Gov. Jim Justice held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the previously constructed Christine Elmore West Bridge, located near Bluefield. The bridge was commonly called ‘the bridge to nowhere’, because the road ended with the bridge. Now as part of a $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program, the King Coal Highway extends past the bridge for three miles. The new completed stretch of highway connects Airport Road to John Nash Boulevard near Bluefield.
Gov. Jim Justice held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the previously constructed Christine Elmore West Bridge, located near Bluefield. The bridge was commonly called ‘the bridge to nowhere’, because the road ended with the bridge. Now as part of a $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program, the King Coal Highway extends past the bridge for three miles. The newly completed stretch of highway connects Airport Road to John Nash Boulevard near Bluefield.
Randy Damron, events coordinator for the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT), said this bridge is the beginning of an economic boost for southern West Virginia.
“This bridge to nowhere, now goes somewhere,” Damron said.
Damron said the three top Justice priorities for the WVDOT, have been the King Coal Highway, the Coalfields expressway, and the Appalachian Corridor H. King Coal Highway, and the Coalfields expressway both go through southern West Virginia. The King Coal Highway is planned to pass through Mingo, Wyoming, McDowell, and Mercer counties.
Gov. Justice invited classic car clubs to be some of the first cars to cross the new bridge and drive down the new highway.
Briana Heaney/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Justice said this highway, once completed, will connect many areas of southern West Virginia to surrounding areas and shave off hours of transit time.
“This is your bridge to so much economic development and prosperity,” Justice said. “I hate to say it, but in many, many, many ways. We ran off and left southern West Virginia — well, that’s not going to happen on my watch.”
Noah Staker lives in Princeton, and worked on the crew that built the connecting stretch of the King Coal Highway. He said that this bridge has gone nowhere since he was a kid. He said so much of the towns in Southern W.Va. are only accessible by winding backroads. Staker said the investment in this roadway will help tie southern communities together, and connect communities with safer, straighter roads.
“The thing is, it’s just a tough state to drive through naturally,” Staker said. “So the more straight line you can get, it will just allow people to get somewhere in 30 minutes versus an hour. That’s a big deal, gets people out and moving and traveling.”
The roads were funded through tax revenue and bonds. The economic impact of the construction was $7.5 million dollars in paychecks to West Virginians, $23 million to contractors, and $4 million in induced revenue to local business.
Longtime West Virginia democratic legislator and jurist Warren McGraw, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, passed away Wednesday at the age of 84.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Story updated on June 15, 2023 at 11:43 a.m.
Longtime West Virginia democratic legislator and jurist Warren McGraw, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, passed away Wednesday at the age of 84. The brother of former Attorney General Darrell McGraw, he resigned from his position at Wyoming County Circuit Court Judge in May 2021 due to the onset of the disease,
McGraw began his political career in 1968 when he was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates, serving there until 1972. He was then elected to the West Virginia Senate in 1972, serving three consecutive terms. During his third term, McGraw was then elected (twice) 44th Senate President.
After his service in the West Virginia Legislature, McGraw returned to Wyoming County to practice law where he was elected to the Board of Education in 1986 and later as Prosecuting Attorney in 1996. In 1998 McGraw successfully campaigned for an unexpired six-year term in the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. He served as Chief Justice in 2001.
In 2008 and 2016 McGraw successfully ran for Wyoming County Circuit Court Judge, which he won both times and received over 80 percent of the vote.
Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, released this statement on the passing of former Senate President and Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals Warren McGraw:
“Though he may be most remembered for his public service as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals, Justice McGraw proudly served the people of Wyoming County as their Senator, and he never forgot his deep, proud southern West Virginia roots. On behalf of the entire West Virginia Senate, I send my prayers to the family and friends of former Senate President Warren McGraw during their time of sorrow.”
Wyoming County Circuit Court Judge Mike Cochrane said McGraw was a small-town lawyer who went on to big things, but never wavered from his principles.
“He cared about the underprivileged and wanted to make sure that each and every citizen got an equal shot at life,” Cochrane said. “He was very generous with his time and cared about everybody. As a judge, he was very fair and his decisions were always people generated, and in the best interest of justice.”
