Wayne County

Herald-Dispatch: Growth of Local Co-ops Keeping West Virginia Money in West Virginia

12.05.16

Photo by Wayne County, WV Life/Facebook

By Fred Pace/Huntington Herald-Dispatch

In just nine months, the Wayne County Farmer’s Co-Op has gone from an idea to what is likely the largest co-op in West Virginia with more than 100 members.

“From its inception, the organization has devoted itself to making agriculture a viable economic opportunity for the people of Wayne County in response to the financial hardship and unemployment facing the region,” said member Ron Thompson.

“Co-ops help to spur activity and value in local economies because they are controlled by the members who use their services, rather than by outside investors.”

Cooperatives are businesses owned and controlled by the people who use them; agricultural co-ops allow farmers to pool their resources in certain areas of activity.

Effective June 11, 2015, the West Virginia Legislature expanded the state’s producer cooperative statute to include all food- and farm-related businesses, not just producers, to form as cooperative businesses.

SB352 expanded the agriculture code that pertains to producer cooperatives to include all businesses that relate to foods and beverages, arts and crafts, woodworking and recycling, composting and repurposing of materials.

“I think with 100 members now, it is safe to say they are the largest in the state,” said Brandon Nida, director of programs at the West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition in Fayetteville. “Right now, there are only six in the state.”

Nida says he expects that number to grow because co-ops provide high-quality services.

“Co-ops help to spur activity and value in local economies because they are controlled by the members who use their services, rather than by outside investors,” he said. “It’s a good way of keeping and building wealth in a community…”

Read the full story at www.herald-dispatch.com

Gazette-Mail: Coalfield Development Corp Offers a Pathway of Hope In the Southern Coalfields

02.29.16

Photo by Sam Owens/Charleston Gazette-Mail

By Andrew Brown/Charleston Gazette-Mail

By the time Colt Brogan reached his senior year at Lincoln County High School, his hopes of attending college and planning for a career had all but disappeared.

It wasn’t that Brogan didn’t have the ambition or the grades – he was set to graduate with honors. But part way through his senior year, he moved out of his home along the Coal River to escape what he thought was an unhealthy environment.

He still wanted to plot a way forward — to find a career, to afford an education, to build a life. But he said he felt trapped by where he grew up, who his parents were, what high school he attended, and what he could afford.

“You know, nobody was gonna help me get there. It was up in the air what I was going to do after school because nobody really cared.”

The price tag of higher education had convinced him not to go to college straight out of high school, and the chances of landing a job after graduation, he said, weren’t great.

Many of his classmates from Lincoln County confronted the same reality. Some considered nursing school. Others looked into construction jobs or work with a utility company. A few found jobs in Hamlin at the Burger King or 7-Eleven. Gone was any expectation of a job in a coal mine or manufacturing plant, like many of their fathers and grandfathers had.

For Brogan, joining the military started to look like his only way out.

“There weren’t really any other healthy choices for me at the time, because I didn’t take a lot of preparation for college because I never thought my family could afford it or that it was possible for me,” he said.

“You know, nobody was gonna help me get there. Nobody was really pushing me towards that. It was up in the air what I was going to do after school because nobody really cared.”

Then a teacher told him about a new company that had been growing in recent years and was looking to expand into Lincoln County. It offered not only a starting wage of $10 an hour, but the chance to attend community college for free.

Brogan applied, interviewed and was hired by the Coalfield Development Corp.

Now a year later, he’s attending Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. He’s learned how to deconstruct abandoned buildings, how to build new homes, and how to create high-tunnel greenhouses. Soon, he’ll be trying to build an agricultural business on an abandoned surface mine…

Read the full story at wvgazettemail.com

Follow the author on Twitter @Andy_Ed_Brown

Herald-Dispatch: Marshall University Dietetics to Move Into Huntington’s Kitchen

12.18.15

Photo by Larry Butcher/Herald-Dispatch

The Huntington Herald-Dispatch

Marshall University will relocate its Department of Dietetics to Huntington’s Kitchen in downtown Huntington beginning in January, the university announced Tuesday.

The university will partner with Cabell Huntington Hospital to expand the kitchen and strengthen the commitment to the Tri-State community’s nutritional health and wellness, Marshall Interim President Gary White said.

Huntington’s Kitchen: a community outreach initiative with the goals of positively impacting the health of the community through the prevention and reduction of diet-related disease through healthy food and cooking education.

“This partnership will advance the missions of both Huntington’s Kitchen and Marshall University’s dietetics program, as both seek to enhance, promote and improve healthy eating, education and quality of life for residents of Huntington and surrounding areas,” White said.

Renovations to Huntington’s Kitchen in support of the partnership began last month. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and Huntington Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 14, at Huntington’s Kitchen.

