CONSOL Mine to Reopen Wednesday Following Fire

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- A mine straddling the Pennsylvania-West Virginia line that was closed March 12 by a fire is set to reopen.

CONSOL Energy Inc. says state and federal officials have given the company the green light to re-enter the Blacksville No. 2 mine on Wednesday, provided that atmospheric testing allows.

The mine was evacuated two weeks ago when smoke began pouring from the Orndoff shaft in Wayne Township, Pa.

About 120 workers have been idled while CONSOL pumped in water and nitrogen to extinguish the fire. The company said testing indicates the fire has been snuffed.

The mine produces approximately 400,000 tons of coal per month.

W.Va. Municipal Gun Laws Likely to Remain

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia Senate President Jeffrey Kessler says a bill that would eliminate municipal gun restrictions in four cities is unlikely to proceed.

The bill passed the House with overwhelming support and recent rallies have urged its passage in the Senate.

The bill has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Government Organization.

Committee Chairman Herb Snyder said he has received threats related to the bill's passage. Kessler said Tuesday that those threats were part of the reason for stalling the bill.

Kessler also says that the affected cities are resisting the bill. He says that if people want those city laws overturned, they should work at the local level to do that.

Putnam Co. Sheriff Deputies Complete Underage Alcohol Compliance Check

PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. -- The West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration and the Putnam County Sheriff's Department conducted a series of underage alcohol compliance checks on 30 convenience stores and bars throughout the county.

Deputies say seven businesses sold to an underage informant. They issued citations to seven salesclerks and bartenders who made the illegal sale.

Following is a list of businesses in non-compliance:

§                       Winfield Quick Stop, 3502A Winfield Road, Winfield

§                       Dollar General Store, 3274 Winfield Road, Winfield

§                       George's Inn, 324 Cross Lanes Drive, Nitro

§                       Prima 7-11, 707 Winfield Road, St. Albans

§                       Par Mar Store, 3890 Teays Valley Road, Hurricane

§                       Smoker Friendly's Liquor Plus, 200 Great Teays Center, Scott Depot

§                       Clark's Pump N Shop, Route 35, Frazier's Bottom

Following is a list on businesses in compliance:

·  Rite Aid Pharmacy, 4016 S.R. 34, Hurricane·  Eleanor Pool Room, 301 D. Roosevelt Avenue, Eleanor·  D's 34 Tavern, Rt. 1 Box 114, Red House·  Par Mar Store, 2665 Main Street, Hurricane·  Dollar General Store, 3554 Teays Valley Road, Hurricane·  Rite Aid Pharmacy, 3114 Teays Valley Road, Hurricane·  Little General Store, 4044 Teays Valley Road, Scott Depot·  Kroger, 302 Teays Center, Scott Depot·  Big K-Mart, 101 Great Teays Blvd., Scott Depot·  Magic Mart, 300 Liberty Square Shopping Center, Hurricane·  Go Mart, Route 2 Box 4, Poca·  One Stop, 184 Main Street, Poca·  Buffalo Tiger Mart, 4200 Buffalo Road, Buffalo·  Rite Aid Pharmacy, 101-A Roosevelt Blvd., Eleanor·  Eleanor Foodland, Route 62, Eleanor·  Speedway Station, 3399 Winfield Road, Winfield·  Pilot Travel Center, 4304 First Avenue, Nitro·  Little General Store, 2402, US-60, Hurricane·  Go Mart, 415 Hurricane Creek Road, Scott Depot·  Sheetz, 104 SR 19, Hurricane·  Fruth Pharmacy, 4012 Teays Valley Road, Scott Depot·  CVS Pharmacy, 3901 Teays Valley Road, Hurricane·  Dollar General Store, 4000 Buffalo Road, Buffalo

EPA Adds to W.Va.'s List of Impaired Waterways

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal regulators say the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection improperly left 255 streams totaling 1,000 miles off a list of impaired waterways it submitted for approval last fall.

The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday they must be added to comply with the federal Clean Water Act.

In January, environmental groups threatened to sue EPA if it didn't force West Virginia to enforce the law.

