The State Journal back issues from February 2007:
RECLAIMING MAIN
Feb 02, 2007; ... West Virginia, sometimes thought of as a state cast in amber, is full of warm, historic Mayberry-like downtowns that some believe can live thriving second lives. The national Main Street program, based in the National Trust for Historic Preservation, began in 1977 as a pilot program in ...
Courtesy Patrol Wants to Stay Put
Feb 02, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - When the state's Courtesy Patrol began in the 1970s, it was operated by the State Department of Transportation as a service for motorists who might need help changing a tire or getting to a gas station. A financial crunch later caused its demise. In 1998, Senate Resolution ...
Main Street Business Owners Gratified by Teamwork
Feb 02, 2007; ... Business owners invest countless hours and dollars to create and maintain their jobs, so when a town experiences a decline it can be overwhelming for a business owner who wants to make a positive effect. The Main Street program provides a simple framework and network for a town to ...
Morgantown Finds Success in Supporting Downtown
Feb 02, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - In 1984, four years before the state adopted the Main Street program, Morgantown already was gearing up to bring the non profit to town. Then-Mayor Florence Merow had received information about Main Street and went to Washington, D.C., with a delegation to learn about ...
White Sulphur Polishes Main Street
Feb 02, 2007; ... WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - Main Street White Sulphur Springs is exploring programs and grants in its effort to breathe life into a community rich in history and scenic beauty. Phase two of the project will encompass West Main Street and will duplicate the new look given to the east end of ...
Ronceverte Mounts Main Street Efforts
Feb 02, 2007; ... RONCEVERTE - Still in its infancy, Main Street Ronceverte has made major strides in revitatlizing its bluecollar community since it was awarded the Main Street designation in Sep ember 2005. "We were the last of three communities to be added to the Main Street West Virginia program," ...
Charleston Benefits From Two Groups In Main Street
Feb 02, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - The four miles of Charleston's Washington Street are a lot for just one group, so two Main Street organizations tackle the revitalization efforts there, with West Side Main Street looking to East End Main Street as a "big sister." "We don't even try and compete," said ...
Fairmont's Program Makes a Difference, Increases Economic Base
Feb 02, 2007; ... FAIRMONT - New signs and new facades are in the picture for downtown Fairmont thanks to the last installment of available Budget Digest funding requested by Main Street Fairmont back in 2005. Patience and determination are big parts of Main Street Executive Director Vera Sansalone's ...
Task Force Focuses on Putnam Development
Feb 02, 2007; ... TEAYS VALLEY - A group of community leaders wants to launch a rocket in Putnam County. The Project IGNITE Task Force conducted its inaugural meeting Jan. 25. The organization's goal is to take advantage of recent growth in the area, said Richard Slater, chairman of the task ...
With Four Campuses, College Has Plan for Growth
Feb 02, 2007; ... A small, little-known school is providing work force training and community college education for the nine southeastern counties in the state that need those services the most. New River Community and Technical College has campuses in Beckley, Bluefield, Lewisburg and Summersville as the ...
Ormet Searches for New Chief Executive
Feb 02, 2007; ... The search has begun for a new chief executive officer at Ormet Corp., the Ohio Valley aluminum company rebounding from a bitter, 18-month work stoppage. Ken Campbell, the outsider brought in to heal the rift between labor and management and restore production, has been named chairman of ...
Landfill Company Appeals to Operate Composting Site
Feb 02, 2007; ... Lackawanna Transport, the company operating the Wetzel County Landfill, is planning to appeal a state regulatory board's affirmation of an earlier decision preventing it from operating its composting business there. Lackawanna appealed a May 2006 Department of Environmental Protection ...
Investigators Probe Blast That Killed Four in Ghent
Feb 02, 2007; ... GHENT - Residents in Ghent and Raleigh County are mourning the deaths of at least four people who were killed Jan. 30 in an explosion at the Little General BP gas station here. Forensic investigators were scheduled to be on the scene at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 31 to comb through the ...
