Mayor unveils major riverfront project

With the exception of Harris Riverfront Park, Huntington stops at the floodwall, but Huntington Mayor Steve Williams wants to change that with the development of the riverside of floodwall.

The mayor unveiled his plan during his State of the City address Feb. 17.  A partnership with the city and the owners of Superior Marine would bring commerce to the riverside by developing a 260-slip marina, dry dock facilities to house 260 boats, a boat repair shot and retail facility, a boardwalk with retail and restaurants, potential condominium development, a spray and splash park, the completion of the skate park and RV camping.

The mayor said the project would be completed in three phases over six to 10 years. The public-private partnership will utilize a combination of private capital with public and private grant sources.

The plan embraces the long-term redevelopment plan created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a few years ago, Williams said.

Superior Marine is the same people of Huntington Marine, which was engaged in a lawsuit with the city for 20 years regarding the construction of a barge-mooring facility adjacent to the Westmoreland neighborhood. The lawsuit was settled last year.

Williams said this demonstrates the city can create partnerships with former foes.

“Ambitious projects such as these require a culture of advancement and expectation of enormous accomplishments,” Williams said in his address. “Clearly, we must have all hands on deck to compete nationally and internationally.”

Huntington is the largest inland port in the United States. The mayor said more details about the partnership would be announced in the coming weeks.

Mayor to give State of the City address

The state of the city is strong, but the budget Huntington Mayor Steve Williams will unveil Tuesday to City Council is smaller than last year.
The mayor said loss of revenues from large projects like the construction on Marshall University's campus is to blame for the smaller budget.
Williams assured the smaller budget would not raise fees for the public and there will be no layoffs at City Hall.
"This is not an indication of slowing down," Williams said. "We are living within our means."
Williams said the city was forced to reduce the budget in July, which he called a stress test, which the city passed.
He said the budget will be structured like the last two years.
The mayor is also predicted to talk about three large projects for the city, including the redevelopment of the city's West End, Hal Greer Boulevard and Fairfield West neighborhood. The mayor also wants to redevelop the ACF property, a 70 acre lot not being utilized in the middle of the city.
The final project will be high-speed broadband for the city. Williams said this will ensure Huntington will be able to compete with the rest of the cities on the river.
"Go big or go home," Williams said.
Williams said the broadband will tie the projects together like a virtual ribbon.
Williams will also talk about the drug problems facing Huntington. In January alone, there were 10 overdose deaths in the city.
"We need to rally together and say we aren't taking this anymore," Williams said.
The State of the City address will be given at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.

Huntington sewer improvements one step closer

Huntington is a step closer to an improved sewer system after city council Monday passed two ordinances allowing the mayor to proceed with improvements at the treatment plant. The council also heard the second of three readings of an ordnance to approve the purchase of $6.5 million in bonds for improvements of the sewer of the city.

The council unanimously approved two ordinances allowing Huntington Mayor Steve Williams to enter into contracts in behalf of the Huntington Sanitary Board to replace the effluent line and diffuser, and the replacement of the force main and septage receiving station at the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Westmoreland.

The projects will cost over $1 million a piece, said Williams, and completed by Pipes Plus out of Nitro.  After the issuing of bonds, the projects will take 270 days to complete. The mayor said the bonds are hoped to be issued by April.

Before the projects can proceed, the council will need to approve the city to issue $6.5 million in sewer revenue bonds. The council heard the second of three readings and will vote at the next meeting.

Williams said the problems are in extreme disrepair. The projects are not expected to raise prices for the community.

For other business, Huntington Police Chief Joe Ciccarelli announced the Police Officer of the Year for 2014, John Williams.

"Huntington took me in with open arms," Willaims said. "This is an honor but it pales in comparison to working with the fine men and women of the Huntington Police Department, the best department in the whole state."

Council approved one other ordinance and three resolutions during the meeting. The ordinance allows the city to change the city's third party administrator for its self-insured worker's compensation  program. The change will save the city $3,600.

