On this episode of The Legislature Today, microgrids are one of Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s top legislative priorities this year, and House Bill 2014 is the vehicle to bring more of them to the state. But county officials came to testify earlier this week against the diversion of local property taxes from those facilities to the state. Curtis Tate talks with Kelly Allen of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy about this issue.
On this episode of The Legislature Today, microgrids are one of Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s top legislative priorities this year, and House Bill 2014 is the vehicle to bring more of them to the state. But county officials came to testify earlier this week against the diversion of local property taxes from those facilities to the state. Curtis Tate talks with Kelly Allen of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy about this issue.
The Senate met Thursday morning to go over the first half of bills in the final stages of consideration. Several bills passed narrowly, and many more were left to be considered after our broadcast deadline. Briana Heaney reports from the morning’s bills.
With session winding down, members of the House convened for an hours-long floor session Thursday. Jack Walker has this story.
And concerns over the economy, job futures, DEI changes and more extend beyond the legislature in Charleston. Randy Yohe went out earlier Thursday to gauge student concerns on Marshall University’s campus.
Having trouble viewing the video below? Click here to watch it on YouTube.
The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s only television/radio simulcast devoted to covering the state’s 60-day regular legislative session.
Watch or listen to new episodes Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Coordinators for an innovative school support program are meeting in Morgantown this week to learn how best to help their most vulnerable students.
Patrick Patton is the Communities in Schools contact for Berkeley County Schools. He handles the administrative side of the program and supports school-based coordinators so they can focus on forming relationships with students and addressing their needs.
“If I don’t know where I’m going to sleep that night, or if I’m going to go to bed hungry it’s hard, a lot harder to study, you can’t pay attention in school,” Patton said. “We might act out. And if we act out in school, there’s consequences. With Communities in Schools, building on relationships, what the site coordinator does is get to know those students, get to know those families, and works tirelessly and very many instances creatively, to address any burden that could get in the way of not only that student, but that family succeeding in school.”
Communities in Schools is a national program designed to connect struggling students to caring adults and community resources such as mental health services or clothing. Berkeley County was one of the first counties in the state to take part in the Communities In Schools pilot program.
Now active in all 55 West Virginia counties, the annual Student Supports Institute of The Communities In Schools (CIS) West Virginia Program is being held in Morgantown this week.
Patton came to the conference to see what other counties are doing and ensure his district is doing the best for their students.
“It’s easy to do, I think, to continue doing what you do, but by getting exposure to other districts, other counties, they might have new ideas that we can bring back to Berkeley County,” he said. “New fresh ideas, creative things that we haven’t thought of. So that’s the benefit of really getting us all together in person, not just virtually.”
In December West Virginia became the first state department of education to receive national certification as a licensed CIS partner.
First Lady Cathy Justice has made CIS her primary initiative since 2018. She helped start the conference, and praised the program’s site coordinators for their creative problem solving and commitment to students.
“You all make this program go. If it weren’t for you all, and your caring, it wouldn’t be what it is today,” Justice said “Everyone in this room, you have washed clothes at school, you have gotten a child out of class who doesn’t feel well. You have collected food on Fridays to put in backpacks for them to take home so they’ll have food to eat over the weekends. People don’t know that’s what you do, but you care. And these children in the schools, they know where you are in the schools, they know where to come and talk to you. And y’all have such a rapport with the children, that they come and tell you their needs or what’s wrong with them.These children in the schools, they know where you are in the schools, they know where to come and talk to you. And you all find a solution to their problem.”
First Lady Cathy Justice, right, BabyDog and Gov. Jim Justice helped kick off the Communities in Schools conference in Morgantown July 30, 2024. Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The First Lady was joined by Gov. Jim Justice, as well as BabyDog, who acted as an ambassador for Friends With Paws, a spinoff of Communities in Schools that brings therapy dogs into classrooms to help students.
