CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Health Facilities (DHF) is pleased to announce the hiring of more than 80 new employees at its state-run facilities, following the implementation of new recruitment and retention initiatives launched in January. These efforts have resulted in new state employee hires, converted 40 contracted staff to state employees, and decreased the vacancy rate by eight percent.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment,” said Michael J. Caruso, DHF Cabinet Secretary. “We are committed to providing excellent care for our patients, while also ensuring our staff are fairly compensated.”

The new system, a classification and compensation system created by the Office of Shared Administration’s Office of Human Resources Management, is designed to boost recruitment and retention initiatives and is based on recommendations from a market study conducted by Korn Ferry.

The initiative includes:

• New pay rates: This accounts for employee tenure. 
• Flexible work schedules: This caters to employee preferences. 
• Increased incentives for difficult shifts: This recognizes the additional challenges associated with certain shifts.
• Targeted funding for hard-to-fill positions: This addresses specific recruitment needs. 
• Appointment incentives: This allows for the recruitment of critical need positions, such as those in the nursing field. 

Since implementation, DHF has also reported success in converting 40 contract nurses to state employees, resulting in cost savings for taxpayers. 

The new system ensures employees retain their existing benefits package, including health insurance, dental, vision, and life insurance. To learn more about employment opportunities within DHF, visit Career Opportunities (wv.gov)

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — There are several events and special activities happening over the next week for West Virginia’s birthday on June 20. Here’s a few weekend and day-of events to check out.

Morgantown’s WV Birthday Party

This free, family-friendly event is held every year in downtown Morgantown. According to a press release from Main Street Morgantown, the party is happening on Saturday, June 15 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s party will include a beer garden, Kids’ Zone, vendors, a vintage market and live music by Ryan Cain & the Ables, Grace Campbell, and Adrian & the Soul Miners. The event is free, but beer garden tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance online here. Additional information is available on Main Street Morgantown’s website.

Official West Virginia Day Celebration

In a West Virginia Day celebration in Charleston on June 20, Gov. Jim Justice and his wife, Cathy, will announce the winner of the Great West Virginia Hot Dog Sauce Cook-Off. Additional details about the event have not been released as of June 13.

WV Coal Festival

The West Virginia Coal Festival in Madison runs from Thursday, June 19 to Sunday, June 22. It will have live music, vendors, a cornhole tournament, Mullet Showdown, pet contest and pie eating contest. Although not specifically a West Virginia Day event, what’s more West Virginian that a festival celebrating an industry the state was built from? Additional details are available on the event website.

Meagher’s WV Day Cocktails

If you’re not looking for a specific event, Meagher’s Irish Pub in Bridgeport is celebrating West Virginia Day throughout the month of June with special cocktails, including the Mothman Old Fashion with Mothman simple syrup and walnut bitters, the Apple Butter Fizz made with apple butter syrup, the Strawberry Festival Sangria, the Mountaineer Mule made with blueberry puree, The Kanawha, the Almost Heaven Martini, the West VirGINia and Tonic made with blueberry rosemary syrup, and the Black Bear Fizz made with blackberry puree. For more details, check out Meagher’s Facebook page.

WV State Folk Festival

This festival in Glenville celebrates West Virginians’ pioneer history and culture from Thursday, June 20 to Sunday, June 23. Activities will have a small town West Virginia feel and include Appalachian craft shows, gospel sings and banjo and fiddle contests. Click here for more information.

WV Birthday Train Trip

The Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad in Romney, West Virginia is celebrating both West Virginia Day and National American Eagle Day on June 20 with short, one-hour train trips for $13. The trip promises “engaging and memorable experience for participants of all ages.” Lucky riders might even see a bald eagle or other West Virginia wildlife. To reserve a ticket or for more information, visit the Potomac Eagle website and click “Book Now.”

Cass Scenic Railroad in Pocahontas County is also offering train rides through the West Virginia Mountain Rails on June 20, but they are just the usual trips.

Blenko WV Day Pieces

If you’re looking for an exclusive piece of West Virginia art, this year’s West Virginia Day pieces by Blenko Glass Company are inspired by the Green Bank Telescope, including a limited edition white charger that looks like the largest movable radio telescope, an alien-inspired decanter and a Green Bank Telescope suncatcher. The 161 “Wavelength” charger pieces will be sold in an online auction at noon on Saturday, June 15, and the decanter and suncatcher can be preordered online here.

The West Virginia football program is being active in trying to reconnect and utilize a talent-rich pipeline that has been good to the Mountaineers over the years in the DMV.

The DMV or the area encompassing Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia is filled with plenty of power five level prospects and the Mountaineers have been active in targeting them over the past two recruiting classes.

It’s a welcomed change considering the program had only landed two players from the region in the prior three recruiting classes combined before last year.

So, West Virginia is attempting to get firmly back into the mix there and it’s been working.

Last season the Mountaineers landed five from the region and already at this stage of the process the coaching staff has commitments from a trio of prospects in Olney (Md.) Good Counsel 2025 offensive lineman Gavin Crawford, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel 2025 offensive lineman Eidan Buchanan and Upper Marlboro (Md.) Wise 2025 defensive lineman Taylor Brown.

Crawford, 6-foot-4, 300-pounds, narrowed his list down to West Virginia, Florida, Syracuse, Maryland and Duke in May March but also held a long list of scholarships from other schools including Georgia, UCLA, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Boston College and a number of others.

“I love West Virginia, the atmosphere and the coaching staff,” he said.

Buchanan, 6-foot-8, 325-pounds, selected the Mountaineers over a list of finalists that also included Maryland, Rutgers, Kentucky and Wisconsin. And while his family was originally from the West Virginia area, the Mountaineers still had to beat out a number of high-level options.

The combination of Crawford and Buchanan in this cycle along with Kyle Altuner in the last gives the Mountaineers three highly regarded linemen from Good Counsel in the past two years.

Brown, 6-foot-4, 250-pounds, held other options from Pittsburgh and Boston College but the Mountaineers surged to the forefront of his list after receiving an offer after an unofficial visit and the coaching staff closed the deal following his official visit to campus in June.

The effort has been a push from secondary coach ShaDon Brown along with several others such as defensive line coach AJ Jackson in building bonds and connections with those prospects. That starts things, but then the trick is getting them to campus in order to see things for themselves and adjust their expectations.

West Virginia is obviously a different type of atmosphere than what many in the area are accustomed to, but Morgantown offers a different vibe that also can be attractive to those players.

The Mountaineers also remain involved with several others from the region such as Richmond (Va.) Trinity Episcopal defensive back Terrance Edwards, North Potomac (Md.) Quince Orchard defensive back Aydan West, Berlin (Md.) Stephen Decatur safety Davin Chandler, Towson (Md.) Concordia Prep outside linebacker Sidney Stewart and Brandywine (Md.) Gwynn Park defensive lineman Aubrey Melvin.

Each of those prospects has already taken an official visit to Morgantown and lists the Big 12 Conference program among their options entering a critical stretch in recruiting. No, West Virginia won’t get them all but even landing a few more would go a long way toward driving those stakes down further.