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West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Friday reiterated his plan to reduce the number of West Virginia National Guard troops still filling staffing needs at state prisons.
Since October 2023, there have been more than 270 new hires at the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, according to information provided by the agency.
Justice touched on the topic during his State of the State address this week, and was asked for more details during his virtual briefing with state reporters Friday.
"We are aggressively recruiting folks to be able to put in positions who are qualified in every way," Justice said. "We are hiring and training correctional officers for promotion.
"The net of the whole thing is you can't remove the National Guard until you have the correctional officers."
He indicated raising the pay for correctional officers has helped in the recruitment of new employees.
"My hope is that, by late summer, we will have the National Guard out of our facilities. Not that we just want the National Guard out of facilities ... but we need correctional officers."
Next, Justice was asked why state troopers in Mercer and Greenbrier counties are being pulled from their regular detachment duties to provide personal protection at the home of Justice's daughter Jill Justice, a medical doctor who also serves as president of the Justice-owned Greenbrier Hotel Corporation.
"I really can't get into that right now," Justice said. "We had an incident happen there. ... It was really spooky, to tell you the truth. I will talk to you about it later on, but I can't talk about it now."
Justice also discussed his thoughts on a West Virginia Fairness Act, and whether he would support its passage during the current legislative session. According to information provided by Fairness West Virginia, the Fairness Act would ensure "that no LGBTQ person is fired, evicted or denied public services because of who they are or who they love."
The bill also seeks to add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in the state's Human Rights Acts and the Fair Housing Act, but does not address such issues as transgender sports participation or gender reassignment surgery.
"I'd have to see the bill," Justice said. "There is no question about that. And secondly ... we have to be respectful to all and just use a little common sense. We absolutely want to be respectful and welcoming to all.
"Some of this stuff goes a little over the edge for me, so I would have to see the bill and everything before I could promise doing anything."
State Department of Natural Resources Director Brett McMillan provided an update on the DNR employee hospitalized in critical condition in Kentucky. This came after he attempted to tranquilize an elk, but instead shot himself with the tranquilizer.
He said it was reported to him by the employee's family on Thursday that his ventilator tube was removed, and that he could be returned to West Virginia on Friday.
"We have been praying for him really hard, and it looks like he may be turning the corner. Thank goodness for that," McMillan said.
The state recently obtained 40 new elk from LBL (Land Between the Lakes) elk and bison prairie in Kentucky, bringing the total number of elk added in West Virginia to 110.
McMillan hopes the numbers will grow to be even higher this spring after pregnant elk begin to birth their calves.