tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67859877578562672772024-03-08T16:49:00.584-05:00WRDRC News and UpdatesNews and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-60177619992336508872015-07-14T12:51:00.003-04:002015-07-14T12:51:13.402-04:00Western Regional Day Report Center receives $530,000 grant<h2>
<b>Western Regional Day Report Center receives $530,000 grant</b></h2>
Jul. 11, 2015 @ 12:01 AM<br />By MICHAEL HUPP<br /><br />WAYNE - The Western Regional Day Report Center, which serves Cabell and Wayne counties, has been awarded $530,000 to go toward substance abuse treatment programs, West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced Friday.<br /><br />The governor announced $6.3 million had been awarded to 27 agencies across the state through the West Virginia Community Corrections Grant Program to assist in the establishment and continued operation of community corrections programs.<br /><br />Chris Dean, director of the Western Regional Day Report Center, said the funding will be used to help those in the program receive treatment to get their lives back on track.<br /><br />"The programs are geared toward adjusting underlying problems to help break the cycle so hopefully they will not return into the court system upon completing the program," Dean said Friday in a phone interview.<br /><br />The day report center primarily receives designated funding from the two counties it serves, but the organization writes grants to provide extra funding for other programs such as drug abuse treatment.<br /><br />Participants go through the substance abuse program while completing community service outlined in their sentence for criminal offenses. <a href="http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x45919086/Western-Regional-Day-Report-Center-receives-530-000-grant#.VaQURmWR_Qw.facebook" target="_blank">Click here to read more ></a>News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-80533987151064586052012-02-09T11:24:00.000-05:002012-02-09T11:25:08.026-05:00<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">New drug court program opens in Wayne County</span> </b></span><br />
2/8/2012 9:45 AM By Kyla Asbury -Wayne Bureau<br />
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<a href="http://wvrecord.com/news/241673-new-drug-court-program-opens-in-wayne-county" target="_blank">Click here to read the article </a><br />
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WAYNE - West Virginia's newest Adult Drug Court program held its opening ceremony in Wayne County on Feb. 6 to explain the importance of the drug court program in helping to fight drug abuse in the state.<br />
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The Wayne County Adult Drug Court held its opening ceremony in Circuit Judge Darrell Pratt's courtroom, where state Supreme Court Chief Justice Menis Ketchum, a Wayne County native, signed the order for the program.<br />
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Pratt said the drug court program is to help drug addicts who have committed a crime and fights the addiction first.<br />
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"There are a large number of people involved in non-violent offenses who are addicts," Pratt said. "We are going to help these people and deal with their addiction first."<br />
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Chief Justice Brent D. Benjamin said the drug court program is important because it helps people with their addictions.<br />
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"It's not an easy program to go through, but it changes people," Benjamin said. "This program turns them around and helps them get better."<br />
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Pratt said the program is an 18-month program.<br />
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The participants in the drug court program will appear in front of Pratt every week as part of the program and will have weekly rehabilitation, counseling and drug screenings.<br />
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Pratt said the drug court program is another tool to help combat substance abuse.<br />
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"We're going to be dealing with drug addicts who have happened to commit a crime, not criminals who have a drug habit," Pratt said.<br />
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Benjamin said drug courts saved West Virginia $31 million last year. <br />
<br />News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-91436098621969566282011-11-28T12:48:00.000-05:002011-11-28T12:50:14.932-05:00UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GOODWIN HONORS OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT & VICTIM ASSISTANCE LEADERS DURING 2011 AWARDS CEREMONY<a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao/wvs/images/100711USAawards3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 368px;" src="http://www.justice.gov/usao/wvs/images/100711USAawards3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(36, 36, 36); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; "><p style="line-height: 16px; "><strong>On October 6, 2011,</strong> United States Attorney Booth Goodwin presented awards to more than 80 honorees at the 2011 United States Attorney’s Law Enforcement and Victim Assistance Awards ceremony held at the Marshall University Foundation Hall, Erickson Alumni Center in Huntington, West Virginia.<br /></p><p style="line-height: 16px; ">The annual awards ceremony, hosted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, recognized exemplary service of federal, state and local law enforcement officers, as well as other community organization leaders who have made significant contributions on behalf of the criminal justice system. <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao/wvs/inthecommunity.html">Click here to read more ></a></p></span><br /></div>News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-36153494025586634862010-06-11T18:18:00.001-04:002010-06-11T18:19:17.538-04:00Day Report Center receives grant<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><h1 style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 30px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></h1><div id="related" style="float: right; width: 220px; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><a href="http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1172236973/Day-Report-Center-receives-grant?i=0" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 68, 204); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img id="main_image" count="1" src="http://www.herald-dispatch.com/archive/x1172236637/g0da2580000000000001c3dd937bdf81491782c3b71a58ca840df8ccb95.jpg" current="0" style="border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-right-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-bottom-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-left-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); vertical-align: bottom; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; " /></span></a><div id="caption" style="overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><div id="caption_spacer"></div><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Courtesy of the Western Regional Day Report Center</span></p><p class="syn" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Cabell County Commissioner Scott Bias, Western Regional Day Report Director Christopher Dean, Gov. Joe Manchin and Day Report Assistant Director Justin Lockwood stand as the governor delivers a community corrections grant Tuesday, June 8, 2010, in Huntington.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">June 10, 2010 @ 12:00 AM</span></span></p></div></div><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; ">CURTIS JOHNSON</p><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; ">The Herald-Dispatch</p><div id="story_body"><p style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">CHARLESTON -- Gov. Joe Manchin presented an annual community corrections grant Tuesday to the Western Regional Day Report Center, according to a press release issued Tuesday.</span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The grant provides $425,000 in funding to assist in day-to-day operations of the center. Established in July 2008, the center provides Cabell and Wayne counties an alternative to jail for those accused of crime. The grant was presented during a Tuesday presentation in Charleston.</span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The center's director, Christopher Dean, said the $425,000 grant accounts for 65 to 70 percent of his agency's total revenue. It covers personnel costs. Other funding sources provide for the center's programing and utilities.</span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Defendants report to the center each day. They receive supervision and treatment, along with doing jobs assigned by supervisors. The center helps those defendants with addiction, mental health and other issues.</span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The program has been credited with saving counties commissions money otherwise spent to incarcerate inmates in the state's regional jail system.</span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The center also receives funding from other grants, along with the defendants and counties it serves.</span></p></div></span>News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-12963673935802892462010-05-14T13:04:00.000-04:002010-05-14T13:05:24.920-04:00Western Regional Day Report Center accepts $20,000 worth of equipmentMay 14, 2010 @ 12:00 AM<br />CHRISTIAN ALEXANDERSEN<br /><br />The Herald-Dispatch<br />HUNTINGTON -- The Western Regional Day Report Center recently accepted about $20,000 worth of equipment from Husqvarna, a worldwide producer of outdoor equipment.<br /><br />Justin Lockwood, assistant director of the Western Regional Day Report Center, said donated items included chain saws as well as lawn mowers and trimmers. The donation was made by Rich Hardware & Rental in Barboursville, a local distributor of Husqvarna products.<br /><br />Lockwood said the new equipment will be used by those assigned to the day report centers in Cabell and Wayne counties. Crews, which are made up of about 10 to 15 nonviolent offenders, travel around the area cleaning up public properties like parks and roadways.<br /><br />Lockwood said they've recently participated in a massive community service project at the Beech Fork State Park with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the governor's REAP Program. Crews from the day report center also participate in tire cleanups and debris removal projects around the community, Lockwood said.<br /><br />Cabell County Manager Stephen Zoeller said the crews tried out the new tools during a clean up at a piece of property on Darnell Road in Barboursville. The property, Zoeller said, was purchased by FEMA and given to the county to maintain.<br /><br />Crews cleaned up the site and cut overgrown brush. The day report center crews, Zoeller said, provide a great service for the community by performing tasks that others don't have the time to do.<br /><br />To suggest public properties to be cleaned up in Cabell and Wayne counties, visit the Western Regional Day Report Center's website at <a href="http://www.wrdrc.com">www.wrdrc.com</a>.News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-71701302405269811452010-03-27T15:05:00.001-04:002010-03-27T15:05:31.956-04:00Pay raises approved in Cabell budget<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; "><h1 style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 30px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); ">March 27, 2010 @ 12:00 AM</span></h1><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; ">CHRISTIAN</p><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; ">The Herald-Dispatch</p><div id="story_body"><p style="line-height: 18px; ">HUNTINGTON -- The Cabell County Commission unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2010-2011 budget on Friday which included $500 pay raises for all civilian employees working in the courthouse and $1,000 raises for sheriff's deputies.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">Commissioners agreed that the budget was one of the tightest they've have to deal with in recent years but were pleased they were able to give pay raises. The commission said it was also pleased that it was able to find enough money to give the elected officials most of what they asked for.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">The cost of the raises for the 144 civilian employees and 40 deputies will be $72,000 and $40,000, respectively.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">"I think the commission did as much as it possibly could with the dollars we had available," said Commissioner Nancy Cartmill. "I think what we gave (employees) was a very small pay raise for the county to give their employees, but it does let our employees know that we haven't forgotten them."