The State Journal back issues from August 2008:
Forestry Company Acquires Rights to Remote Mapping System for Woods
Aug 01, 2008; ... Morgantown-based precision forestry company ImageTree Corp. announced July 15 that it has signed a 12-year agreement for North American licensing rights to Blom Group's lidar technology. Lidar, a remote-sensing system used to aerially collect topographic data, is a critical component of ...
Dominion Plans $1 Billion Natural Gas Project
Aug 01, 2008; ... As West Virginia's natural gas industry grows, producers want to move more gas across and out of the state. Now, Dominion Transmission is proposing a $1 billion project to help get that gas to eastern markets. The utility presented its Appalachian Gateway proposal at a July 22 ...
Wheeling Jesuit Plans to Use Historic Former School
Aug 01, 2008; ... The Sisters of the Visitation have found a new use for Mount de Chantal, their historic school building. Sister Joanne Gonter said Wheeling Jesuit University plans to house some of its academic programs on the campus of the former all girls' school. Once all the details have been ...
Matheny Motors Muscles Up for Sales, Shipping, Repairs
Aug 01, 2008; ... MINERAL WELLS - I love when West Virginia surprises me the proud awe I feel when I find something or someone doing great things while tucked among the mountainous nooks and rhododendron-covered crannies. I've also often thought how I must travel I-77 more than any other person in the ...
Lawmakers Weigh Benefit Change for Corrections Officers
Aug 01, 2008; ... CHARLESTON - Saying they need find ways to recruit new people, the directors of the West Virginia's three incarceration systems are asking state lawmakers to study creating a new retirement system for correctional officers. Correctional officers currently are in the state's Public ...
Greenbrier Resort Prepares for State Amateur Golf Tournament
Aug 01, 2008; ... Phillip Reale is used to stress. As a lobbyist who works with t e West Virginia Legislature, it comes with his job. He is used to dealing with that kind of pressure, but during last year's West Virginia Amateur Golf Tournament, he faced a different kind of stress. He watched his ...
Charleston GIS Center Helps Chesapeake Formulate Strategy
Aug 01, 2008; ... CHARLESTON - From offices tucked away on the 10th floor of Chesapeake Energy's base of operations in the capital city, Keith Bell and the rest of the GIS department are sorting through mountains of data. The 10-person department is responsible for collecting data from all the company's ...
MediaNews Group Says it Never Sold Daily Mail
Aug 01, 2008; ... The newspaper chain that used to control the Charleston Daily Mail said it never "sold" the newspaper to the owners of The Charleston Gazette. In court documents filed recently in federal court, MediaNews Group Inc. lawyers stated emphatically that the company never sold the Daily Mail ...
Insurance Coverage Plays Major Part in Chronic Care
Aug 01, 2008; ... Chronic diseases are among the most prevalent, costly and preventable of all health problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and West Virginia's numbers lead the pack. The CDC's fact sheet for West Virginia shows the state is the second most rural state in ...
Report Gives Development Office Passing Grade
Aug 01, 2008; ... CHARLESTON - A new report has given the West Virginia Economic Development Authority a passing grade on its handling of loans to businesses and development projects, although it found the authority had to pay $4 million for breaking its own rule for insuring the loans. The report was ...
Defeated DRILL Act Looks for Leased Land Overhaul
Aug 01, 2008; ... The House of Representatives' Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall, D-W.Va., led the battle cry for H.R. 6515, known as the Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands, or DRILL Act Jul 17, but he couldn't rally enough House votes to clear it for debate in the Senate. The Act looked ...
Dickirson Corp. to Celebrate 50 Years of Building Oil, Gas Rigs
Aug 01, 2008; ... RIPLEY - In just a few months, a Ripley-based company will celebrate 50 years in the oil and gas business. The Dickirson Corp. builds drilling rigs and other equipment for an industry that is known for its ups and downs, said David Dickirson, president. "We've always done the ...
Weirton Gets EPA Grant to Clean Up Abandoned School
Aug 01, 2008; ... A $200,000-federal brownfields grant will allow the city of Weirton to get rid of an old grade school that has fallen into disrepair since its doors closed more than a decade ago. The 80-year-old Cove School, abandoned in 1991, was riddled with contaminants, including asbestos, and over ...
