West Virginia
First-ever Governor's School for Tourism set for this summer – WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Mountain State’s growing tourism industry calls for an expanding enterprise workforce to match it, and the launch of the first ever Governor’s School for Tourism will be able to help address just that.
State Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby joined Gov. Jim Justice during his regular media briefing last Wednesday to announce the new governor’s school that is expected to officially launch this summer.
“You know, with tourism booming in our state and getting better and better and better we need to train people,” Justice said. “We need to train people because these jobs are great jobs, and they’re great paying jobs.”
Ruby said the industry is expected to create an explosion of new tourism jobs. She said projections show 21,000 annual job openings in the next four years, and about half of them being in management level positions with salaries approaching $60,000 a year.
However, Ruby said the growth in the tourism industry is happening faster than they can build the workforce around it.
To confront the issue, Ruby said the Governor’s School for Tourism was created to get young people inspired to go into the tourism industry in West Virginia, and it’s part of the Department of Tourism’s comprehensive workforce development program.
Ruby said since the governor’s schools were started back in 1984 with the Governor’s School for the Arts, the Justice administration makes the first to take on a school for tourism in the state’s history.
“We’ve rolled out several other schools over the years, but I would argue with anyone that this governor’s school on tourism is going to be the most fun,” she said.
Ruby said it will be a 10-day camp open to 9th and 10th grade students in the state.
She said they will visit every corner of the state and all of its tourism destinations, including two national parks and a number of state parks.
In addition, she said they will meet with people in all types of jobs in the tourism industry and give them an idea of how they operate.
“They’re going to meet with wildlife biologists, they are going to meet with people in the culinary arts industry, they are going to meet with hoteliers, they are going to meet with trail builders, they’re going to meet with people in museums, they’re really going to get a taste of what those jobs in West Virginia are like,” said Ruby.
The Governor’s School for Tourism is hosted by West Virginia University and supported by the WV Department of Education’s Division of Instruction and Career Engagement.
The school will accept one freshman or sophomore student from each county, as well as one student from the state’s five charter schools and a student from the WV School of the Deaf and the Blind.
Students must complete the application to enroll for the Governor’s School for Tourism by Fri., April 26. You can visit the WV Department of Education’s website to submit an application and learn more about the program.
West Virginia
The Moving Wall returns to West Virginia with stop in St. Albans this week – WV MetroNews
ST. ALBANS, W.Va – Kanawha Valley residents and visitors from around the state get the chance to pay their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War when The Moving Wall arrives in St. Albans this week.
The Moving Wall is a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Washington, DC, and it has been touring the United States for over 40 years to give Americans that may not be able to visit the memorial a chance to recognize those who lost their lives.
“The Moving Wall was put together in 1984 for the purpose of providing a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It’s about 250 feet long, about ten foot at the high point, and then slopesx down along both wings of the wall,” VFW Post 6418 Commander Jerry Mollohan said Tuesday on 580 Live with Dave Allen.
VFW Post 6418 is hosting The Moving Wall in St. Albans with public viewing beginning at noon on Thursday and continuing through Sunday. A ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 28, at the wall’s location at 1481 MacCorkle Avenue.
“It’s coming to us from a VFW post in North Carolina, and they’ll be in town tomorrow night, and they’ll bring the wall to the St. Albans Shopping Center,” Mollohan said.
West Virginia suffered the highest casualty rate per capita of any state during the Vietnam War and was among the states with the highest rate of volunteers for service. Mollohan said this is a chance for people with ties to those that served to reconnect with their history.
“There’s 388 West Virginians on the wall, and, of course, there’s over 58,000 total names on the wall. There’s just a lot of family and friends that are connected to those servicepeople that are on the wall,” he said.
Mollohan takes pride in VFW Post 6418 bringing The Moving Wall to West Virginia for the first time in recent memory. He wants residents to come out and learn more about the lives lost in service of the United States.
“The sacrifices that the country has made in all wars is high priority for our obligation to recognize the price of freedom,” he said.
VFW Post 6418 has more information about The Moving Wall at vfw6418.org.
A 6-year-old boy died in a motocross crash in West Virginia over the weekend, officials say.
The boy died during practice runs at Mason Motocross in Mason County on Sunday morning, CBS affiliate WOWK reported. The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. at the track in Point Pleasant.
Officials reportedly said a medical helicopter was called to the scene of the crash, but the child was not stable enough to be flown to the hospital, so instead he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The boy later died from his injuries at the hospital. He has not been identified as of Monday night.
The Mason Motocross races on Sunday were canceled after the crash, WOWK reported. They were scheduled to start at noon. According to a Facebook post from Mason Motocross, practice runs began around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.
In a separate Facebook post on Monday, Mason Motocross asked for prayers for the boy’s family.
“Let’s lift them up in prayer during this unimaginable time,” the social media post said. “Our community. Our support. Our prayers.”
No other information about the crash was released on Monday.
West Virginia
Over 26,000 West Virginia students have applied for full Hope Scholarship funding – WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — More than 26,000 West Virginia students submitted applications for full Hope Scholarship funding for the next school year.
State Treasurer Larry Pack and his office announced the latest application numbers in a release Monday. Pack’s office said 26,617 students applied during the first application period from March 2 to June 15. The estimated cost for Hope Scholarship funding, as it currently stands, is $155 million.
The first window for students to apply for 100-percent funding closed last Monday. The state treasurer’s office said the cost for this year will rise as students submit applications. Students can apply for 75 percent of the full funding amount until September 15.
The release said around $277 million was allocated by the West Virginia Legislature and Gov. Patrick Morrisey for Hope Scholarship funding during the 2026 Legislative Session.
“We are so excited to welcome thousands of new families into the Hope Scholarship Program. Seeing the Education Savings Account nearly double in participation is a true indicator of the impact and popularity of the program,” Pack said. “Now our team turns their attention to helping these students get the resources they need to tailor their education towards their unique needs. Our goal is for West Virginia will continue to lead the nation in education innovation as we continue to build the program.”
The state treasurer’s office said the 2026-27 full scholarship amount is $5,435.62 per student, with those funds distributed quarterly.
More students are eligible for Hope Scholarship funding this year with more flexibility offered for school choice. The state treasurer’s office said that private school and traditional homeschool students can apply to the Education Savings Account program for 2026-27 academic funding.
The state treasurer’s office broke down each applicant’s eligibility for funding based on when applications are submitted.
June 16 — September 15, 2026: 75% of Hope Scholarship annual award amount.
September 16 — November 30, 2026: 50% of Hope Scholarship annual award amount.
December 1, 2026 — February 28, 2027: 25% of Hope Scholarship annual award amount.
Students can apply online here.
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