A Nitro woman was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to probation for defrauding Social Security after she didn't report she got remarried.

Linda Alford, 65, pleaded guilty in September to theft of government property. In addition to spending five years on probation, she was ordered to pay $131,581 in restitution.

Alford received benefits from the Social Security Administration after her husband died in 1990, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Carol Casto's office. In 1997, Alford remarried, which should have ended her right to collect survivor benefits. However, she didn't report her change in marital status to the Social Security Administration, the release states.

She received benefits until 2014 and spent the money, knowing she wasn't entitled to the payments, according to the release. She collected more than $130,000.

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Johnston handed down the sentence.

Milford Lewis Zeigler Sr., a civic leader who spent decades spearheading community projects that focused on helping youth and those in need, died last week after a prolonged illness. He was 81.

Zeigler was West Virginia's first black first sergeant in the National Guard, according to the West Virginia Civil Rights Day program where he was honored in 2012. He was a member of the Charleston Housing Authority and helped establish Charleston's Covenant House and the Manna Meal program, as well as other community-based programs in the Charleston area.

Zeigler, who was born in Lillybrook, Raleigh County, was drafted into the Army after high school, and later joined the National Guard. Following his military tenure, he worked several jobs, tending bars, delivering furniture and waiting tables, until a chance encounter with a man who would help him take his already health interest in community outreach to new heights - former West Virginia governor Gaston Caperton.

"I was on a boat at the Regatta, and I went up to get a drink at the bar, and this man, Milford Zeigler, was there," Caperton said. "He asked for a contribution for his work with youth, and so I gave him one, and the next day he came to my office with a thank-you note."

From there, Caperton offered Zeigler a job performing outreach for his company, the McDonough-Caperton Insurance Group, and continued to work with him after he was elected governor in 1988.

According to Caperton, Zeigler's passion for helping others was apparent from the start.

"He did the most marvelous work with kids all over the county," Caperton said. "He'd take prisoners from the jail who were carpenters and plumbers, and he'd fix all kinds of things ... he just did projects all over Kanawha County. He was just the best citizen this community has ever had."

One of Zeigler's first projects was arranging for underprivileged children to attend West Virginia University and Marshall University football games for free, using a West Virginia State Police bus to transport them to the games.

"I couldn't sleep that night. I was so thrilled and happy, like Santa Claus had come. You got to remember, when I was raised up, we feared the law. The State Police, he was a bad guy. Using that bus, we changed a lot of kids' minds about policemen," Zeigler told The Charleston Gazette in 2002.

Over the years, Zeigler, dubbed "the man without a budget," was credited with building or renovating, at little or no cost, a public park, a ball field, the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Marmet, a women's shelter, the Mattie V. Lee Home, Covenant House, and the town of Amandaville.

"He didn't have to brag about himself - it was just part of his heart," Caperton said. "He was just a person who, from the bottom of his heart, wanted to help people who needed help. He'd help anybody, he'd go anywhere, and he'd get other people in the community to help him. He was remarkable - he was a saint."

Zeigler received the West Virginian of the Year award in 1991, and the Jefferson Award for Public Service, a national award meant to serve as "a Nobel Prize" for community and public service.

Zeigler is survived by his wife of 60 years, Betty Zeigler; sons, Milford May of Beckley, Milford (Debra) Zeigler Jr., and Leonard (Gizelle) Zeigler of Richmond, Va.; daughter, Elizabeth Zeigler of Charleston; brother, Walter (Nell) Leach; a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; and many nephews, nieces and cousins.

Zeigler's funeral service will be held on Friday at 1 p.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church, on 3rd Avenue in Charleston. Friends may call one hour before the service.

Reach Lydia Nuzum at lydia.nuzum@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or follow @lydianuzum on Twitter.

The Charleston Urban Renewal Authority approved proposals for two properties on Wednesday, but neither have officially sold yet.

After discussing the matters in executive session, the board voted in favor of a proposal by Charleston, South Carolina-based firm Mountain Shore Properties to purchase and develop the former Holley Hotel site.

But some details must be ironed out before the board can finalize the sale, Chairman Jack Cavender said. The first is clarifying that Mountain Shore is aware the Ott Building, at 209 Dunbar St., is included in the sale.

