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West Virginia teachers’ unions blast school reopening plans

CHARLESTON — A union representing part of West Virginia’s teachers criticized Gov. Jim Justice for building hype for an announcement on school reopenings, only to release a vague color-coded plan, while the union representing school service personnel said it was not consulted on Justice’s WiFi hot spot plan for students. The West Virginia chapter of the American Federation of Teachers and the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association held a last-minute joint press conference Thursday afternoon at the service personnel headquarters on Charleston’s East End. They were ...

Manchin hopeful for deal on coronavirus aid package

CHARLESTON — As White House officials and Democratic leaders in Congress struggle to come up with a deal on a fourth phase of COVID-19 funding for medical and economic needs, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is hopeful a bill could be voted on next week. Manchin held a video conference call to discuss the next package as negotiations continue between U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The parties planned to meet again. “We have been making some ...

Coronavirus tests drop as deaths rise

U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day, a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test and days or weeks to find out the ...

Pa. Gov. Wolf roils youth sports world by urging halt until January

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania's governor said Thursday youth sports should not resume until January, a recommendation sure to disappoint students, parents and coaches preparing for fall seasons. Gov. Tom Wolf made the comment at a news conference on a separate subject, following up with a news release that described it as a necessary precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. "The administration is providing this strong recommendation and not an order or mandate," Wolf's news release said. "As with deciding whether students should return to in-person classes, remote learning or a ...

Governor Jim Justice: West Virginia schools can reopen safely

CHARLESTON — Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday that West Virginia has all the tools needed to safely reopen schools by the planned Sept. 8 start date. “There’s no chance in all the world, to the best of my abilities, will I absolutely put a kid, a teacher, a service personnel person, or ...

West Virginia may have to cover some costs of National Guard deployment

CHARLESTON — West Virginia could be one of 48 states and territories that will have to shell out money for the deployment of its National Guard, even as the state relies heavily on guard members for pandemic response. Gov. Jim Justice said he was participating in a phone call Wednesday ...