They accused the DEP of colluding with polluters to help them avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs.

They also criticized lawmakers for passing weaker water-quality standards last year.

Spokeswoman Kathy Cosco says DEP won't challenge EPA's ruling, but it needs more time to write the state's new rules.

EPA will publish its decision April 15 then take public comment for 30 days.

W.Va. Seat Belt Bill Set for House Vote Thursday

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia's House of Delegates is back on track to vote on whether to allow traffic stops for failure to wear a seat belt.

Legislation making that violation a primary offense has idled since the House Judiciary Committee endorsed it March 12.

The bill had advanced on a narrow 13-11 vote. Opponents argue seat belt use is a matter of personal responsibility. Supporters estimate it would boost seat belt use by up to 7 percent.

The House Rules Committee returned the bill to the active schedule on Monday. It's up for a vote on passage Thursday.

West Virginia is among 16 states that treat failure to wear a seat belt as a secondary offense. That means drivers can be cited only when they're pulled over for some other violation.

Plans for Huntington Skate Park Move Forward

HUNTINGTON, W.Va.– Plans for a more than $130,000 skate park continue to move forward in Huntington.

On Monday night, Huntington City Council members passed the first reading of an ordinance allowing officials to enter into a contract for the development and design of the park. It will be built at Harris Riverfront Park.

Members say this is a positive for the community.

As referenced, the project will cost more than $130,000 to complete and will be done in three phases. A time table has not yet been set.

House of Delegates gets involved in Patriot Coal controversy

Marion County Delegate Mike Caputo is making no apologies for his Jan. 29 arrest in St. Louis in connection with the Patriot Coal controversy.

Caputo, a longtime member of the UMWA, talked about the civil disobedience arrest Monday during a House floor speech in support of a resolution calling for Patriot to live up to its promises.

The United Mine Workers Union is waging a campaign against Patriot and its bankruptcy case. The union maintains the company was set up to fail by Peabody and Arch coal companies so the companies wouldn’t have to pay benefits to retired miners and their families.

Caputo says pension health care benefits from Patriot produce $200 million a year in health care spending in West Virginia. He told fellow delegates allowing the companies to be relieved from their obligations would be an economic hit. But Caputo focused most of his remarks on retired miners who are in danger of losing their pension benefits.

“If they get away with this many people who are dependent on life-saving medications just simply won’t be able to afford it and they will die. There’s just no nice way to put that, they will die,” Caputo said.

In a statement released last week Peabody called the UMWA’s designed to fail claim “a desperate attempt to rewrite history.” The company says Patriot Coal was highly successful in its first five years but purchased Magnum Coal in 2008 and after that ”a series of other unforeseen events affecting all coal producers followed – all on Patriot’s watch.”

Peabody says it has lived up to its obligations and continues to do so.

Caputo strongly disagrees.

“Arch promised. Arch lied. Peabody promised. Peabody lied,” the delegate said Monday.

The UMWA has a large rally scheduled for next Monday in Charleston.

The House resolution passed 93-4 with Republican delegates Troy Andes, J.B. McCuskey, Marty Gearheart and John Overington voting against it.

Beer tax bill moved off agenda

A proposed bill that would double the state’s beer, wine and liquor tax took a big step backward Monday when the chairman of the House Health Committee removed it from the agenda.

Chairman Don Perdue, D-Wayne, supports the bill and is the one and only sponsor of it. Perdue’s bill would double the per-barrel tax from $5.50 to $11.00. The additional money would be used to fund substance abuse services in the state.

Perdue says he agreed not to move the bill forward but he still believes it’s a good idea.

“I think it needs to happen and I was hopeful the (Tomblin) administration would see this as an opportunity to do something profound,” Perdue said.

The House of Delegates will soon be dealing with the governor’s prison overcrowding bill that includes a provision for substance abuse programs for those who have been in jail in hopes of reducing recidivism. Perdue says those programs will need funding and doubling the beer tax would have been a way to do it.

Del. Perdue says the beer lobby should get behind the idea.

“I don’t want to lose the opportunity to continue to reinforce to the industry that they can voluntarily step up and be the help that we need,” Perdue said. “They could be supportive of the State of West Virginia in a very profound way at a very, very, very minimal cost.”