All Bets Are in on Table Games
Feb 02, 2007; ... Charles Town Races and Slots is building a hotel. Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center is building an addition to its slot machine parlor. But those construction plans do not mean the racetracks are doing fine without table games, the operators said after a news conference Jan. 30 ...
Public Service Commission Approves Water Company IPO
Feb 02, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - The West Virginia Public Service Commission has given its blessing to a request from the parent company of West Virginia's largest water utility to spin the utility off into its own company. The Public Service Commission recently approved Thames Water Aqua Holdings GmbH's ...
Wheeling Parks Tell Visitors To Stop Feeding Waterfowl
Feb 02, 2007; ... WHEELING - In an effort to increase safety for visitors and wildlife, Wheeling and Oglebay parks no longer permit patrons to feed waterfowl. Members of the Wheeling Park Commission adopted the new regulation in October after officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expressed ...
Pharmacy Benefit Managers Under Legislative Microscope
Feb 02, 2007; ... A bill that proposes regulations for pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, may be adjusted slightly in light of information presented during a public hearing in the House of Delegates Jan. 29. But proponents of the measure still believe PBMs should be regulated just like insurance ...
HIMG Thrives One Year After Wal-Mart Move
Feb 02, 2007; ... HUNTINGTON - Over the years, Wal-Mart has become the largest employer in the world by selling just about anything anyone would need under one roof, from groceries to oil changes to getting glasses repaired. Now that idea is proving successful outside of the retail world and inside the ...
New Owners on Horizon For Hampshire Memorial
Feb 02, 2007; ... ROMNEY - Valley Health, one of the region's largest health care providers with headquarters in Winchester, Va., is in negotiations to transfer lease of Hampshire Memorial Hospital from Hal McBee and his company, Mid-Atlantic Health Management. McBee received permission from the Hampshire ...
Hospitals Test Prescription Program
Feb 02, 2007; ... Four hundred female employees, spouses and volunteers at Ohio Valley Medical Center and East Ohio Regional Hospital in Martins Ferry, Ohio, are testing a National Institutes of Health research program to assist women in learning about prescription medicine. The program, "SmartRX: Your ...
Hospital Bed Count Declines, HCA Records Show
Feb 02, 2007; ... The number of licensed hospital beds in West Virginia dropped by nearly 400 in 2005, according to the state Health Care Authority's 2006 annual report, in continuation of a longer general trend. But West Virginians don't need to be concerned, authority Board Chairperson Sonia Chambers ...
E-Prescribing Could Be 'Early Win' for Health Information Network
Feb 02, 2007; ... West Virginia is 49th in yet another category in the United States - electronic prescriptions. Instead of Mississippi, however, the Mountain State can say thank goodness for Alaska, the only other state in the nation where state laws do not allow doctors to use computer technology to ...
WVU Hospitals Earns Top Performer Status
Feb 02, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - West Virginia University Hospitals has been named one of the top performers in the country in a groundbreaking Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Premier Inc. pay-for-performance project that rewards hospitals for delivering higher quality care. WVUH was rated in ...
New Chair at WVU to Focus on Healthier Living
Feb 02, 2007; ... West Virginia, by several measures, is one of the unhealthiest states in the nation. It is near the top of lists in terms of the prevalence of obesity, shortest life span, tobacco use and even arthritis, said Dr. Melanie Booth-Butterfield, professor in the Department of Communications ...
Mid-Ohio Valley Airport Manager Hopes New Carrier Brings Travelers
Feb 02, 2007; ... With a new airline set to start serving the region by midMarch, Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport manager Terry Moore is optimistic the airport can win back travelers who've been finding other ways to get where they need to go. The U.S. Department of Transportation has chosen Colgan Air, ...
Chesapeake's New HQ Put on Hold
Feb 02, 2007; ... Chesapeake Energy Corp. is new to West Virginia, but the Oklahoma City-based oil-and-gas company was all set to build its new eastern headquarters in Charleston. The company announced last summer it purchased 27 acres at the Northgate Business Park and was planning to spend $30 million ...
