On this West Virginia Morning, Sue and Stan Jennings for 30 years have run Allegheny Treenware, a company that makes wooden kitchen utensils. But they started off as a couple of coal miners. Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro has more.
Members of the state Senate had 25 bills on their morning calendar Monday, passing almost all unanimously. Those bills included:
Senate Bill 623
The bill requires employers in the mining industry to report all positive drug and alcohol tests to the Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training. Currently, notification is only required if a miner is discharged.
Senate Bill 476
The bill sets regulations and standards for vehicles being altered to run on alternative fuels. The bill states that no diesel engine modifications for dual fuel retrofit can change the original engine in any way. A similar piece of legislation was passed by the chamber last year, but died in the House of Delegates.
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Cecelia Mason reports on the bill.
Senate Bill 431
The bill lengthens the driver’s license renewal cycle from 5 to 8 years. The bill also allows for the development of an online renewal process and permits individuals with expiring licenses to be notified electronically.
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Ashton Marra reports on the bill.
Senate Bill 469
The bill creates the Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture Program under the Department of Agriculture as a tool to integrate veterans into agriculture jobs. It aims to help West Virginia veterans find employment after returning from combat as well as strengthen the future of the state’s agriculture economy.
All four bills will now move to the House for further consideration.
As fentanyl overdose deaths rise nationally, West Virginia health care providers are looking for new ways to support veterans struggling with substance use disorder or mental health issues.
A new online tool shows residents the candidates and measures they can vote on in this year's primary election in advance, so that they can take more time to consider their decisions.
One day after telling statehouse reporters he was still considering who to endorse in the hotly contested Republican primary for governor, the outgoing office holder, Gov Jim Justice, announced his pick; Moore Capito.
All West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) services are back online after a mainframe issue, affecting multiple agencies, was resolved at 8:30 p.m. Thursday evening.