Perdue says he plans to continue to push the issue.

Case against former Pike View High School teacher heading to grand jury

The next stop for the case against a former Pike View High School teacher accused of sexual misconduct with students is in front of the grand jury.

Jonathan Kirk, 34, waived his preliminary hearing in Mercer County Magistrate Court Monday morning.

Kirk, who turned himself in last Monday to State Police, is charged with sexual abuse. He is also accused of using minors to film sexually explicit conduct and using obscene matter with intent to seduce a minor.

The allegations against Kirk involve multiple female students at Pike View High.

Kirk was serving as a physical education teacher and an assistant coach at the school at the time of the alleged incidents.

Four charged in Alpha Natural Resources false billing scheme

Three former employees of Alpha Natural Resources and the president of a mine equipment company are facing charges in connection with a false billing scheme.

Edward Ellis Mullins, 41, of Peytona, Joey R. Phalin, 36, of Crab Orchard, Nicholas R. Coleman, 29, of Lester, and Donald Bryan Steele, 43, of Barboursville, have been charged by information with wire fraud and aiding and abetting.

Mullins, Phalin and Coleman are former local “sourcing agents” for Massey Energy legacy mines operated along WV Route 3 in Boone and Raleigh counties.

Sourcing agents were generally responsible for ordering goods and services for mining operations from Alpha suppliers.

Steele is the owner of M&S Hydraulics, a major Alpha supplier with offices in Barboursville and a rebuild shop in Switzer.

According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, an investigation revealed that Mullins, Phalin and Coleman participated in an illegal scheme to obtain goods for their own personal benefit.

The investigation further revealed that the three men, working in conjunction with Steele, hid numerous illegal transactions by creating false invoices. The false invoices, prepared by M&S, were intended to look like legitimate purchases, but were really used to provide cash, gifts and other things of value to Mullins, Phalin, Coleman and other Alpha employees.

The scheme lasted from at least February 2007 through at least June 2012.

Mullins, Phalin, Coleman and Steele have agreed to plead guilty and are cooperating with the ongoing investigation. All four men each face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Huntington landlord pleads guilty to distributing drugs

A Huntington landlord could spend up to two decades in prison when sentenced for distributing drugs.

Jerry A. Lowe, 46, pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to distribution of a quantity of oxycodone.

Lowe admitted in court to selling three 30-milligram oxycodone tablets in exchange for $90. he also admitted to receiving an additional $210 from a prior drug related debt.

Lowe was the former landlord of convicted felons Rafael Cee-Erwin Solomon, 31, of Detroit and Shawna Danielle Lee, 26, of Huntington. Lowe admitted to accepting heroin or prescription painkillers from the tenants as payment for monthly rent expenses.

Solomon was previously sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, oxycodone, and oxymorphone in December.

Lowe faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on June 24.

New director of the General Services Division chosen

A new director of the General Services Division has been chosen.

Cabinet Secretary of Administration Ross Taylor Monday announced the selection of Gregory Melton of Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Taylor has recently served as the Group Leader and Maintenance Manager for the Maintenance and Site Services Division at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Taylor also served in the United State Air Force in various capacities, including Vice Commander of the 10 Air Base Wing.

As director, Taylor will oversee the buildings and grounds at the State Capitol Complex as well as other state-owned buildings throughout West Virginia.

Taylor will begin serving as director on April 1.

Fire Destroys Out Building in Lincoln County

LINCOLN COUNTY, W.Va. -- Flames destroyed an out building in West Hamlin Saturday afternoon.

Officials say three different fire departments responded.

Firefighters with the Salt Rock Volunteer Fire Department say the fire started while the homeowners were burning off a garden spot.

They say the fire was left unattended and spread.

The building and everything inside was a total loss.

Fugitive Captured During Traffic Stop

JEFFERSON, W.Va. -- A man wanted in Virginia was arrested in Kanawha County early Sunday morning following a traffic stop.

Troopers say they pulled over a car along Maccorkle Avenue about 1:30 a.m. Sunday after it crossed the center line.