West Virginia Democratic Party Chair, Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, released this statement on McGraw’s legacy.
“Warren McGraw never forgot that a society is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable members. From school board to the state legislature to his time on the Supreme Court, he fought with every ounce of his ability to improve the lives of the poor, and those struggling to make a better life for themselves and for their families. We extend our deepest condolences to his friends and family during this difficult time.”
Cochrane said McGraw was an active U.S. Attorney during the civil rights movements of the1960s and a stalwart of the West Virginia Democratic Party.
“When I was prosecutor, his wall was decorated with pictures of famous people,” Cochrane said. “Robert Kennedy was down here and Judge McGraw took him around the county, probably a month before he was assassinated. He had a picture of Hubert Humphrey, of Jesse Jackson and a couple of Jimmy Carter in there. He was one of the last, of the really, Kennedy-Johnson era type Democrats.”
The Public Service Commission (PSC) is reviewing an electricity purchase agreement between Appalachian Power and Black Diamond Power that could see the power bills for customers in three counties go up.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) is reviewing an electricity purchase agreement between Appalachian Power and Black Diamond Power that could see the power bills for customers in three counties go up.
Black Diamond Power supplies electricity to about 5,300 customers in Clay, Wyoming and Raleigh Counties.
If the company’s proposed consolidated purchased power surcharge is approved, some customers would see an increase of more than $6 on their monthly bill.
Special contract customers, such as Black Diamond, would not be affected by other surcharges imposed by Appalachian Power, including the approximately $297 million Expanded Net Energy Cost (ENEC) request currently pending before the PSC.
A public hearing is Tuesday, Nov. 1st, in Clay. An evidentiary hearing on the matter will be held Wednesday in Charleston.
There’s a new push to sell the Itmann coal company store building in Wyoming County. The almost 100-year-old building has a rich history as a former store and business office owned by Issac T. Mann.
There’s a new push to sell the Itmann coal company store building in Wyoming County. The almost 100-year-old building has a rich history as a former store and business office owned by Issac T. Mann.
Randy S. Burdette
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Aaron Parsons, director of the West Virginia State Archives, speaks during the 2022 open house at the Itmann Company Store.
Today, it comes with some memories and a lot of expensive repairs. Current owner and former state Sen. Billy Wayne Bailey is hoping real estate agent and historian David Sibray can find the right buyer.
Foxfire Realty and the Wyoming County Historical Society hosted an open house earlier this month.
David Sibray
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Wooden cabinetry and craftsmanship provide additional ornamentation in a building otherwise build solidly of stone, steel, and concrete.
“Again and again, what occurred to me is just how important this building is to all of that community, not certainly just in the town, but all of the county as well,” Sibray said. “Everyone has some relationship to that building. It turned out that I had a relationship with that building … kids who sat there and ate candy in the breezeway, people who went to get their checks, people who bought all their furniture, people who bought all their food.”
Sibray specializes in historical sales. In a way, he says it’s part preservation.
Yvonne Wilcox
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Courtesy
David Sibray checks the acoustics in the Itmann company store space ahead of an open house sponsored by Foxfire Realty and the Wyoming County Historical Society.
“It’s about knowing a lot more than that building,” Sibray said. “And a lot more than what’s economically going on. Like certainly, in this case, you’ve got the new [Coalfields] Expressway, you’ve got the ATV trails, you’ve got the Guyandotte water trail, you have
David Sibray
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Steel window framing in the classical style is incorporated into the thick stone and concrete walls of the Itmann Company Store.
broadband access, all of those things go into knowing what you’re doing with any sort of property. But when you’re selling something as big as this, you have got to know all of that.”
It cost $25,000 when Bailey bought it. The current listing price is $499,000. Despite the financial jump, Sibray says it’s an appropriate price.
“Whoever buys this building is going to need to have the ability to do a lot of work with the building,” Sibray said. “I mean, it’s going to cost millions of dollars. And my job also for the owner is to leave no money on the table.”
“To some extent, it prevents people from wanting to buy the building and tear it down. There are people who would like to remove the building and move the stone. This building also is being sold on the global market Foxfire Realty, our specialization has always been because we work with properties that are large scale properties, we have to go nationally.”