2008 Health Care Hero Patsy Haslam Dies at 66
Aug 01, 2008; ... BECKLEY - is year's State Journal Health Care Hero for Community Service, Mountain State University's Patsy Haslam, died of natural causes July 25 at her home near Beckley. She was 66. Haslam retired June 30 as dean of Mountain State's School of Health Sciences. She helped found the ...
MARC to Commuters: 'Sorry' About Train Delays
Aug 01, 2008; ... MARTINSBURG - Thousands of MARC commuters got an apology last week for frequently late trains, but the efforts already under way to improve service carry a high price. MARC service has "fallen far below what customers expect or deserve," Maryland Transit Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld ...
Tri-State Race Track Places Its Chips on Table Gaming
Aug 01, 2008; ... CHARLESTON - One of the first jobs that Rich Tesler landed in his 30 years in the casino business was as a dealer. He later rose through the ranks to become the guy who kept an eye out for pesky MIT students and other gamblers who used card counting to skew blackjack odds in their ...
Hino Motor's Williamstown Plant Set to Expand
Aug 01, 2008; ... WILLIAMSTOWN - Less than a year after the first truck rolled off its Wood County assembly line, Hino Motor Manufacturing USA is planning to double its daily production of commercial trucks, a plant official said. The plant will ramp up production by September, said Joe Chronley, plant ...
Report: Income for W.Va Residents Went Up in 2007
Aug 01, 2008; ... Some West Virginians are walking around with a little more money in their pockets, according to new data released by WORKFORCE West Virginia. The average West Virginia worker earned $34,001 in 2007, a 3.9 percent increase from the year before. At the same time, average annual employment ...
Financial Company Takes Over Pete Dye Golf Club
Aug 01, 2008; ... BRIDGEPORT - Financial problems have prompted the sale of Bridgeport's Pete Dye Golf Club. In a letter to the club's members, club President James J. LaRosa announced the sale to Textron Financial Corp. The letter says the current economic downturn is forcing the ...
Environmentalist Says "Clean Coal" Technology is a Myth
Aug 01, 2008; ... CHARLESTON - The same day two energy companies announced plans to build West Virginia's first coal-to-gasoline plant, a spokeswoman for one of the state's largest environmental groups was trying to convince state lawmakers that coal-to-liquids technology would be a step in the wrong ...
Pharmaceutical 'Data Mining' Focus of Inquiry
Aug 01, 2008; ... CHARLESTON - ,West Virginians take more prescription drugs on average than their counterparts in other states and the costs of those drugs are rising. Some people believe the reason for the latter is because drug companies are specifically targeting populations by purchasing databases ...
Marshall County Lands Coal-to-Liquid Project
Aug 01, 2008; ... CONSOL Energy and Houston-based Synthesis Energy Systems, the two companies bankrolling a new, $800 million coal-to-liquid plant in Marshall County, say it just makes sense to build it in West Virginia. CONSOL and SES are teaming up in a joint venture, Northern Appalachia Fuel LLC, to ...
Workers Learn to Adjust as Fuel Prices Soar
Aug 01, 2008; ... Allen Johnson drives his personal car up to 44,000 miles a year selling and servicing Rainbow cleaners. His area extends south as far as Huttonsville and east into Maryland. He doesn't see a dime of compensation for gas, insurance or wear and tear on his vehicle until tax ...
PATH Advocates to Offer Information on Proposed $1.8 Billion Line
Aug 01, 2008; ... Advocates of the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline proposed from the Kanawha Valley to central Maryland have scheduled open houses to provide the public information about the estimated $1.8 billion project. PJM Interconnection, a regional organization that oversees the U.S ....
WVU Looks Close to Home for Engineering Students
Aug 01, 2008; ... MORGANTOWN - As the state steps up its efforts to quench the thirst of a fuel-thirsty country, the West Virginia University College of Engineering and Mineral Resources' petroleum and natural gas department is heavily recruiting new engineers. A big part of the recruitment takes place ...
CHRONICALLY ILL
Aug 01, 2008; ... The West Virginia Health Statistics Center named chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis and cancer as the leading causes of death in West Virginia, and the cost for chronic care is a heavy burden shared among all mountain state residents. Chronic illnesses are a rung on an economic ...
