The Jobs Issue in West Virginia

For many decades, jobs has remained one of the key issues of concern to most West Virginians. While many of the state's residents seem to feel there is no "real solution" for the state's poor job market, few seem aware of the fact that the jobs issue has been undergoing analysis and study for some time.

Since 1965, when it was first established by Congress, the focus of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has been to foster the economic development of Appalachia. The mission of ARC is to be a strategic partner and advocate for sustainable community and economic development in Appalachia. The ARC is a planning, research, advocacy and funding organization; it does not have any governing powers within the region.

ARC undertakes projects that address the four goals identified by ARC in its strategic plan:

• Increase job opportunities and per capita income in Appalachia to reach parity with the nation.
• Strengthen the capacity of the people of Appalachia to compete in the global economy.
• Develop and improve Appalachia's infrastructure to make the region economically competitive.
• Build the Appalachian Development Highway System to reduce Appalachia's isolation.

Gov. Manchin Named States Co-Chairman of ARC

November 16, 2006 - Charleston, WV - Gov. Joe Manchin has been selected by the governors of the Appalachian states to serve as Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) states co-chair for the year 2007. The governor will assume the leadership position, currently held by Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher, in January. “I am honored to serve as states co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission,” Governor Manchin said. “Our states, our region and our country must chart a new course to supply more of our own energy resources to be more energy independent. The ARC has taken a leading role in these efforts with its focus on development of a regional energy blueprint for our resource-rich region. With the pending federal reauthorization of ARC, I look forward to working with our leaders on Capitol Hill to ensure that the Commission has a viable future to continue addressing the many critical infrastructure and economic needs of our region.“

Joseph Manchin III (D), 34th Governor of West Virginia

Baby boomers snapping up Monroe County ‘forested community’ lots

Mountain America LLC, a Maryland registered planned community land development company, is completing road work for and has sold 54 out of 99 individual home sites on the “Walnut Springs Mountain Reserve,” a planned forest community near Union, WV, in Monroe County. The property is situated on approximately 1,200 pristine mountaintop acres, overlooking the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests where the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains come together. The Walnut Springs development community was started in August, 2004, and is scheduled for completion in Fall of 2007.

$87 million water park resort planned for Faimont, W.Va.

Three Morgantown businessmen, David Rees, Michael Vecchio and Mark Tampoya, have announced plans to build a resort complex filled with water slides and roller coasters, movie screens, retail stores, restaurants and a hotel and conference center at Fairmont, WV. The $87-million resort, developed by The Water Works LLC, will be located on 25 acres of a 107-acre site on the East Side of Fairmont formerly occupied by the Exxon Fairmont Coke Works and the Sharon Steel plant. The resort park is expected to create 350 permanent and 125 seasonal jobs and hopes to attract visitors from West Virginia and the greater Mid-Atlantic region, including Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and Harrisburg.

Blogging for WV...

Given the communications challenge resulting from the various accents spoken throughout the state -- is blogging a more effective way for West Virginians to communicate? ;)

"I remember the first time I ever drove through deep, southern West Virginia. I couldn't even understand the accent of the people there, you know. They couldn't understand me. West Virginia, actually, is a state that's made up of some different kinds of communities. " (Robert Grimes)

For persons interested in dialect research: The International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA) Web site has several examples of downloadable sound files (MP3) and documents (PDFs) online featuring West Virginia accent/dialect speakers.