The building has sparked interest and some interesting conversations.
“As far as buyers’ potentials, we’ve had several people who have come forward who have expressed interest and they seem to be viable owners,” Sibray said. “But the wheels of this train move slowly. So it may take a little time for people to work out how exactly the purchase of this building might be managed.” If the building sells, Sibray is optimistic about the impact it could have in this tiny community.
“I can’t imagine it being anything other than a good outcome,” Sibray said, “as long as it’s repaired.”
Picasa
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The coal company store in Itmann was built around 1923.
A State of Emergency has been declared for counties in southern West Virginia. A flood watch will remain in effect through Friday.
After a week filled with floods and severe thunderstorms, Gov. Jim Justice today declared a State of Emergency for Fayette, Greenbrier, Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties.
As part of the declaration, the West Virginia Emergency Management Division is mobilizing resources and personnel for emergency services.
The West Virginia Division of Highways reports that the flooding has mostly downed trees, damaged gravel roads, and caused embankment failures along the state’s roadways.
West Virginia Division of Highways
Tree blocking road
Although rain showers have dissipated, the National Weather Service anticipates 1.5 to 2 inches of rain Friday, with storms capable of producing more heavy rain. Tuesday’s Flood Watch will remain in effect through Friday evening.
Showers and isolated storms are moving toward the northern counties of West Virginia. Dry weather is expected Saturday, but on Sunday another cold front will bring showers and storms into next week.
Neighboring counties in Eastern Kentucky have suffered catastrophic flood damage where in Perry County alone, more than 30,000 residents are without power. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says at least three people have died.
Gov. Justice also announced the deployment of members of the West Virginia National Guard to support the Kentucky National Guard. Two UH-72 Lakota aircraft and UH-60M Blackhawks, along with 14 soldiers will assist in the efforts.
The State of Emergency will remain in effect for 30 days.
California based non-profit Dig Deep says there are 2.2 million people in the US who live without running water or a flush toilet in a report called “Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States.”
While the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is expected to help with water lines and systems across the country, the new law wasn’t designed to help bring running water to every American. And yes, in America, in 2022 there are some families and communities that have never had running water or frequently lose water in their homes.
George McGraw, the CEO at Dig Deep says while the cost starts at an individual and household level, it ripples out, eventually reaching the national economy as a portion of the Gross Domestic Product or GDP.
How did Dig Deep get to this number?
“When you don’t have access to water and sanitation, it impacts every part of your life,” McGraw said.
The report accounts for things like time spent collecting water instead of going to school or work. McGraw said that’s money they don’t spend in their local economy, which in turn, contributes to the larger economy.
A family in Wyoming County was the central collection point for bottled water.
“And by our estimates, they’re causing almost a billion dollars in what economists call knock-on impacts to GDP,” McGraw said. “So our gross domestic product as a country is $1 billion lower than it could be if we closed the ‘water gap.’”
The report also accounted for the money a family spends on bottled water, additional health care because of a higher incidence of waterborne illness or diabetes. Lack of access to water is the reason more than 36,000 people have diabetes.
“Families that don’t have running water at home are more likely to buy sugary beverages,” McGraw said. “[Sugary drinks] are more aggressively marketed, they may seem more valuable than water, which may be the same price. In a lot of places we work, they’re just more available, it’s easier to buy a two liter of coke, than it is to buy a two liter of water. So this results in more cases of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and death.”
McGraw points out that complications from diabetes increase because you can’t keep yourself healthy and clean at home without water.
What’s not in the report?
As West Virginia Public Broadcasting found in 2017, the data about some water systems is limited or non-existent.
“We know from other surveys that about 2.2 million people or more in the U.S. don’t have running water or a flush toilet. We also know that that estimate is low because the census has a hard time penetrating rural areas where most of these people live, like rural West Virginia.”
Dig Deep found other limitations in the data and considers the staggering estimated cost “conservative.” The study focused on the 1.57 million people in the US who the census identified as living in households without running water or flush toilets. The report does not include people experiencing homelessness or people who can’t afford it or have had their water shut off.