Charles Town Firm Brings Local History to TV
Aug 08, 2008; ... KEARNEYSVILLE - While many television viewers across West Virginia and Virginia would describe "Road Trip to History" programs as fascinating, the program's creator Wayne Bronson feels his job goes far beyond mere entertainment. When Bronson takes his camera and sound equipment into a ...
Better World Club Helps Drivers While Protecting the Planet
Aug 08, 2008; ... Drivers in West Virginia and elsewhere who want to protect the environment while driving have an option these days. Since 2002, Better World Club has offered roadside assistance, insurance and travel planning to its members while actively working to help clean the environment and keep it ...
Is the Panhandle Still a Bargain for Commuters?
Aug 08, 2008; ... BUNKER HILL - When you drive 180 or more miles to work each day as some Eastern Panhandle commuters do, gas station fill-ups at $4 per gallon add up to big money fast. Nonetheless, area real estate agents predict higher gas prices will not end the trend of Washington area workers buying ...
Jefferson Dinner Showcases Locally Produced Foods
Aug 08, 2008; ... Peaches with raspberry sauce and West Virginia wine helped to kick off Jefferson County's first catered farm dinner to showcase locally grown and raised foods and the farms that produce them. The event's organizer, Fresh Feast on the Farm owner Jane Tabb, hopes the event will bring an ...
Soul Food: Charles Town Church is Home to Eatery
Aug 08, 2008; ... CHARLES TOWN - With hundreds of people coming every day to Oakland Church for Bible studies, sports, preschool classes, church services in Spanish and other happenings, leaders of the Charles Town congregation quickly found themselves with three problems: breakfast, lunch and dinner. "We ...
Officials, Business Owners Propose Customs Port in Bridgeport
Aug 08, 2008; ... CLARKSBURG - Ports of Entry, bonded warehouses and Foreign Trade Zones are part of the vocabulary of the world marketplace, but they don't exist in north central West Virginia - yet. An unofficial group of business owners and elected officials has been meeting for months, with the goal ...
Berkeley County Assessor's Office Tries 4-Day Work Week
Aug 08, 2008; ... Imagine having a three-day weekend every weekend. That's the option given to the staff of the Berkeley County Assessor's Office, and, according to county Assessor Preston Gooden, it's working fine. "They actually love it because it gives them a long weekend," he said. In ...
State Fair Pumps Up Greenbrier County Economy
Aug 08, 2008; ... FAIRLEA - With West Virginia's Biggest Garden Party as the theme, the State Fair of West Virginia will open its gates Aug. 8 for the a nine-day run. The crowds for annual event give a major boost to the area's economy, according to Marlene Pierson-Jolliffe, State Fair manager "In ...
More Seek Help With Food, Rent, Health Care
Aug 08, 2008; ... CHARLES TOWN - Michele Goldman is hearing the sentence "I never thought I'd be here asking for help" more than ever these days. Goldman, the director of the Eastern Panhandle Free Clinic in Charles Town, said she's heard those words come out of the mouths of all sorts of people who come ...
New Drug-Testing Rules Lead to Confusion
Aug 08, 2008; ... CHARLESTON - A new state law that took effect at the beginning of July requires contractors working for the state to go the extra step when drug testing employees, but so far it has cost one contractor a job. MEC Construction of Bridgeport lost out on a state Department of Transportation ...
Bush Addresses Coal Association With Energy Solutions
Aug 08, 2008; ... WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - It may have seemed easy enough to predict the topic of the day at the West Virginia Coal Association annual meeting July 31, but coal was only one energy word in a string of many. "I want to talk about energy today," President George W. Bush told the crowd of ...
MTR Gaming Considers Selling Assets, Cutting Debt
Aug 08, 2008; ... MTR Gaming CEO Ted Arneault said the board of directors is willing to sell more noncore assets to cut corporate debt. The board's focus, Arneault told analysts during a conference call discussing the company's second quarter numbers, is to maximize shareholder value through a variety of ...
Parkersburg Eyes Baseball Team
Aug 08, 2008; ... Some Wood County officials are studying the possibility of bringing a minor league baseball club to the community. "We're talking about it, doing a little planning to see whether we can come up with a strategy that would provide the type of facility necessary," said Keith Burdette, ...