WesBanco Reports Higher Fourth-Quarter Numbers
Feb 02, 2007; ... WesBanco Inc., reported a slight improvement in its fourthquarter 2006 numbers, with net income of $10.6 million. That number is 0.8 percent higher than the $10.5 million recorded in the final three months of 2005. Diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter 2006 were $0.49 ...
United Expands Franchise in Metro D.C.
Feb 02, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - United Bankshares Inc. has signed a definitive merger agreement with Premier Community Bankshares Inc. of Winchester, Va., said United Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard M. Adams. United said the acquisition of Premier will give it the opportunity to expand its ...
Highway Officials Urge Drivers to Avoid Suspension Bridge
Feb 02, 2007; ... WHEELING - Highways officials and local law enforcement want to deter motorists on Interstate 70 from using the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge while attempting to navigate around the Wheeling Tunnel closure. The eastbound lanes of the tunnel have been closed since Jan. 17 to perform ...
Ohio County Coal Mine Moves Toward Getting Permits, Reopening
Feb 02, 2007; ... WHEELING - The pending resurrection of an Ohio County coal mine has progressed to the final stages of gaining all necessary permits, according to state Sen. Andy McKenzie, ROhio. Officials of Alliance Research Partners announced the plan to reopen the old Valley Coal Camp mine more than ...
Two Finalists Vie to Become New President at West Liberty State College
Feb 02, 2007; ... The search for a new president at West Liberty State College is nearing its end. The college's board of governors will interview two finalists for the job Feb. 9. After that, the question is how long the board will take to reach a decision. "On Feb. 9, hopefully we'll come close ...
Searching For Balance: THE CARBON QUESTION
Feb 09, 2007; ... America soon may get an education in energy. Last week, the United Nations issued a report saying global warming is a reality and is linked to the burning of fossil fuels. More than 50 percent of that power in the United States comes from coal, a fossil fuel. And West Virginia is ...
New FiberNet Chief Looks Toward Bright Future
Feb 09, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - David Armentrout knows the infrastructure of FiberNet like the back of his hand. That stands to reason. He oversaw the designing and building of most of it. Armentrout was one of the original startup members of the company when it was formed in 1999, and he became ...
Carbon Dioxide: Everyday Gas is Focal Point in Debate
Feb 09, 2007; ... The world suddenly has a new villain. It's not someone from an Axis-of-Evil nation. It's not someone trying to buy yellow cake to build a dirty bomb. Instead the villain is something called carbon dioxide - a natural compound we breathe out and trees breathe in every ...
Many Predict Impact from Greenhouse Gas Caps
Feb 09, 2007; ... If Congress regulates the emission of greenhouse gases, two things are certain for West Virginia: Demand for coal will drop, and the price of electricity will rise. The thinking is simple. Of all the fossil fuels, cheap but carbon-rich coal will be affected by greenhouse gas legislation ...
Atmospheric Scientist Offers View of a Changed West Virginia
Feb 09, 2007; ... Warmer winters, hotter summers and more frequent, longer droughts: That is some of what West Virginia could be in for if the Earth continues to warm, according to climate change analysts. "The West Virginia that people are used to, that they grew up in, that their parents grew up in, ...
Is Coal on the Sidelines in Climate Change Debate?
Feb 09, 2007; ... One of the biggest energy issues facing West Virginia may rest with people who know very little about where the nation's energy actually comes from. A recent flurry of discussion and debate over the issue of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming may result in regulations that curb ...
Rural Health Education Program: 1 Million-Plus Served
Feb 09, 2007; ... A decade-old requirement for medical students at West Virginia's three publicly funded medical schools has affected more than just those planning careers in the health professions. Since 1996, the Rural Health Education Partnership program has served 1.2 million patients, said Hilda ...
WVU Begins Whittling Down Presidential Candidates
Feb 09, 2007; ... People from across the country have expressed interest in taking over the helm of West Virginia University. Now it's up to an 18-member search committee to whittle a huge number of applications down to a more reasonable number of candidates that will be screened and interviewed with the ...