“We couldn’t quantify, for instance, the health care burden for people who drink dirty water, because they don’t have access to clean water and are facing things like arsenic or lead poisoning,” McGraw said. “We couldn’t quantify the cultural impacts that this has on local communities, or the impacts of tourism or the water industry.”
How does this happen?
It’s not a new problem. While some communities in West Virginia are familiar with losing consistent or clean water, there are still communities in America that have never had running water or flush toilets.
The report points to the New Deal after the Great Depression when President Franklin Roosevelt created several programs to help jump start the economy. The programs built water and sanitation systems through federal investment across the country. But the investments didn’t reach every community. The majority of the communities left out were poor, rural or communities of color.
Daniel Walker
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Water tank in McDowell County before start of Elkhorn Water project.
“Since then, more communities have fallen offline because of economic shifts, or disinvestment and infrastructure,” McGraw said.
In southern West Virginia, many communities were built as “coal camps” by companies. This included the infrastructure in the communities. When coal operators, people and jobs left the area, they left behind remnants like some beautiful buildings, coal tipples and water systems. The crumbling infrastructure is not reliable, which means living without consistent, clean tap water.
There are many coalfield communities that live with this challenge. Some households have gone months without tap water. That’s if they were able to get water at all.
But all of this still wasn’t enough. Phase One and Two of the Elkhorn Water project connected a new water source and paid for new main lines and the installation but getting the lines from the public lines to the homes, came to a screeching halt in low income communities. Residents simply couldn’t afford to pay for the connection. Dig Deep helped bring the project across the finish line by hiring a local team and paying for the hookups in what’s called the Appalachian Water Project.
The town of Keystone first went on a boil water advisory in 2010. It was lifted earlier this year. The town of Northfork’s boil water advisory was also lifted after almost ten years. But there’s still more work to do in McDowell and other counties in Appalachia and across the country.
Jessica Lilly
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Water pipe where people collect water for their homes in Wyoming County.
“The reason that hasn’t been solved, I think, is because a lot of these communities are invisible to other Americans and to lawmakers,” McGraw said.
The economic impact study suggests that America should invest a lot more federal dollars to close what they call the “water gap.”
“Federal investments, since the 1970s, have fallen off a cliff,” McGraw said. “It’s just 4 percent of what it used to be in water and sanitation, which leaves these communities kind of to fend for themselves.”
“A lot of the families that we serve at Dig Deep still won’t benefit from those funds,” McGraw said.
There are Americans in all 50 states who don’t have water taps or toilets. Other than the Appalachian Project, Dig Deep is managing three other projects to help pay for water connections in these communities. Dig Deep says the government should help more, pointing to the “wrong pockets dimension.”
“Meaning that [Dig Deep] could create a tremendous amount of economic value by closing the water and sanitation gap by something like $200 billion over the next 50 years,” McGraw said. “But not one single investor recoups all of that, some will benefit families directly, some will benefit their communities, some will benefit the national economy. And when multiple people benefit from an investment, sometimes there’s not one party who’s incentivized enough to invest all that money. And in those circumstances, the federal government has to lead just like they did in the 30s in the 50s. In the 70s, when we built this infrastructure for the first time, they had to come in and make this commitment, and that is going to mean increased federal funding. But as this report shows, it’s well worth every dollar.”
Spending billions of dollars in low income communities? Really?
Inflation in America hasn’t been this high for 40 years, so it might seem like a tough political pill to swallow on Capitol Hill, but McGraw says the inflation and potential recession challenges in the U.S. are the reasons why the federal government should invest in more water and wastewater.
Jessica Lilly
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WVPB
Coal mine in Keystone, W.Va.
“This economic impact study didn’t just show how much money the economy’s losing every year,” McGraw said. “It also showed how much money we stand to gain by investing in this. You know, when you have the looming specter of a recession, federal investments are important to get people working and to sort of juice the engine of the economy. And there’s really few better investments you can make on this one.”
The study calculated that for every dollar the country invests in new access to running water and flush toilets it can expect a $5 return back into the national economy.
“These investments that not only make people’s lives markedly better, and save lives — an estimated 600 lives a year are lost because of the water gap — but that actually generates an economic return that generates wealth to create prosperity in some of the most marginalized, economically marginalized parts of the country,” he said.