Troopers discovered one of the passengers, Darrell L. Mack, 27, was wanted in Virginia on drug charges.

Mack was arrested and taken to South Central Regional Jail.

He's charged with being a fugitive from justice.

Fire Levy Fails in Mingo County

MINGO COUNTY, W.Va. -- A levy vote that would have increased fire protection in Mingo County has failed this weekend. Fire departments are concerned about their ability to stay open without that money.

Chattaroy is among the ten fire departments in the county that are made up of volunteers. Williamson is the only department that has paid firefighters. But even with volunteers, operating the departments still costs money.

The concern now is whether smaller departments, especially ones that only make runs to fires every couple of weeks, can stay open. If they fold, response times for emergencies would increase.

"People in Chattaroy will have to depend on people in Williamson," Jarrod Fletcher, Mingo County's emergency services director, said. "In the Beech Creek area, they'll have to depend on Matewan, or [if] Matewan goes out they'll have to depend on Delbarton."

Local chiefs also said reduced protection could drive up insurance premiums in the area -- meaning that savings on tax bills will be costly in the long run.

Officials said this levy could be on the ballot again in May 2014. It last failed in October 2011.

Mingo County is one of just a few West Virginia counties without a fire department levy.

Police Launch Traffic Sting on Major Highways

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia State Police say they've increased patrol efforts on all major highways around Charleston as part of a targeted effort to spot dangerous driving.

"We're trying to find a way to decrease overall crashes," Sgt. Michael Simpson said. "[Drivers] are in a rush to get to work or school, and they're doing things they shouldn't be doing."

Police say their heightened presence on the interstates is meant to catch aggressive and distracted drivers.

They say drivers have been caught doing everything from eating, to reading, to putting on makeup behind the wheel - along with the dangerous habit of texting.

Troopers say they increased patrols around the interstates last year and were met with promising results.

They say no deadly crashes occurred on I-64 in 2012, and the overall number of accidents decreased.

Now, they're amplifying their efforts to try and continue that trend and see even more improvement.

Education reform bill approved by legislature

The main piece of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s legislative agenda, the education reform bill, is now on its way to his desk. The House of Delegates passed the comprehensive bill 95-2 Friday.

The House made no changes to the legislation that came over from the state Senate earlier this week. Several delegates made some final comments on the much-talked-about bill before the final vote. Many of them praised the legislation while others said it doesn’t go far enough to reform education in the Mountain State.

“How ’bout we wait and see what the results of this bill are and the efforts of the education system before we start patting ourselves on the back—and in the meantime do more,” House Minority Leader Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, said.

Del. Tiffany Lawrence, D-Jefferson, said she’s confident the bill will improve the state’s ranking in education, which is 49^th in student achievement.

“Every single piece of this bill focuses on student achievement because we focus on the teachers, the service personnel, the parents, the faculty senate,” Lawrence said.

Much of the bill is based on the governor’s education audit that was completed and submitted to lawmakers more than a year ago but there are other recommendations in the audit that didn’t make into the legislation.

The bill does deal with professional development for teachers, teacher hiring, the school calendar, reading levels for elementary students and early childhood education.

Marion County Del. Mike Caputo says the process worked like it’s supposed to work with the interested parties doing a lot of work on the bill behind closed doors. Caputo praised Speaker Rick Thompson for holding things together.

“Mr. Speaker, I also know that you were the glue that kept them in that room. When the negotiations were about to break down our speaker kept them together,” Caputo told members of the House.

But the bulk of the work on the bill was done in the state Senate by Senate Education Committee Chair Bob Plymale who held his ground on things like teacher hiring and the school calendar. The unions representing teachers largely lost those battles.

The only two House members and thus the only two state lawmakers to vote against the bill were Del. Marty Gearheart of Mercer County and Del. Larry Kump of Berkeley County, both Republicans. Kump said he had too many questions.

“I’m concerned about our underpaid teachers. I’m concerned about the state Board of Education not being directly accountable to voters. I’m concerned about the state Board of Education still being too top heavy and with too much authority over local schools,” Kump said before the vote.

