Tag: Oak Hill

Two Head Start Programs Receive Federal Funding

West Virginia’s Head Start programs in Beckley and Oak Hill will receive $3.3 million in federal funding.

United States Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito made the announcement Monday.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.

Manchin and Capito say the state’s Head Start programs are vital to help mold the minds of young West Virginians as well as provide a strong foundation to succeed.

$2 million will go to the Fayette County Child Development Center, and the other $1 million will be given to the Raleigh County Community Action Association, Inc.

West Virginia Head Start was founded in 1985 to help promote child development and care for low-income families. The program serves more than 8,000 children and families in the Mountain State.

City Commemorates Hank Williams with Memorial Plaque

The city of Oak Hill has unveiled a memorial plaque honoring country singer Hank Williams.

The city held a presentation ceremony of the marker on Main Street Thursday.

Williams was declared dead in Oak Hill, after being discovered unresponsive in the back seat of a car.

Williams’ daughter, Jett Williams, traveled to Oak Hill to attend the ceremony. She was born a few days after Williams died and she said commemorating her father is a great honor.

Thursday’s ceremony was the final leg of a tour that began in Williams’ hometown of Montgomery, Alabama, and concluded in Oak Hill. The tour ran in conjunction with the movie “I Saw the Light,” which chronicles Williams’ life.

City of Oak Hill Develops Trail Concept

The City of Oak Hill has developed a trail concept which will connect its Main Street with more than 100 miles of trails within the New River Gorge National River.

The Register-Herald reports the proposed trail would pick up the White Oak Rail Trail, go up Central Avenue to Main Street, cross the U.S. 19 bridge and cut through a field along the downtown exit.

The Hamiltons, a local family, have expressed willingness to donate property for an overlook beyond the field.

Oak Hill City Manager Bill Hannabass says the trail could help the city to attract outdoor-related industries to the area.

He says the city will apply for Division of Highways grants to design the trail.

An engineer will provide an estimate for the project next week.

Board Grants Home Rule to 6 Municipalities

Six West Virginia municipalities have been given a larger say in how they govern.

The West Virginia Municipal Home Rule Board granted home rule status to Beckley, Grafton, Princeton, St. Albans, Moundsville and Oak Hill on Monday.

There are now 26 municipalities participating in the pilot program, which shifts power from the state to the local level.

The program began as a five-year pilot in 2007 in Bridgeport, Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling. Since then, the Legislature has expanded the program to 34 municipalities.

The West Virginia Department of Commerce says there are still openings for four municipalities with populations of less than 2,000 and four municipalities with populations of 2,000 or more.

Oak Hill Middle School Buildings Closed for Safety Issues

Two buildings on an Oak Hill middle school’s campus have been closed because of safety issues.

Fayette County school officials closed Collins Middle School’s main building on Monday. A building housing the school’s gym and a school-based health clinic was closed in December.

An inspection found that a third building housing fifth- and sixth-graders is sound. That building will remain open.

The main building housed seventh- and eighth-graders. School officials said during a community meeting Monday night that the eighth-graders will be moved to Oak Hill High School and the seventh-graders will be moved to Fayetteville High School.

Collins Middle School was built in 1950.

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