"We want to make the purchaser understands it will include the Ott Building - it's all within the redevelopment," Cavender said. While the urban renewal authority already had permission from the city to demolish the building, the company will have the option once the sale is finalized.

Cavender said Mountain Shore must also be notified of a tiny sliver of the Ott Building site that isn't owned by the city, but by nine different heirs through a past inheritance. The board has been contacting those heirs individually to purchase their respective shares of that property.

"To be able to transfer property to any purchaser, we have to make sure the title is cleared of all people considered owners," Cavender said.

Once those items are addressed, the board and Mountain Shore must agree to a redevelopment plan for the site by its April meeting before it can be sold.

The board is farther along with the other site in question at 170-178 Summers St., known to many as the former location of B&B Loans. The purchaser, McKinley Properties, plans to develop the property into office space on the second and third floors, and retail on the ground floor Urban Renewal Authority Director Jim Edwards said.

"They would purchase and develop it at their own expense," Edwards said. "As with all agreements, if it isn't done as specified, then the property reverts back to CURA ownership."

McKinley still needs to establish a date for construction to begin, Cavender said.

Also on Wednesday, the board agreed to approve a request by Councilwoman Keeley Steele for a conditional use permit regarding tattoo studios on the East End that's nearly identical to the one passed by City Council last month.

The conditional use permit would create a process for tattoo studio owners seeking permission to open shop in the Corridor Village District, which includes the "overlay zone" of commercial buildings along Washington Street East between Elizabeth and Morris streets. The only difference in the proposed bill is that two tattoo studios would need to be at least 500 feet apart, whereas the city's downtown ordinance requires 1,500 feet.

"We feel this is a use that would fit right in with where we're trying to be as an arts district," Steele said.

The bill now must clear Council's Urban Renewal Committee before City Council votes on it.

The leaders of Hands On West Virginia, a community service organization that pushes widespread volunteerism, presented a proposal to the board Wednesday. The organization's director, Mike Shinn, requested that the board purchase one home on the city's West Side, as well as materials to restore it. The group, which recruits hundreds of volunteers for local projects, would complete all of the needed renovations for the home, then return it to the urban renewal authority to sell to a low-income family.

The volunteers, including hundreds of high schoolers, completed numerous projects on West Side homes last year, including painting, replacing siding and flooring, tile work and installing hand rails and ramps for city residents who couldn't fund or carry out such improvements on their own.

"Our purpose is about helping people mobilize, especially youth, to get back in their communities," Shinn said.

The group has been approved to help coordinate community service projects with high school clubs in the county, he added.

"Out goal is to have 800 students and trained adults involved in projects across the valley this summer," Shinn said.

The board will address the request at its February meeting.

Reach Elaina Sauber at elaina.sauber@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-3051 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.

The West Virginia Board of Education spent about an hour in closed session Wednesday discussing issues regarding Gilmer County, which is, alongside Fayette County, one of the two school systems under state control.

State school board President Mike Green, Vice President Lloyd Jackson and Susan O'Brien, executive director of the Office of Education Performance Audits, declined to discuss what was talked about in the closed session.

Relying on personnel exemptions in state open meetings laws, the board members voted to enter the closed session in a voice vote with no nays heard. Gayle Manchin, whose term has technically expired but can serve until the governor chooses her replacement, was the only state school board member absent from Wednesday's meeting.

The closed session followed a roughly 10-minute presentation from Gilmer schools Superintendent Gabe Devono, who highlighted two consolidated schools that have finished or are nearing completion and school system improvements, like the creation of a preventative maintenance program, truancy diversion programs and added training of secretaries on state and county financial procedures and training on compliance with open meetings laws.

Deputy State Schools Superintendent Cindy Daniel, who oversees the state intervention counties as part of her role, said last month that she's been working since she took her position July 1 to return Gilmer - the state's lowest-enrollment county, with about 900 students - to local control.

"I've seen tremendous gains in the leadership and progress that both Devono and his staff, as well as the local board members, have made," she said.

State school board attorney Mary Catherine Tuckwiller said Devono's report Wednesday was "part of the exit strategy for returning local control." O'Brien said she expects to have a countywide study completed to report to the state board by May or June, and she couldn't determine how ready Gilmer is for local control until that review is done.

The state school board, whose voting members are appointed by the governor, took over Gilmer's school system from its locally elected board in 2011 and still controls finance, personnel and facilities decisions there. Before the takeover, the Office of Education Performance Audits found that board members were in discord, meetings were unproductive and the board wasn't following state law or state policy.

