The State Journal back issues from May 2007:
Building Business
May 04, 2007; ... By JULIET A. TERRY West Virginia prides itself on its entrepreneurial spirit and small business community. It takes a certain kind of motivation and creativity to start a new business. It also takes money and a lot of advice. "Liability is all over the place," said M.E. Yancosek ...
Commercial Power Users Fight Proposed Hike
May 04, 2007; ... An Allegheny Power rate increase under consideration now by the state Public Service Commission is too big, some industrial consumers say. The request, filed last July by Allegheny Power operating companies Monongahela Power Co. and Potomac Edison Co., is not the environmental control ...
Town Home Development Set to Open in Lewisburg
May 04, 2007; ... LEWISBURG - Town homes are not easy to find in this eastern West Virginia town. But that should change this summer with the opening of Blackbird Village, a 50-unit development. The new homes are near the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, said Thomas Reishman, manager of ...
Corporate Citizenship Project Hands Out $20,00 to Morgantown Charities
May 04, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - Learning about business also means learning to be a good community member. That's why West Virginia University students at the College of Business and Economics handed out $20,000 to local charities April 26. The students were participants in a class called the Corporate ...
Temporary Ramp, Communications Systems Added to I-70 Project
May 04, 2007; ... WHEELING - A temporary access ramp and a communications system between highway construction crews and Wheeling Hospital have been added to the upcoming $6.5 million Washington Avenue bridge replacement in Ohio County. The two-year project, which involves removing a three-lane structure ...
Society of Yeager Scholars Celebrates 20 Years
May 04, 2007; ... HUNTINGTON - Sixty years ago this October, West Virginia native Chuck Yeager pushed mankind's known limits as he piloted an experimental plane in the skies over southern California. It was during that flight in the Bell X-1 that Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier - ...
Shelter Vendors Want NIOSH Testing
May 04, 2007; ... Five companies have been approved to manufacture underground refuge chambers for West Virginia coal mines. None of the chamber models has been used in coal mines before, and few of them have been tested beyond computational analysis. Most of the vendor applications indicate they comply ...
Consol to Reduce Production at Southern W.Va. Mines
May 04, 2007; ... Consol Energy is scaling back production at some southern West Virginia mines until demand and pricing stabilize. Chief Financial Officer Bill Lyons said the company elected to reduce central Appalachian mine production "to reflect our expectation that demand and pricing for this coal ...
Avian Influenza H5N2 Hits State
May 04, 2007; ... About 25,000 turkeys were destroyed in Pendleton County because of "low pathogenically avian influenza H5N2," according to officials. "This came about due to regular surveillance performance done on every flock before it leaves the farm to be slaughtered," said Buddy Davidson, ...
Entrepreneurial Spirit Moves Bailey to Start WV Inc.
May 04, 2007; ... A couple of years ago, Jack Bailey started developing an idea for a new business that he was certain would work in West Virginia. A veteran journalist who had worked for newspapers around the state, Bailey wanted to start a publication aimed a being a resource for the state's business ...
Financial Services Champion Proud to Be 'Their Banker'
May 04, 2007; ... United Bank's Bill D'Alesio doesn't mind admitting some of his proudest moments come at community gatherings when people introduce him as "their banker, the one who put them in business." "Helping people, that's the best part of banking," said D'Alesio, vice president at United's Weirton ...
Berkeley Springs Homeopathic Business Reaches the World
May 04, 2007; ... It took a sickly goat, an empty wallet and whole lot of desperation to convince Joe Lillard Jr. that homeopathic medicine could work. Now, he's making a living from it, and his rapidly growing business, Washington Homeopathic Products, is shipping more than 1,700 West Virginiamade herbal ...
Home-Based Biz Champ Turns Bears Into Bucks
May 04, 2007; ... Jason Lynch has crafted so many stuffed animals, each with its own distinct look and personality, he's nearly run out of names for new ones. The bear business all started back in 1995 when Lynch and his friends from church were looking for a way to pass the time during a snow ...