The resolutions authorized the commitment of Fiscal Year 2014 project funds for the Cabell-Huntington-Wayne Home Investment Trust, giving money to the Huntington WV Area Habitat for Humanity and the home buyer program, the approval for HPD to purchase a new utility vehicle, which will be reimbursed by the state, and a revision of the general fund budget.

The council also honored the YMCA's Kids in Motion program, which was started in Huntington in 2012. The program uses technology to make exercising more fun for children.

Williams will deliver his State of the City address to the council at 3 p.m. Feb. 17 in the council chambers. The next regular meeting of city council is scheduled for Feb. 23.

Freedom of Information

The West Virginia Freedom of Information law, chapter 29 B of the state code, gives all citizens, not just journalists, the explicit rights to full information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those who represent the public as officials or employees. 

Specifically for journalists, Freedom of Information is a guarantee to specific information. This is important, particularly with government bodies, for journalists to perform their role as watchdogs. In a perfect world, journalists and the public they serve would not have to worry about the right to information. Everyone could be taken at their word and information would flow freely without legislation. However, even without trying, things can get covered up, lost in translation and people can be deceitful.

The Freedom of Information law in West Virginia shows support for journalists by recognizing the importance of the need for free flowing information. The law specifies who is a public official, what records fall under this law and the appropriate measures that need to be taken to give information. 

The specificity of this law makes it all the more effective. The general public, reporters included, may request records by paper or electronic mail. Custodians, or public officials, have five days to respond, detailing when and how the person can look at the documents requested. If they deny access, they must fall under one of 19 exemptions.

Many of the exemptions fall under personal or national security. Personal information or anything that could be used against a person or office is exempt. Juvenile records are exempt. These are reasonable and fair, but problems arise when custodians claim exemptions merely to stall time. Knowing the details of the law allows a journalist to confidently press on.

Freedom of Information has not directly affected me, but indirectly it has. More information is readily available to me because the law exists. On a daily basis I check the Western Regional Jail website to check the status of felons in the state. This information is provided to me with easy access because I have an explicit right to it. On a daily basis I check the local police reports. This information is provided to me because I have an explicit right to it. My job is made easier because of this law, and the public is more informed.

After the #SOTU

Pre-released transcripts and a cross-country tour left little room for surprise in Tuesday’s State of the Union address; however President Barack Obama caught America’s attention with his confident tone as he addressed a Republican-run Congress for the first time.

According to Twitter analytics, the most talked about moment on the social media site of the address was Obama's addition to his preplanned speech, in which he said, while calling for political unity, that he has "no more campaigns to run." This drew applause from some Republicans in the room, but Obama replied with a quick retort: "I know because I won both of them."

I predicted Wednesday the president was going to take a new approach to his annual speech. His three-day, three-state trip before the SOTU, which was being called union spoilers, was a chance for the president to gain support for his ideas before confronting an opposing body of Congress. The White House also released the speech to the public before the actual address, veering from tradition with only the press receiving an embargoed speech.

The president’s mic drop moment, as media is calling it, is a great example of Obama’s new attitude. Translated as confident or cocky, I don’t think the president much cares. He was telling Congress he isn’t sitting back waiting anymore. The people may have voted for them in the past election, but they also voted for him twice.

The third most talked about moment on Twitter, behind the end of the speech, was Obama’s proposal for free community college for Americans. I also predicted this Wednesday, as it was the most talked about point he made on his pre-speech trip across the country. The president said 40 percent of college students choose community college and allowing free access to higher education would strengthen our workforce and lessen the burden of student loan debt. It has yet to be said how this plan would be paid for.

Also as predicted, the president focused on the growing economy and bustling industries, announcing the Union is strong.

The president did not speak about his data breach policy, as I predicted he would, but he did reiterate his support of net neutrality, which will allow for smaller businesses to compete in the 21st Century.
What I also didn't predict, but was pleasantly surprised to hear, was the president's remarks on helping the middle class. He called for lower taxes for working families, passing a law to make sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work and raising minimum wage. He proposed high-quality childcare for working parents.

"It's time we stop treating childcare as a side issue, or a woman's issue, and treat it like a national economic priority that is for all of us," Obama said.