In 2013, following another Office of Education Performance Audits report, the state returned more control to the local school board. Before July of last year, Gilmer had control over finances that weren't related to facilities, but Devono said confusion over whether the local school board or the state school board had control over certain finance areas led him to successfully request that the state school board put all financial decisions in the county under state control.

He said there was no single event that precipitated that request, and O'Brien declined to discuss it Wednesday, citing the fact that discussions were then held in closed session as well.

State control has been a continuing source of controversy in Gilmer, which has seen pointed disagreements between Devono, who was appointed by the state to lead the system, and at least two local board members - Carl Armour and Norma Hurley. Both board members have complained of not getting sufficient information from Devono.

Recently, state School Building Authority board members and staff also raised issue with the fact that Leading Creek Elementary - the state's first inter-county elementary school, built on the Lewis-Gilmer line and opened this school year - had only 60 percent of the 240 students it was planned for due to Gilmer not providing its promised number of kids. Daniel said it was unclear how exactly the 240 number came about, noting planning started years ago, when there was a different Gilmer superintendent and a different deputy state schools superintendent overseeing state intervention counties. But Daniel, Devono and a majority of local school board members are in agreement that Gilmer students shouldn't be forced to go to a school they don't want to attend.

Reach Ryan Quinn at 304-348-1254, ryan.quinn@wvgazettemail.com, facebook.com/ryanedwinquinn or follow @RyanEQuinn on Twitter.

The prepared text of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's 2016 State of the State address:

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, members of the Board of Public Works, justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals, members of the Legislature, distinguished guests, and my fellow West Virginians.

Five years ago, when I first addressed this chamber as governor, I called on our state's Legislature to get to work and put West Virginia first.

Although many things have changed, including the makeup of this Legislature, our commitment to the people who call our beautiful state home has remained steadfast. Since 2011, we have created a number of new opportunities for future generations, and we have faced our fair share of challenging times.

Tonight, our state is at a crossroads, and I stand before you with a plan that preserves the best of our past while charting a bold new plan for our future.

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Since 2011, we have welcomed more than 250 companies and $10 billion in major investments, providing hardworking West Virginians with more 11,000 good-paying jobs.

We've worked hard to create a business climate that makes West Virginia a strong competitor for major economic development projects. And we're not just competing, we're seeing huge success. Nationally and internationally recognized companies like Macy's, Amazon, Quad Graphics and Toyota already know that West Virginia is a great place to do business.

And tonight, I'm proud to announce polymer additive company Addivant has reaffirmed its commitment to our state and plans to expand.

After receiving FDA approval for a groundbreaking polymer to be used in food packaging, the company was on the hunt for a new location to expand its production facility. Major players from the Gulf Coast actively pursued Addivant, but our state's Development Office stepped up and showed company executives that West Virginia is the right place to invest.

This new expansion project not only saves nearly 100 jobs, but it brings at least $12 million in new investments and additional opportunities for employment. Plastics manufacturing is just one of the downstream industries we are working to attract, and this expansion project is just the beginning of that growth.

Addivant chose to stay in West Virginia because of our strong business climate and a highly trained experienced workforce that's ready to get to work.

These types of investments don't happen overnight. They're a result of the hard work and positive changes we've made over the years.

We overhauled workers' compensation, and companies operating here have saved more than $323 million since the program was privatized in 2006. We've reformed medical malpractice and improved our legal climate. We've enacted gradual reductions in our business and consumer taxes, and since I took office, we've saved employers and West Virginians more than $225 million.

We rank higher than each of our neighboring states in this year's Business Tax Climate Index. Companies are noticing these changes, and they are paying off in big ways in regions across the state.

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This September, we joined officials from Procter & Gamble to celebrate the groundbreaking of the company's newest manufacturing plant - the first of its kind built in the United States since the 1970s.

Projects of this size and scope strengthen our economy, create new jobs and serve as an investment in both our state and our people. This factory - located in the Eastern Panhandle - will create 1,000 jobs during the initial construction phase. Once fully operational, it is projected to employ the company's fifth largest workforce in the country.

We've worked hard to bring these jobs to West Virginia for West Virginians, and now, they need filled.