Veteran Helps Fellow Soldiers Achieve Their Business Goals
May 04, 2007; ... David Ranck knows from personal experience that starting a small business is no easy task. Several years ago, Ranck owned a small grocery store in Beckley. The job was tough, but he enjoyed meeting new people and getting to talk to customers whom he viewed as friends. He eventually got ...
ProLogic CEO Keeps Company on Cutting Edge
May 04, 2007; ... ProLogic Chairman and CEO Jay Reddy has watched the Interstate 79 High Tech Corridor grow from its inception, and he believes it's not done growing. High Technology Corridor companies need to work together to sustain the growth of the past decade, Reddy said. "There needs to be ...
Young Entrepreneur Finds Success in Face of Difficulty
May 04, 2007; ... David Richards was a sophomore in college when he decided it was time to go into business for himself by opening up a 300-square-foot video game store in Philippi. That was in 2002, and today Richards has stores in both Fairmont and his hometown of Morgantown. Richards' two Game ...
Bookstore Manager's Mission: Reaching Out to Minorities
May 04, 2007; ... MARTINSBURG - For years, Ohio native Dorothy Roman earned a living as a manager at Shepherd University's campus bookstore while devoting many of her off hours to Christian service here as a member of Destiny Baptist Church. But in the fall of 2005, Roman's two worlds merged when she ...
Sims' United Talent Helping Businesses
May 04, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - Growing up in Charleston, Bradford Sims watched his father and grandfather run a business designed to help other businesses. Today, Sims continues that mission through United Talent, a staffing agency that helps businesses find temporary and fulltime employees. He is this ...
New McLure Owners Will Keep Hotel Open During Renovations
May 04, 2007; ... WHEELING - The new owners of the most historic hotel in this city's downtown district pledged to make vast improvements while remaining open and sustaining its current work force. Houston resident Fran Garey joined with B.J. Ulchak of BDF Hotels to purchase the McLure House Hotel and ...
Gradual Renovations Improve, Modernize Mercer County Airport
May 04, 2007; ... A long time coming, Mercer County Airport now is in the middle of upgrading its facility to ensure safety and comfort to customers. "We are gradually building the airport back up," said manager Randall Earnest, a retired deputy sheriff. Renovations began in 2004 and will consist ...
New Businesses Deal With Employee Liability
May 04, 2007; ... New business owners may not realize how many rules and regulations affect their entrepreneurial effort, and many of those regulations involve their employees. "There is a misperception out there that just because you hire an employee, you can turn around and discharge them for any ...
The PSD Puzzle
May 11, 2007; ... On the surface, the town of Pratt looks like just about any other small town in West Virginia. Tucked between mountains on one side and a river on the other, Pratt's 500 or so residents live mainly on one of a halfdozen streets with names like Kanawha Avenue and Washington ...
Imagine West Virginia Gets Under Way
May 11, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - Imagine West Virginia, the new public policy research, arm of Vision Shared, has developed a short list of policy areas that it will research for future policy recommendations. "What we've done is get from a 30,000-foot view down several thousand feet into key issue areas ...
Lawmakers Plan to Study Failing Utilities In West Virginia
May 11, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - The West Virginia Public Service Commission told legislators May 8 the problem of failing water and sewer systems is not getting better - it's getting worse. And the PSC wants the ability to step in and take stronger action than the law allows them today. "The ...
Pocahontas Struggles to Find Way to Treat Wastewater
May 11, 2007; ... SLATY FORK - Drive either way on State Route 219 in Pocahontas County, and you will see them - giant banners hung on barns deriding a plan to build a new wastewater treatment plant on the farm where the barns are located. Part of the opposition is the result of the local PSD wanting to ...
Marshall's New Recruitment Office Off to Busy Start
May 11, 2007; ... HUNTINGTON - Since fall 2006, recruiters at Marshall University have been busy reaching out to potential students. So far, it appears their efforts have been successful, said Jean Marie Gilman, director of recruiting. "We have seen an increase in applications," she said. "We ...