Gov. Tomblin said during his State of the State Address that that his bill would not alone do what’s needed to improve education. The governor says the state Board of Education and his office must also make moves, independent of the legislature, to create a better education system.

Lincoln County Del. Josh Stowers says he’s looking forward to returning to his job as assistant principal at Horace Mann Middle School in Kanawha County on April 15 after the legislative session.

“When I start high-fiving all of those kids when I go down the hall I’ll have a little more pride—we did something good this year,” Stowers said.

The governor is expected to sign the bill in a few days once it makes it to his desk.

Interstate exit to be named for slain troopers

The tragic deaths of two West Virginia State Police Troopers will be remembered at the Wallback exit of Interstate 79 in a resolution passed by the House of Delegates Friday.

State Police Cpl. Marshall Bailey and Trooper Eric Workman were shot following a traffic stop just off the exit last August in Clay County. Bailey died at the scene and Workman died a few days later at a Charleston hospital. The man who shot them also died.

The families of the troopers were on the floor of the House Friday for the resolution that will rename that stretch of interstate, the bridges in the area and the state route near the park-and-ride in honor of Bailey and Workman.

Gas line explosion in Marshall County

An investigation is underway following a Friday natural gas line explosion in a rural area of Marshall County.

The 24-inch buried line ruptured at about noon a few miles south of the community of Cameron off U.S. Route 250 near the West Virginia-Pennsylvania state line.

The line is off Reid Ridge near Fish Ridge and is owned by Williams Energy. Emergency officials said the rupture was so loud that residents in Cameron heard it. The 911 center received about 25 calls regarding the noise.

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Dept. says there was apparently no fire and no injuries.

Residents living in a three-mile radius of the site were evacuated until crews could get the gas valves shut off.

At around 2 p.m., fire officials determined it was safe for residents to return back to their homes.

The National Transportation Safety Board and other state agencies will be handling the investigation.

Some airports in West Virginia closing towers

Several West Virginia airports are on the list of air traffic control towers that will be closed due to budget cuts.

The Federal Aviation Administration released the list Friday of 149 air traffic control towers nationwide they plan to close.

The Wheeling-Ohio County Airport was one of those on the list and airport officials said tower operations will stop on April 7. The airport is the only one in the area that has a tower.

Wheeling-Ohio County Airport manager Tom Tominack previously pleaded his case to the FAA on why the tower should not be shut down.

Airport towers at Lewisburg and Parkersburg were also on that list.

More than 2,000 workers at Appalachian Regional Healthcare could soon go on strike

HAZARD, Ky. -- More than 2,000 employees at Appalachian Regional Healthcare could soon be going on strike.

The employees are members of the United Steelworkers union and are at odds with ARH officials over a new collective bargaining agreement.

ARH's labor contract with around 2,200 USW employees expires on March 31. The two sides have yet to reach a new deal.

The two sides are scheduled to meet again on Monday.

ARH officials said they have contingency plans just in case the workers end up striking.

ARH serves around 350,000 people in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia.

Fifth Grade Student Brings Knives to School

BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. -- A fifth grade student at Brookview Elementary is now facing juvenile charges after allegedly bringing two pocket knives to schools.

The incident happened Tuesday. Troopers say the 12-year-old student told friends he brought the knives to school and a teacher called state police.

Assistant Superintendent of Boone County Schools Jeff W. Huffman said despite the weapons, at no time was anyone in danger.

However troopers say with incidents of school violence on the rise, they take weapons in school very seriously.

The student now faces two counts of possessing a deadly weapon on an educational facility.

State police say because of the age of the student and because no threats were made it is unlikely the student will serve time.

School Board Pulls Library Funding

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. -- The Kanawha County board of education voted to discontinue funding the Kanawha County library Thursday.

That will go into effect beginning next fiscal year which starts July 1-st.

This comes after the West Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the board no longer had to provide funding to the library.

The district is lending a helping hand to make up some of the difference.

Superintendent Ron Duerring will meet with library officials over the next month to brainstorm fundraising ideas.

Robbery Reported at Rand 7-Eleven

RAND, W. Va. -- Metro 911 says an employee at the 7-Eleven in Rand has reported the store was robbed.

