Month: November 2019

Coal in WV needs to be on the forefront once again

By Michael Griffith

West Virginia is known worldwide for the production of coal. Furthermore, the usage of coal produced here is what makes coal so important.

President Trump took office in 2016, and despite him taking credit and claiming that he and his team have “ended the war on beautiful, clean coal” and “put our coal miners back to work”, statistics show that coal use has actually been on a steady decline. Brittany Patterson wrote an article for WV Public Broadcasting that showed graphical statistics of national coal mine employment, as well as statistics for the three states of Ohio, Kentucky, and WV respectively.

The first graph shows the decline in total employment in the coal industry in the states of West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, while the second shows the national numbers.

Patterson notes that the reported numbers from mine operators and independent contractors revealed record-low employment at 80,778 active coal miners in 2018.

Now let’s talk more numbers. For West Virginia, coal equals dollars. In an article written by Chris Hamilton of The Montgomery Herald he says that despite the coal industry being in a state of rebounding, its impact on the economy of West Virginia is still prominent. Coal supports around 17 percent of all of the state’s GDP.

According to John Deskins, director of the West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the coal industry and coal-fired power generates a total of $13 billion in overall economic activity in West Virginia. For context, total economic output for the state as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) was around $77 billion in 2017.

On top of the currential impact to the economy, coal has an impact on local business as well. Hamiltion states that all of the state’s 100-plus mining operations purchase supplies and use contractors who are local, as well as supporting around 25,000 jobs across the state. 

WV is Suffering From a Physician-Created Opioid Epidemic

Emmy Rinehart

This September, 13 people in the Appalachian region and WV were caught unlawfully distributing opioids and other controlled substances, and 11 of them were physicians. Seventeen million pills were distributed by just 13 people. 

Within the same month, another doctor in Virginia was convicted and put in jail for 40 years after prescribing 500,000 doses of opioids to his patients. His malpractice resulted in the tragic death of a West Virginia woman. 

In a state where there is a, “Pain? Call: xxx xxx xxxx” sign seemingly on every road you drive on, you would think that the physicians in WV would be trying to ease people’s pain, not prolong their suffering. An article from earlier this year stated that the whole state is like ground-zero for this epidemic, and they couldn’t be more right. 

Based on data from 2017, West Virginia saw 58.7 out of 100,000 deaths are due to drug overdoses, making it the state with the highest number of overdose-related deaths. A state that deals with so many hardships should not have another obstacle to face when they already struggle so much with things like having access to clean water and boosting their less than great economy. 

The best way to slow down this issue in WV and other states is to actively seek out and prosecute these doctors who are abusing their medical licenses by writing outrageous numbers of prescriptions for opioids. By setting the example that this is not something that will be allowed to continue, it will be a great deterrent for other medical professionals who may be going down the same path according to a U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia who has worked on cases regarding doctors abusing their licenses. 

While cracking down on these physicians is a great place to start, the foundation of a heavily addicted state has already been laid, and additional support will be needed to heal it. Thankfully, WV will also receive $7.4 million from the CDC and $28 million in grant funding to go towards tracking overdose data, and to support prevention, treatment and recovery services. Other states in the top-tier of this epidemic are also set to receive funding, which will help prevent the issue from continuing by crossing state lines. 

 The WV community is very aware that this matter is of utmost importance, and they are making their voices heard, which will also be of great help on this issue. 

West Virginia is in the unique position to be a national leader in the fight against opioids, and they can’t afford not to be. If this money is used effectively for these vital resources, the state could pave the way for other states to do the same.

Wineries and Vineyards in Talks in the Eastern Panhandle Among 2nd-Year Growth in Tourism

by Ciara Litchfield

After the news that West Virginia’s tourism industry grew for the second year, Governor Jim Justice announced on Oct 23, 2019 that his administration would be exploring possibilities to expanding vineyards and wineries in the eastern panhandle of the state. 

Justice believes that the region has the potential due to the similarities it shares with Virginia across the border, which has seen success in their vineyards and wineries. In 2015, wineries had contributed $1.37 billion dollars to the economy in Virginia.

“This could truly be a phenomenal green initiative that would lead to a major economic boost, more jobs, and a significant uptick in tourism in our beautiful Eastern Panhandle,” Gov. Justice said. “If you go to places like Jefferson and Berkeley counties, and look right across the border in Virginia, there’s been a concentrated effort to promote vineyards and wineries and it’s really been a big plus to the economy.”

West Virginia currently has 12 wineries and vineyards across the state, with one even near Morgantown. The Forks of Cheat Winery provides visitors with tours of the vineyard and tastings from their selection of wines.

Forks of Cheat Winery in Morgantown, W.Va.

West Virginia State Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby said in an interview with Hoppy Kercheval on Talkline that,”Tourism in West Virginia is growing and it’s a really exciting time.”

Growth in tourism is attributed to the significant push towards outdoor recreation tourism as the attempt to move away from the coal industry continues. W.Va. Tourism has rebranded the state as “#AlmostHeaven” in order to capitalize on not only the song written by John Denver, but also the scenic views that come from the cascading mountains and rivers. 

In response to what W.Va. is trying to sell, Ruby said, “What we are selling is the mountains. It’s that view that you got no matter where you are in West Virginia, nestled in those mountains you are going to find charming small towns, unbelievable outdoor recreation, and the friendliest folks anywhere.”

People come to experience white water rafting, fishing, hiking and rock climbing to name a few of the activities.

Black Vultures are Invading WV

As we’re coming out of the Halloween season, one eerie thought to keep in the back of your head is black vultures are invading West Virginia. A federal biologist in Buckhannon, WV says these birds first started appearing here 15 years ago, and now they’re all over the state.