Wireless Technology to Aid Prospective Marshall Students
May 11, 2007; ... HUNTINGTON - Wireless technology is nothing new for students, faculty and staff at Marshall University. During the past decade, the school has leaped into the wireless age. Today, 90 percent of the campus uses wireless technology in classrooms, dorms and administrative areas. Now ...
Tri-State Ready to Build If Voters Back Referendum
May 11, 2007; ... Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center announced May 9 that it plans to make a $250 million investment to build a tourism and entertainment complex. The complex would include a 250-room hotel and a 12,000-seat multipurpose arena if Kanawha County voters approve a referendum June 9 to allow ...
Maxum Acquires Petroleum Products Inc.
May 11, 2007; ... Maxum Petroleum Inc. of Greenwich, Conn., has announced its acquisition of Petroleum Products Inc. of Charleston and two affiliated companies. "We are excited about the possibilities that being a part of a larger enterprise will provide," said Pat Graney, president of Petroleum Products ....
Follansbee Officials Say Sports Complex Will Fill Void
May 11, 2007; ... Follansbee Mayor Anthony Paesano said a proposed sports complex will fill two needs - provide youths and families with a recreational focal point while helping attract people and business to the community. "It helps in economic development," Paesano said. "The first thing they ask is how ...
Ormet Has Possible Buyer for Idled Ohio Rolling Mill
May 11, 2007; ... Wheeling-based Ormet Corp. may have found a buyer for its idled railing mill. Ormet Chairman Ken Campbell said the potential buyer has had an option to purchase the rolling mill property in Hannibal, Ohio, for several months. That same individual also has been negotiating a deal with ...
NIOSH Must Create Testing Protocol for Mine Shelters
May 11, 2007; ... The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said it plans to conduct safety testing on underground refuge chambers, but it first must develop a protocol that labor and the mining industry approve. "We will do testing to make sure the chambers will perform as advertised," ...
Burton: Workers' Comp Report Is Not About BrickStreet
May 11, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - BrickStreet Insurance, West Virginia's private workers' compensation insurance company, has come under fire for questionable spending highlighted in a report prepared by the state Legislative Auditor's Office. The problem? BrickStreet didn't exist when most of the spending ...
WesBanco Shareholders Elect New Directors, Chairman
May 11, 2007; ... WesBanco shareholders elected four new directors and a new chairman at their annual meeting recently. Elected chairman was James C. Gardill, who previously had served more than 23 years on the board including 13 as chairman. He succeeds Edward M. George, a retired president as well as ...
Oglebay Institute Presents 145 Works of Art
May 11, 2007; ... WHEELING - A talent search of sorts is staged each year during Oglebay Institute's "Crosscurrents" arts exhibit at the Stifel Fine Arts Center. This year's "Crosscurrents" showing began May 3 in the Stifel Center's Hart Gallery and will conclude June 15. The exhibit features 145 works ...
Symphony Embarks on Multi-Year Fundraising Campaign
May 11, 2007; ... The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is launching its first campaign in nearly 20 years, and it has a lofty goal - $8 million throughout five years to fund the symphony's future. Paul Helfrich, WVSO executive director, said the campaign is called "A New Vision for New Times," and it is ...
Goodstock Music Festival Set for July in Summersville
May 11, 2007; ... Larry McClurg and his band, Mind Garage, never made it to Woodstock. The West Virginia band had the chance to perform at the 1969 concert but decided against it. But now McClurg and original Woodstock organizer and promoter Artie Kornfeld are creating the Goodstock Music Festival to ...
Carnegie Hall Kids' College Welcomes Students to Lewisburg
May 11, 2007; ... LEWISBURG - Carnegie Hall Kids' College is preparing to begin its 15th year in July. The two-week program allows young people to explore the arts in classes ranging from knitting to drama to drawing. Rebekah Foster, education director at the Regional Arts and Education Center, said ...
West Virginia Public Theatre Changes Morgantown Plans
May 11, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - The West Virginia Public Theatre facility long planned for Morgantown's Wharf District has undergone changes. Originally planned as a freestanding theater, the cost was simply prohibitive, according to WVPT board member Neil Bucklew. "So we looked at some models of ...