That's why more than a year before production begins, P&G has partnered with BlueRidge Community and Technical College to create specialized training programs to meet workforce needs. These certificate and degree programs are preparing students for careers in engineering, computer science, and electronics and training students to become skilled chemical operator technicians.

BlueRidge President Dr. Peter Checkovich and his team are working hard to make sure our students can compete for these good-paying jobs. P&G construction manager Luis Gutierrez is already working with crews on the ground as part of the company's initial construction efforts. He and his family love calling West Virginia home.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Checkovich for his continued efforts and welcoming Luis and his family to West Virginia.

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In 2012, we launched a new workforce training program called Learn and Earn.

This program helps students receive classroom instruction and hands-on experience, while earning a competitive salary, and gives employers a cost-effective way to recruit and train new employees.

We know this program is incredibly successful, and companies like Gestamp - which manufactures auto parts for some of the world's best known brands - are taking advantage of these training opportunities.

Since Gestamp first opened in 2013, the South Charleston plant has tripled production and more than doubled its total workforce. Today, Gestamp employs more than 700 West Virginians. These are real jobs, and the company is already seeing a real return-on-investment.

Through a partnership with BridgeValley Community and Technical College, students can get hands-on training and earn a one-year certificate, an associate's degree and a journeyman's card.

With us tonight are Paul Lezanic, Gestamp's new plant manager, and Jamie Thompson, a Learn & Earn graduate who is already training 12 new students. Please join me in welcoming Paul to West Virginia and congratulating Jamie on his success.

These partnerships are essential to helping those investing here train the workforce they need to grow. Tonight, I'm introducing legislation to expand the Learn and Earn program statewide by redirecting nearly $300,000 of the current budget to create new, valuable learning experiences for our students.

We know we must do more to improve our state's workforce participation rate. I'm proud that today there are more job training programs in place than ever before.

With the help of more than $40 million in federal grant funding, Workforce West Virginia is helping coal miners, their families and those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits find careers in growing industries. These programs help employers train workers their way at their worksites and provide up to $5,000 in tuition assistance for classroom instruction and on-the-job training.

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As we recognize these efforts to train our workforce, I ask you to remember those who call our state's southern coalfields home.

As a son of these coalfields, I have dedicated my life and my years of public service to supporting our miners and their families. Despite the difficult times we find ourselves in, West Virginia remains the fourth largest producer of electricity in the country, and I believe our coal industry will continue to support our families well into the future.

However, we cannot ignore the unprecedented shift that has taken place in our state and our nation. Forces beyond our control have severely damaged our coal industry, and even the most optimistic among us realize it is unlikely coal will ever reach production levels of the past.

For generations, our miners unearthed the coal used to produce the low-cost energy that fueled this country's Industrial Revolution - one that remains unmatched anywhere in the world. This nation owes these West Virginians a debt of gratitude and we are ready to cash in on that substantial IOU.

This fall, we submitted an application to the National Disaster Resilience Competition seeking more than $140 million in funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. This competition has the potential to help six counties in our southern coalfields adjust, adapt and advance their communities.

If we're successful, these federal funds will help us rebuild aging infrastructure, promote land use planning and hazard reduction efforts and stimulate housing and economic development in areas outside of the region's floodplains.

We are also proposing to develop the largest industrial site in West Virginia history at the former Hobet surface mine in Boone and Lincoln counties. With 12,000 acres located just off Corridor G, this site is large enough to fit virtually every major economic development project in recent history - including Toyota, Procter & Gamble, Gestamp, Macy's, Amazon and more - with thousands of acres left over.

We know this is a major undertaking, and with the help of local landowners Marshall University, West Virginia University and the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund, we are working together to find new uses for this site while mining activity continues.

Please join me in welcoming this outstanding team: interim Marshall University President Gary White, new Marshall University president Jerry Gilbert, WVU President E. Gordon Gee, and Tom Clarke and Ken McCoy of the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund.

Tom and his team at VCLF also are helping us develop new and innovative ideas to include in the state's Clean Power Plan submission. While the DEP continues to work on a feasibility study, we anticipate our final plan may include ideas such as reforestation and the replacement of boilers to increase power plant efficiency.

Tom, thank you for your assistance on both of these important projects.

This is just the beginning of what we can do to help diversify the economy of not only this region, but our entire state.

