“There’s always been a nexus between people who retire from our state and move to that area of Florida so we anticipate a lot of people coming and going to visit family and friends in West Virginia,” Ranieri said. “But it’s also a new opportunity to bring people from that area of Florida to West Virginia for all of our tourism offerings.”
Breeze Airways celebrated its inaugural flight from Tampa, Florida to West Virginia International Yeager Airport on Wednesday.
In June, airport officials announced a new nonstop flight would begin this fall to Tampa International Airport. Wednesday’s flight marks the third non-stop route for Breeze Airways with service available both Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The airline already offers routes to Charleston, South Carolina and Orlando, Florida.
Yeager Airport Director Dominique Ranieri said Florida remains a popular destination for passengers who have previously connected to that state through Delta, United and American Airlines.
“There’s always been a nexus between people who retire from our state and move to that area of Florida, so we anticipate a lot of people coming and going to visit family and friends in West Virginia,” Ranieri said. “But it’s also a new opportunity to bring people from that area of Florida to West Virginia for all of our tourism offerings.”
Ranieri said the new route enhances connectivity for passengers and strengthens Yeager Airport’s commitment to providing convenient travel options to popular destinations like Tampa.
“This flight is starting at the perfect time for people in the Tampa area to be able to have a nice easy flight up to West Virginia to experience leaf-peeping season and then of course we are right around the corner from ski season as well,” she said.
Breeze Airways plans to add more flights over the next two years, including one to New York.
The airline’s partnership with the State of West Virginia, the Kanawha County Commission and the City of Charleston includes a minimum revenue guarantee. Under the terms of the agreement, Breeze will offer flights to at least five destinations within its first two years of operation.
“We hope to have some more exciting news within the coming months,” Ranieri said.
“I mean you can see from the end of the proposed destruction over there, of the mountain top removal, you can see that mountain range from my house,” Severn said. “I’m not interested in looking out my window and seeing a strip mine.”
A large crowd turned out for a family-friendly rally Sunday in support of Coonskin Park.
The rally included music, lawn games and entertainment and was one of the largest shows of resistance so far to West Virginia International Yeager Airport’s proposal to extend its runway and parallel taxiway.
If approved, the plan would require using hundreds of acres of Coonskin Park as a valley fill area for a runway expansion.
“Save Coonskin Park” organizer Jeremy Severn lives next door to the park where he can see the runway mountainside from his window.
“I mean you can see from the end of the proposed destruction over there, of the mountain top removal, you can see that mountain range from my house,” Severn said. “I’m not interested in looking out my window and seeing a strip mine.”
Severn helped collect more than 11,000 signatures for a petition that was recently submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The agency is considering alternative ideas to extend the runway and recently pledged $2 million to Yeager Airport to start the third phase of its Environmental Impact Study (EIS).
Other speakers included John Martin, son of Alice Knight, the artist, naturalist and wildlife photographer who has a trail named in her memory following her death in 2008.
He questioned the reasoning behind the runway expansion.
“I think that, from what I’ve researched, the reasoning behind it is fairly petty, to prevent a layover for certain people, to make this an international airport so people don’t have to fly into, say, Pittsburgh, and take another flight into Charleston,” Martin said.
Martin said he believes there are much better uses for money in West Virginia than an airport extension.
“For me to destroy this park, the historical sites here, the grave sites here, it’s petty,” he said. “I also believe that $400 million could go a very long way in this state to some of the other issues that we have. For example addiction, we have some of the highest overdose rates in the country, extreme poverty, some children – the only meal they have is the school meal provided each day.”
On this West Virginia Week, we learned about plants that can thrive in former mine lands, we kayaked along the Gauley River, we learned about an art exhibit inspired by recent cuts at West Virginia University, and we saw dogs fly from Charleston to Michigan to reach their forever homes.
On this West Virginia Week, with a possible government shutdown looming, we learned how it might affect West Virginians.
We also learned about plants that can thrive in former mine lands, we kayaked along the Gauley River, we learned about an art exhibit inspired by recent cuts at West Virginia University, and we saw dogs fly from Charleston to Michigan to reach their forever homes.
We also remembered longtime state legislator Chuck Romine, who passed away this week at 87.
Liz McCormick is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week’s biggest news in the Mountain State. It’s produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schultz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.
On this West Virginia Morning, the power of collaboration was evident at West Virginia International Yeager Airport this week as three organizations joined forces for a “dog-gone-good” cause. Caroline MacGregor reports.
On this West Virginia Morning, the power of collaboration was evident at West Virginia International Yeager Airport this week as three organizations joined forces for a “dog-gone-good” cause. Caroline MacGregor reports.
Also, in this show, Appalachian writer Ron Rash has written more than 20 books, including several that have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. His latest is called The Caretaker, set in a small, Appalachian town during the Korean War. Inside Appalachia Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Rash about the book, Appalachia and getting older.
And, our Mountain Stage Song of the Week comes to us from Alisa Amador. We listen to her performance of “Slow Down.” It’s the second track on Amador’s EP, Narratives.
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.
Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from CAMC and Marshall Health.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schultz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant 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
Shelters in West Virginia are increasingly faced with the challenge of fewer dog adoptions. The higher cost of pet food and vet care at a time inflation is hitting the country are thought to be contributing factors.
The power of collaboration was evident at West Virginia International Yeager Airport this week as three organizations joined forces for a dog-gone-good cause.