</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">Commissioner Bob Bailey said the raises may be small, but they are much needed since the worldwide financial collapse.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">"In this economy, when people have lost their jobs and people are really suffering, for us to be able to give a small raise to the deputies and to the civilian employees is good work," Bailey said.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">The commissioners said there seemed to be enough money in the budget to warrant the raises.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">Commissioner Scott Bias said there are a number of reasons why the deputies received higher raises than the civilian employees. The county has to compete with other counties and law enforcement agencies, such as the Huntington Police Department, who pay much more to their employees than what the deputies working in Cabell County are getting.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">"A lot of our employees are underpaid but the deputies are farther underpaid," Bias said.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">The reason the commission has money for pay raises is because of a pilot program that aims to cut jail costs by releasing nonviolent offenders before trial.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">The pilot program, established by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, requires a full-time person to interview and perform background checks on all Cabell County arrests before trial. The individual reports back to a committee made up of representatives from law enforcement and court officials who will meet at least once a week.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">The committee determines if certain non-violent offenders should be put in home confinement, work with the Day Report Center or housed at the Western Regional Jail in Barboursville. The committee makes its recommendations to designated circuit court and magistrate judges.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">These judges decide if the offender should remain in jail or be released until trial. Commission approved the establishment of the program in November.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">Since it was established in Cabell County, County Manager Stephen Zoeller said the county has saved $20,000 a month on jail costs.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">Aside from pay raises, Zoeller said the commission also funded $13,000 for additional early-voting poll workers and $25,000 for overtime for deputies. The budget has been sent to the state auditor for final approval.</p></div><div class="google_ad" style="clear: both; text-align: center; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); "><ins style="display: inline-table; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; height: 60px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px; "></ins></div></span>News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-73015836889059648902010-03-26T12:48:00.000-04:002010-03-26T12:50:22.675-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; "><h1 style="font: normal normal normal 18pt/22pt Georgia, Times, serif; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Capacity in regional jail gets attention</h1><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#888888;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; "><div id="storyText"><span class="info line" style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); ">WVU Bureau Students<br />Published: Mar 22, 2010</span><p></p><p>MORGANTOWN, W.Va.--West Virginia officials are giving more attention to alternative sentencing as a way to deal with overcrowded prisons and jails. Currently, West Virginia's prisons have 6,500 inmates. That's 1,200 more than the system is designed to hold. Those excess inmates are then forced to stay at regional jails long term - something they weren't intended to do. Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein said alternative sentencing could help. Doing so would reduce the amount of time inmates spend in jail, he said. This would mean shorter terms for nonviolent crimes, placing anyone who has been convicted of a drug-related offense into treatment programs, and allowing inmates to be put on home confinement. "We feel that 80 percent of people in the system have a direct addiction to a substance," Rubenstein said. "Seventy percent of them are nonviolent crimes." Providing treatment and counseling opportunities in a less secure setting to help inmates function in society when released is one way to deal with overcrowding issues, he said. "When I arrived in 1997 there were overcrowding issues," said Steve Canterbury, administrative director of courts in West Virginia. He was the executive director of the Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority from 1997 to 2005. During that time, about $520 million was spent on new facilities, and in 2005, overcrowding was still a problem, he said. More than a dozen recommendations have been made to Gov. Joe Manchin to help fix the problem. One proposal involved building a 1,200-bed medium security prison. "But clearly we can't build our way out of this problem," Canterbury said. Monongalia Circuit Court Judge Russell Clawges said he believes treatment is the best way to help drug offenders stay out of prisons. Clawges has presided over the county's drug court since it opened in February last year. "Drug courts are designed to deal with people who are in the system because of addiction or who are in the system and addicted," he said. "All of those in our program have been convicted of felonies." The county's drug court is based on three factors: supervision, treatment and responsibility. Those going through drug court must be heavily supervised. Instead of monthly meetings with a probation officer, offenders visit them weekly. Treatment is administered at mandatory rehabilitation sessions three times a week. "Addiction has been classified as an illness, and like any long term illness, proper treatment is needed for recovery," Clawges said. Responsibility also is key, Clawges said. If the individuals are unwilling to accept responsibility for their actions, they will not get better, he said. A system of incentives and sanctions also are used as motivation to do well in the program. Incentives include restaurant gift certificates. Sanctions can vary from writing an essay to spending a week behind bars. Those participating in the drug court are kept on home confinement for a minimum of a year, although few complete the program in that amount of time. "The cost of drug court is much cheaper than staying at a penitentiary," Clawges said. Monongalia's drug court is the seventh of its kind in the state. WVU journalism students James Carbone, Karilynn Galiotos and Brian Young contributed to this report.