The governor extolled the importance of CIS – but also said that as he prepares to leave office, the program’s future is uncertain.
“This is a home run of homeruns of home runs of home runs. You got to keep it going,” Justice said. “I’m not gonna be your governor forever. Cathy’s not gonna be your first lady forever. In fact, it’s very, very short lived. You’ve got to make sure that your legislators absolutely believe just as much as I believe, or Cathy believes. Because this is the real deal.”
Justice pointed not only to the effects the program has on individual students, but its broader-reaching implications for the communities it serves.
“You know, when you change that life, and you put them on the right path by just doing the smallest of things, but you’re there for them, you’re there for them. Absolutely,” Justice said. “When you do that, not only do you change that life and make things so much better, but you’re doing something that affects all the other kids in the class. You’re doing stuff that affects all the things about the school, the community and on and on. You should be really proud.”
According to the West Virginia Department of Education, CIS supports 272 schools and 114,000 students through the work of 243 site coordinators, like Nadia Johnson.
“I’m from McDowell County, graduated from the high school I’m working at and exactly what our mission statement says, ‘Support students in every aspect of their life to achieve,’” she said. “Whether they go into a job, whether they’re going to school, we’re just going to provide them with a community of support to help them achieve.”
Johnson is the site coordinator at Mount View High School in McDowell County. She says the community covers students’ food needs well, so clothing and hygiene needs are a focus of her work.
“I’m just looking forward to networking with other counties to better see how I can serve my students,” Johnson said. “It’s always important just to get out here and figure out what I can do differently, what I can do better, and how I can branch out to just offer more services because my kids deserve the world.”
According to national CIS data, among the case-managed students the program has served, 76 percent experienced improvements in their behavior, 82 percent had improvements in academics and more than 99 percent remained in school.
On this West Virginia Morning, the state has long been a standards bearer for vaccination rates across the country, but the legislature this year passed a bill to loosen restrictions for certain students in the state. But it has one final hurdle to clear before it’s implemented.
On this West Virginia Morning, the state has long been a standards bearer for vaccination rates across the country, but the legislature this year passed a bill to loosen restrictions for certain students in the state. But it has one final hurdle to clear before it’s implemented. Emily Rice has more.
Also, in this show, a bill Gov. Jim Justice vetoed last week would have helped fund research to treat Alzheimer’s disease, substance use disorder and more. Randy Yohe has the story.
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.
Eric Douglas is our news director and producer.
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
Everyone, even kids, needs a break and the winter holidays provide the perfect respite in the academic year. But experts say just a little bit of activity during the downtime can go a long way to starting the new year off right.
The holidays are an important time to rest and relax. Everyone, even kids, needs a break and the winter holidays provide the perfect respite in the academic year. But experts say just a little bit of activity during the downtime can go a long way to starting the new year off right.
Kerry Gabbert, assistant professor and public health evaluation and training specialist for West Virginia University Extension’s Family Nutrition Program SNAP-Ed Program, said daily activity not only has physical benefits for kids, but mental and emotional benefits as well.
“Kids who meet the daily requirements for physical activity have improved memory and concentration, they have a better sleep pattern,” Gabbert said. “And they also experience benefits to their mental and emotional health, like reduced anxiety and depression.”
The daily recommendation for kids aged six to 17 is 60 minutes of physical activity. Whereas the advice used to be that activity should be done in increments of at least 10 minutes, Gabbert said research now shows being active for just two or three minutes at a time can contribute to the total 60 minutes.
“It’s a great way for families to spend time together doing something that can be really fun, it doesn’t have to be overly structured play,” she said. “The best ways for families to be active can be something as simple as taking a walk together after dinner or putting some music on and dancing.”
Families can use physical activity to strengthen their bond and enjoy their time together during the winter break. Gabbert said another way of looking at integrating active time is to break up those lazy winter days, and try to reduce the amount of time kids are sedentary.
