October 23, 2025 • 35 mins
Shannon Everett from American Truckers United on the recent hit-and-run case involving a big rig in Monongalia County.
Vice President of Alumni Relations wvu, Kevin Berry on Homecoming weekend on the WVU campus.
Vice President of Alumni Relations wvu, Kevin Berry on Homecoming weekend on the WVU campus.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
This is the Talk of the Town from Morgantown to Klerksburg.
If it's happening, we're talking about it. Call the show
toll free at one eight hundred seven sixty five eight
two fivey five. Now Here is your host for the
Talk of the Town, Mike notting Well.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Good Tuesday morning. It is nine oh six, fair skies
for the moment and fifty four degrees. A Metro news
ACU weather says could see a shower throughout the course
of the day today looks like meteorologists say that's most
likely in the early to mid afternoon hours at high
temperature of sixty one degrees today. Will welcome to Talk
(00:44):
of the Town and Happy Tuesday. Don't know about you,
but already feels like this week is moving at a
break neck pace. Well Ethan Collins, he's behind the controls
producing this edition of the program. He's at eight hundred
seven six five eight two. We've got the text line
available for you at number three oh four Talk three
(01:06):
oh four now. Thirty seven year old's six gender sing
reached a plea day deal in Montgelia County Magistrate Court
on Monday. He agreed to plead guilty to vehicular homicide.
Mont County Prosecutor gave Mozolas asking for a prison sentence
of one year. Coming up at nine point fifteen, we've
got Shannon Everett from American Truckers United. He'll join us
(01:30):
with their reaction. If you remember right back, oh January February,
when that accident happened. We were able to talk with
Shannon Everett then and he brought up some of his
concerns about the English language barrier that some truckers have.
We're going to get his reaction to this case and
also what's been happening across the country truck drivers with
(01:54):
seemingly licenses with no first names, and we realize that
those are exceptions and not the rule. But we're going
to talk with Shannon Evertt and find out his reaction
to what's happening across the country in the trucking profession.
It's homecoming week on the Morgantown campus of WVU, and
later in the program, I believe just about nine forty,
(02:14):
we'll spend a minute or two with the vice president
of Alumni Relations, Kevin Barry to get a schedule update.
I believe today signals the beginning of voting for homecoming royalty.
We'll verify that with Kevin Barry coming up later this hour. Well,
there's additional tax trouble for US Senator Jim Justice and
(02:38):
his wife.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Kathy.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
The Irs has filed a pair of liens claiming eight
million dollars in unpaid taxes by Justice.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
And his wife.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Those liens were filed October second in Greenbrier County. Metro
News sawt comment from Justice's Senate office and the Greenbrier Resort,
but received no response.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
You can read more.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Brad mcilhanny has that story at wvonmetronews dot com. A
story we're tracking here in the news room. A proposed
eleven hundred acre Preston County solar energy project is moving
forward following a PS ruling on Monday. A Brandonville solar
project would produce about one hundred gigawatts or ten gigawatts.
(03:23):
It would be located between Glade Run and Big Sandy Creek,
about a mile northwest of Brandonville. Brandonville. That's a subsidiary
of in El North America. That's group is headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts.
Got eight hundred workers that manage their energy portfolio situation.
(03:46):
Over nine states and one Canadian province. The estimated cost
of the Preston County project one hundred and seventy four
million dollars. Construction could start in December of next year
and power could begin being produced there by the end
of twenty twenty seven. Oh Governor Morrissey came to Clarksburg
(04:08):
on Monday to the Robinson Grand Theater to announce nineteen
million dollars in state funding for Clarksburg their water system
upgrade that'll go towards a larger fifty million dollar project
to replace old lead service lines. We do have a
call into the general manager of the Clarksburg Water Board,
(04:30):
Jason Myers, would like to talk to him about exactly
how this infusion of cash is going to help them
get closer to a completion date, because you know what,
We all know that they've divided the city into sections,
taking each section at a time, and the entire system
will be upgraded. On Randolph County, State police been able
(04:53):
to identify a woman whose mangled body was found on
a rural roadway. She's been identified as forty three year
old Amber Shreeve of Mill Creek. The body was discovered
early Saturday morning on back road near the community. Troopers
believe that she was struck by a vehicle. They're still
investigating the circumstances around that. One last thing, then we'll
(05:17):
get started with the program. Police in Fairmont say in
argument led up to a fifty nine year old woman
backing over a man with a vehicle and a bar
parking lot, killing him. Employees at the Bellevue Bar and
Grill asked fifty nine year old Donna Batson and her
male companion to leave the bar after they got into
a verbal altercation. Witnesses told police that bats and backed
(05:41):
over the man, then left. Man was taking Fairmont Medical Center,
but it died of his injuries early Monday morning. She's
been charged with hit and run resulting in death. She's
being held in the North Central Regional Jail. Coming up next,
spend a few minutes with Shannon Everett with American Truckers United.
(06:01):
Get his reaction to the suck gender sing plea deal.
We'll also talk about the wider situation of enforcement and
safety among America's truckers. It's coming up next on Talk
of the Town AM fourteen forty f M one oh
four point five w aj R.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Now back to the talk of the town.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
We've good Tuesday morning.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
It is nine to seventeen, partly cloudy and fifty four degrees. Now,
let's see Shannon Everett is traveling this morning. We're working
on tracking him down the text line. I'd like to
get that number two three oh four Talk three oh four.
You can also get Ethan Collins, our producer at eight
(06:58):
hundred and seveny six two five five. Morgantown City Council.
They'll be meeting tonight and on their agenda are their
legislative priorities. And many of these priorities are very very
similar to what we talked about or heard from city
council last year. Some of them maybe have moved slightly
(07:22):
on that list, but nevertheless, they'll be talking about these
priorities this evening.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Now, among their top priorities.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Are state road maintenance and the election date mandate the
top road. The top priorities include the recent law that
required the alignment of state and local elections.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Now.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Secondary priorities on this list include the municipal airport funding,
traffic cameras for moving violations. I'm sure you remember that one.