Short Lines, Excursion Rails, See Steady Business
Aug 08, 2008; ... High fuel prices have been both a burden and a blessing for tourist railroads in West Virginia. The surge in prices means railroads that run diesel locomotives must pay more, but those higher fuel costs also mean more people are staying closer to home for vacations, said Cindy Butler, ...
State PSC's TrAIL Decision Draws Reactions
Aug 08, 2008; ... MORGANTOWN - Approval Aug. 1 of a 500-kilovolt power line across northern West Virginia by the state Public Service Commission quickly drew two significant reactions. Gov. Joe Manchin affirmed that he will propose a new transmission tax - and threatened to oppose the line if the tax is ...
State Inspectors Have Hands Full With Railroads
Aug 08, 2008; ... West Virginia has more than 2,000 miles of railroads, according to the West Virginia Department of Transportation. Ten state inspectors and some federal railroad officials are responsible for inspecting all those miles of tracks, a job that keeps them busy, said Ira Baldwin, of the West ...
Anywhere But Ansted, Alderson or Anmoore (Again)
Aug 08, 2008; ... Forbes Magazine recently released its 2008 rankings of the best states to do business, and for the second year in a row it placed the economic dunce cap on West Virginia, asking it to sit in the corner of last place. And to one economist, the diagnosis is that the Mountain State is ...
Berkeley, Jefferson Brave More School Enrollment Bumps
Aug 08, 2008; ... As students in the Eastern Panhandle prepare for the upcoming school year, boards of education are preparing for surges in enrollment as best they can. So far this year, they seem to be winning the fight. "We're in the process of planning a new elementary school, so that will ...
Heartland Corridor, Intermodal Facility Move Forward
Aug 08, 2008; ... Getting products to and from international markets could be made easier in West Virginia by the fall of 2010 thanks to two public/private partnership projects that are slowly transforming part of southwestern West Virginia. The Heartland Corridor and the Prichard Intermodal facility both ...
Severstal Acquisition Includes Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel
Aug 08, 2008; ... OAO Severstal Inc., the Russian steelmaker aiming to increase its toehold in the U.S. steel industry, has completed its acquisition of Esmark Inc., a deal that includes Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel. Severstal purchased nearly 39 million Esmark shares - about 94 percent - prior to the Aug. 4 ...
St. Albans-Based Jefferds Corp. Shows off Railcar Moving Machine
Aug 08, 2008; ... ST. ALBANS - Moving boxcars around a railroad yard takes a lot of horsepower. Normally, West Virginia companies that need cars moved must wait for the railroad to schedule a locomotive to pay them a visit. But that's not the only way to get the job done, said Richard Sinclair, of ...
Rail Revival
Aug 08, 2008; ... Rails around the nation have been rumbling more in recent years than they have in a long time. After decades of decline, railroads are making a comeback as a viable way for businesses to get their goods to and from market - at least for some businesses, according to industry and state ...
States Look at 'Recycling' Medicine for the Poor
Aug 08, 2008; ... CHARLESTON - It's not just newspapers and aluminum cans that can be recycled. A growing number of states are putting in place laws allowing medical facilities to "recycle" prescription medications in an effort to get medicine to low-income individuals. Among them are Virginia and Ohio, ...
Construction Boom Builds Opportunities for Apprentices
Aug 15, 2008; ... MORGANTOWN - A burst of construction activity in north-central West Virginia is providing opportunities for trades apprentices statewide. "Right now we're really at full capacity -we've got a lot of projects and a lot of work," said Natalie Stone, executive director of the North Central ...
Weston Native's Book Helps Others Find Meaning at Work
Aug 15, 2008; ... Jeff Garton doesn't expect people to be happy or sad when they are at their job. He simply hopes they can find contentment. Garton, who grew up in Weston, recently wrote a book, "Career Contentment: Don't Settle For Anything Less," about how people relate to their work and how to find a ...
Wood County Leaders Say Work Camp was 'Missed Opportunity'
Aug 15, 2008; ... The state corrections department wants no part of turning the old Wood County jail into a work camp for non-violent offenders. Wood County Commissioners Rick Modesitt and Blair Couch were advised Monday that after nearly two years of discussion, the Division of Corrections has decided to ...