According to dispatchers, it happened about 12:30 Friday morning at the store in the 5000 block of Midland Dr. in Rand. Dispatchers say an employee at the store thought the man had a gun during the robbery.

The Kanawha County Sheriff's Office is investigating.

No taxing delays

If you’ve filed your state tax return, you won’t have long to wait for the refund check.

According to Danny Fornash, with the state Tax Department, as of Wednesday, the office had received 489,000 returns. That’s down about 4% from this time last year.

Those returns are being processed without any delays. In fact, there’s no back-ups.

There was some concern earlier this year that the sequester would slow down the process. But Fornash says not so far and they’re really not expecting any last minute hang ups because returns are coming in at a steady pace.

The tax filing deadline is April 15, which falls on a Monday.

New bill would raise taxes on tobacco

Tobacco would cost more in West Virginia if a bill introduced this week at the State Capitol is approved.

Boone County Senator Ron Stollings, the Chairman of the Senate Health and Human Resources Committee, says the proposal would take the existing state tax on a pack of cigarettes from 55 cents to $1.55.

For other tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco, the current 7% state tax on the wholesale price on each item would go up to 50% with the legislation.

“We’re just raising this up to the average tobacco tax in America and, hopefully, we’ll be using this for good things,” Senator Stollings said on Thursday’s MetroNews Talkline.

The current state tax on a pack of cigarettes is 30 cents in Virginia, 60 cents in Kentucky, $1.25 in Ohio, $1.60 in Pennsylvania and $2.00 in Maryland.

SB 593 was introduced in the Senate on Thursday with just more than three weeks to go until the end of the 2013 Regular Legislative Session.

Senator Stollings, the bill’s lead sponsor, says it makes sense to implement the proposed increases now for both economic and health reasons.

“The budget is in trouble, for one thing,” he said.  “We know that if we raise the tobacco tax that we can cut down on youth smoking and also avoid premature smoking cause deaths, a lot of public health issues.”

The bill has the support of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Roman Prezioso.  He says the state is in a fiscal “crisis” right now and an additional estimated $100 million every year, from the tobacco tax increases, would help.

At the end of February, state tax collections were $35 million below estimates but, as of this week, Senator Prezioso says that has grown to more than $130 million.

“You don’t have a crystal ball, but a hiring freeze is not going to take care of this deficit that we’re looking at right now,” Senator Prezioso said.  Earlier this week, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin called for an immediate freeze on state government hiring.

The 2013 Regular Legislative Session closes on Saturday, April 13th

State Senate approves prison overcrowding bill

A bill aimed at tamping down the rampant expansion of the state’s prison population clears the state Senate with unanimous approval.  The prison overcrowding bill sailed through the Senate, but faces rougher waters in the House.

House Minority Leader Tim Armstead has already raised questions about some specifics of the legislation.   There are also public discussions about whether the supervised release of inmates early from there sentence can be perceived as a position “soft on crime.”

Some Senators felt compelled to defend against that label and warn the House against tinkering with the legislation.

“As this bill continues to advance through this legislative process, any effort to amend or dilute it will have the very real and serious consequences in our effort to flatten and eventually bend the curve in the growth of our prison population,” said Fayette County Senator Bill Laird.

Those who pushed the bill say the strength of the legislation aimed at reducing recidivism as an effort to curb the population is all inclusive.  Supporters say all parts of the bill are necessary to achieve the desired goal.  

“I stand here after looking at our problems with prison over crowding for a number of years and say this is a step in the right direction,” offered Randolph County Senator Clark Barnes.

“The temptation may exist to posture one’s self politically by pounding on your chest an proclaiming, ‘I’m tough on crime.’” said Laird. “I feel no need to do so, but what does concern and alarm me is the fact our state prisons and regional jail system are busting at the seam.”

One step away from education reform

Legislation that makes the most dramatic changes in public education in West Virginia in recent memory is expected to receive final approval in the House of Delegates Friday. The bill cleared second reading Thursday as the House rejected five different Republican amendments.