The president continued by saying he will take new actions to help states adopt paid leave laws, ensuring every worker in America gets seven days of paid sick leave. It’s refreshing to here. As a young woman entering the workforce, I realized immediately how lucky I was my mother could take off work to take care of me. When I started my new job, I was shocked by how little sick days I was allotted as a new worker.

Finally, and most importantly, Obama called for unity. We’ve laid a foundation, he said, and we need to start working together.

State of the Union speeches are always exciting and filled with hope, but from here Americans wait to see what will happen with a new Congress and a president who seems ready to stand up for what he thinks is right.

A new approach: Predictions for the 2015 State of the Union address

Even after pressure from some Republicans to break with tradition and withhold a formal invitation, President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union address Jan. 20.

This will be the president’s first address to a Republican controlled Congress.

Prior to the address, Obama has been on a three-day, three-state presidential trip that, according to The New York Times, is intended to steal the political spotlight from the newly empowered Republicans on Capitol Hill during their first week in control of Congress and will offer Union “spoilers.”

At Obama’s first stop in Detroit, the president cited statistics that he said is evidence of an American comeback: the creation of jobs, better health care plans and a surge in American manufacturing. Obama said he wanted to continue to build on this momentum.

Perhaps his biggest announcement before the State of the Union address came Jan. 8 in Tennessee when he said he will propose a government program to make community college tuition-free for students. Advisers say this will be added to the president’s proposed budget and will be detailed in the upcoming address.

While expensive, this legislation would change the face of American education. By removing barriers to higher education, we have a more educated workforce that allows our country to compete with the rest of the world. Funding toward higher education continues to be cut, and just knowing the president realizes the importance of higher education is encouraging. 

Of course, the president will have to be more descriptive of his plan to pay for this in his State of the Union address. Will the cost outweigh the benefits, or will the benefits pay for themselves in time? A more educated workforce that leaves school with less student loans means a better economy. Student loan debt accounts for 37 percent of debt for adults ages 20-29, and that continues to rise, according to a USA Today article. This often crippling debt creates a stagnated economy. If students can attend college for much cheaper, as Obama’s proposes, this will make education accessible to more Americans.

At his final stop in Arizona, the president called for federal legislation intended to force American companies to be more forthcoming when credit card data and other consumer information are lost in online breaches, according to a New York Times article. The Personal Data Notification and Protection Act would demand single, national standard requiring companies to inform their customers within 30 days of discovering their data had been hacked.

This comes after multiple data breaches and hacks of companies like Target, Sony and Home Depot in the past year. 

Obama’s 2014 State of the Union address was a chance for him to explain his accomplishments, with him touching on the lower unemployment rates, the rebounding housing market and more at-home oil production, lowering reliance on foreign oil. This year’s address will be no different, as Obama needs to highlight his successes against the stronghold of a Republican Congress. 

“In coming months, let’s see where else we can make progress together,” Obama said last year, and it will be interesting to see what progress the presidents believes Washington has made.

The president made waves this year by going against Congress, most recently by signing an executive action in November shielding millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. The House passed legislation Wednesday to nullify that action.

Progress has not been made together, and Americans are taking notice. The past election which elected a Republican Congress had the lowest voter turn out since World War II. 

“To everyone who voted, I hear you,” Obama said after the November election. “To the two-thirds of you who chose not to participate in the process yesterday, I hear you too.”

The climate of American has changed since last year’s speech, but the president still needs to call for unity. However, Obama is no longer sitting back waiting for things to happen and I expect this speech will have a different tone from last year. His recent trip is proof that something different is coming.

Introduction

In the middle of Huntington, West Virginia, there is a river. Next to this river, there is a steel mill. And next to the steel mill, there is a school. In the middle of this school, there is a girl named Taylor Stuck, who is beginning her final semester at Marshall University.
As part of this final semester, I will be writing on this blog for my capstone course, JMC 414, Reporting Public Affairs. I will be reporting on Huntington city council and the Cabell Huntington Wayne Animal Shelter.
Follow me on Twitter @t_birdstuck.
In my spare time, I am a reporter at The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington. Follow my work account on Twitter @TaylorStuckHD.