The cost of the merger is being split between the university and the hospital, but the exact cost of bringing the dietetics program to Huntington’s Kitchen was not available Tuesday, said Megan Archer, communications specialist with Marshall.

Since 2013, Cabell Huntington Hospital has operated Huntington’s Kitchen as a community outreach initiative with the goals of positively impacting the health of the community through the prevention and reduction of diet-related disease through healthy food and cooking education. The facility was originally opened as “Jamie’s Kitchen,” when celebrity chef Jamie Oliver came to Huntington in 2009 to film his reality TV series “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.”

The Kitchen will continue to offer its existing cooking classes and health-related seminars.

Veronica Hordubay, manager at Huntington’s Kitchen, said the facility has served over 7,500 individuals since 2013 and she anticipates those numbers increasing once the partnership is established.

“The Kitchen will continue to offer its existing cooking classes and health-related seminars,” Hordubay said in the release. “We welcome the addition of Marshall faculty, staff and students, which will make the Kitchen a more robust resource for our community.”

Read the full story at herald-dispatch.com

WCHSTV: A New Black Friday Tradition Takes Hold in Huntington

11.30.15

By Jarrod Clay/WCHS News

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Instead of Black Friday shopping, some people in Huntington went for a Black Friday hike.

A group at passed on the shopping and hiked at Beech Fork Lake State Park. About 30 people hiked about three miles of the Lost Trail at the park.

“Anytime we can get a group of people to come outside and do an activity together it’s always a good day.”

A partnership between the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District and Studio 8 started this event as part of the nationwide “Opt Outside” movement.

The main goal is to get people outside and active.

“Outdoor recreation I believe is critical to happiness and wellness and anytime we can get a group of people to come outside and do an activity together it’s always a good day,” recreation coordinator, Stacey Leep said…

Watch the full story at www.wchstv.com

Huntington Herald-Dispatch: Small Business Saturday a Big Deal on Main Street

11.30.15

Photo by Anthony Davis/Huntington Herald-Dispatch

By Lacie Pierson/Huntington Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON – While Black Friday is known nationwide for its stampedes of shoppers looking for the best deals on items big and small, Old Main Emporium in downtown Huntington focused on the local Thundering Herd during Small Business Saturday.

“Ten percent of our sales go back to the university, so what we do helps the university.”

Though “small” in name, Small Business Saturday has blossomed to become a $14 billion event nationwide, and Huntington was no stranger to the homegrown support Saturday, during the 6th annual Small Business Saturday.

While some business owners mentioned the rainy weather as a possible deterrent for holiday shopping, Old Main owner Sara Deel had an additional concern on her mind.

“I think people are upset about the (Marshall University football) loss yesterday,” said Deel, who noted there was a high volume of traffic in her store Saturday. “We had a winning season. It was a good season for us. Ten percent of our sales go back to the university, so what we do helps the university.”

The way Old Main gives back to Marshall and the way other local businesses contribute to the community was a common theme among business owners Saturday, who said they are just trying to give back to Huntington what they have received from its residents.

“Huntington has been really good to us in supporting our business as well as the other counties in the Tri-State,” said Whitney Epling, who co-owns Birds of a Feather Boutique in Heritage Station with her sister, Lindsey Ellis. “It’s really cool that we’ve been able to grow this big. This was a hobby we started out with, and our dream has become a reality thanks to the support we’ve gotten here.”

“Huntington has been really good to us in supporting our business.”

Birds of a Feather Boutique offered a variety of promotions for Saturday’s occasion, including buy-one-get-one deals and free accessories with certain purchases.

Epling said she and Ellis living in Huntington also gives them a better understanding of local customers. They make sure they keep their wares affordable, saying they rarely have an item in the store that costs more than $50.

“We felt like there was a need for a shop like ours, a place where we wanted to shop and where we could charge prices we were comfortable paying,” Epling said. “We wanted to have it here in Huntington to serve our families, friends, our college and our community.”

Read the full story at www.herald-dispatch.com

POWER Invests $1.6 Million in Building a Stronger West Virginia

10.15.15

Photo by Coalfield Development Corporation

Today was a huge day for West Virginia.

The Hub just received word that a number of our state’s most critical and innovative development projects will receive substantial federal funding support, through the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative.

For those of you that haven’t been following the rollout of this POWER initiative, this is a coordinated funding package through the Economic Development Agency, the Department of Labor, the Small Business Administration and the Appalachian Regional Commission to assist communities negatively impacted by changes in the coal industry and power sector.

“For West Virginia, POWER is a significant opportunity to foster new economic activity, build stronger communities, and create and attract businesses and industries…”

For West Virginia, POWER is a significant opportunity to foster new economic activity, build stronger communities, and create and attract the businesses and industries that will drive the state for decades to come.