</p></div><div id="footer" style="margin-top: 40px; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); ">© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.</div></span></span></span></div></span>News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-8540683666344416132010-01-05T01:12:00.000-05:002010-01-05T01:15:14.318-05:00Day Report crews help pick up trash<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><p class="timestamp" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x300702326/Day-report-crews-work-on-trash-pick-up">Click to read article and view pictures on Herald Dispatch Website</a></span></p><p class="timestamp" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); "><br /></p><p class="timestamp" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); ">January 03, 2010 @ 10:45 PM</p><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; ">RACHEL GENSLER</p><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; ">For The Herald-Dispatch</p><div id="story_body"><p style="line-height: 18px; ">HUNTINGTON -- Clients who participate in the Western Regional Day Report Center in Cabell County are making a dent in the community's trash problems, and a new Web site allows people to make trash pick-up requests.</p><p style="line-height: 18px; ">The center provides nonviolent offenders in the county an alternative sentencing from jail times that includes community service, often picking up trash from areas in need.</p></div></span>News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-15532718934776328062009-07-17T09:17:00.000-04:002009-07-17T09:26:03.488-04:00Tire drop-off a combined effort with WV Department of Environmental Protection and Western Regional Day Report CenterJuly 16, 2009 @ 03:35 PM<br />2009/The Herald-Dispatch<br />Herald-Dispatch.com<br /><br /><a href="http://http//www.herald-dispatch.com/news/briefs/x1227380847/City-garage-accepting-old-tires-from-residents">Click to read article and view pictures on Herald Dispatch Website<br /><br /></a>HUNTINGTON -- Huntington residents will have an opportunity to get rid of old tires this weekend.<br /><br />Between 8 a.m. and noon Saturday, July 18, residents can drop off up to 10 tires at the city garage, 419 2nd Ave. (Veterans Memorial Boulevard).<br /><br />You must show proof of residency within city limits. For more information, call Mayor Kim Wolfe's office at 304-696-5540.<br /><br />The drop-off event is a combined effort of the city of Huntington, Western Regional Day Report Center and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-56839359763145729342009-07-01T18:40:00.000-04:002009-07-01T18:49:34.687-04:00Litter-control efforts miss some areas<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; "><p class="timestamp" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); "></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">April 08, 2009 @ 12:07 AM</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">CHRISTIAN ALEXANDERSEN</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">The Herald-Dispatch</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b><a href="http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x597053331/Litter-control-efforts-miss-some-areas">Click here to read the entire article and view photos on the Herald Dispatch website.</a></b></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b></b></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">HUNTINGTON -- While a growing group of volunteers are at work to keep litter under control inside Huntington's city limits, the county is often left with few options to keep rural areas clean.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Most of the 1,647 volunteers in the Adopt YOUR Block anti-litter program focus their efforts inside the city. That means relatively few of the volunteers in that program pick up trash elsewhere in Cabell County, and the county says it has fewer resources to focus on the problem.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Meanwhile, the city plans to step up its efforts for keeping neighborhoods clean.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">For example, included in the city's 2009-2010 budget is money for purchasing two dump trucks, said Brandi Jacobs-Jones, Huntington's interim public works director. The additional trucks, Jacobs-Jones said, will enable the city's Public Works Department to schedule routine litter pickups in the next several months.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">The city also intends to run two street-sweeper shifts beginning in mid-May.</p><p></p></b></span><p></p><p></p><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; "><br /></p><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; "></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Huntington also recently announced that the Mayor's Committee for a Sustainable Community will conduct the inaugural "Huntington Clean Sweep" Saturday, April 25, through Saturday, May 2. The event will focus on cleaning up both the downtown and residential areas of the city.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">In addition, Jim Johnson has been hired as the new constituent liaison services employee who will advise the mayor on issues of concern to residents. Jacobs-Jones said residents can call Johnson at 304-696-5540 to report litter and illegal dumps in Huntington.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Some cleanup efforts are under way at the county level, but one enforcement initiative is in limbo.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Justin Lockwood, assistant director of the Western Regional Day Report Center, helps run the only county-sponsored groups in Cabell and Wayne counties that pick up litter.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">The cleanup crews are made up of about 10 to 15 nonviolent criminal offenders who travel around Wayne and Cabell counties between two and four days a week for eight hours a day.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Cabell County Assistant Manager Chris Tatum said the county commission funds a number of eco-friendly initiatives -- including spending $100,000 a year on the day report crews. The majority of the initiatives, Tatum said, are recycling programs.