The Highlands Still Playing Waiting Game
Aug 15, 2008; ... The Ohio County Development Authority is still waiting for permits that would clear the way for construction of a theme park at The Highlands. Commissioner Tim McCormick said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers still has not made a decision on the permits, though they're optimistic that ...
Aloias Pledge to be Part of Concord Community
Aug 15, 2008; ... ATHENS - Reiterating what his predecessor often valued as being a part of Concord University and the surrounding community, Greg Aloia stressed the importance of family values and education while speaking at a luncheon Aug. 8. Aloia, selected as CU's 10th president, recently arrived in ...
Longview Developers Revise Water Cooling Plan
Aug 15, 2008; ... MORGANTOWN - Developers of Longview, the 695-megawatt coal-fired power plant slated to go online north of Morgantown in 2010, have changed their plan for cooling water. Originally designed to use treated acid mine water from a nearby mine, the plant will instead pump water from the ...
UC Hopes for Starry Night to Shine on Campus' Growth
Aug 15, 2008; ... Dinner and dancing are still on the plate for University of Charleston's "Starry Starry Night" gala, with Hollywood star and hometown local Jennifer Garner in tow. The fundraising effort comes right in the middle of a building push by the university and a 50 percent increase in student ...
HealthCare Heroes
Aug 15, 2008; ... The health care profession is full of people who dedicate their lives to helping others with no expectation of any praise, accolades or honors. But The State Journal, in cooperation with sponsors StreetSelect by BrickStreet and Care Partners home infusion services, took time Aug. 8 to ...
AARP Asks Companies to Look at 401(k) Enrollment
Aug 15, 2008; ... The AARP is asking employers to make a simple change to the 401(k) retirement plans they offer employees, saying the added cost of doing so will be made up through the recruitment and retention of employees and will mitigate the loss of defined benefit pensions. The national organization ...
Preston County Resort Eyes Adding New Water Park
Aug 15, 2008; ... BRUCETON MILLS - Big Bear Lake Campland is adding a $2.3 million water park, but people have to own property there or be invited by someone who does to get their feet wet. People who own houses or campsites at the private Preston County retreat are excited at the prospect of Bear Foot ...
After Nearly 90 Years, Inwood Apple Plant to Close
Aug 15, 2008; ... INWOOD - Even though the Eastern Panhandle now has more housing developments than orchards, 92-year-old Glenda Hardy said the news that Knouse Foods would shut down its nearby applesauce plant left her surprised. "I'd heard things were slowing down, but I didn't expect to see the plant ...
Family Serves Italian Fare in Princeton
Aug 15, 2008; ... PRINCETON - Although previous businesses have not been successful in keeping their doors open just off U.S. 460, new owners of the former Johnson Inn Restaurant believe they have what it takes to succeed. Renee Woolwine, co-owner of Dominic's Italian Restaurant with her husband, Eric, ...
Main Street W.Va. Unveils Program to Keep Communities ON TRAC
Aug 15, 2008; ... Main Street West Virginia wants to fix the state's curbside appeal, no matter how small the main street. The new ON TRAC, or Organization, Training, Revitalization and Capacity, program, will accept applications for its first 15 participating communities until Oct. 1. Born out of ...
Imagine W.Va. Forum to Review Policy Issues Related to Coal
Aug 15, 2008; ... CHARLESTON - The future of West Virginia coal is on the minds of a lot of state leaders these days. And next week, officials with the West Virginia Coal Forum want state leaders to focus on the policy recommendations outlined in a report by Imagine West Virginia. That report will be the ...
Potential Shale Quarry Facing Resistance
Aug 15, 2008; ... Water quality and property are on one side of a permitting process and a potential shale quarry is on the other, with 26 homes on Destiny Drive in the middle. Continental Brick Company, which is the only brick manufacturing facility in West Virginia, has been in the same spot - just ...
CONSOL to Resume Limited Production at Shoemaker
Aug 15, 2008; ... Development issues at other mines during the second quarter forced CONSOL Energy to resume limited production at the Shoemaker operation, something it didn't expect to do until 2010. The mine, idled in 2006 while a new, underground belt haulage system was installed, is expected to run ...