Miscellaneous
In Segment 1, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard, Maj. Gen. James Hoyer talks about vaccine distribution in the Mountain State. He says there will be five hubs where the vaccine will be brought into the state and roughly 525 providers who have already signed up to assist with distributing the vaccine.The first phase of distribution is to stabilize the healthcare system to allow workers to continue providing healthcare and to protect the most vulnerable in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.Hoyer also shares his thoughts on the passing of West Virginia legend Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager (Ret.), saying he hopes people will remember him not only as the man to break the sound bearer, but also an American Hero who bravely fought for our country, flying combat missions in both World War II and Vietnam and trained 26 of the nation’s first astronauts. In Segment 2, West Virginia’s Public Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad says the state is starting to see an increase in COVID-19 cases, partially from Thanksgiving holiday travel, but not all of that data is in yet, and numbers could continue to increase. She also says a significant number of people with COVID-19 aren’t answering their phones for contact tracing, urging people to pick up the phone because identifying those contacts is important to prevent further spread of the virus. She says the number will usually be from your local health department. In Segment 3, Delegate Daniel Linville (R – Cabell County), vice-chair of the House Committee on Technology and Infrastructure, talks about an issue with a bipartisan agreement – the lack of broadband in rural West Virginia needs to be fixed. He says the state has put together a more accurate map to tailor resources to fund ways to expand and enhance broadband in the state. Previous maps have shown broadband in areas where there is none.He says broadband has become an important part of 21st-century technology, and the digital divide has been highlighted amid the need for telehealth, telework and online learning during the pandemic. In Segment 4, the new Minority Leader for the West Virginia House of Delegates, Delegate Doug Skaff (D-Kanawha County) talks about working to make the minority party’s voice heard in a super majority in state legislature.Skaff says he remembers what it was like working with the minority party and building relationships across the aisle when Democrats were a majority when he first joined the legislature in 2009, and hopes the House of Delegates can work together across party lines to meet common goals for the state.He says he feels the legislature is on a united front in what it will take to help the state and small businesses through the pandemic.