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Tatum recommended that residents call the sheriff's department to report illegal dumping in the county.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">The key to combating litter, Lockwood said, is persistence.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">"We believe if you chip away at a stone long enough, you're going to create something nice," Lockwood said. "The crews aren't going anywhere, in fact we're going to continue to grow."</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Lockwood said he expects to add another cleanup crew to each county so they can cover a larger</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">area.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Right now, he said, litter covers all of the county roads and it's difficult to make a dent in the problem with only one crew per county.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica">"Unfortunately, litter is a communitywide problem," Lockwood said. "There's plenty to pick up throughout the community, and we're glad to do it."</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Lockwood said the center will launch a Web site soon that will allow citizens to suggest sites for future cleanups and see which sites are going to be cleaned next. Currently, employees of the county courthouse, members of the local court system and concerned citizens regularly report areas in need of cleanup to the day report center.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">The Cabell and Wayne solid waste authorities are limited to a recycling program and cleaning up illegal dumps. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection also aids with cleaning up illegal dumps.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">In January 2008, the Cabell County Commission approved Jim Smith as the litter control officer for the county upon the recommendation of the Cabell County Solid Waste Authority. Smith's appointment came after the commission allocated about $15,000 from its contingency fund in late December 2007 to purchase surveillance equipment to try to put a stop to illegal dumping.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">His responsibilities included setting up the camera at one of the 34 identified illegal dump sites in the county and providing video evidence to the county sheriff's department and local branch of the state DEP to enforce the fines and penalties associated with illegal dumping.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Smith, who volunteered for the unpaid position, vacated his post in 2008, leaving the equipment unused and the county without a litter control officer.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Ralph Taylor, chairman of the Cabell County Solid Waste Authority, said he has been unable to fill the unpaid position and has yet to suggest to the commission another person for the post. Taylor said he has asked the commission to apply for a state grant to fund the position.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></span>News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785987757856267277.post-32827903197634326372009-06-12T15:24:00.001-04:002009-07-01T18:50:50.680-04:00Western Regional Day Report Center receives grant<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial; color: #898989"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#898989;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; "></span></span></span></b></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#898989;"><p class="timestamp" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; ">June 28, 2009 @ 11:15 PM</p><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; "></p><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; ">The Herald-Dispatch</p><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; "><br /></p><p class="byline" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; "><a href="http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1517854909/Western-Regional-Day-Report-Center-receives-grant">Click here to read the entire article on the Herald Dispatch website.</a></p></span></b></span><p></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial; color: #898989"><b><br /></b></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">HUNTINGTON -- The Western Regional Day Report Center recently received a $425,000 community corrections grant award to help the center in day-to-day operations during fiscal year 2009-2010.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Last week, Gov. Joe Manchin, III, presented Christopher Dean, director of the Western Regional Day Report Center, with the award. The Day Report Center also recently secured an additional $40,000 in grant funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 169px;" src="http://www.herald-dispatch.com/archive/x1517853879/g0da258e9fe3eaf478ef142e13f331329635ea421212cdf.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">The Western Regional Day Report Center is a regional community corrections program established July 1, 2008, by the Wayne and Cabell county commissions to assist the courts in identifying nonviolent offenders who may be eligible for supervision and treatment through the center.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">"This money will go a long way in saving the counties money and help us give nonviolent offenders a chance at breaking the chains of addiction and get their lives back," Dean said.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"></p><b><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">The center assists the courts in identifying nonviolent offenders who may have addiction, mental health issues or other problems. As a result, the program saves the counties the cost of housing nonviolent offenders in the regional jail and gives the offenders the chance to get their lives back on track through intensive drug testing and rehabilitation.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">All offenders also are required to provide community service work throughout the counties. The Day Report Center places offenders at various nonprofit organizations for community service and provides road crews in each county at least three times a week when clients pick up litter along the roads. During its first year of operation, the Day Report Center provided services to more offenders than any other program in the state.</p></b><p></p>News and Updateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361797919949753634noreply@blogger.com