That one got brought up during the twenty twenty four process,
and then let's see the civil service hiring process they'd
like to streamline that sheds some of the requirements that
(08:12):
are required in the civil service process, and then also
looking for additional money to address the combined sewer situation
that the City of Morgantown finds themselves in now. Also
on the list of secondary priorities includes some strengthening home
(08:35):
rule provisions, some issues with the state building Code, and
small business support. But taking a look at some of
the top priorities, state road maintenance is one of the
top priorities, and they do cite the fact the study
that was done recently, the Trip Report twenty twenty five
(09:00):
that showed fifty one percent of Morgantown's major roads are
in poor or mediocre condition. You factor that in with
the amount of heavy truck traffic that we receive in
this area, adds up to a lot of road damage
and increasing costs in order to maintain those roads. So
what they'd like to do is create a local maintenance
(09:22):
agreement program similar to pin DOT. Now I'm not familiar
with the pen DOT program, but they say it allows
for municipalities to take over maintenance responsibilities for certain sections
of state roads. Now, the city here in this particular instance,
is very clear that they would like to take over
(09:44):
sections of roads, and certainly not the bridges that are
on those roads. The second thing that they'd like to
do in terms of their legislative update for roads is
to amend state code to reduce truck weight limits or
through traffic and sensitive areas. So I'm sure you can
(10:04):
follow along with me. We're talking about Brockway Avenue. We're
out seven through Saberton and into the city of Morgantown
and ultimately through downtown. Third on that list. Another the
third proposed change would be to create a local fuel
tax to create additional funds toward road maintenance, and then
(10:30):
the transfer of ownership of state maintained roadways but not
bridges to the municipalities or create a procedure for the
doh municipalities to jointly plan which road should remain part
of the state road system considering current travel and maintenance needs.
(10:52):
You know what, when you take a look at those
state road procedures that they'll talk about tonight as legislative priorities,
and then you lay that over the relationships that we've
developed with District four of the doh and specifically the
manager there, Earl Gaskins. I think you know you've got
(11:12):
a chance for some cooperation on some of these items.
I think that the reducing weight limits and truck routes
could be a bridge too far. I'm sure that you
might go with me on that. Now, the election mandate,
what they are saying is that municipalities really don't have
(11:35):
enough time to get this all into place by twenty
thirty twenty thirty two. They're asking the legislature to clarify
procedures and contingencies to either bypass the charter change process
or remove the date change requirement. If the charter change
amendment fails in a special election, they contend that they'll
(11:58):
have to hold a special election and to get voter
approval in order to change that election data. To think
the state legislature they might look at that hierarchy just
a little bit different lately some of the secondary priorities.
Number One, we can get municipal airport funding out of
the way because primarily most of that funding comes through
(12:22):
the Airport Maintenance Fund and through the FAA. And now
while some of that money does come from the state,
I guess that's really what you might call gravy or
maybe an unexpected windfall when that particular grant is approved.
Now that traffic cameras for moving violations, that's another situation
(12:46):
that got brought up during last year's priority presentation and
that actually got more support.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Than what you might think. Let's go to the phones.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Looks like we've got Shannon Everett with American Truckers United. Shannon,
good morning, sir, glad we could catch up with you.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
How are you.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
I'm doing well, okay, be with.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
You, absolutely well. We're glad to have you, Okay, Shannon.
Thirty seven year old sec gender Zing entered into a
plea deal on Monday morning here in Montagelia County went
from negligent homicide to vehicular homicide in the January crash
on the Cheat Lake Bridge that resulted in the death
of Kevin Lettail. His car thrown over the bridge, sat
(13:32):
down there for a week before rescuers could get to it,
and actually Lattail was reported missing and there was a
search for several days before actually what happened came to light.
Your reaction to this plea.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Deal, you know, I'm happy that we're starting to see
these criminal charges at a felony level. You know, this
is a blessing that we're having that I think the
I think the charges should be more severe. I think
the penalties should be more severe for these truck drivers.
But we're seeing a lot of cases across the country
(14:07):
where this has happened, where these guys are being charged
with misdemeanors and uh, and they're being released, you know,
sixty or ninety days with just little jail time and
then back into the community, and then when it's time
that then when it's time to go to civil trial, Uh,
they completely disappear, and we can't even we can't even uh,
you know, provide them, provide the presence for the for
the civil case. And so uh, these a lot of
(14:29):
these truck drivers are ghosts. You know. I think the
Secretary of Transportation has proven that through his investigation of
non domiciled CDLs and the exploitation of those and the
proliferation across the country of those. We have over two
hundred thousand truck drivers now that have illegally obtained these
CDLs and are driving on our interstates across the United
(14:51):
States and through all of our different communities. And so
this is absolutely a highway safety epidemic, and we need
our lawmakers to be dry, to be codifying specific legislation
to address these egregious crimes and to provide the appropriate
sentencing and penalties for these for these truck drivers.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Shannon Everard with American Truckers United is with us. And now, Shannon,
maybe I'm living in a cave, but most of the
people that had talked to that have CDL or commercial
Driver's licenses tell me that that process is pretty stringent.
Not only is the process stringent and the testing is
pretty extensive, but then the process of keeping that CDL
(15:33):
is a maintenance process that is pretty involved.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
So how does this happen?
Speaker 4 (15:41):
We have two different standards, we have two different ecosystems,
and so he's absolutely these guys are absolutely correct for
the American truck driver. I was just talking to a
driver yesterday. He had to go to the DMV like
three or four times just to get his renewed. And
the owner of the company that was telling me about
the situation was just laughing. It's like, how can we
have drivers out here with the deals with no names
on them, and yet these American truck drivers when they
(16:03):
go apply, you know, get so much, so much of
a run around, And it's because the federal the commercial
driver's license is not a federal license. It's issued by
the states. Well, everybody knows every state doesn't have the
same ideologies and beliefs, and so we have sanctuary states
and some sanctuary cities in red states where the DMVs
(16:25):
have participated in this behavior to allow illegal aliens, non citizens,
people without proper work authorization to receive these Uh. In
a lot of cases, real IDs, not just the CDL,
but a CDL with a real idea. I don't know
if that was the case in the SWTS Virginia crash,
but it's been the case in a lot of them.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Shannon Evert with American Truckers United is with us now, Shannon,
as you take a look at, you know, some of
these laws and the enforcement being tightened up around the country, Uh, well,
what do you see happening here in the coming twelve
month in terms of I guess you know, available truck
drivers because this has to have an impact on profession
(17:08):
that was already down on drivers.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Well, so you know, at American Truckers United, we don't
believe there's a driver shortage. We believe that there's a
retention problem that has been exacerbated by bringing in and
dumping in all of these additional truck drivers. And so
we have forced the American truck driver community to reduce
itself because it cannot compete with slave wages. And so
(17:33):
I believe that if we do the right thing to
protect our communities, which means to actually bet these drivers,
make sure they're qualified, make sure they're trained, Yes, it will,
it will force some of them out. That it will
also increase the standard of living for the American truck drivers,
which will attract drivers back into the industry. And that's
what we want to do. We want to make sure
(17:55):
that our industry is full of properly paid, well qualified,
well thatted, well trained truck drivers.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Are you seeing these instances maybe drop in terms of occurrences. No.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
In fact, one of the problems that we have is
these guys are being issued credentials just like any other
American truck driver, and so it's almost impossible for most
of these state agencies, you know, I'm talking about the
law enforcement on the side of the road, and for
the reports that they fill out, nothing segregates and identifies that, oh,
(18:34):
this was a non domicide i llegal alien truck driver.