Gambling Debate Heats Up ... Again
Feb 09, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - The House Judiciary Committee may take up the issue of table games at West Virginia racetracks as early as Feb. 8. It would be the first time any delegates will have had the opportunity to discuss the issue officially even though it has been debated in the legislative halls ...
Hospital Officials Plan NEw Facility in Berkeley Springs
Feb 09, 2007; ... BERKELEY SPRINGS - Morgan County War Memorial Hospital, one of the oldest health care facilities in the state, will be replaced within the next three years, according to hospital officials. The new War Memorial Hospital, which will be owned by the county, will be constructed on 80.5 ...
Ohio County Cracks Down on Vehicle Registration
Feb 09, 2007; ... WHEELING - In an effort to curtail fraudulent personal property registrations, the Ohio County Assessor's Office has utilized neighborhood sweeps and citizen complaints as two methods of enforcement. Greg Kloeppner, Ohio County's assessor for the past nine years, said that when he took ...
Signature Hospital Corp. Hopes to Buy St. Joseph by Spring
Feb 09, 2007; ... St. Joseph Hospital in Parkersburg could be part of the Signature Hospital Corp. in early spring, if the West Virginia Health Care Authority signs off on the deal. The Health Care Authority had scheduled an additional hearing Feb. 8 on Signature's request for a certificate of need. That ...
Dow Chemical Prepares for $20 Million Expansion in Institute
Feb 09, 2007; ... INSTITUTE - After years of downsizing, Dow Chemical Co. now is preparing to expand operations at its Institute plant, but the project is not expected to lead to any new permanent jobs. The Midland, Mich.-based company would not say how much the expansion project would cost, but ...
Institute Focuses on Manufacturing Technology
Feb 09, 2007; ... HUNTINGTON -Keeping pace in the modern manufacturing world means having up-to-date technology working for you. But modern technology is ever changing and isn't cheap. For the past 17 years, that is where the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing has been ...
New Business Development Chief Takes Office
Feb 09, 2007; ... Mark Julian has only been at his new job for about three weeks, but he is no stranger to his new office. He worked in the Business and Industrial Development Division of the West Virginia Development Office from 1980 to 1993. He returned Jan. 16 to take over as its director. "I'm ...
WVU Professor Serves On Panel Studying Geothermal Energy
Feb 09, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - More than 100 years after the first electricity was produced from heat generated in the earth, geothermal energy is again gaining steam. Brian J. Anderson, assistant professor in West Virginia University's Department of Chemical Engineering, recently served on an 18-member ...
Linger to Step Down as HEad of Global Science and Technology
Feb 09, 2007; ... FAIRMONT - After 11 years leading West Virginia into the world of high-tech information systems, Wade Linger is stepping down as president of Global Science and Technology Inc.'s West Virginia division (formerly TMC Technologies Inc.). Lockheed Martin project manager Brian Bell is coming from ...
Keyser Man Finalist In International Widget Contest
Feb 09, 2007; ... KEYSER - A company based in Oslo, Norway, has chosen Keyser resident Scott Paxton as one of six finalists in a "widget" contest. Paxton, owner of PaxKel Radio in Keyser is the only person chosen from the United States. "Scott was chosen out of roughly 1,000 widgets designed by interested ...
WVU Looks to Businesses to Help Grow Wireless Program
Feb 09, 2007; ... The Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at West Virginia University has the only wireless communications degree program in the state. And now that program is looking for some in-state businesses to help guide the direction of its research and teaching resources, ...
Legislature Tries to Keep Pace With Technology
Feb 09, 2007; ... The actual process may not be any different, but technological additives have enhanced the 60 days of the regular legislative session for constituents, legislators and their staff members. When the Web site for the West Virginia Legislature first launched in 1998, it only included ...
Wheeling Jesuit Plans to Eliminate Jobs to Balance Budget
Feb 09, 2007; ... Wheeling Jesuit University could eliminate as many as 16 administrative positions in a continuing effort to balance the budget. University officials said the restructuring is in response to reductions and changes in federal aid; increased student financial aid needs and shortfalls in ...