Black Vulture, Bird, Wildlife, Nature

These birds were originally from Central and South America about 45 years ago. Since then, there has been a casual trend to the north for them. They have also multiplied in the last 10 to 20 years, making their presence in North America more of a problem. They usually eat dead animals, but increased numbers in the area have made flocks more desperate for food – even if it’s alive. The vultures are predatory creatures, which means they eat meat to keep surviving.

As far as the effect on West Virginia, the accumulations of feces, as well as vulture roosting and soaring behaviors, create health and safety concerns for the residents in the community. Additionally, concentrated vulture populations can be hazardous to aircraft, especially when close to airport flight paths, because of the birds’ significant size characteristic soaring behavior. This increases their chances of being struck by low-flying aircraft.

In-flight, black vultures flap their wings more and then hold them in a horizontal position. They measure 23 to 27 inches tall, with a wingspread upward of 5 feet and weigh around 3.5 to 5 pounds, according to the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry. Being super lightweight makes the birds quick. Imagine a 5-foot wingspan zipping through your neighborhood; it’s absolutely terrifying.

Nature, Bird, Animal World, Grass, Wing, Vulture

Large groups of vultures have been known to cause damage to property, as well. They like to rip apart anything they get ahold of. These beats have destroyed vent seals, roof shingles, and pool covers. They can damage vehicles by scratching paint, removing wipers, and ripping vinyl seat covers from boats and tractors. Vultures have also attacked the living. In southern Indiana, a farmer has constant trouble with vultures eating his baby calves alive. He claims that there will be hundreds just waiting on the farm for their meal. In the U.K., there’s been cases of human babies being attacked by vultures as well. 

The biggest concern for West Virginia residents is that they can’t do anything to stop these menaces. Vultures are migratory birds protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, State laws, and regulations. They are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and State wildlife agencies. The birds, their nests, and eggs cannot be killed or destroyed without a Migratory Bird Depredation Permit. So, even if these vultures were causing problems for a small farmer in W.V., the farmer couldn’t do anything about it.

Will the Decline of the Coal Industry and Natural Gas Tank WV’s Economy?

At the beginning of 2019, West Virginia was ranked number one in the country for biggest gross domestic product rate (GDP) as it jumped 5.2% from 2018. What is causing this big jump for West Virginia when our bordering state Pennsylvania jumped only 2.9 percent? 

West Virginia is known for coal mines. Seriously, WVU football puts on a miner’s hat when they get a turn over. Everyone who lives here knows that coal brings jobs to West Virginia.

Not only has coal played a role in West Virginia’s economy, but so has natural gas. There have been major pipelines being constructed through the state even though it’s just a temporary thing. 

After the pipelines are done being constructed, will West Virginia see a downfall in state GDP growth? 

Even though the state has experienced growth, when you look deeper into it, only certain counties have contributed. The increasing number of 12,000 jobs only truly played a part in Marshal, Monongahela, Harrison, Lewis, Berkley, Jackson, Cabell and Raleigh county. 

These increases in jobs are mostly in the coal and natural gas industries, with the biggest factor being in the pipeline. Though the pipeline construction won’t be around forever. 

West Virginia Adjutant General James Hoyer spoke three weeks ago to WV state leaders in regard to the West Virginia economy. 

“It all boils down to entrepreneurship. It boils down to creating an environment conducive to small-business startup and growth. Industrial diversification is a key, key key priority for our state. There should never be a discussion without the question, what can we do to create an environment for small business startup and growth?”

All in all, the pipeline and coal going away would not tank West Virginia’s growing economy because other factors play a role, but it is certainly a concern for people currently in those fields.

Standardized testing scores among West Virginia public schools show a need for attention.

Education in West Virginia has many things that need fixing in order to help our students and teachers be more efficient during their time in the classroom. One outstanding and continuously declining issue is that of standardized test scores. 

While some schools in the state show proficiency in their testing, a majority of schools throughout all grade levels continue to produce poorly scored test results. The WV Board of Education released the results of the state-wide scores from the 2017-18 academic year in September 2018. According to this story from Ryan Quinn of the Charleston Gazette-Mail, only around 37 percent of students from public schools in West Virginia earned a proficient score in Mathematics. Only 45 percent of those same public-school students met the requirement for the English section. Along with the testing results, the WVBOE also released their new “balanced scorecard” which shows the subgroups of all grade levels and whether or not they are meeting the standards in not only testing but also attendance and even behavior for the middle and elementary level.

About one year later, Quinn reported the same exact story for the Charleston Gazette-Mail with the 2018-19 testing scores, reporting that the number of students meeting proficient scores for Math and English had only risen by one percent each. Science proficiency actually showed a decline, though the percentage wasn’t reported state-wide. Quinn includes the scores for Kanawha and Putnam counties in his article, however. 

Jim Justice addressing the WVBOE/Photo Via WikiCommons

Mitch Carmichael, President of the West Virginia Senate, was quoted in an interview with Morgantown’s own, Hoppy Kercheval from WVMetroNews, saying, “Our students enter in at fourth grade the first time they’re tested, 37th or 38th in the nation—which is not good, but it’s not horrible. By the time they’re in the 8th grade, they’re 46th or 47th, and then upon 11th-grade testing, they’re near last.” 

It may not be fully clear as to why the test scores from the public schools in West Virginia continue to show a lack of proficiency from students in the state. What is clear, however, is the fact that something needs to be done in order to identify what is happening whether it be a lack of motivation among students or lack of teachers that can prepare the students to perform better on their tests. Certainly, some things like attendance can be attributed to the preparedness of students, which is a good place to start to search for a solution.