Tag: Tyler County

W.Va. 911 Centers File Complaint Against Frontier Communications

The agency tasked with operating West Virginia’s 911 centers has filed a complaint against Frontier West Virginia Inc.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission was asked Wednesday to investigate a complaint against Frontier Communications that 10 emergency call centers were unable to field 911 calls for up to 10 hours during a three day period last month.

According to the complaint the WVE911 Council, the umbrella agency that operates 911 centers in the state, alleges that within the past 24 months, several Public-Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) within the state have experienced lengthy outages of 911 service.

The most recent outage was from Nov. 28 through Nov. 30 where Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Doddridge, Ritchie, Harrison, Taylor and Mingo County residents were unable to call 911 for up to 10 hours.

Dean Meadows, executive director for the council, filed the complaint and said the telephone provider has inadequate backup to ensure telephone service to many centers when telephone lines are subject to vandalism or bad weather.

Meadows’ complaint asked the Commission to ensure that Frontier provides proper backup services so “no resident will ever lose the ability to call 911 for emergency assistance.”

“We’re really at our wit’s end about what ought to be done,” Meadows said in a press release.

Application Period Open For W.Va. Judicial Vacancies

The West Virginia Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission is taking applications for two Family Court vacancies. The Second Family Court Circuit serves Marshall, Tyler and Wetzel counties. The Ninth Family Court Circuit serves Logan County.

The West Virginia Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission is taking applications for two Family Court vacancies.

The Second Family Court Circuit serves Marshall, Tyler and Wetzel counties. The Ninth Family Court Circuit serves Logan County.

The deadline for completed applications and letters of recommendation is July 13. They should be submitted by email to JVAC@wv.gov or by mail to the commission, c/o Office of the General Counsel to the Governor, Office of the Governor, State Capitol, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E, Charleston, WV 25305. More information is available by calling (304) 558-2000.

The application forms are available online for the Ninth Circuit and the Second Circuit.

Interviews will be held July 27 in Charleston.

USDA Funds Water Infrastructure In Milton And Tyler County

The Mountain State is receiving funding for water infrastructure from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing the City of Milton and Tyler County with $4,370,000 through the Rural Development Water and Wastewater Disposal Grant and Loan Program.

Milton will receive a $2,552,000 grant and a $1,000,000 loan to address inflow issues with its wastewater collection system. The funding will assist in extending the Milton sewer collection system along U.S. Route 60 and add a lift station to the Salt Rock Public Service District.

Tyler County will receive a $500,000 grant and a $318,000 loan to expand water distribution from Boreman Elementary to Centerville and Alma, expanding drinking water and fire protection to more residents. The funding will assist the construction of a new storage tank to prevent water shortages during dry periods. Funding will also go toward a new booster station for the water system.

“It’s not a want for water, it’s a need,” the Tyler County Public Service District general manager and chief water operator, Tina Lancaster, said. “The residents; most of them haul water daily.”

July 24, 1823: West Virginia Governor Arthur Boreman Born in Pennsylvania

West Virginia Governor Arthur Boreman was born in Pennsylvania on July 24, 1823. When he was young, his family moved to Tyler County. And then, in 1845, Boreman relocated to Parkersburg, which would be his hometown for the rest of his life.

Boreman was elected to the state General Assembly in 1855 and served until Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861 at the start of the Civil War. In June, he was chosen president of the Second Wheeling Convention. Delegates to the convention established a Virginia state government loyal to the Union. This government would later approve West Virginia’s entrance into the Union.

In 1863, Boreman was elected unopposed to serve as West Virginia’s first governor. During much of his first two years, he was consumed with steering the new state through the Civil War. He also pushed for a public education system that would serve all children regardless of family income.

In 1869, he entered the U.S. Senate, where he fought to ratify the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, giving blacks the right to vote. Arthur Boreman died in Parkersburg in 1896 at age 72.

January 14, 1957: Cecil Underwood Inaugurated State's Youngest Governor

On January 14, 1957, Cecil Underwood became West Virginia’s youngest governor. The 34-year-old Tyler County native also became the state’s first Republican governor in 24 years.

Underwood pledged to hire qualified personnel, keep taxes low, reform state purchasing, improve roads and education, and attract new industry. A Democratic-controlled legislature blocked most of his agenda. Most notably, it slashed 90 percent from Underwood’s proposed $500 million road program. However, he was able to pass measures to provide emergency benefits to unemployed miners and to create a new economic development agency.

The state constitution barred Underwood from running for a second term. Instead, he ran for U.S. Senate in 1960 and lost to incumbent Jennings Randolph. He fell short in his attempts to regain the governorship in 1964, ’68, and ’76. During this time, he held executive positions with coal and chemical companies and served as Bethany College’s president. After years out of the political spotlight, he launched a comeback in 1996. He defeated Charlotte Pritt for governor and took office at age 75. This time, he became West Virginia’s oldest governor.

Cecil Underwood died in 2008 at age 86.

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.

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