Smoking in WV

Tobacco Use in West Virginia     Source Here

High school students who smoke	27.6% (25,900)
Male high school students who use smokeless or spit tobacco	27.0% (females use much lower)
Kids (under 18) who become new daily smokers each year	3,200
Kids exposed to secondhand smoke at home	128,000
Packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by kids each year	5.9 million
Adults in West Virginia who smoke	26.9% (384,500)

Deaths in West Virginia From Smoking

Adults who die each year from their own smoking	3,900
Kids now under 18 and alive in West Virginia who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking	46,000
Adult nonsmokers who die each year from exposure to secondhand smoke	200 to 560

Smoking-Caused Monetary Costs in West Virginia

Annual health care costs in West Virginia directly caused by smoking	$690 million
– Portion covered by the state Medicaid program	$229 million
Residents’ state & federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures	$591 per household
Smoking-caused productivity losses in West Virginia	$994 million

Tobacco Industry Influence in West Virginia

Annual tobacco industry marketing expenditures nationwide	$13.4 billion
Estimated portion spent for West Virginia marketing each year	$132.0 million

We’re First: WV is the most medicated state!

17.2 prescriptions per person.  But don’t worry you may get due recognition.  Your PEIA information is being sold to the pharmaceutical industry.

WV looks better as others do worse part 2

Michigan’s woes: “Of all the ominous statistics, perhaps none is grimmer than this: Michigan ranks second to West Virginia in percentage of college graduates moving to other states. We are losing a generation of our best and brightest.”  ….from Alabama hot on Michigan’s Economic heels

WV losing 190 Telemarketing jobs in two towns.

Professionals find jobs back in rural home towns.

Wealth solves Many problems. WV’s hidden tax

WV looks better as others do worse

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas’ top higher education official said the state now ranks last in the nation for the percentage of adults completing college.

Jim Purcell said Arkansas has slipped from 19.7 percent of residents holding bachelor’s degrees to 18.2 percent. That puts Arkansas behind West Virginia.

Business sense at the Board of Education

Help me out because I do not understand the details.  Dominion approaches the Harrison County board of Education and says, we will give you $750 for a ten year lease to ensure that the South Harrison High School property becomes part of our buffer system that prevents anyone else from drilling near our assets.

The President of the Board, who will be leaving office in a matter of days, decides that this action cannot wait until the two new members of the Board take office July first. He calls a special meeting of the Board of Education to entertain Dominion’s request. Each Board member is paid $150 to attend that session. Five members are therefore paid $750.  Sounds like a great deal to the Board.  So they approve it plus whatever costs they incurred by finding independent legal council to review the contract because the guy they have on retainer has a conflict of interest between the Board and Dominion.

And how does the Board or the public benefit from this again? Did they really spend more money to give property rights away then they received in payment?

Thankfully, two seats on the Board are changing hands today. Paul J Howe III and Chuck Reider will be sworn in around 3:30.  Perhaps, we have elected two people who will start asking the obvious questions and challenging the way the Board has been doing business.

WVU President

An email received from Beverly:

What about Garrison being given a  no-confidence vote by the Faculty Senate?  Who runs WVU anyway?  It looks like the Governor and Mylan Industries to me.  I think Mr. Garrison should step down so the university can go on.  Already I have seen where two major contributors are going to withhold money for the university.  I hate to think that tuition is going to go up again because we are losing contributors over Garrison.

SBA does not Fund Charles Pointe School

Back to the drawing boards. Will the property still be donated for Board of Education?

http://www.wvs.state.wv.us/wvsba/

John Angotti to sing for Pope Benedict

From Sandy Trzcinski

Clarksburg can be quietly pleased & humbly proud of
it’s native son who was been invited to perform for
Pope Benedict’s visit to Washington,DC along with
tenor Placido Domingo, and mezzo soprano Denise
Graves. It will be held at Washing National Parks
stadium which seats 46,000 people on April 17 th.
Imagine! Of this performance for Pope Benedict in D.C.
he said: “To be asked to sing at this event with Pope
Benedict is the greatest musical event in my life………”
To learn more about John Angotti and his music,
check out: http://www.johnangotti.com. Hats off to John & his
wonderful family.