The sweeping legislation is designed to shift more responsibility away from Charleston and to local school boards, including the ability to hire teachers based on qualifications instead of just seniority. The bill also requires 180 days of instruction, a goal school systems frequently fail to meet.

Additionally, the bill toughens up accreditation, requiring the state Board of Education to hold public schools more accountable for results.

“No piece of legislation is ever perfect,” said House Speaker Rick Thompson. “But I think it’s an enormous step. It’s more than we’ve ever done before.”

The House rejected five different Republican amendments, including proposals to establish charter schools and provide merit pay for teachers. House Minority Leader Tim Armstead was disappointed the House did not give serious consideration to the amendments.

“I think that is an effort to limit any additional reforms this year,” Armstead said. “We certainly need to fight for reforms and bold changes. We’re 49th in the country.”

Still, the bill represents a significant victory for Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, who called for education reform in his State of the State Address. Tomblin, reformed-minded members of the state Board of Education, and key lawmakers formed a powerful alliance that pushed back against the state’s two teacher unions, which opposed many of the changes.

Ultimately, the bill was a compromise agreed to with the unions, but it includes most of the changes the governor and the state BOE wanted to make.

Senator Craig Blair hospitalized

State Senator Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, is in the hospital after becoming ill on Tuesday night.

Blair was attending a reception at the Governor’s Mansion with other members of the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday night.

He said that once he returned home, he became sick and called the ambulance, He was taken to Charleston Area Medical Center’s Memorial Hospital.

Blair’s blood pressure was reportedly over 200 Tuesday. He said he has been plagued by blood pressure problems since before Christmas.

Doctors told Blair they believe his condition could be caused by a blockage in his renal artery, which feeds blood to the kidneys. He said they also believe his blood pressure problems could be caused by malfunctioning glands.

If everything goes well, he hopes to be back at the Capitol in few days.

Tomblin orders flags lowered for former state senator

State flags will fly at half staff Friday for former Randolph County state Senator Jae Spears.

The 90-year-old Spears died at her home in Elkins last weekend.

Spears plowed new ground during her time in the state Senate becoming the first and only female to be finance committee chair, to serve on the government and finance committee along with the first female majority whip.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, who served with Spears in the Senate, ordered the flags be lowered.

“She worked hard throughout her career for the good of the citizens of West Virginia and she will long be remembered for her pioneering spirit,” Gov. Tomblin said in a prepared statement. “Joanne and I extend our deepest condolences to Jae’s family.”

Spears served three terms in the House of Delegates before being elected to the Senate in 1980 where she also served three terms.

Saturday’s funeral will take place at First United Methodist Church in Elkins.

Marcellus Shale equals energy independence

Marcellus Shale is becoming a bigger and bigger part of West Virginia’s economy and it looks like that’s going to continue for years to come.

“It’s transformational. It has changed the entire landscape both from an economic stand point, from an energy stand point and, frankly, a geo-political stand point.”

That’s the word from Chris Guith, the Vice President for Policy at the Institute for 21st Century Energy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He was the guest speaker Wednesday at the opening of the Marcellus Manufacturing Conference at the Charleston Civic Center.

The event is aimed at educating West Virginia business owners and industry workers on where the shale industry has been and where it’s going.

In 2012, Marcellus Shale created more than 12,000 jobs in West Virginia. Guith says that number will climb to 30,000 by 2020. As for the economy, shale added $283-million to the state economy last year.

Guith says the industry is still in its infancy here in West Virginia and it’s going to take some time to see huge financial gains.

“It’s not going to happen for some time. We need to build the pipelines to get this gas where it needs to go,” according to Guith. “But the investments are being lined up right now and things look very, very good for West Virginia.

One of the things holding back the entire industry is a glut of natural gas on the U.S. market. Guith says West Virginia hasn’t been impacted as much as states like Pennsylvania where the shale is only producing methane. The Marcellus Shale in the northern part of West Virginia also yields wet gases like ethane and butane.

Guith stresses there are no guarantees but if shale demand continues to grow as predicted, it could be a billion dollar industry in West Virginia in a couple decades.

Bill would regulate puppy mills

Lawmakers are considering a proposed bill that would set up state regulations for commercial dog breeding operations in the Mountain State.

