WQBE News

Bids were submitted Wednesday for construction of the new Herbert Hoover High School. WCHS TV reported the bids will be reviewed at a special board meeting on Monday. On Nov. 22, U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., announced that more than $52.3 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been approved for rebuilding Herbert Hoover High School. The school was destroyed during a flood in 2016. The school is projected to open in the fall of 2022 on property purchased in the Givens Fork area.

The goal of the annual TechConnect Coding and Cyber Summit in Charleston is to bring more high-tech jobs to West Virginia. Facebook and Intuit are two companies that have recently set up shop here and new jobs in technology are coming with that. Other tech-related jobs are opening in education, government, and the military. When state lawmaker reconvene at the Capitol in January, it’s expected that bills will be introduced to promote and expand technology.

Local Christmas tree farms say they don’t have enough trees to sell. The problem started ten years ago with the popularity of pre-lit trees, as a result farmers didn’t plant enough trees, and now there’s a shortage. The National Christmas Tree Association says the supply of trees should go back up in a couple of years.

The Federal Communications Commission says wireless carrier’s coverage maps are flawed. An investigation found that Verizon, U.S. Cellular, and T-Mobile overstated their actual coverage, and it did not reflect on-the-ground performance.

The bids are in for the site preparation contract for the new Herbert Hoover High School. Kanawha County School officials say five bids are under review. Work is expected to begin as early as January.

State revenue officials are celebrating over the interest rate on the latest round of road bonds. The second and third rounds of the Roads to Prosperity Bonds were approved for 600-million-dollars, and the sale actually generated over 745-million-dollars in proceeds.

The Charleston Municipal Planning Commission approved a proposal to rename Court Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Way. City Council will have final approval on the name change.

A mine in McDowell County, owned by the Justice family, has been temporarily idled. The Pay Car 57 mine was shut down due to poor market conditions. Bluestone Resources hopes to bring workers back if conditions improve.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources says that changes made to SNAP benefits by the Trump administration will have little if any impact on the Mountain State. Officials say changes were made last year on a state level.

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office is sending out a warning about several scams. The first involves a tax letter, another tries to steal your pin through a text message, and the third involves the victim receiving an unexpected check. The Sheriff’s Office says you should always independently verify to whom you are providing information.