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W.Va. Will be 'Shut Down' Next Week in Statewide Walkout

Updated Feb. 25 7:30 p.m.

According to the state Department of Education’s website Sunday night ,schools will be closed in at least 51 of West Virginia’s 55 counties Monday.

Original story:

A statewide walkout has been announced for teachers and other state employees for Thursday and Friday next week. The announcement was made during a weekend rally at the state Capitol in Charleston.

Christine Campbell, President of the West Virginia chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, stood at a podium on the Capitol steps as she announced the walkout.

An estimated 10,000 teachers, state workers and supporters came out on a cold, rainy Saturday to send a message to their lawmakers. They demanded higher wages and a long-term fix to rising health insurance premiums.

Lisa Stillion is a health science teacher at Wheeling Park High School. She drove from Ohio County to attend the rally and deliver a message to her lawmakers.

“I think what the Legislature is doing is just despicable. We need to vote them out. Get your heads out of your rear ends; be thinking about who you represent. You work for us. We don’t work for you,” she said.

A bill to increase wages for teachers and other state employees has been moving through the legislative process, but after changes made in the House of Delegates, it was moved to a Rules Committee in the Senate last week.

The bill, as it left the House, would raise salaries by two percent in the first year, and then one percent in each of the following three years.

House lawmakers also voted to apply $29 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to freeze insurance rates for teachers and state workers for the next fiscal year.

Teachers and other state employees rallying at the Capitol on Friday, Feb. 16, 2018 while the West Virginia Legislature was in session.

But teachers and other state employees say it isn’t enough. A representative from the United Mine Workers of America, along with several other speakers, encouraged those at the rally to not stand down.

“So let me ask you, are you ready to raise some hell?” asked a UMWA representative, “Are you ready to fight? I said are you ready to fight?”

The West Virginia American Federation of Teachers’ chapter is encouraging all those participating in the walkout to come to the state Capitol to have their voices heard.

Hundreds Expected at West Virginia Capitol's Holiday Fest

With hundreds of people expected at Tuesday’s holiday celebration at the West Virginia Capitol, police plan to detour some traffic starting in the afternoon.

Gov. Jim Justice and First Lady Cathy Justice are hosting the annual gathering.

The Joyful Night program is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Plaza of the Capitol with the state Christmas tree lighting at 6 p.m.

It includes performances by West Virginia high school bands and a tribute to the state’s military members, veterans, Gold Star Families and first responders.

Prescription Drug Collection Effort Set in West Virginia

An annual prescription drug take-back event at West Virginia’s Capitol is being expanded to two days this month.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a news release that state employees can dispose of their expired or unwanted medications on Friday at the Division of Protective Services Office. On Saturday, the public can drop off medications near the Capitol’s East Rotunda.

Morrisey says more than 90 other collection sites across the state also will participate on Saturday.

Drug Take-Back Day was initially launched in 2010. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spearheads the effort.

March 2, 1927: West Virginia’s Pasteboard Capitol Burns to the Ground

On March 2, 1927, West Virginia’s so-called pasteboard capitol burned to the ground. It was the second time in six years that a West Virginia capitol had been destroyed by fire.

In 1921, a devastating fire demolished the state’s magnificent Victorian capitol, which stood on Capitol Street in downtown Charleston. Needing to house state employees, the pasteboard capitol was thrown together hastily in only 42 days. The wood-frame building, located across the street from the old Victorian capitol, was a stopgap solution until the state’s current capitol could be completed on Charleston’s East End. Fortunately, the pasteboard capitol fire led to no serious injuries or fatalities, and most important records had already been removed to the finished portion of the new capitol or to the Capitol Annex building.

After the fire, Charleston businessmen acquired the lot and erected the Daniel Boone Hotel. The luxurious hotel was a home-away-from-home for many legislators over the years. A running joke arose that more official state business was accomplished in the bar of the Daniel Boone than had ever been conducted in the temporary capitol on that site.

Higher Education Day Set at West Virginia Capitol

It’s higher education day at the West Virginia Capitol.

Representatives of colleges and universities across the state are gathering Tuesday for the annual event to bring attention to their mission and the opportunities they offer.

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission says participating institutions will distribute information and have representatives on hand to answer questions in the Upper Rotunda.

The higher education community also will be recognized with presentations in the Senate and the House of Delegates during morning floor sessions.

Tightened Capitol Security Takes Effect Today

West Virginia is starting to limit public entry points at its Capitol and make visitors walk through metal detectors to enter the building.

Starting Friday, one public entrance will be available on the building’s west wing. A second east wing entrance will also be available beginning Sunday.

Visitors will pass through metal detectors and an X-ray machine will scan their items. People with electronic access cards, including state employees and certain media, can still enter any door.

Weapons are already illegal at the Capitol Complex in most instances. Concealed carry permit holders can leave guns locked in cars, for example.

State officials previously loosened gun restrictions around the state, including eliminating gun bans at city centers hosting after-school activities.