor’s office as best we could to try to find any solution possible,” said McKay, “and we were very pleased to have just grassroots support that the Our Children, Our Future Campaign was able to mobilize from all across the state who kept coming to the capitol, kept meeting with lawmakers, and we were pleased to have Republican support, Democrat support, and ultimately the support of the Governor in affirming the importance of these programs.”

McKay says the campaign was able to access some limited revenues from the lottery proceeds and sustain the programs at the previous levels. He says this saved over 50 jobs and services to thousands of West Virginians.

McKay hopes support from lawmakers will continue in 2015.

“We hope the Governor will propose a budget that preserves that funding,” McKay said, “We know that there are declining state revenues and access to the state’s Rainy Day Fund is a concern, but we hope the Governor will continue the agreement that was made last year and we want to just fortify that.”

The other top five issues presented were Juvenile Justice Reform, Drinking Water Protection, and expanding Medicaid Access to Mental Health Therapy.