It just shows is another crash. And so the only
reason that the media has really had a lot of
adequate coverage in the last I'd say six months has
been grassroots efforts to identify these cases and bring them
to the spotlight. And so there's a ton of these
cases that are going on and they're never being mentioned
(18:55):
because nobody understands what's happening.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
And I think the from the standpoint of a member
of the media, a lot of times you bring things
like this up and people look at you like you're crazy,
can't be happening.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
Yeah, that's right. And in fact, this one was so
so well hidden that nobody even knew what the term
non domicile CDL was. I've been in an industry for
twenty five years. I first learned of it when legislation
was filed in the state of Arkansas to legalize them,
and we started asking the question, what is a not
(19:31):
commacid CDL. And I can tell you since that day
we've been on this huge battle to get them out
of the system. But since that day, I had yet
to run into an industry executive. I'm talking about guys
who owned thousands of trucks, hundreds of trucks. I've yet
to find an executive that was aware that these licenses
were being issued.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
We are talking about your town. Now back to the
talk of the town.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Good Tuesday morning.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
It is nine thirty five right now in the University City,
Partly cloudy and fifty four degrees. It looks like I've
got about a sixty percent chance of rain early to
mid afternoon today. Now, Morgantown City Council, they will meet
tonight in City Council Chambers on Spruce Street. They'll gavel
(20:31):
in at seven pm for the regular meeting. They do
have a special meeting prior to They're going to consider
some board appointments and have a hearing on an abandoned structure. However,
the regular meeting kicks in at seven o'clock. You're more
than welcome to attend that in City Council Chambers on
Spruce Street or via the city's YouTube page. They will
(20:56):
be addressing their legislative priorities as we addressed earlier. They'll
also be talking about a new initiative called the Morgantown
Mosaic Neighborhood Engagement Initiative. Now this initiative would make available
a pool of funds matching funds one to one, matching
(21:17):
funds to different communities in the neighborhood. Now, the recognized
communities would be the Evansdale neighborhood, first Ward, Greenmont, Jerome Park, Norwood,
South Hills, South Park, Suncrest, Wilds Hill, Highland Park, and
would Burn. Those are the recognized neighborhoods. Now, understanding that
(21:42):
there could be applicants from outside of those recognized neighborhoods.
Any applicant from outside of those neighborhoods but still within
city limits, they can also submit applications as part of
this program. They just need to include the neighborhood boundaries,
project leaders, and then all the other required information as
(22:04):
part of the application process. Now, what this program will
fund our neighborhood improvements, things like community branding, signage, landscaping,
public art, or the rehab or repair of public spaces
that remove graffiti, and even fund the establishment of community gardens. Now,
(22:28):
what they will not fund will be projects for the
sole purpose of providing food or catering and entertainment. Kind
of already have that covered in several areas through the
down at the Waterfront. Also the creps Park concert series
out at Chestnut Ridge Park. They have the jazz concert
(22:52):
series out there, and no funds will be awarded for
projects that have already been completed prior to the approval
award letter. Now these are all all these opportunities are
going to be matching opportunities for these neighborhoods in order
to bring their neighborhood neighborhood associations together, identify projects that
(23:14):
will improve their neighborhoods, and in encourage other people to
get involved with their neighborhoods. And I think that that
has been a big deal since I've come to this town.
Getting engagement from these community neighborhood associations really took a
(23:34):
hit during the pandemic, but it is certainly certainly coming
back now.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
If you can, you can.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Go to MORGANTOWNWV dot gov and if you go under
the agenda tab for Morgantown City Council, they do have
a draft application some of the questions you'll be able
to take a look at exactly how the application process
will work. This certainly caters to neighborhoods, but it also
(24:06):
could include partnerships with nonprofits, community organizations, churches or even businesses.
So looks like this is really a great opportunity to
get some new money into some neighborhood projects throughout the
city of Morgantown, while at the same time encouraging more
involvement in encouraging more community pride. Once again. Morgantown City Council.
(24:32):
They'll get together tonight at seven o'clock. That meeting will
be available on YouTube and also it'll be available in
person at they're at in City Council Chambers on Spruce Street.
When we come back, we're going to dedicate a few
minutes to Homecoming that is this week on the Morgantown
(24:56):
WVU campus. As a matter of fact, I believe that
voting for homecoming royalty commences today. We'll talk about that
coming up next with the vice president of Alumni Relations,
Kevin Barry. It's on top of the town. Am fourteen
forty f M. One oh four point five w A
j R.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Join the conversation at one eight hundred and seven sixty
five eight two FIY five. This is the talk of
the town.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
We'll get Tuesday morning. It is nine forty three.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Got a problem to tell you about on the Roadways
I seventy nine northbound in the area. Oh, the bridge
project south of the Goshen Road. Looks like there is
an accident there, traffic at a standstill. If you're there,
I guess it looks like you're gonna have to wait
it out if if you're not avoided, and we'll keep
you posted as to how that turns out. On the phone,
(26:05):
we've got the vice president of Alumni Relations with wv You,
Kevin Barry.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Kevin, good to talk to you. How are you.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
I'm doing well, Mike, good morning, and thanks so much
for having me on your show.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
Absolutely, it's a pleasure to have you on. Kevin.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Okay, let's see, yesterday the Spirit truck was out collecting
some stuffed animals and also distributing some fan gear as well.
Speaker 5 (26:29):
Absolutely, so, first things first, Homecoming week one of my
favorite weeks of the year, and it's just an opportunity
for us to get out and engage with students and
alums as well as an opportunity for us to you know,
celebrate West Virginia University. And you're right, yesterday we were out,
we were on the health Sciences campus. We're going to
be on the Evansdale Campus today in downtown tomorrow, and
(26:51):
it's just an opportunity for us to bring a little
homecoming spirit to different parts of campus. And you know
you talked about collecting bears and blankets. You know, this
is that we have been working on since January. It's
going to run through December. We are collecting comfort items
for patients at WVU Medicine Children's Hospital. And if individuals
will want to participate, like I said, we're going to
(27:13):
be around campus all week. Feel free to grab a
bear and blanket and drop it off as we continue
to support the good work that's happening at WVU Medicine Children's.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
And you could also consider it maybe a third birthday
president or president to the hospital.
Speaker 5 (27:28):
Absolutely, you know, we want to do what we can
to help support the good work that they do and
these comfort items are just such an important part of it.