As more people find they are unable to afford to keep their pets, animal adoptions are reaching crisis levels across the country and state with millions of animals destined for euthanasia.
Working with the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association, Swilled Dog, a woman-owned distillery and cidery in Upper Tract in Pendleton County, enlisted the help of Pilots to the Rescue, a non-profit that transports animals from overcrowded shelters to regions with more room for adoption.
Their mission: to fly 16 dogs to the Cascades Humane Society in Jackson, Michigan where they will be available for immediate adoption.
Members of the Kanawha Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association load dogs onto a plane bound for Michigan.
Courtesy Swilled Dog
Swilled Dog CEO Brooke Glover, says their inspiration for the rescue mission comes from a Border Collie mix named “Lucy Pickles.”
“So Lucy has really had a tough go of it and she’s really been a motivation for our business and our mission,” Glover said. “For us it’s really about drawing attention to these amazing organizations that are really trying to help animals. The goal is really to get these animals adopted, more than just this flight that we are doing, we want to draw attention to the organizations.”
Pilots to the Rescue are joined by founders of Swilled Dog distillery and Sarah Tolley with Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association.
Caroline MacGregor/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“Top Dog Pilot” Michael Schneider started Pilots to the Rescue in 2015 after hearing about planes used to rescue animals. A self-confessed serial entrepreneur, he said it was a perfect way to combine his love of animals with flying.
“You know when you’re a pilot after going on a couple of tours with friends and interesting restaurants, you want to do more with your pilot’s certificate that you work so hard to get,” Schneider said.
The 16 dogs are carefully loaded into the snug compartment of Paw Force One – a small Piper 6 XT plane for the approximately three-hour flight to Michigan. A few feet away CRWs canine bird chaser Hercules, and Swilled Dog’s Lucy Pickles offer up barks of support from the tarmac.
“Lucy Pickles” is the face of Swilled Dog Distillery. Her story is the inspiration for a recent Pilots to the Rescue mission to transport dogs to Michigan
Courtesy Swilled Dog
It’s a tight fit but “Snausage,” a short-legged basset beagle mix, rescued from recent flood waters in Kanawha county, squeezed in alongside her canine companions for the trip.
Pilots to the Rescue is 100 percent donation driven. This year alone they have saved more than 850 dogs from euthanasia. Schneider hopes that one day they will be able to buy a larger plane for rescue missions like this.
“I mean we are raising money to buy a bigger plane but you’ll be amazed by how much we can fit in there, mainly because the crates are smaller,” Schneider said. “They may be a little uncomfortable, but we’re saving their lives today and that’s the most important part.”
An animal trailer owned by Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association delivers dogs to West Virginia International Yeager Airport to board a plane bound for Jackson, Michigan.
Caroline MacGregor/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Shelters in West Virginia are increasingly faced with the challenge of fewer dog adoptions. The higher cost of pet food and vet care at a time inflation is hitting the country are thought to be contributing factors.
Sarah Tolley, is the director of community engagement for the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association. She says Michigan offers one of the highest rates of animal adoption.
“They also have a lot of corporate sponsorships in Michigan, that helps them support and find homes a little quicker so they’re super excited to meet them in Michigan,” Tolley said. “I cannot wait to see their smiles when they meet the dogs.”
Pilot Michael Schneider and Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association staff load dogs onto his Piper 6 XT
Caroline MacGregor/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide annually. Each year approximately 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized (390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats).
Tolley says no-kill shelters like theirs are committed to saving the lives of as many animals as possible through adoption, neutering and spaying. But when space is limited, she said rescue missions like this are invaluable.
“Snausage” relaxes after a plane ride from Charleston, W.Va. to Jackson, Michigan.
Courtesy Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association
“Everybody has been so supportive in helping these dogs. It’s been an incredible journey,” Tolley said. “It’s been a lot of work from all of us but it’s been so cool to see this come through and figure out the logistics to make this happen for these animals, it’s been so cool.”
The tentative proposal by the FAA to acquire more than 400 acres of Coonskin Park for a valley “fill area” would make way for an expansion as part of Yeager’s Airfield, Safety, and Terminal Improvement project.
Save Coonskin Park, collected 11,087 signatures for a petition which was submitted this week to the Federal Aviation Authority and public officials in opposition to a proposed runway extension at West Virginia International Yeager Airport.
The tentative proposal by the FAA to acquire more than 400 acres of Coonskin Park for a valley “fill area” would make way for an expansion as part of Yeager’s Airfield, Safety, and Terminal Improvement project.
Opponents feel it will destroy a local tourist attraction.
If approved, the loss of public land would affect woodland trails like the Coonskin Branch hollow which is featured on the state’s list of waterfall trails.
There’s also the potential loss of the Kanawha Valley Railroad Association Museum and concerns about the Elk River, a source of drinking water for nine counties.
Scott Hill, whose family lives on Keystone Drive in Charleston, the site of airport landslides in 1969 and 2015, said the airport has a “terrible record” when it comes to landslides.
“They’ve never made it right,” Hill said. “And now they want to put all that dirt hanging over the Elk River, that’s another disaster waiting to happen.”
Last week, the FAA pledged $2.29 million in grant money for a third phase of their Environmental Impact Study to consider alternative ways to extend the runway and shift the parallel taxiway.
According to members of the group, if approved, Yeager’s proposal would destroy the entire Upper Park including the Alice Knight Memorial (Grotto) area.