Morgantown Arts Programs Try to Expand Economic Impact
May 11, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - As West Virginia University winds down for the school year, the infamous traffic moves smoothly and people stroll down High Street instead of hustling and bustling. One thing keeps hopping at a fast pace, though - the area's arts scene. "The arts become a little more local," ...
Museum Brings Marilyn Monroe To Huntington
May 11, 2007; ... HUNTINGTON - Marilyn Monroe has been gone for 44 years, but that isn't stopping her from being a featured presentation at the Huntington Museum of Art. The art museum will host the blockbuster show "Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe" from July 14 to Sept. 9. The show features more than ...
Wheeling Artisan Center Offers Haven for Artists
May 11, 2007; ... WHEELING - The Wheeling Artisan Center opened in 1996 to provide a place to celebrate the arts in the northern panhandle, and officials at the center have made that mission a reality throughout its three floors. The Wheeling National Heritage Area Corp. manages the arts center, located ...
Art, Drama, Dance Fill Youngsters' Summer
May 11, 2007; ... MARTINSBURG - Deceased though they may be, Andy Warhol, Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein will enliven this year's crop of summer workshops for children and teens at The Arts Centre. Shelley Aikens, the center's program director, said she came up with the idea of organizing the annual Young ...
After Proms Provide Safe Alternatives to High School Students
May 11, 2007; ... The party doesn't always end after the last song at some West Virginia proms. Many schools and parents offer after prom for students who want to continue the evening event with safe, supervised activities. "There were a number of fatal car accidents that involved high school kids ...
Vision Shared Inc. Seeks President to Help Organize, Plan, Raise Funds
May 11, 2007; ... Vision Shared Inc., the nonprofit corporation that started in 2000 as a volunteer-driven strategic economic development implementation plan, is continuing its evolution. The company is taking applications for the position of president, a person to oversee and champion Vision ...
Blueprint Communities Program Helping Shinnston, Salem
May 11, 2007; ... A new program by Federal Home Loan Bank Pittsburgh is helping two West Virginia towns plan ways to revitalize their communities. Shinnston and Salem are two of 10 West Virginia communities selected to the program that, if successful, will spread to more communities in Maryland next year, ...
Morgantown Ranks High in Annual National Surveys
May 11, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - Morgantown continues to rank highly among cities its size, as seen in two annual national rankings. Forbes Magazine rated Morgantown ninth among Best Small Places for Business and Careers for 2007. The city placed fifth in Inc. Magazine's Boomtowns 2007: Top 20 Small ...
Truckers Teach Safety Through 'Share the Road' Program
May 11, 2007; ... Albert Adams, 59, of Berlin City, Ohio, doesn't have a CB radio in his Roadway tractor-trailer. "It can get just as bad as a cell phone, and you can get tied up in a conversation," Adams said. "It takes 100 percent concentration, and it can be easy to miss something in just a ...
Main Street West Virginia Banquet Honors Successful 2006 Programs
May 11, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - The Main Street West Virginia annual banquet included a total of $50,000 in awards and honors May 2 at the Embassy Suites. The event celebrated successful 2006 projects by 13 certified Main Street programs throughout the state. Gov. Joe Manchin, who hosted the ...
Charleston Improves MSA Ranking
May 11, 2007; ... Policom Corp. recently ranked the Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area in the top one-third of 361 other MSAs in the United States. "This is something they do with all of the MSAs in the United States, and they send it out," said Andrew Dunlap, the economic development project ...
Seminar Focuses on Future of PRT in Morgantown
May 11, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - The future role of Personal Rapid Transit systems in Morgantown and elsewhere was the focus of a national seminar May 4-5. About 30 people from across the nation attended "PRT: Realities and Futures," a gathering organized by the Bostonbased Advanced Transit Association in ...