West Virginia Humane Society Director Summer Wyatt says it’s aimed at, what she calls, puppy mills.  “That is raising dogs as a cash crop with absolutely no concern of humane care standards,” she said.

If approved, the legislation would apply to breeders with eleven to 50 breeding dogs, the breeders who could potentially sell hundreds of puppies in a year.

They would have to be licensed, get a county permit annually and meet certain standards for care.

“The bill would just regulate these large commercial breeders, not hobby breeders, not people who are breeding a couple of litters in their backyards,” Wyatt said.

“We want to legitimize these guys (large scale breeders) and make sure that people are buying a puppy that is being taken care of, that’s being bred reputably and they’re paying taxes on the business that they’re using in West Virginia.”

HB 2838 is pending in the House Agriculture Committee with just more than three weeks to go until the close of the 2013 Regular Legislative Session.

A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate.

WV infrastructure in disrepair

West Virginia isn’t fairing much better on the state of its infrastructure than the rest of the nation.  The American Society of Civil Engineers released its report card on the state of the nation’s infrastructure this week and overall the entire county gets a D+.

The report on West Virginia finds the state is a little worse in some areas and a little better in others.    Bridges were a key focal point in our state.

“You have more structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges in West Virginia than on the national average,” said Andy Herman a past president of the organization.

Herman says West Viginia’s climate and harsh winters are key contributors to the decay, but he adds equally problematic is the lack of proper maintenance, repair, and replacement.  He said the obstacle is funding.

“All across the country we’re seeing engineers in our departments of transporation having to make decisions on how they use the limited funds they have for maintenance, repairs, rehabilitation, or even new bridges,” said Herman.

West Virginia got low marks for highways which have fallen largely into disrepair.  He says that’s costing money when we don’t even realize it.

“In West Virginia it costs your motorists another $372  Million a year in extra vehicle repairs,”  he said. “That breaks down to about $273 per motorist that they’re paying to be inconvenienced and fix their vehicles.”

It doesn’t stop there.  The report finds West Virginia has $3 BILLION in wastewater treatment needs in the next 20-years.   There’s about a $1-Billion cost to improve drinking water systems.   The state also has 45-miles of levies which are in need of attention and there are nine sites in the Mountain State on the Hazardous Waste National Priority list. 

Herman said the solution is  multi-faceted.   He says there need to be disucssoins about how to make it so people drive less and possibly work from home or use public transportation.  The other end is far less popular.

“What if they paid a little more for a gas tax or another funding method to fix those roads,” he said. “It might even save them money in the long run.”

The organization’s report card comes out every four years.  Herman says although they nation got a D+, it was actually an improvement over four years ago when they issued a grade of D.

Senate to approve prison reform bill Thursday

The Minority Leader in the state House of Delegates says he sees a number of problems with the prison reform bill that could get the approval of the full Senate on Thursday.

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s proposal to reduce overcrowding in West Virginia’s prisons and regional jails is expected to run into some resistance when it next moves to the House of Delegates.

As proposed, the bill would require a year of mandatory supervision for violent offenders once they are out of prison and would release nonviolent offenders six months early to put them into supervised release programs.

Some of the recommendations in the bill, SB 371, are based on a comprehensive report from the Council of State Governments Justice Center.

For the past decade, the incarceration rate in West Virginia has been three times the national average, with many prison inmates forced to stay in regional jails because of a lack of space.

According to current estimates, without changes, the state’s prison population is expected to grow by another 24% over the next five years.

Jobs bill moving at the State Capitol

The state Senate is advancing a bill that supporters say will help legislators determine the economic impact of any particular legislation.

Wednesday the Senate Finance Committee passed to the floor the bill (SB 187) that requires a jobs impact statement when a particular bill would have an impact on the state’s economy.

The research would be done by the state Development Office. Executive Director and Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette says the information would be an additional tool for lawmakers.

“I assume that legislators, that are part time , need a little help gathering that information,” Burdette said.

Burdette says the research would be only rough projections, but at least it would be more than lawmakers have now when they must decide on a particular bill that may have a positive or negative impact on the economy.