Tag: Tucker County

W.Va. Up To 5 Total Coronavirus Cases; New Positives In Tucker, Monongalia Counties

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported three additional cases of the coronavirus Thursday night.  

Two residents of Tucker County have tested positive. A third newly reported case is in Monongalia County.  

That’s in addition to an individual confirmed Wednesday night in Mercer County and West Virginia’s first confirmed case on Tuesday in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County.  

The DHHR reports 224 tests have been conducted total, between the state and commercial laboratories.  

WVU Medicine and Marshall University recently announced drive-thru testing locations, where staff have collected samples for two private laboratories: LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics.  

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

Five W.Va. Counties to Receive Land & Water Conservation Grant

Five West Virginia counties will see federal funding to support improvements to their outdoor facilities.

Nearly $800,000 in federal grant money has been awarded to facilities in Tucker, Summers, Wayne, Marshall and Berkeley counties.

The grant comes from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which provides matching funds to state and local communities for acquisition, development and conservation of public parks and open spaces.

U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito released statements in support of the grant. Both cited the potential for growth in the state’s outdoor recreational opportunities.

The grant will support various improvements such as restoring a swimming pool, installation of some water and electrical services, and construction of picnic shelters.

Individual awards include:

  • $400,000 – City of Benwood to restore the swimming pool at Benwood City Park. This includes a new filtration system, gutter system, floor slabs, wall panels, decking, electrical upgrades, shade structure and ADA accessibility.
  • $184,871 – The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks to assist in the installation of water and electrical services to 32 sites in an existing campground at Pipestem State Park.
  • $100,000 – City of Parsons to assist in the installation of ADA compliant restroom fixtures and to construct a parking lot for their new splash pad at Mill Race Park.
  • $60,000 – Berkeley County Council, the City of Martinsburg and the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks and Recreation Board to assistant in the construction of two group picnic shelters, one at Faulkner Park and one at War Memorial Park.
  • $33,113 – City of Kenova to assist in the rebuilding and restoration of the tennis courts at the Dreamland Pool Complex, in compliance with the ADA.

Justice Asks Trump to Declare Federal Disaster in W.Va.

Gov. Jim Justice is seeking a federal disaster declaration for a dozen counties in northern West Virginia hit by flooding in late July.

Justice sent a letter to the White House on August 10 requesting the disaster declaration, according to a news release from the state Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety.

Justice outlined a preliminary flood-damage assessment in the letter. 161 homes were destroyed or suffered major damage in four of the twelve counties. Another 557 homes received minor damage.

Justice is requesting both individual and public assistance for Harrison, Marion, Marshall, Ohio, and Wetzel Counties, and public assistance for Doddridge, Monongalia, Preston, Randolph, Taylor, Tucker and Tyler Counties.

The letter specifically asks for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individuals and Household Program, crisis counseling, disaster legal services and unemployment assistance, and programs from other agencies like the Small Business Administration and the Federal Highway Administration.

The late-July storm also closed or damaged more than 20 roads in the northern part of the state after at least 3 inches of rain triggered flash floods and mudslides.

West Virginia’s federal congressional delegation also wrote a letter to the president in support of Justice’s request.

July Flooding Brings $10 Million in Damages

Last weekend’s flash flooding in northern and north-central West Virginia has caused over $10 million dollars in damages.

Eleven counties are facing damage costs totaling $10,604,778, according to the West Virginia Department of Transportation.

Doddridge County has the lowest damage cost at $60,000, while Marshall County has the highest at $3 million.

Additional counties impacted by flooding were Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, Taylor, Ohio, Wetzel, Randolph, and Tucker counties.

The Division of Highways says personnel have been sent out to continually review the roads and damage costs could rise.

Rain began late Friday, July 28 resulting in high, rushing water. Eight counties were declared a state of emergency by Governor Jim Justice. Members of the National Guard were sent to aid affected communities.

October 21, 1940: Gov. William Conley Dies at 74

On October 21, 1940, former West Virginia Governor William G. Conley died at the age of 74. The Republican started his career as a schoolteacher and became superintendent of Preston County schools at age 25. After earning his law degree, he opened a legal practice in Tucker County and founded the Parsons Advocate newspaper. He also served as mayor of Parsons and Kingwood before being appointed West Virginia attorney general in 1908.

After a defeat for Congress in 1912, Conley focused on his legal work and became involved in the coal industry. In 1928, he returned to politics and won the governorship. But troubling times were just around the corner. The stock market crashed during his first year in office. Over the next three years, West Virginia lost more than 30,000 coal jobs. Despite his distrust of government intervention, Conley promoted efforts to distribute food and create jobs.

The Great Depression was a turning point for West Virginia politics. During Conley’s term, the state became solidly Democratic. Since Conley left office in 1933, only two Republicans, Cecil Underwood and Arch Moore, have served as West Virginia’s governor.

Authority Celebrates Completion of Corridor H Segment

The Robert C. Byrd Corridor H Highway Authority is celebrating the completion of a segment of the road near the Tucker-Grant county line.

The authority scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

The new section runs about 3 miles and is part of an ongoing project to complete Corridor H between Mount Storm and near Davis.

Authority president Robbie Morris told The Inter-Mountain that the section is the first completed portion of Corridor H in Tucker County.

Corridor H is the only section of the Appalachian Corridor system that hasn’t been finished. When it is completed, it will connect Interstate 79 near Weston with the junction of Interstates 81 and 66 in Front Royal, Virginia.

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