Tag: WVU

WVU Moot Court Contest to Tackle Interstate Pipeline Case

Law students will tackle interstate pipeline issues at the sixth annual National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court Competition in Morgantown.

The three-day competition starts Thursday at West Virginia University’s Erickson Alumni Center. The competition is being hosted by the WVU College of Law.

Twenty-three teams from across the country are competing.

This year, students will sharpen their skills on legal problems faced by an environmental group’s appeal of a federally approved interstate natural gas pipeline. Allegations include violations of environmental and endangered species acts.

The case problem was written by Laura Griffin, a WVU energy and environmental law and policy fellow.

Coal Miner's Daughter 1 of 4 WVU Mountaineer Mascot Finalists

West Virginia University will have a new mascot Wednesday evening. The selection process includes an application, interview and cheer off.  One of the – now four – finalists is Wyoming County native, Savannah Lusk. She’s a coal miner’s daughter and the first in her family to go to college. Lusk would be the third woman Mountaineer if she’s chosen. Inside Appalachia host Jessica Lilly spoke with Lusk last year and checked back in with Savannah shortly after the cheer off to see how she’s handling the competition.

That was Inside Appalachia host Jessica Lilly speaking with Mountaineer mascot finalist Savannah Lusk. The three other finalists are Ethan Ball, from Princeton, Troy Clemons, from Greenbrier County and Aren Cox, from Wexford, Pennsylvania. The next Mountaineer will be named during this evening’s WVU-Texas Tech basketball game. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 tonight.

Credit Greg Ellis
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The four finalists for the next WVU Mountaineer mascot.

This article was updated on March 2, 2016, to reflect the fact that the WVU men’s basketball game against Texas Tech is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

WVU Study Details Tobacco Tax Impacts

The Joint Select Committee on Tax Reform released results Tuesday from a study analyzing potential changes to tobacco tax policy in West Virginia.

The study was put together by the West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research. The report analyzes various changes to the tax rate on cigarettes, as well as potential purchasing declines as a result of an increased tax.

The report estimates that a 45-cent increase in the current 55-cent per pack tax on cigarettes would lead to a 6 to 12 percent decline in purchases, with an overall tax revenue increase between $60 million and $69 million.

A $1 increase in the tax was projected to cause a 14 to 27 percent decline in cigarette purchases, resulting in an increase of revenue between $101 million to $134 million.

The Senate has already passed a bill that would increase the tobacco tax by $1 per pack. The Finance Committee of the House of Delegates is scheduled to take up the Senate’s bill on Thursday.

West Virginia University Professor Speaking to Congress This Week

  A West Virginia University professor who has been researching the experience of black soldiers in World War I will speak to Congress about the time period’s similarities to the nation’s current racial climate.

Associate Professor Joel Beeson of the Reed College of Media has spent the past decade researching the topic. He is one of three professors invited to the special briefing on Thursday in honor of Black History Month.

The university says speakers will focus on the contributions of African-Americans during World War I.

Beeson says the past contains valuable lessons about how social and economic problems divide people.

New Breast Cancer Treatment Available at WVU

West Virginia University Cancer Institute has become the first hospital in the state to offer a specialized breast cancer treatment that can shave weeks off treatment time for some patients.

The treatment is called Intraoperative Radiation Therapy. This is how it works: Directly after surgery to remove the cancerous lump, a radiation applicator is inserted directly into the cavity previously occupied by the tumor. Specialists then apply concentrated radiation to the area. Surgery and radiation are completed in one visit.

In contrast, in traditional breast cancer treatment, patients must receive radiation daily for three-six weeks to the entire breast and surrounding tissues. The heart and lungs often receive at least some radiation in the process.

The new therapy is not yet available to all women. Candidates must be over 50, and their cancer must meet a specific criteria. So far 13 women have received the therapy at WVU.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

Should Users Be Armed with Anti-Overdose Drugs?

Community members met in Ohio County this week to talk about developing a program that would allow non-professionals to administer life-saving drugs to someone overdosing on pain pills or heroin. A similar program began in the Eastern Panhandle in September, and organizers report it’s already saving lives.

The drug Naloxone can stop a heroin or pain pill overdose in its tracks. It’s been used by doctors and emergency workers for a while. Now it’s a tool for law enforcement members of the public, too. In some places, after completing training, non-professionals are receiving kits or prescriptions for the drug.

Herb Linn is the Assistant Director for Outreach of West Virginia University’s Injury Control Research Center. He spoke to more than 20 community members: medical professionals, school administrators, and rehab specialists.

“I want to talk to you about the fact that as late as August of this year there were no programs in West Virginia and since then, we’ve had a number of programs emerge.”

Linn pointed to the Eastern Panhandle, where he says trained individuals were able to administer naloxone saving three overdosing people. One, he says, was pregnant.

He talked about research his organization has conducted into other opioid overdose prevention programs initiated in urban areas of the country in the 90s. Programs that would provide users with naloxone. Linn also conducted interviews with opioid users in Logan, Mingo, and Boone counties and discovered about 90 percent would be willing to participate in similar programs. Those programs provide both naloxone and training to identify an overdose and administer the drug.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

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