This is something that our chapters came up with. We're
collecting bears and blankets all around the country. You can
go on our website and learn more about this campaign,
or like I said, feel free to drop a bear
(27:49):
blanket off at one of our stops during the week
or here at the Rigs and Alumni Center.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Okay, perfect, Now, today, Kevin is the beginning of the
Homecoming twenty twenty five Royalty vote on WVU engaged.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Tell us about that.
Speaker 5 (28:05):
Yeah, so oddly, these are students that are incredible student
leaders on our campus and it's an opportunity for us
to basically lift them up. And we're going to be
doing the same thing on Saturday with seven to one
ni who have devoted their lives in service to West
Virginia University. You know, it's a lot of fun taking
them out on the field, telling their stories and celebrating
(28:26):
the many ways that they help move West Virginia University forward.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
What do you have to qualify or what do you
have to be to qualify to vote?
Speaker 5 (28:35):
So you need to be a student of West Virginia University,
and you know, they've really made it easy. It's entirely online.
I think you're going to see some of our royalty
folks out on campus today and tomorrow clearly campaigning for this.
But to vote for this, all you need to do
is be a student registered at West Virginia University, go
online and vote for the candidate that you feel the
(28:58):
strongest about.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Okay, now, on the alumni truck spirit stomps. What kind
of gear are they handing out there?
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Also, we have some mints that we're doing buttons. You know,
what is an alumni event without pepper running rolls, So
we have pepper running rolls. We're also having individuals vote
on what are their favorite West Virginia University traditions and
we do drawings at the end of the week for
individuals to win those. Just an opportunity for us to
(29:28):
interact with students, share a little bit of West Virginia
University swag, and again kick off the celebration that is
homecoming at West Virginia University.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Vice President of Alumni Relations Kevin Barry is with us
and now, Kevin, we're not going to turn our backs
on the fact that this has been a tough year
on the field for the Mountaineers. However, the Mountaineer faithful
have stepped up in a big way and I would
expect these crowds to be large as well. What kinds
of things do you have as we approach the end
(29:58):
of the week in game.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Time, so you know, literally Saturday is going to be
a very busy day on campus. You know, we have
Mountaineer Friday, which is going to be at the Mountain Layer.
Clearly the homecoming parade. You know, thousands of people participate
in that on an annual basis. You know, there's going
to be tailgates and receptions and the reunions that are
going to be occurring on on Friday. And then obviously
(30:22):
the game, which we're excited for, the Coal Rush game.
You know, our fans really enjoy that, so we're looking
forward to that. And then the other thing that I
think is really neat on Friday is the athletics department
is doing an exhibition for men's and women's basketball. It's
called Ballin in Woodburn. There's going to be a regulation
sized basketball court that's going to be in Woodburn Circle.
(30:45):
We think that's going to be an exciting event as well.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
What time will that be, Kevin, So.
Speaker 5 (30:49):
That'll be eight pm. By the way, the parade kicks
off at six pm. So I would encourage people as
as soon as the parade ends, make your way to Woodburn.
I really think it's going to be a special event.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
I think you're absolutely right about that.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
So a temporary hardwood court set up at Woodburn Circle.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
That's going to be fun isn't it, Mike, It really is.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
I guess I'm not sure if you're prepared for this question,
But who do you hire to set that up?
Speaker 5 (31:16):
I'll be the good news is, Mike, that's outside of
my pay grade, So that would be for the folks
in the athletic department to let you know. But you know,
it's just a special thing to do to add to
what is really going to be a great homecoming week
here at West Virginia University.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
I couldn't agree more with you. You're definitely right. Okay,
Now let's get back to the alumni. You got me
distracted with that shiny object. Well, well, what are you
going to have for the Mountaineer faithful to choose to
travel back to Morgantown? And you know, who knows, maybe
you've got some virtual options for those who can't.
Speaker 5 (31:53):
Yeah, we do. First off, thought, you know, for our students,
there's a scavenger hunt. It's occurring all week. We're going
to be doing virtual trivia, and don't forget that, you know,
those folks that can't come. We have alumni chapters around
the country. Many of them are going to be hosting
game watches. So there's the opportunity to participate in homecoming
even if you can't make the trip to Morgantown. In
(32:15):
terms of the things that we're going to be doing
with our alums, you know, obviously we're going to be
doing a open house here at the Rickson Alumni Center
on Friday. We encourage people to swing by again. That's
another place you can drop a bear blanket off, you
can get a West Virginia University treat like a Pepperini roll,
a flying WV cookie. We're also gonna have the Montikelas
(32:36):
out so that people have the opportunity to reminisce. In
terms of that, you know, we do have a tailgate
that we'll be having on Saturday for the folks that
are participating, and obviously, like I said, you know earlier
this week, we have the Spirit truck stops and there's
not just going to be the tailgate that we're doing here,
but you know, we have a number of schools, colleges
(32:58):
and organizations that are going to be hosting those Saturday
as well. The easiest place for people to go to
see the full complement of homecoming activities is the dedicated
homecoming web page, which is Homecoming dot WVU dot Edu.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
Okay, good deal.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Vice President of Alumni Relations, Kevin Barry. Okay, Kevin, your
prediction for the game on Saturday.
Speaker 5 (33:20):
So you know, obviously it's a big homecoming game for us.
Excited for the Mountaineers to take on TCU. What I'm
predicting is an outstanding Saturday where individuals have the opportunity
reconnect with friends, former classmates, cheer on the Mountaineers. And
I'll just say that my hope is at the very
(33:42):
end of the game or arm in arm singing Country Roads.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Absolutely, Kevin couldn't have said it better myself, and I
do appreciate your time.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (33:51):
Absolutely, have a great day, Mike.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Hey, I will absolutely go Mountaineers. Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Vice President of Alumni Relations with WU, Kevin Barry. Let's
turn our attention to is seventy nine in the southern
part of Montengelia County, where there is an accident in
that bridge project. It would appear in looking at the
text line there are some people that are in that
(34:18):
backup that are sharing their frustrations with the I guess
the lane widths that are down there and the amount
of time that you have to react to that particular
traffic setup. Now I tell you, traveling through that area,
I definitely agree driving a car is one thing. However,
driving a big truck, if you're not from around here,
(34:39):
you come into that particular work zone, you could be
faced with some big trouble because it's easy to drift
out of those lanes when you're going through that traffic setup.
And the other thing, and I brought this up before,
is that you've got two bridge projects and then the
road opens up in between, and that does or can
(35:02):
create a false sense of security when you hit that
second work zone. But once again, I seventy nine in
the southern part of Montengelia County. Now that is I
seventy nine northbound. There is a crash there in the
work zone. Avoid the area if you can. If you're
(35:22):
in that, it looks like it looks like you're going
to be in that backup for a while. And the
bad part about that is is that in a certain
point and a certain part of that backup, you're not
going to have access to the Goshen Road exit, which
is typically what first responders use to detour traffic around
(35:42):
an accident when it happens in that area.