Response to Bridgeport News Editorial

This was sent in as a comment.  I cut and pasted it here for deserved visibility. In a related matter, the Exponent-Telegram claims an informal survey of perhaps 50 people at Nutter Fort Elementary School and a couple of other schools indicate that parents do not want a new middle school at Hite Field.  When will they do the public an equal favor and survey parents about the proposed school at Charles Pointe?

Here is the response to the editorial   …lfr

By Lisa Furbee Ford

I am going to take advantage of the last throes of http://www.harrisoncounty.wordpress.com to write a letter to Jeff Toquinto that I am well aware that his editors may deep six (even though I will try). Here goes:

“Dear Jeff,

Re: your March 27, 2008 Editorial in the Bridgeport News: “Dissent is Fine, but Please Have an Option”.

You extol the benevolence of Charles Pointe’s “donation” of land for the ballfields and the schools, but not once have I seen a deed, an option agreement, or any legal document that supports your claim that these lands are “donated”. I am concerned about a reversionary interest, like the one for the “Bridgeport Convention Center”. Ring a bell?

The largesse of Charles Pointe is legendary. However, how many other landowners may have been willing to “donate” a portion of their land to enhance their development potential, given the opportunity? Was such an “opportunity” ever bid out? Was this budget line-item of 1.2 million ever the subject of public input? Can’t we do this for a half a million? We’ll never know.

No developer in their right mind would have passed up this “opportunity” to build it and they will come. How convenient that Bridgeport’s Mayor has a huge investment in the development that is going to benefit from Bridgeport’s tax dollars.

Your words: “What makes the whole thing unbelievably attractive…it’s free.” Free? Are you kidding me? Do you pay Bridgeport taxes? This is NOT free. Do you really believe that the majority of Bridgeporters who pay their taxes and expect a level playing field (pardon the analogy) buy into this? Not the Bridgeporters that I grew up with and know.

These ballfields are a tad more than “…just a few minutes off the beaten path”. No one lives out there. There are no kids for a school out there. The fact that Genesis partners set aside lands to be used as public lands from the beginning is indicative of nothing but a savvy development philosophy. Those leading the City of Bridgeport have gone through sad and contrived machinations to make sure this one certain development is prosperous. How many other developers have this chance?

And the infrastructure! Guess who paid for that? Jeff, this is not “free”. It is thirty (30) years of public indebtedness.

So there was the dissent. Here are the options: 1.) let the public know what’s going on. Cut these Bridgeport secret executive sessions out of the way you do business. It is likely illegal, and definitely immoral; 2.) advertise these “opportunities” out for bid. Maybe someone else can provide a better deal. If Charles Pointe happens to be the best game in town, then it’s fair and square; 3.) Have the Mayor refrain from voting on, and participating in executive session in matters in which he has a financial interest; 4.) Inform the public before you embark on boondoggles that rape the public treasury; 5.) Talk to property owners on Lodgeville Road or in the immediate vicinity who might just want to cut you a better deal for your “free” ballfields and schools. Bottom line: How can you ascertain “options”, when you have closed that avenue down?

Bridgeport’s boon to Charles Pointe has already cost Bridgeport taxpayers millions. There is no such thing as a free lunch.”

Again, the mantra: I am not against Charles Pointe. I am pro-Development. I don’t blame Charles Pointe. I blame those individuals who are manipulating my beautiful hometown of Bridgeport. “

What’s the rush to get a new School Board Superintendent?

Two new members will be elected to the School Board. Part of the election process for the 13 candidates will be to discuss their vision and philosophy about our school system and the direction it should take. This is important. Do the board candidates favor more school consolidation or less? Do they champion neighborhood schools within communities or do they favor cow pastures and strip mine sites to locate grade and middle schools away from their communities? Do some board candidates recognize the economic impact that a $50 – $60 Million investment has in determining what communities will thrive and which will dwindle? What is the philosophy of the new superintendent? Will it match that of the newly elected Board members?

What is the criteria for a new Superintendent? Do we want a real executive who knows how to build schools, and work with other political bodies within the county to get public support or should the new Superintendent know little of that and be all about the curriculum? Will the new superintendent be a demanding manager and require performance for the physical upkeep of our schools and be able to come up with a sensible strategic strategy for school replacements and upgrades or will he be an expert on academics? Is it possible to be both?