It was great to hear some much-needed (and much-deserved) good news for Monroe County in the heart of the southern coalfields. POWER will provide $826,400 to extend public water services from the Town of Union to the UTC Aerospace Systems’ manufacturing plant, in order to meet its water demand. These are exactly the kinds of infrastructure investments that we believe are vitally important if West Virginia is to diversify its economic base by attracting new employers in sustainable, high tech industries.

The news today also shows us that POWER is eager to support our state’s bravest and most creative young entrepreneurs.

The Coalfield Development Corporation in Wayne County, which was founded in 2010 by Huntington’s Brandon Dennison, will receive $600,000 from the U.S. EDA to support increased agricultural production on surface mined sites, and provide job training, mentorship, and business incubation services throughout the region in order to help expand the local agriculture economy.

In all, West Virginia received five POWER grants. That’s great news, but there is an opportunity to do better.

The POWER process will see West Virginia competing against other coal-impacted communities in 12 states for a share of the total available funds. In this round announced today, Kentucky received 13 grant awards, and Ohio, 3. The states that are succeeding in attracting the most POWER investment are those that are getting organized, and encouraging their business and community leaders to collaborate and submit strategic, innovative grant applications.

That’s where The Hub comes in. A few months ago we organized a gathering in Hawks Nest of interested industry and community leaders and federal officials, to help West Virginia’s southern coalfield communities begin developing project ideas that aligned with what the POWER grantees were hoping to achieve.

It is recognized that this organizing is a critical role, and so today The Hub received a $100,000 grant to develop community-specific economic diversification plans for five communities in the southern part of the state. That work has already begun.

To bring this additional funding to our region for next year, we need Congressional support for the POWER Plus Plan.

What happens next? Well, that largely depends on Congress. The federal agencies have designated a much larger pot of money for continued investments in coal-impacted communities, which they plan to rollout in 2016 and beyond. This will be called the “POWER Plus Plan.”

To bring this additional funding to our region for next year, we need Congressional support for the POWER Plus Plan. West Virginia Representatives and Senators have a chance to speak up for their constituents and secure significant federal funding for our community through the POWER Plus Plan, just like we have started to see with today’s POWER Initiative funding.

If you are interested in learning more about POWER, and the opportunities it presents from your industry, region or community, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with me at s.tyree@wvhub.org.

Charleston Gazette-Mail: $20 Million To Spark WV Schools Science, Tech Research

08.05.15

Megan Kennedy/Charleston Gazette-Mail

Five West Virginia universities will see a share of $20 million to boost their science initiatives.

The National Science Foundation awarded the grant money to West Virginia’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to invest in the schools’ research initiatives. The funds will last for a period of five years.

West Virginia University, Marshall University, West Virginia State University, Shepherd University and West Virginia Wesleyan College will split the money.

The National Science Foundation awarded $20 million to West Virginia’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to invest in the schools’ research initiatives.

The proposal submitted by the state to the National Science Foundation, which was ultimately awarded, is called “Gravitational Wave Astronomy and the Appalachian Freshwater Initiative,” which will focus on water resources and gravitational wave astrophysics.

Regulations on bodies of water in West Virginia are not as strict as some other states, giving researchers some freedom to work with streams, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water, said Paul Hill, chancellor with the Higher Education Policy Commission.

The money will be used to bolster the universities’ programs, hire faculty and to purchase new, current technology and equipment to make the students’ resources as up to date as possible in the science industry, Hill said. Universities will also work with their current leading scientists to investigate bringing other distinguished researchers to West Virginia.

The grant application was spearheaded by Jan Taylor, director of the division of science and research with the Higher Education Policy Commission.

“We have a real chance to make a change in West Virginia,” Taylor said.

The idea for the proposal came after Taylor collaborated with the universities to find each school’s strengths in their science industry. Once the strengths were identified, they worked to create a viable proposal that would benefit the state, she said.

Read the full story at wvgazettemail.com

Follow the author on Twitter: @wvschools

Huntington Herald-Dispatch: Downtown Redevelopment Starting to Bear Fruit

07.31.15

Photo Huntington Herald-Dispatch

Huntington Herald-Dispatch Editorial

Huntington has not made the list of Best 50 College Towns – yet.

The groups that put these lists together look at a variety of factors from livability to cultural offerings to simple “presence” of the school in the community. But when you look at the communities on the top of the list, you understand that the physical interconnection between the college and the town is a big part of the magic.

University life is woven into the fabric of all those communities, and each has its well-known streets and neighborhoods, where town and gown come together. We think that is happening in Huntington, too.

The changes have attracted new businesses, re-energized older businesses and increased pedestrian traffic

Since 2008, the Old Main Corridor project has been gradually building a stronger link between the Marshall University campus and downtown Huntington. And as the project nears the end of the construction phase, we can see that the connectivity is just beginning.