This is the Talk of the Town from Morgantown to Klerksburg.
If it's happening, we're talking about it. Call the show
toll free at one eight hundred seven sixty five eight
two fivey five. Now Here is your host for the
Talk of the Town, Mike notting Well.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Good Tuesday morning. It is nine oh six, fair skies
for the moment and fifty four degrees. A Metro news
ACU weather says could see a shower throughout the course
of the day today looks like meteorologists say that's most
likely in the early to mid afternoon hours at high
temperature of sixty one degrees today. Will welcome to Talk
(00:44):
of the Town and Happy Tuesday. Don't know about you,
but already feels like this week is moving at a
break neck pace. Well Ethan Collins, he's behind the controls
producing this edition of the program. He's at eight hundred
seven six five eight two. We've got the text line
available for you at number three oh four Talk three
(01:06):
oh four now. Thirty seven year old's six gender sing
reached a plea day deal in Montgelia County Magistrate Court
on Monday. He agreed to plead guilty to vehicular homicide.
Mont County Prosecutor gave Mozolas asking for a prison sentence
of one year. Coming up at nine point fifteen, we've
got Shannon Everett from American Truckers United. He'll join us
(01:30):
with their reaction. If you remember right back, oh January February,
when that accident happened. We were able to talk with
Shannon Everett then and he brought up some of his
concerns about the English language barrier that some truckers have.
We're going to get his reaction to this case and
also what's been happening across the country truck drivers with
(01:54):
seemingly licenses with no first names, and we realize that
those are exceptions and not the rule. But we're going
to talk with Shannon Evertt and find out his reaction
to what's happening across the country in the trucking profession.
It's homecoming week on the Morgantown campus of WVU, and
later in the program, I believe just about nine forty,
(02:14):
we'll spend a minute or two with the vice president
of Alumni Relations, Kevin Barry to get a schedule update.
I believe today signals the beginning of voting for homecoming royalty.
We'll verify that with Kevin Barry coming up later this hour. Well,
there's additional tax trouble for US Senator Jim Justice and
(02:38):
his wife.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Kathy.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
The Irs has filed a pair of liens claiming eight
million dollars in unpaid taxes by Justice.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
And his wife.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Those liens were filed October second in Greenbrier County. Metro
News sawt comment from Justice's Senate office and the Greenbrier Resort,
but received no response.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
You can read more.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Brad mcilhanny has that story at wvonmetronews dot com. A
story we're tracking here in the news room. A proposed
eleven hundred acre Preston County solar energy project is moving
forward following a PS ruling on Monday. A Brandonville solar
project would produce about one hundred gigawatts or ten gigawatts.
(03:23):
It would be located between Glade Run and Big Sandy Creek,
about a mile northwest of Brandonville. Brandonville. That's a subsidiary
of in El North America. That's group is headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts.
Got eight hundred workers that manage their energy portfolio situation.
(03:46):
Over nine states and one Canadian province. The estimated cost
of the Preston County project one hundred and seventy four
million dollars. Construction could start in December of next year
and power could begin being produced there by the end
of twenty twenty seven. Oh Governor Morrissey came to Clarksburg
(04:08):
on Monday to the Robinson Grand Theater to announce nineteen
million dollars in state funding for Clarksburg their water system
upgrade that'll go towards a larger fifty million dollar project
to replace old lead service lines. We do have a
call into the general manager of the Clarksburg Water Board,
(04:30):
Jason Myers, would like to talk to him about exactly
how this infusion of cash is going to help them
get closer to a completion date, because you know what,
We all know that they've divided the city into sections,
taking each section at a time, and the entire system
will be upgraded. On Randolph County, State police been able
(04:53):
to identify a woman whose mangled body was found on
a rural roadway. She's been identified as forty three year
old Amber Shreeve of Mill Creek. The body was discovered
early Saturday morning on back road near the community. Troopers
believe that she was struck by a vehicle. They're still
investigating the circumstances around that. One last thing, then we'll
(05:17):
get started with the program. Police in Fairmont say in
argument led up to a fifty nine year old woman
backing over a man with a vehicle and a bar
parking lot, killing him. Employees at the Bellevue Bar and
Grill asked fifty nine year old Donna Batson and her
male companion to leave the bar after they got into
a verbal altercation. Witnesses told police that bats and backed
(05:41):
over the man, then left. Man was taking Fairmont Medical Center,
but it died of his injuries early Monday morning. She's
been charged with hit and run resulting in death. She's
being held in the North Central Regional Jail. Coming up next,
spend a few minutes with Shannon Everett with American Truckers United.
(06:01):
Get his reaction to the suck gender sing plea deal.
We'll also talk about the wider situation of enforcement and
safety among America's truckers. It's coming up next on Talk
of the Town AM fourteen forty f M one oh
four point five w aj R.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Now back to the talk of the town.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
We've good Tuesday morning.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
It is nine to seventeen, partly cloudy and fifty four degrees. Now,
let's see Shannon Everett is traveling this morning. We're working
on tracking him down the text line. I'd like to
get that number two three oh four Talk three oh four.
You can also get Ethan Collins, our producer at eight
(06:58):
hundred and seveny six two five five. Morgantown City Council.
They'll be meeting tonight and on their agenda are their
legislative priorities. And many of these priorities are very very
similar to what we talked about or heard from city
council last year. Some of them maybe have moved slightly
(07:22):
on that list, but nevertheless, they'll be talking about these
priorities this evening.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Now, among their top priorities.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Are state road maintenance and the election date mandate the
top road. The top priorities include the recent law that
required the alignment of state and local elections.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Now.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Secondary priorities on this list include the municipal airport funding,
traffic cameras for moving violations. I'm sure you remember that one.