Lottery Commission Opposes Fast-Track
May 11, 2007; ... CHARLESTON - The West Virginia Family Foundation Inc. wants the Supreme Court of Appeals to act quickly on its lawsuit against the Lottery Commission regarding the new table games legislation. A self-proclaimed conservative Christian organization, the Family Foundation filed a writ of ...
Spilman Thomas & Battle Named Firm of the Year
May 11, 2007; ... Legal Aid of West Virginia Inc. has named Spilman Thomas & Battle the "2006 Firm of the Year" for contributing the most pro bono hours to its Pro Bono Referral Project in the past year. Spilman attorneys handled a variety of cases including domestic violence, family law, consumer ...
Earthwork Still Stalled on Development at The Highlands
May 11, 2007; ... WHEELING - While members of the Ohio County Commission recently announced the opening dates for 16 new businesses for The Highlands development site, earthwork on areas remains stalled pending approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Commissioner David Sims said the wait for ...
Preservation Conference Will Highlight Ways to Build, Preserve Identity
May 11, 2007; ... WHEELING - The tri-state region including east Ohio, the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and western Pennsylvania currently is in jeopardy of losing its historical identity, according to the keynote speaker for next week's Preservation Alliance of West Virginia Conference. August R ....
The Research Payoff
May 18, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - Decades in the making, the research enterprise at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center at West Virginia University is taking off. Funding is rising dramatically, more than doubling during the past three years. About why this is happening now, interim Vice ...
Miners Rally Against Court Rulings
May 18, 2007; ... During the past few months, the future of hundreds of miners has been in the hands of West Virginia-based federal judges. Now, miners and community members in the places where the mines operate are trying to make sure everyone understands what the cost of those decisions could be in both ...
WVU Realizes Payoffs from Research Investment
May 18, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - The strategic plan for research at West Virginia University's Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center is starting to show real payoff. Unveiled in November 2004. the plan targets six areas: * cancer; * cardiovascular disease, or health of the heart and blood ...
Cardiovascular Health Linked to Air Pollution
May 18, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - When the circulation systems of young female rats behave differently than male and older rats' systems, it can make a researcher's day. "We had no idea that this was going to happen," Timothy R. Nurkiewicz, assistant professor at the West Virginia University School of ...
WVU Focuses Research on Inflammatory Bowel Disease
May 18, 2007; ... MORGANTOWN - Although they may not discuss it with even their closest friends, many West Virginians suffer from inflammatory bowel disease. Researchers at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center at West Virginia University are studying the problem. Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, ...
Report Shows U.S. Health Care Has High Cost, Poor Quality
May 18, 2007; ... A new report on the quality of health care systems in some of the world's richest countries does not have good news for the United States. The Commonwealth Fund released its report May 15 in which it compared the health systems of Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United ...
Arcelor Mittal Sees Big Profit For Quarter
May 18, 2007; ... Arcelor Mittal posted a $2.25 billion joint profit for the first quarter 2007, up 40 percent from the same three-month period a year ago. "We had a very strong quarter, especially when you compare it to our (first-quarter) 2006 results," Chief Financial Officer Additya Mittal said. "In ...
Groups Unite to Forge Plan for Wheeling Waterfront
May 18, 2007; ... WHEELING - Four organizations involved with economic revitalization in the Northern Panhandle have united to fund a new concept development plan for the city's waterfront area. Environmental Planning and Design Inc. of Pittsburgh will be commissioned for $70,000 within the next two weeks ...
New Materials May Help Accelerate Wheeling Tunnel Repairs
May 18, 2007; ... WHEELING - Officials of the West Virginia Division of Highways in District 6 soon will test the advice offered by a tunnel construction expert from Canada in an attempt to accelerate the lagging Wheeling Tunnel renovation project. The project, already a week past its projected completion ...
NIOSH Tests Mine Safety on Many Fronts
May 18, 2007; ... PITTSBURGH - Protecting coal miners from poor air quality and accidents is a top priority at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's Pittsburgh Research Laboratory. The lab is part of NIOSH's Office for Mining Safety and Health Research, and scientists at the facility ...