CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — Leadership in West Virginia’s House of Delegates say boosting economic development through aviation is a priority in the upcoming legislative session.

Some of the ideas expected include creating a new aviation technician training program, supporting regional airports and a program for helping finance hangar development.

The idea is to expand the maintenance, repair and overhaul – or MRO – work that’s been successful in Clarksburg to other airports and expand aircraft painting.

“West Virginia has a strong aviation industry – for decades. You have companies like Pratt Whitney, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, MHIRJ, the old Bombardier, that have been here for decades and really have invested in West Virginia, and I think what you’ve seen is we delivered for them,” Del Clay Riley, R-Harrison, said.

Lawmakers believe the Mountain State is still positioned to be a center of aviation work.

“We can compete both nationally and internationally with other airport environments to domicile major investments here in our state from companies looking for more hospitable places to do aviation work,” House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, said. “That includes like maintenance, repair and overhaul of jet engines and things like painting of major airplanes.”

Riley said development would favor airports with longer runways when it comes to maintenance, repair and overhaul because larger airplanes could land there.

“We have three runways with property that’s runway adjacent that are larger than LaGuardia Airport and larger than Reagan National,” he said. “Those are Clarksburg, Martinsburg and Parkersburg.”

The aviation industry is apparently looking for low traffic, long runways and adjacent property.

Riley said lawmakers could elect to cut red tape for permitting, finance hangars and expand training.

Meanwhile, West Virginia’s aviation industry just received a C- grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers, but noted it already contributes $1.6 billion annually to the state’s economy.

COLUMBUS, OH (Amazing America TV) — ’Tis the season, and there’s no better way to get in a festive mood than hitting the road with your family to check out the colorful displays that bring the holidays to life.

Come along as Amazing America’s Cameron Fontana and his family experience Christmas magic like never before on a weekend holiday road trip through Ohio and West Virginia.

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Night One — Steubenville, Ohio

Cameron and his family take the highway east from Columbus to Steubenville, Ohio. Their first stop: a night at The Steubenville Nutcracker Village.

Nutcracker Village is the brainchild of business owner Mark Nelson and his son-in-law, Brodie Stutzman. To revitalize downtown Steubenville, they thought it would be a great idea to decorate storefront windows with small nutcrackers and turn the area into a must-stop holiday destination.

But that dream wasn’t big enough, so they decided to super-size it. Now there are more than 200 beautifully carved and unique nutcrackers on display throughout the city.

Day Two — Wheeling, West Virginia

Just a short drive south from Steubenville to Wheeling, West Virginia, Cameron and his crew make a stop at Oglebay Park & Resort.

Oglebay Park & Resort is truly a winter wonderland, offering plenty to explore and enjoy. Cameron, his wife Katie, and their children, Chanel and Rush, escape to the North Pole at Santa’s Village and cozy up with some wild friends at the Oglebay Zoo before experiencing the drive-thru wonder of the Festival of Lights.

Day Three — The Trip Back Home

As with all good things, the journey must come to an end. The Fontanas have made new memories on their 2025 Holiday Road Trip and hope you will do the same. As they head back to their home sweet home in the Columbus, Ohio, area, they remind us that the greatest gift you can give your family is love and a sense of safety.

Happy holidays from the Fontana family, and Amazing America. Stay tuned as we celebrate America’s 250th in 2026 and hit the road to explore America, the Beautiful.

For more amazing stories, click here to subscribe to Amazing America TV on YouTube and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

WEST VIRGINIA (WCHS) — A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction order halting the enforcement of certain areas of recent West Virginia legislation that banned certain food colors and ingredients.

The International Association of Color Manufacturers originally filed a lawsuit over the state of West Virginia in October over the matter, saying that the legislation violates West Virginia and United States Constitutions.

The order was issued by United States District Judge Irene Berger. In the order, Berger said the law regarding dyes to be “poisonous and injurious” is likely written to be unconstitutionally arbitrary and vague.

Berger stated the following in her ruling:

Without any clear standards, it is not clear how the WVDOH will determine if a color additive beyond those listed, is “poisonous and injurious,” meaning the WVDOH is free to arbitrarily designate additional color additives as such. What facts or data, if any, must the WVDOH rely on before determining that additional color additives are “poisonous and injurious”? Is it sufficient for the WVDOH to rely on any study when making its determination or none at all? If a parent notifies WVDOH that they believe their child is sensitive to a color additive, is that a sufficient basis for a color additive to be deemed “poisonous and injurious,” or must the WVDOH conduct a further investigation? It is far from clear. As such, because Section 16-7-2(b)(7) leaves such ad hoc and subjective decision-making to the WVDOH, it leaves the door open for arbitrary enforcement, and thus, is unconstitutionally vague.

IACM said that West Virginia law unlawfully took over the power of the United States Food and Drug Administration to make food safety decisions. IACM also said the law interfered with interstate commerce and caused economic harm to IACM member companies and their customers without providing any “substantial or rational basis” for deeming products unsafe.

The legislation, known as House Bill 2354, was signed by West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey in March, banning the use of certain food dyes, including Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2 and Green No. 3 in school meals beginning in August.

However, according to court documents, the preliminary injunction does not extend into school nutrition programs.

The preliminary injunction bars the West Virginia Department of Health from enforcing the ban – although the ban was not set to be fully enforced until 2028.

Morrisey disagreed with the ruling on social media, saying the decision is “both premature and wrongly decided.”

“West Virginia will continue to defend its authority to protect the health and well-being of our citizens, especially children,” Morrisey said. “We are reviewing our legal options but will continue to press forward with our efforts to get harmful crap out of our food supply.”