Most of the work has been streetscape infrastructure – rebuilding sidewalks and curbs, plus adding street lighting, trees and bicycle lanes. But block by block, it is making a difference. The changes have attracted new businesses, re-energized older businesses and increased pedestrian traffic along the stretch of 4th Avenue from Hal Greer Boulevard into the heart of downtown.

“Every time I go down where the work has been completed, I see more activity and more people,” said Charles Holley, director of the city Department of Development and Planning. “That was the plan behind the project, and that is what’s happening.”

Read the full editorial at www.herald-dispatch.com

Want to End Child Poverty in WV? Come to Huntington, Aug. 11.

07.31.15

So, if I told you there was this small group of grassroots activists and volunteers hatching a bold and ambitious campaign right now to shut down meth labs in West Virginia…

Or to provide better care for children with mental illnesses…

Or to improve childcare options for working Moms…

Or to help babies born without responsible parents find a loving foster home…

You’d want to help them, right?

Good news. You can.

Inspired by the belief that the West Virginia State Legislature should pass policies that protect and support West Virginia’s children and families, an event is being held in Huntington on Tuesday, Aug. 11 to build local teams in support of local policy ideas for the 2016 legislative session.

It’s the latest in a series of Our Children, Our Future campaign workshops around the state to gather support for locally-grown policies aimed at reducing child poverty, assisting families, improving education options and making West Virginia a safer and healthier place to live and raise a family.

To learn more, or to register, visit: bit.ly/Huntington2015

In Huntington, community teams from the region will be pitching their ideas for new policies to improve health care coverage for pregnant woman, involve the general public in budget decision-making, provide child care for working parents, and to ensure ex-offenders are not unfairly excluded from job opportunities, among other issues.

Now, these grassroots campaign teams are looking for individuals and community groups with similar ambitions to offer their support and help develop their campaigns.

You have a chance to be a part of history.

We’ve been doing these grassroots policy events for three years now, and in that short time we’ve passed 18 policies that have changed the lives of thousands of West Virginians – working moms, low-income families, students, people who need healthcare… real people.

To learn more, or to register, visit: bit.ly/Huntington2015

The list of policy victories born from Our Children, Our Future policy workshops includes:

Medicaid expansion – health insurance provided for 150,000 working West Virginians
Minimum wage raised to $8.75
Future Fund Act – created endowment for future state investments through natural gas tax
Stopped budget cuts to child care programs three years running
Feed to Achieve Act – expanded school breakfast and lunch programs
Juvenile Justice reform – reduce child incarceration by changing truancy laws
Pregnant workers fairness act passed – providing seating and breaks to pregnant workers
Move to Improve – to make sure kids get 30 minutes of physical activity every day at school
Reduced abandoned and dilapidated buildings through creation of land reuse agencies
Prison reform to reduce overcrowding in state prisons

I’ll be there. I’ll see you there too, right?

To learn more, or to register, visit: bit.ly/Huntington2015

Huntington Herald-Dispatch: Mayor Says City Needs Culture Shift on Recycling

07.23.15

Timothy Takemoto/FlickrCC

By Ben Fields/Huntington Herald-Dispatch

The Cabell County Solid Waste Authority is trying to pull everyone it can together in an effort to save its recycling program.

At the same time, one of the largest entities involved, the city of Huntington, may be striking out on its own.

Mark Buchanan, director of the solid waste authority, said the program provider, Rumpke, is asking for twice what it is paid now to continue the program, which provides eight sites throughout the county – four in the city of Huntington – where residents can take recyclable materials.

Mayor Steve Williams said Huntington may take this as an opportunity to develop its own citywide recycling plan.

Buchanan said when the time came in early spring to renegotiate the authority’s contract with Rumpke, the board of directors decided to put the program out to bid instead.

Buchanan is trying to organize a meeting with the mayors of the municipalities that were such strong supporters of the program in the first place.

He said Barboursville Mayor Chris Tatum and Milton Mayor Tom Canterbury want to meet and see what they can do to extend the program.

But the key is Huntington, he said.

“They’re the biggest player in all of this, to be honest,” Buchanan said. “They have four sites and the biggest bulk of what we recycle comes from Huntington.”

“Any active city you visit, you see an active recycling program. We just don’t have that here.”

Mayor Steve Williams said Monday evening that Huntington may take this as an opportunity to develop its own citywide recycling plan.

Williams said there needs to be a culture change within city government and the city itself to embrace recycling as a normal part of daily life.

“Any active city you visit, you see an active recycling program,” he said. “We just don’t have that here, and I think it’s something we need to undertake.

Read the full story at www.herald-dispatch.com

Follow the reporter @BenFieldsHD.