“If they’re sitting and playing a video game, or having some other type of screen time, instead of allowing kids to sit and not move around for hours at a time, set a timer for an hour and make sure they get up, move around,” she said. “Maybe walk up and down the stairs, or do a few jumping jacks or even just walk a lap around the house, any kind of movement to break up the sedentary time also helps to get your blood flowing, clear your mind out, and it helps reduce some of the negative impacts that you can get from not being active.”
Students of all ages can also benefit from staying mentally active during the winter break.
Jennifer Robertson-Honecker, WVU associate professor and the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) specialist for WVU Extension, was also formerly a high school teacher and said while the academic impact of the winter holiday break isn’t as severe as the “summer slide,” students can still lag come January.
“When they come back after the break, if they’ve done nothing with their brains or with their bodies, there’s often this type of lethargy that’s hard to get them going again,” Robertson-Honecker said.
She said STEM can be made fun, engaging and age-appropriate through crafts and even everyday activities like baking or cooking.
“Think about what you’re already doing with your family and how you could turn it into a learning moment,” Robertson-Honecker said. “A lot of families love to make those salt dough ornaments. There’s a lot of chemistry in that that you can talk about, of how it’s forming.”
She encouraged families to lean into holiday activities, and their messier side. The more fun kids have with an activity, the more likely they are to remember and learn from it.
“It’s really important to do it together, as a family,” Robertson-Honecker said. “Research shows that, when you bring learning like that into the home, it’s just so much more meaningful for kids. And it really sticks with them, and demonstrates lifelong learning, that learning can be fun.”
There are many resources online for at-home learning activities, including on the WVU Extension website. But Robertson-Honecker says there shouldn’t be an objective to get something perfect at the end of holiday activities.
“That low stakes learning really shows that it can be fun and exciting, and something you can do together,” she said. “You can turn any activity into a fun thing to do with your kids.”
Students at West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown are protesting an anti-abortion display on campus.
Students at West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown are protesting an anti-abortion display on campus.
The anti-abortion group Center for Bio-Ethical Reform staged a demonstration Wednesday and Thursday in WVU’s free speech zone in front of the Mountainlair student union.
The organization displayed images that purported to show aborted fetuses alongside victims of lynching and the Holocaust, comparing abortion to genocide.
Jacinta Robin is a media liaison for Center for Bio-Ethical Reform events. She said the organization brought the display — titled the “Genocide Awareness Project” (GAP) — to WVU because the university’s “plethora of students with diverse ideas” made it a good place for public discourse.
“We seek public universities for the reason of there being a public discourse on their campus in some capacity, that we should be allowed to use as a taxpayer in this country,” Robin said. “But we still abide by the university’s protocol every time.”
She said the organization aims to sway public opinion and that their images represent the organization’s beliefs.
“Many people believe that abortion is the process of eliminating blood and tissue,” Robin said. “We’re reversing that narrative that abortion decapitates and dismembers a tiny human child.”
Returning student Adrienne Dering called the information on the signs ”factually incorrect.”
“This is an institution of education, and people deserve to be educated,” Dering said.
“Abortion doesn’t look like D&Cs [dilation and curettage] anymore,” she continued. “Ninety-seven percent of abortions in this country are in the first trimester, and the vast majority of them are medical abortions where women have a safe, medically monitored miscarriage in the comfort of their own home and the blood clot is the size of an olive.”
Dering said she was also protesting because the information being presented, which included comparisons of gender transitioning to genital mutilation, was potentially harmful.
“The information on that hurts people, and we need to protest against anything that is divisive and hurtful to people of all gender assignments and to human beings,” she said.
Counter-protestors started their action as early as 7 a.m. Thursday, which included handing out contraceptives as well as information about safe sex and reproductive health resources.
Students like freshman Leah Coleman blocked the view of the display with oversized signs painted on tarps and bed sheets reading “Protect Trans Folks” and “Abortion is Healthcare.”
