Tag: Pocahontas County

W.Va. Governor Recommends Appalachian Regional Commission Help Fund Water and Economic projects

On Monday, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice shared his recommendations for the next round of Appalachian Regional Commission projects in the state. 

The ARC is a partnership between the federal government and the 13 Appalachian states. The agency awards federal dollars for infrastructure and economic development projects across the region.

Justice’s recommendations total $9.4 million for 13 projects throughout the state’s most “distressed communities,” as designated by the ARC. 

McDowell County stands to gain the most from Justice’s recommendations. A statement from the governor’s office proposes giving groups in the county a total of $3 million that would fund water and sewage infrastructure projects, as well as other economic development and recovery initiatives.

That includes $1.8 million toward a public sewer system in Iager and $1 million for sewer upgrades in Bradshaw. The McDowell County Public Service District could receive an additional $160,000 to work on opening a sewer system. 

The governor also recommends giving about $1.5 million each to the towns of Pine Grove in Wetzel County, Sand Fork in Gilmer County and Kenova in Wayne County, for sewer extensions and water line upgrades. 

Justice asks that the ARC give Clay County $780,000 to replace its water tank, and that it give the Pocahontas County Public Service District $600,000 for a sewer extension.

These water projects tend to serve anywhere from 90 to 330 customers, according to the statement. Most of the projects also include one or two nonresidential customers (like a school, or a business). 

Justice’s proposal also includes $76,000 to help the state’s simulated workplace program for West Virginia students, to give them professional workplace skills in the classroom. 

Boone County might receive about $36,000 for a substance abuse fellowship project, to hire a fellow that can improve the area’s “Fresh Start” program, which gives education and training in agricultural skills to people recovering from substance abuse.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

Wounded West Virginia Trooper Kills Fugitive in Gunfight

Authorities say a West Virginia state trooper has killed a man who shot him during a pursuit in the woods.

The West Virginia State Police on Tuesday says Trooper First Class J.M. Tallman was airlifted to a hospital.

Officials say the man first fired a rifle at Pocahontas County Sheriff J.P. Barlow after a car crash on Monday.

Then, they say he shot Tallman in the abdomen as officers searched the woods, and Tallman returned fire after being hit, killing the man.

Police haven’t released information on the trooper’s condition. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice tweeted Tuesday that he and his wife “are praying for Trooper Tallman and his family during this incredibly difficult time.”

 
The suspect’s name hasn’t been released.

June 14, 1957: Newspaperman Cal Price Dies

Newspaperman “Cal” Price died in Marlinton on June 14, 1957, at age 76. Price—the longtime owner and editor of the Pocahontas Times newspaper—was known…

Newspaperman “Cal” Price died in Marlinton on June 14, 1957, at age 76. Price—the longtime owner and editor of the Pocahontas Times newspaper—was known for his civic involvement and conservation endeavors, such as his famous “Field Notes” column and his panther and bear stories.

The 10,000-acre Calvin W. Price State Forest in southern Pocahontas County was dedicated in his honor in 1954.

Price is best remembered as a country editor. His father, William T. Price, had bought the Pocahontas Times in 1892 with his sons James and Andrew. William’s youngest son, Cal, began working with his brothers at the paper when he was just 16. Cal Price became the sole owner of the Times in 1906, at age 25. He served as publisher and editor for the next 51 years.

The Price family has remained prominent in the county.

After Cal’s death in 1957, his daughter Jane Price Sharp edited the newspaper until 1981 and continued to work with her nephew William Price McNeel through 2005, bringing an end to five generations of the Price family’s involvement with the Pocahontas Times.

October 29, 1861: General Lee Ends Three-Month Campaign

On October 29, 1861, Confederate commander Robert E. Lee departed present-day West Virginia, near the end of his ill-fated western Virginia campaign. The rest of his Civil War career would rank Lee among the greatest generals in history. However, his first campaign was a total calamity.

He had been dispatched to the region to regain territory for the Confederacy. His plans came to a head in September 1861 atop Cheat Mountain in Pocahontas County. Lee’s attack, though, fell apart. His troops made a hasty retreat, and he soon abandoned the effort.

Lee’s three months in what would become West Virginia were marked by flooding rains, muddy quagmires, inexperienced officers, and diseases among the troops. An editorial in the Richmond Examiner said that Lee had been “outwitted, outmaneuvered, and outgeneraled.” Another newspaper mocked him with the nickname “Granny Lee.”

But there was one upside for Lee during his disastrous adventure. While at Sewell Mountain in Fayette County, he first set eyes on a grey American Saddlebred that would become his faithful companion. He later acquired the horse, which he would name Traveller and ride throughout the war.

February 16, 1917: State Legislature Establishes 'Colored' Tuberculosis Hospital

On February 16, 1917, the West Virginia Legislature established what was then known as the West Virginia State Colored Tuberculosis Sanitarium at Denmar. It opened at a time when the state’s public institutions were segregated by race. The Pocahontas County facility treated African American patients who suffered from TB. It was part of a movement by black legislators to build more facilities for African Americans. Prior to that, African Americans with TB had to be sent to a facility in Virginia.

Denmar’s high elevation was chosen specifically to help patients with breathing problems. Previously, Denmar had been a lumber town. The town’s old boarding house was adapted into the main hospital and administration building. Company houses became living quarters for the patients and employees. And the former mill and railroad shop were used by the hospital’s farm and dairy.

A modern facility was opened on the site in 1939. By the 1950s, tuberculosis was beginning to disappear. So, in 1957, Denmar was converted into a state hospital for the chronically ill. In 1990, it was closed and then reopened again in 1993 as the Denmar Correctional Center.

Dozens Argue for Future of Observatory in West Virginia

The National Science Foundation heard public comments as part of a process to consider changes to the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia.

The Register-Herald reports nearly 50 people outlined their reasoning Thursday for why the Pocahontas County facility should stay in operation as it is.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement highlights five possibilities for the facility. They range from the foundation seeking collaboration with interested parties that would share costs, to demolition of the site. The foundation’s representatives named the collaboration option as its preferred alternative, but said all avenues must be explored.

A statement from U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin highlighted the scientific accomplishments of the observatory. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s statement emphasized its impact on the community.

The study of public comments will be completed in January.

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