That one got brought up during the twenty twenty four process,
and then let's see the civil service hiring process they'd
like to streamline that sheds some of the requirements that
(08:12):
are required in the civil service process, and then also
looking for additional money to address the combined sewer situation
that the City of Morgantown finds themselves in now. Also
on the list of secondary priorities includes some strengthening home
(08:35):
rule provisions, some issues with the state building Code, and
small business support. But taking a look at some of
the top priorities, state road maintenance is one of the
top priorities, and they do cite the fact the study
that was done recently, the Trip Report twenty twenty five
(09:00):
that showed fifty one percent of Morgantown's major roads are
in poor or mediocre condition. You factor that in with
the amount of heavy truck traffic that we receive in
this area, adds up to a lot of road damage
and increasing costs in order to maintain those roads. So
what they'd like to do is create a local maintenance
(09:22):
agreement program similar to pin DOT. Now I'm not familiar
with the pen DOT program, but they say it allows
for municipalities to take over maintenance responsibilities for certain sections
of state roads. Now, the city here in this particular instance,
is very clear that they would like to take over
(09:44):
sections of roads, and certainly not the bridges that are
on those roads. The second thing that they'd like to
do in terms of their legislative update for roads is
to amend state code to reduce truck weight limits or
through traffic and sensitive areas. So I'm sure you can
(10:04):
follow along with me. We're talking about Brockway Avenue. We're
out seven through Saberton and into the city of Morgantown
and ultimately through downtown. Third on that list. Another the
third proposed change would be to create a local fuel
tax to create additional funds toward road maintenance, and then
(10:30):
the transfer of ownership of state maintained roadways but not
bridges to the municipalities or create a procedure for the
doh municipalities to jointly plan which road should remain part
of the state road system considering current travel and maintenance needs.
(10:52):
You know what, when you take a look at those
state road procedures that they'll talk about tonight as legislative priorities,
and then you lay that over the relationships that we've
developed with District four of the doh and specifically the
manager there, Earl Gaskins. I think you know you've got
(11:12):
a chance for some cooperation on some of these items.
I think that the reducing weight limits and truck routes
could be a bridge too far. I'm sure that you
might go with me on that. Now, the election mandate,
what they are saying is that municipalities really don't have
(11:35):
enough time to get this all into place by twenty
thirty twenty thirty two. They're asking the legislature to clarify
procedures and contingencies to either bypass the charter change process
or remove the date change requirement. If the charter change
amendment fails in a special election, they contend that they'll
(11:58):
have to hold a special election and to get voter
approval in order to change that election data. To think
the state legislature they might look at that hierarchy just
a little bit different lately some of the secondary priorities.
Number One, we can get municipal airport funding out of
the way because primarily most of that funding comes through
(12:22):
the Airport Maintenance Fund and through the FAA. And now
while some of that money does come from the state,
I guess that's really what you might call gravy or
maybe an unexpected windfall when that particular grant is approved.
Now that traffic cameras for moving violations, that's another situation
(12:46):
that got brought up during last year's priority presentation and
that actually got more support.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Than what you might think. Let's go to the phones.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Looks like we've got Shannon Everett with American Truckers United. Shannon,
good morning, sir, glad we could catch up with you.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
How are you.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
I'm doing well, okay, be with.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
You, absolutely well. We're glad to have you, Okay, Shannon.
Thirty seven year old sec gender Zing entered into a
plea deal on Monday morning here in Montagelia County went
from negligent homicide to vehicular homicide in the January crash
on the Cheat Lake Bridge that resulted in the death
of Kevin Lettail. His car thrown over the bridge, sat
(13:32):
down there for a week before rescuers could get to it,
and actually Lattail was reported missing and there was a
search for several days before actually what happened came to light.
Your reaction to this plea.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Deal, you know, I'm happy that we're starting to see
these criminal charges at a felony level. You know, this
is a blessing that we're having that I think the
I think the charges should be more severe. I think
the penalties should be more severe for these truck drivers.
But we're seeing a lot of cases across the country
(14:07):
where this has happened, where these guys are being charged
with misdemeanors and uh, and they're being released, you know,
sixty or ninety days with just little jail time and
then back into the community, and then when it's time
that then when it's time to go to civil trial, Uh,
they completely disappear, and we can't even we can't even uh,
you know, provide them, provide the presence for the for
the civil case. And so uh, these a lot of
(14:29):
these truck drivers are ghosts. You know. I think the
Secretary of Transportation has proven that through his investigation of
non domiciled CDLs and the exploitation of those and the
proliferation across the country of those. We have over two
hundred thousand truck drivers now that have illegally obtained these
CDLs and are driving on our interstates across the United
(14:51):
States and through all of our different communities. And so
this is absolutely a highway safety epidemic, and we need
our lawmakers to be dry, to be codifying specific legislation
to address these egregious crimes and to provide the appropriate
sentencing and penalties for these for these truck drivers.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Shannon Everard with American Truckers United is with us. And now, Shannon,
maybe I'm living in a cave, but most of the
people that had talked to that have CDL or commercial
Driver's licenses tell me that that process is pretty stringent.
Not only is the process stringent and the testing is
pretty extensive, but then the process of keeping that CDL
(15:33):
is a maintenance process that is pretty involved.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
So how does this happen?
Speaker 4 (15:41):
We have two different standards, we have two different ecosystems,
and so he's absolutely these guys are absolutely correct for
the American truck driver. I was just talking to a
driver yesterday. He had to go to the DMV like
three or four times just to get his renewed. And
the owner of the company that was telling me about
the situation was just laughing. It's like, how can we
have drivers out here with the deals with no names
on them, and yet these American truck drivers when they
(16:03):
go apply, you know, get so much, so much of
a run around, And it's because the federal the commercial
driver's license is not a federal license. It's issued by
the states. Well, everybody knows every state doesn't have the
same ideologies and beliefs, and so we have sanctuary states
and some sanctuary cities in red states where the DMVs
(16:25):
have participated in this behavior to allow illegal aliens, non citizens,
people without proper work authorization to receive these Uh. In
a lot of cases, real IDs, not just the CDL,
but a CDL with a real idea. I don't know
if that was the case in the SWTS Virginia crash,
but it's been the case in a lot of them.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Shannon Evert with American Truckers United is with us now, Shannon,
as you take a look at, you know, some of
these laws and the enforcement being tightened up around the country, Uh, well,
what do you see happening here in the coming twelve
month in terms of I guess you know, available truck
drivers because this has to have an impact on profession
(17:08):
that was already down on drivers.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Well, so you know, at American Truckers United, we don't
believe there's a driver shortage. We believe that there's a
retention problem that has been exacerbated by bringing in and
dumping in all of these additional truck drivers. And so
we have forced the American truck driver community to reduce
itself because it cannot compete with slave wages. And so
(17:33):
I believe that if we do the right thing to
protect our communities, which means to actually bet these drivers,
make sure they're qualified, make sure they're trained, Yes, it will,
it will force some of them out. That it will
also increase the standard of living for the American truck drivers,
which will attract drivers back into the industry. And that's
what we want to do. We want to make sure
(17:55):
that our industry is full of properly paid, well qualified,
well thatted, well trained truck drivers.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Are you seeing these instances maybe drop in terms of occurrences. No.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
In fact, one of the problems that we have is
these guys are being issued credentials just like any other
American truck driver, and so it's almost impossible for most
of these state agencies, you know, I'm talking about the
law enforcement on the side of the road, and for
the reports that they fill out, nothing segregates and identifies that, oh,
(18:34):
this was a non domicide i llegal alien truck driver.