“By putting it in front of the Mountainlair, it’s making it look like, ‘Oh, this is WVU’s message. This is what WVU supports,’” Coleman said. “But obviously, this is not what the student body supports, or we wouldn’t be here.”
Many of the students at the counterprotest said they have written to the university expressing their concern and confusion at the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform’s presence on campus. Some have asked for the group’s removal.
The organization is considering returning Friday. Students plan to continue their protest if they do.
After years of failed attempts, Senate Bill 10, the Campus Self-Defense Act, also known as Campus Carry, passed in the recently completed legislative session.
After years of failed attempts, Senate Bill 10, the Campus Self-Defense Act, also known as Campus Carry, passed in the recently completed legislative session. The new law authorized the concealed carry of firearms in certain areas of college and university campuses. It takes effect July 1, 2024.
West Virginia’s institutions of higher education largely opposed campus carry. Campus leaders at big and small schools said they’ll need that much time to prepare.
Marshall University’s enrollment is a little more than 13,000. In the Eastern Panhandle, Shepherd University has just over 3,000 students. Both schools have campus carry committees and task forces that include administration, faculty, staff and students. Marshall Director of Public Safety Jim Terry said there are a wide variety of policy decisions on the table.
“We have a small group of senior leadership,” Terry said. “We’ve put together an action learning team made up of constituents from every facet of the university to go out and look at best practice, best policy.”
Holly Morgan Frye, vice president for Student Affairs, and the director of Community Relations at Shepherd University, said her school’s campus carry task force also includes attorneys and members of the residence life team.
Both schools now allow no firearms on campus. SB10 will permit concealed carry in classrooms and public areas, but not in stadiums and day care facilities. Frye said Shepherd’s key concern highlights student mental health and suicide issues.
“Everybody knows that the mental health issues on a college campus are on an increase,” Frye said. “We are getting ready to hire a fourth counselor. We have an enrollment of a little more than 3,000, and we feel that it’s critical that we have that fourth counselor because of the mental health issues.”
Marshall senior Abbey McBrayer said the chilling, anxious effect of COVID-19 still lingers on campus. She said campus carry could make it worse.
“A lot of people my age still feel uncomfortable being out on campus and going to like classrooms and things like that,” McBrayer said. “I think knowing that somebody could just have a gun in a classroom is kind of going to add to that. And then I mean, our counseling services are already kind of bogged down.”
Frye said she worries whether campus carry will affect enrollment for border schools like Shepherd. She believes the costs of ensuring campus safety will demand a larger police force.
Terry said the initial estimate for Marshall’s firearm security could reach $400,000, while Frye said the Shepherd cost could be several times that. Both point to residence halls, where guns are not allowed in dorm rooms, but are allowed in lunch rooms and lounges.
“I think that we’re going to have to be providing safes in order for any of our residential students who choose to carry to be able to lock those guns away when they are in their residential rooms,” Frye said. “We have already heard from our residential assistants with concerns about how they will manage that. For example, what will they do if they see somebody who has a gun? What will be the process?”
Terry said the school will have to create a new firearms policy when secondary school age visitors use campus facilities and with campus buildings jointly owned by public and private entities. He said there are no provisions in the law made for violation of campus carry policies, civil or criminal.
“We’re going to have to get with the county prosecutor,” Terry said. “There are no criminal statutes and there are no penalties attached to that code. If a person sees half a holster sticking out from underneath a jacket, and they call it in, he’s not violated the law. But we have nothing in place for a shirt raising up or something like that.”
Marshall freshman Jonathan Willman agreed with all the safeguards and security measures needed. However, he sees campus carry as a defensive necessity.
“I plan to carry myself when I get my concealed carry license,” Willman said. “We aren’t the people you have to worry about, it’s the people that break the laws. The bill allows kids to be able to defend themselves from people like that, who are already breaking the law and shooting up schools and campuses.”