Wheeling Takes Hit in Tourism Revenue Generation
Feb 09, 2007; ... WHEELING - Officials of the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau are determined to reinvent the city's entertainment industry after area businesses suffered a $2 million shortfall in taxable tourism revenue generation in 2006. Frank O'Brien, executive director of the CVB, said ...
Vision 2010 Survey Gives Elkins Officials New Ideas
Feb 09, 2007; ... When city officials in Elkins wanted to find new ideas for community development, they started by asking their citizens what they needed. A recent study by The Phillips Group based in Elkins surveyed about 300 people in the city and surrounding area to find out what the community ...
Contractor Fights Eminent Domain
Feb 09, 2007; ... The welcome signs at West Virginia's borders say "Open for Business," but one contractor said his experiences of late prove the slogan is anything but true. David Heeter has been in business in the Mountain State for nearly 40 years. His company, Heeter Construction Inc. and its ...
Highlands Might Not Get Ziegenfelder's Ice Cream
Feb 09, 2007; ... WHEELING - A chance to diversify occupational opportunities at The Highlands may soon be lost if Wheeling City Council grants the request of Ziegenfelder's Ice Cream Inc.'s ownership. Ziegenfelder's, best known for its production of frozen ice pops, filed a lane abandonment request for a ...
CONSOL Reports Strong Numbers In Fourth Quarter
Feb 09, 2007; ... Demand for high sulfur coals remains strong, a major factor in CONSOL Energy's solid fourth-quarter 2006 numbers. J. Brett Harvey, CONSOL's president and CEO, said the company's reliance on term rather than spot coal sales and the diversification of the company's sources of revenue also ...
Coldwater Creek Opens Clearance Outlet in Mineralwells
Feb 09, 2007; ... Coldwater Creek has opened a clearance outlet at its Mineralwells store. The 8,500-square-foot outlet is stocked with discontinued and end-of-season merchandise from the distribution center. Coldwater Creek spokesman David Gunter said the shop will carry apparel for the most ...
Wheeling Jesuit University Announces Undergraduate Tuition Increase
Feb 09, 2007; ... Tuition for undergraduate students at Wheeling Jesuit University will increase 2.9 percent for the 2007-08 academic year, school officials announced. With the increase, undergraduates will pay $22,690 next year, a $640 annual increase from the current $22,050. Officials at Jesuit ...
Window of Opportunity?
Feb 16, 2007; ... Here in West Virginia, coal's position as a major supplier of energy for the U.S. seems secure. "The reality is that we depend on coal for half of our electricity," said Alan Stagg, president of Stagg Resource Consultants in Charleston. "There are no viable alternatives for that half of ...
Cutting Edge, High Velocity
Feb 16, 2007; ... ASHTON - Mason County Road 80 winds through a serene landscape dotted with homes and small farms. On most days, little disrupts life along the peaceful country road. But occasionally, the generally tranquil setting is rattled by a sound one likely would not expect in this Ohio Valley ...
Governments Debate Climate-Energy Dilemma
Feb 16, 2007; ... West Virginia and the United States government are in familiar company these days. Both entities are stepping into an area many have already been - a land of long debates over global warming and greenhouse gases. trying to answer what if anything needs to be done to curb the emissions of ...
Nuclear Option Re-emerges in Energy Debate
Feb 16, 2007; ... The nation soon may be taking a second look at an energy source it turned its back on many years ago. Growing fear about fossil fuels and their link to global warming has national and state leaders searching for new, reliable and cheap sources of energy. And in that searching, ...
Efficiency Can Make Difference in Meeting Energy Needs
Feb 16, 2007; ... As lawmakers in Washington, D.C. consider ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, many are saying energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest way. The recent past, they say, is all we need for proof. During the past 30 years, better building codes, new appliances and other ...
Keith-Albee Group Works to Save Historic Theater
Feb 16, 2007; ... HUNTINGTON - Most theaters built in recent years have the latest in sound technology, state-of-the-art projection systems and comfortable stadium seating. Although most provide a pleasant experience, none in this area can come close to the aesthetics of the historic KeithAlbee Theater ...