It just shows is another crash. And so the only
reason that the media has really had a lot of
adequate coverage in the last I'd say six months has
been grassroots efforts to identify these cases and bring them
to the spotlight. And so there's a ton of these
cases that are going on and they're never being mentioned
(18:55):
because nobody understands what's happening.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
And I think the from the standpoint of a member
of the media, a lot of times you bring things
like this up and people look at you like you're crazy,
can't be happening.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
Yeah, that's right. And in fact, this one was so
so well hidden that nobody even knew what the term
non domicile CDL was. I've been in an industry for
twenty five years. I first learned of it when legislation
was filed in the state of Arkansas to legalize them,
and we started asking the question, what is a not
(19:31):
commacid CDL. And I can tell you since that day
we've been on this huge battle to get them out
of the system. But since that day, I had yet
to run into an industry executive. I'm talking about guys
who owned thousands of trucks, hundreds of trucks. I've yet
to find an executive that was aware that these licenses
were being issued.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
We are talking about your town. Now back to the
talk of the town.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Good Tuesday morning.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
It is nine thirty five right now in the University City,
Partly cloudy and fifty four degrees. It looks like I've
got about a sixty percent chance of rain early to
mid afternoon today. Now, Morgantown City Council, they will meet
tonight in City Council Chambers on Spruce Street. They'll gavel
(20:31):
in at seven pm for the regular meeting. They do
have a special meeting prior to They're going to consider
some board appointments and have a hearing on an abandoned structure. However,
the regular meeting kicks in at seven o'clock. You're more
than welcome to attend that in City Council Chambers on
Spruce Street or via the city's YouTube page. They will
(20:56):
be addressing their legislative priorities as we addressed earlier. They'll
also be talking about a new initiative called the Morgantown
Mosaic Neighborhood Engagement Initiative. Now this initiative would make available
a pool of funds matching funds one to one, matching
(21:17):
funds to different communities in the neighborhood. Now, the recognized
communities would be the Evansdale neighborhood, first Ward, Greenmont, Jerome Park, Norwood,
South Hills, South Park, Suncrest, Wilds Hill, Highland Park, and
would Burn. Those are the recognized neighborhoods. Now, understanding that
(21:42):
there could be applicants from outside of those recognized neighborhoods.
Any applicant from outside of those neighborhoods but still within
city limits, they can also submit applications as part of
this program. They just need to include the neighborhood boundaries,
project leaders, and then all the other required information as
(22:04):
part of the application process. Now, what this program will
fund our neighborhood improvements, things like community branding, signage, landscaping,
public art, or the rehab or repair of public spaces
that remove graffiti, and even fund the establishment of community gardens. Now,
(22:28):
what they will not fund will be projects for the
sole purpose of providing food or catering and entertainment. Kind
of already have that covered in several areas through the
down at the Waterfront. Also the creps Park concert series
out at Chestnut Ridge Park. They have the jazz concert
(22:52):
series out there, and no funds will be awarded for
projects that have already been completed prior to the approval
award letter. Now these are all all these opportunities are
going to be matching opportunities for these neighborhoods in order
to bring their neighborhood neighborhood associations together, identify projects that
(23:14):
will improve their neighborhoods, and in encourage other people to
get involved with their neighborhoods. And I think that that
has been a big deal since I've come to this town.
Getting engagement from these community neighborhood associations really took a
(23:34):
hit during the pandemic, but it is certainly certainly coming
back now.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
If you can, you can.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Go to MORGANTOWNWV dot gov and if you go under
the agenda tab for Morgantown City Council, they do have
a draft application some of the questions you'll be able
to take a look at exactly how the application process
will work. This certainly caters to neighborhoods, but it also
(24:06):
could include partnerships with nonprofits, community organizations, churches or even businesses.
So looks like this is really a great opportunity to
get some new money into some neighborhood projects throughout the
city of Morgantown, while at the same time encouraging more
involvement in encouraging more community pride. Once again. Morgantown City Council.
(24:32):
They'll get together tonight at seven o'clock. That meeting will
be available on YouTube and also it'll be available in
person at they're at in City Council Chambers on Spruce Street.
When we come back, we're going to dedicate a few
minutes to Homecoming that is this week on the Morgantown
(24:56):
WVU campus. As a matter of fact, I believe that
voting for homecoming royalty commences today. We'll talk about that
coming up next with the vice president of Alumni Relations,
Kevin Barry. It's on top of the town. Am fourteen
forty f M. One oh four point five w A
j R.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Join the conversation at one eight hundred and seven sixty
five eight two FIY five. This is the talk of
the town.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
We'll get Tuesday morning. It is nine forty three.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Got a problem to tell you about on the Roadways
I seventy nine northbound in the area. Oh, the bridge
project south of the Goshen Road. Looks like there is
an accident there, traffic at a standstill. If you're there,
I guess it looks like you're gonna have to wait
it out if if you're not avoided, and we'll keep
you posted as to how that turns out. On the phone,
(26:05):
we've got the vice president of Alumni Relations with wv You,
Kevin Barry.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Kevin, good to talk to you. How are you.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
I'm doing well, Mike, good morning, and thanks so much
for having me on your show.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
Absolutely, it's a pleasure to have you on. Kevin.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Okay, let's see, yesterday the Spirit truck was out collecting
some stuffed animals and also distributing some fan gear as well.
Speaker 5 (26:29):
Absolutely, so, first things first, Homecoming week one of my
favorite weeks of the year, and it's just an opportunity
for us to get out and engage with students and
alums as well as an opportunity for us to you know,
celebrate West Virginia University. And you're right, yesterday we were out,
we were on the health Sciences campus. We're going to
be on the Evansdale Campus today in downtown tomorrow, and
(26:51):
it's just an opportunity for us to bring a little
homecoming spirit to different parts of campus. And you know
you talked about collecting bears and blankets. You know, this
is that we have been working on since January. It's
going to run through December. We are collecting comfort items
for patients at WVU Medicine Children's Hospital. And if individuals
will want to participate, like I said, we're going to
(27:13):
be around campus all week. Feel free to grab a
bear and blanket and drop it off as we continue
to support the good work that's happening at WVU Medicine Children's.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
And you could also consider it maybe a third birthday
president or president to the hospital.
Speaker 5 (27:28):
Absolutely, you know, we want to do what we can
to help support the good work that they do and
these comfort items are just such an important part of it.
This is something that our chapters came up with. We're
collecting bears and blankets all around the country. You can
go on our website and learn more about this campaign,
or like I said, feel free to drop a bear
(27:49):
blanket off at one of our stops during the week
or here at the Rigs and Alumni Center.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Okay, perfect, Now, today, Kevin is the beginning of the
Homecoming twenty twenty five Royalty vote on WVU engaged.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Tell us about that.