When pursuing large-scale projects, our talented team at the Development Office consistently runs into one major obstacle - a lack of flat land. Redeveloped surface mine lands offer endless opportunities for residential, commercial and industrial development and in many cases all three.

As part of our federal grant application, we have identified at least five sites in each of Boone, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo, McDowell and Wyoming counties, which are all strong candidates for similar redevelopment efforts.

Much like the country owes West Virginia for our contributions over the years, we - as West Virginians - owe the people who call this region home the opportunity to do better for themselves and their families.

For years, taxes on the coal mined from our southern coalfields and the timber taken from our mountain sides have paid for our children's schools, the roads our residents drive on and the services on which so many West Virginians rely.

It's time we reinvest in these communities and give these families every opportunity to make a good living in the places they have called home for generations. Tonight, I hope you will join me in making that commitment for the betterment of our state and our people.

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As hardworking West Virginians continue to mine the coal that powers our nation and drill for the natural gas that offers new opportunities for growth, we must guarantee these natural resources meet our needs here at home.

As the ninth largest producer of natural gas in the country, we must work with those operating here to create the processing and pipeline infrastructure necessary to ensure this industry's continued growth.

The ongoing development of the Marcellus and Utica shale - and the Rogersville formation just being explored - is already bringing new revenues and new jobs for West Virginians.

That's one reason I sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in support of the Columbia Gas Mountaineer Xpress pipeline project. This $2 billion investment will transport a significant amount of natural gas to new markets.

Much like similar pipeline projects by EQT, Dominion and Momentum Mid-Stream, this investment has the potential to create thousands of good paying construction jobs, while generating significant tax revenues for counties to fund local schools, roads and other worthy endeavors.

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While these announcements grab headlines, we can't forget our state's small business owners who work day in and day out to support that same growth in our local communities. Ninety-six percent of West Virginia's employers are small business owners, and they are the backbone of our economy.

While we work to help tens of thousands of West Virginians on unemployment find new opportunities to succeed, we can't overlook the training and skills they already have.

That's why tonight I'm introducing the Self-Employment Assistance Act, a new program to strengthen our local economies, and make it easier for West Virginians receiving unemployment benefits to get the help they need to open a business.

Starting a new business can be hard. No matter how great the idea may be or how hard the owner works to make it a success.

With this exemption, new business owners will be able to reinvest in their company and their employees, while continuing to receive unemployment benefits to support their families.

For 14 years, Matt Dolin worked as a diesel mechanic at a local coal mine just outside of Charleston. When the mine closed, he lost his job. Matt knew he could earn a good income using the skills he already had, but he needed help starting his own business.

Earlier this year, Matt attended a West Virginia Small Business Development Center workshop in Putnam County. He sat down with business coach Bryan Shaw to develop a business plan and find a good location for his new venture.

A few months ago, Matt opened D&D Truck Shop, a full-service diesel truck and heavy equipment repair shop. Not long after he opened, Matt hired his first two employees - two mechanics who worked alongside him at the coal mine. With the help of the Governor's Guaranteed Workforce Program, Matt is in the process of getting additional support to train new employees.

Although D&D Truck Shop has only been open for a few months, Matt is seeing tremendous growth, and he's already looking to expand.

Matt, Casey and Ronnie, please stand so we may recognize you and congratulate you on the success of your new business.

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Helping our residents develop the skills to find a new career is important, but keeping them off drugs is critical to our state's continued growth. Substance abuse has become one of the greatest struggles our state has ever faced, and it is destroying the lives of far too many of our family members, friends and neighbors.

We must continue to make the fight against substance abuse a top priority.

In 2011, I established my Advisory Council on Substance Abuse to help us find more localized ways to combat this epidemic. Since then, we have updated our prescription drug monitoring program, cracked down on the sale of drugs used to make meth and put an end to doctor shopping. We have shut down pill mills for irresponsible prescription practices, and my administration is committed to continuing the fight against drug companies that oversupply pain medication without proper orders.

Last year, we invested significant state funding to expand critical substance abuse treatment and recovery services.

In your seats tonight, you received a brochure that details 150 service providers in every region of the state. This brochure is available online and at local courthouses, hospitals, schools, churches, DHHR offices and libraries in all 55 counties.

This September, we launched 844-HELP-4-W-V, the state's first 24-hour substance abuse help line. This call line gives people the opportunity to speak with certified professionals and receive referral support in their local communities. So far, the call line has connected more than 700 West Virginians with treatment and recovery services across the state.