The election of two new Board members may bring to office two representatives of the people who will insist upon a new direction for the Board of Education. Even if selecting a new superintendent is fairly done before they take office, the whole atmosphere will be poisoned by a hasty selection of Dr Friebel’s replacement by lame duck members of the Board. Their legacy should not continue by stacking the deck with a superintendent whose philosophy for Harrison County Schools may be anathema to the 2008 voter.

Board member, Mike Queen has written a comment under another section. Without seeking his permission or blessing, I have cut and pasted it below because his points are worthy of discussion and the publics consideration. I agree with Mr. Queen on the goal of having newly elected members of the Board to have an equal role in selecting the next superintendent. It is time to thank Mr. Currey and Gray for their service. Now step aside.

Mr Queen writes the following:
By Michael L. Queen

Yes, I did say that if the school board did not allow the two new school board members to participate in the evaluation process AND then allow them to vote on the new superintendent, then I would not participate in the process to replace Dr. Friebel.

I was the ONLY board member who came to the last night’s meeting with an idea — a plan — a proposal to involve the community, the current board members AND the new board members AND STILL have a new superintendent appointed on July 3rd.

My plan was in writing — making it easy to debate and discuss. I know why the others didn’t come prepared to the meeting — because the other four members had already discussed what they were going to do. They spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Charleston last week at a school board conference so they had plenty of time to talk.

We know now that they KNEW EXACTLY what they were going to do. THEY ALREADY HAVE SOMEONE PICKED OUT to replace Dr. Friebel. To make it easier they have to (1) shorten the time to accept applications; (2) limit the time and input from the community and (3) make sure that the current board members (not the new ones) vote on the new superintendent.

I know that the majority rules. I have lost lots of votes since getting elected on the school board – but I don’t stop trying.

What I witnessed at Tuesday night’s school board meeting was the absolute worst abuse of public authority that I have ever seen. Mrs. Cann’s proposal was to have a superintendent selected by May 1st – just 12 days before the new school board members were elected.

Despite his original public statement in the newspaper last week that he thought the new school board members should vote on the new superintendent — Doug Gray changed his mind and seconded Mrs. Cann’s proposal. Mr. Reaser accused the candidates for the school board of being out to get Carl Friebel and he sided with Mrs. Cann. And finally, Mr. Currey always sides with Mrs. Cann.

The previous blogger is right! If Mr. Currey and Mr. Gray didn’t care to run for re-election — why should we allow them to pick the new superintendent?

We shouldn’t!

Sally Cann has devised a scheme to pick a replacement for Dr. Friebel that is void of any reason. There was no mention of who would sit on a community search committee. She didn’t have a plan to seek professional support to lead the seach for a new superintendent. She wants to run the seach herself.

Oh yes, the last superintendent search committee that Sally Cann led was a fiasco! About eight years ago Mrs. Cann led the search that selected Mrs. Pamela Cain to replace Bob Kittle. Mrs. Cain, a longtime friend of Mrs. Cann’s, lasted less than 60 days before she resigned to “take a better offer in Charleston”. 60 days!!

Then, in a panic to get someone else, the school board picked Dr. Friebel.

So again, Sally Cann is dictating the seach AND selection for a new superintendent. Her track record is not a good one. Add to that her blantant attempt to manipulate the process and to keep the new members from participating.

She’s got the votes to do what she wants. I can’t stop her. She’s hell bent to do it her way and to get the person she wants before the new board members take office. She wants to give her new superintendent a THREE YEAR CONTRACT so that once the new board members are sworn in, they will be stuck for three years.

No, I will not participate in the CANN PLAN. It is void of any resemblace of fairness or reason. It is a desperate last-ditch attempt by Sally Cann to control the school system by selecting the superintendent — a person I believe she has already picked!

The selection of a new superintendent under Sally’s plan will do nothing to restore some confidence in the school board by the voters of Harrison County. In fact, it will just make things worse.

Why in the world would Sally Cann want anyone to become superintendent under a black cloud created for the sake of control?

No I will not participate. I already know how ithe CANN PLAN will turn out — and you all do, too.

Instead, I will focus my attention on the county’s classroom staffing needs, changes to our curriculum, the evaluation of our Federal programs and our 2008-09 budget.

Mike