Speaker 5 (28:05):
Yeah, so oddly, these are students that are incredible student
leaders on our campus and it's an opportunity for us
to basically lift them up. And we're going to be
doing the same thing on Saturday with seven to one
ni who have devoted their lives in service to West
Virginia University. You know, it's a lot of fun taking
them out on the field, telling their stories and celebrating
(28:26):
the many ways that they help move West Virginia University forward.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
What do you have to qualify or what do you
have to be to qualify to vote?
Speaker 5 (28:35):
So you need to be a student of West Virginia University,
and you know, they've really made it easy. It's entirely online.
I think you're going to see some of our royalty
folks out on campus today and tomorrow clearly campaigning for this.
But to vote for this, all you need to do
is be a student registered at West Virginia University, go
online and vote for the candidate that you feel the
(28:58):
strongest about.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Okay, now, on the alumni truck spirit stomps. What kind
of gear are they handing out there?
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Also, we have some mints that we're doing buttons. You know,
what is an alumni event without pepper running rolls, So
we have pepper running rolls. We're also having individuals vote
on what are their favorite West Virginia University traditions and
we do drawings at the end of the week for
individuals to win those. Just an opportunity for us to
(29:28):
interact with students, share a little bit of West Virginia
University swag, and again kick off the celebration that is
homecoming at West Virginia University.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Vice President of Alumni Relations Kevin Barry is with us
and now, Kevin, we're not going to turn our backs
on the fact that this has been a tough year
on the field for the Mountaineers. However, the Mountaineer faithful
have stepped up in a big way and I would
expect these crowds to be large as well. What kinds
of things do you have as we approach the end
(29:58):
of the week in game.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Time, so you know, literally Saturday is going to be
a very busy day on campus. You know, we have
Mountaineer Friday, which is going to be at the Mountain Layer.
Clearly the homecoming parade. You know, thousands of people participate
in that on an annual basis. You know, there's going
to be tailgates and receptions and the reunions that are
going to be occurring on on Friday. And then obviously
(30:22):
the game, which we're excited for, the Coal Rush game.
You know, our fans really enjoy that, so we're looking
forward to that. And then the other thing that I
think is really neat on Friday is the athletics department
is doing an exhibition for men's and women's basketball. It's
called Ballin in Woodburn. There's going to be a regulation
sized basketball court that's going to be in Woodburn Circle.
(30:45):
We think that's going to be an exciting event as well.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
What time will that be, Kevin, So.
Speaker 5 (30:49):
That'll be eight pm. By the way, the parade kicks
off at six pm. So I would encourage people as
as soon as the parade ends, make your way to Woodburn.
I really think it's going to be a special event.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
I think you're absolutely right about that.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
So a temporary hardwood court set up at Woodburn Circle.
Speaker 5 (31:07):
That's going to be fun isn't it, Mike, It really is.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
I guess I'm not sure if you're prepared for this question,
But who do you hire to set that up?
Speaker 5 (31:16):
I'll be the good news is, Mike, that's outside of
my pay grade, So that would be for the folks
in the athletic department to let you know. But you know,
it's just a special thing to do to add to
what is really going to be a great homecoming week
here at West Virginia University.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
I couldn't agree more with you. You're definitely right. Okay,
Now let's get back to the alumni. You got me
distracted with that shiny object. Well, well, what are you
going to have for the Mountaineer faithful to choose to
travel back to Morgantown? And you know, who knows, maybe
you've got some virtual options for those who can't.
Speaker 5 (31:53):
Yeah, we do. First off, thought, you know, for our students,
there's a scavenger hunt. It's occurring all week. We're going
to be doing virtual trivia, and don't forget that, you know,
those folks that can't come. We have alumni chapters around
the country. Many of them are going to be hosting
game watches. So there's the opportunity to participate in homecoming
even if you can't make the trip to Morgantown. In
(32:15):
terms of the things that we're going to be doing
with our alums, you know, obviously we're going to be
doing a open house here at the Rickson Alumni Center
on Friday. We encourage people to swing by again. That's
another place you can drop a bear blanket off, you
can get a West Virginia University treat like a Pepperini roll,
a flying WV cookie. We're also gonna have the Montikelas
(32:36):
out so that people have the opportunity to reminisce. In
terms of that, you know, we do have a tailgate
that we'll be having on Saturday for the folks that
are participating, and obviously, like I said, you know earlier
this week, we have the Spirit truck stops and there's
not just going to be the tailgate that we're doing here,
but you know, we have a number of schools, colleges
(32:58):
and organizations that are going to be hosting those Saturday
as well. The easiest place for people to go to
see the full complement of homecoming activities is the dedicated
homecoming web page, which is Homecoming dot WVU dot Edu.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
Okay, good deal.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Vice President of Alumni Relations, Kevin Barry. Okay, Kevin, your
prediction for the game on Saturday.
Speaker 5 (33:20):
So you know, obviously it's a big homecoming game for us.
Excited for the Mountaineers to take on TCU. What I'm
predicting is an outstanding Saturday where individuals have the opportunity
reconnect with friends, former classmates, cheer on the Mountaineers. And
I'll just say that my hope is at the very
(33:42):
end of the game or arm in arm singing Country Roads.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Absolutely, Kevin couldn't have said it better myself, and I
do appreciate your time.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (33:51):
Absolutely, have a great day, Mike.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Hey, I will absolutely go Mountaineers. Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Vice President of Alumni Relations with WU, Kevin Barry. Let's
turn our attention to is seventy nine in the southern
part of Montengelia County, where there is an accident in
that bridge project. It would appear in looking at the
text line there are some people that are in that
(34:18):
backup that are sharing their frustrations with the I guess
the lane widths that are down there and the amount
of time that you have to react to that particular
traffic setup. Now I tell you, traveling through that area,
I definitely agree driving a car is one thing. However,
driving a big truck, if you're not from around here,
(34:39):
you come into that particular work zone, you could be
faced with some big trouble because it's easy to drift
out of those lanes when you're going through that traffic setup.
And the other thing, and I brought this up before,
is that you've got two bridge projects and then the
road opens up in between, and that does or can
(35:02):
create a false sense of security when you hit that
second work zone. But once again, I seventy nine in
the southern part of Montengelia County. Now that is I
seventy nine northbound. There is a crash there in the
work zone. Avoid the area if you can. If you're
(35:22):
in that, it looks like it looks like you're going
to be in that backup for a while. And the
bad part about that is is that in a certain
point and a certain part of that backup, you're not
going to have access to the Goshen Road exit, which
is typically what first responders use to detour traffic around
(35:42):
an accident when it happens in that area.
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