In October, I welcomed President Obama and DHHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell for an honest discussion about the devastating toll this epidemic is causing West Virginia families and communities.

A few weeks later, I traveled to Martinsburg - what some consider ground zero of our state's heroin epidemic - to host my own Substance Abuse Summit. We brought together a panel of West Virginians to share their experiences in the fight against substance abuse, recognize the progress we've made and identify ways we can work together to create a brighter, drug-free future for our residents.

We want people to find help and hope in West Virginia. And that starts with making sure treatment facilities are providing comprehensive care.

Tonight, I'm introducing legislation to establish licensing requirements for medication-assisted treatment facilities. Research shows us that the use of Suboxone and Methadone alone does not support long-term recovery. These medications don't treat the root cause of an addiction, and only continue the addiction cycle.

This legislation requires counseling and behavioral therapies be used in conjunction with these medications to make sure those seeking treatment have the support they need to begin the recovery process.

Last year, I urged this Legislature to expand access to Narcan to help our state's first responders, friends and families of those struggling with addiction reverse the effects of a heroin overdose. Since May, we've coordinated training sessions in regions across the state to teach first responders and others how to administer this drug safely. Today, more than 100 people are certified to host these sessions in their local communities.

In 2015, first responders administered more than 3,000 doses of Narcan - giving those struggling with an opioid addiction the opportunity to get help.

When an overdose happens, every second counts. And in many cases, fire and EMS crews aren't always first on the scene.

This November, Patrolman Nick Castleman and Patrolman Seth Johnson found themselves first on the scene of a drug overdose on Charleston's West Side. The officers administered two life-saving doses of Narcan, and within minutes, the young man regained consciousness and was transported to the emergency room for treatment.

Patrolman Castleman and Patrolman Johnson are with us tonight. Gentlemen, please stand so we may thank you for the work you do to keep our communities safe.

This man's life was saved because of quick action by these officers, and our efforts to expand access to this life-saving drug.

Tonight, I once again urge this Legislature to expand access to Narcan by supporting my proposal to make it available to any West Virginian - without a prescription.

This new legislation requires pharmacists to become certified to train those who receive this drug to make sure they can safely administer it if a crisis occurs. It will also help us keep track of who is receiving Narcan to better focus state resources in areas hardest hit by opioid overdoses and be sure it isn't being used as a crutch to enable a heroin addiction.

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We know our state's substance abuse epidemic is heartbreaking for so many of our families and communities, but in many cases, our children suffer most.

That's why last year, following recommendations from my Commission on Juvenile Justice and with the help of this Legislature, we launched comprehensive juvenile justice reform. This legislative package provided $600,000 in new funding to establish truancy diversion programs in each county to offer early intervention to those students who need it.

Since launching its own program in 2010, Putnam County has seen significant improvements in overall student attendance and achievement. Truancy referrals have dropped in half and four-year graduation rates have increased from 78 percent to 90 percent during that same period.

We know this program works, and it's making a difference for students like Winter Davis.

For most of her life, Winter didn't have a stable place to call home. From the time she was born, her parents struggled with substance abuse. She spent much of her youth living with a family of no relation, helping to care for their young children and elderly family members.

Between 2011 and 2012, Winter missed 39 days of school. She got behind in her classwork and was struggling to keep up with her classmates. With the help of Putnam County's truancy diversion program, attendance director Jennifer Hodges and Judge Phillip Stowers, Winter got the extra attention she needed and earned her high school diploma, graduating with a 3.7 GPA and zero unexcused absences.

Today, Winter is a certified EMT and plans to become a teacher for children with special needs a dream that she's had since the sixth grade.

Winter shared part of her story with me and said, "Life was not easy for me, but I am making the best choices I can. I'm the only one in my family that has gone to college and I'm going to finish college no matter what it takes."

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Winter Davis, Jennifer Hodges and Judge Stowers.

These reforms have also expanded youth reporting centers to get kids help in their local communities, instead of sending them to group facilities away from their families. By connecting children and families with substance abuse recovery services, mental health programs and functional family therapies, we are giving the whole family the opportunity to thrive.

Thanks to the changes approved by this Legislature, and the work of our local partners across the state, we've reduced the number of kids being sent to out-of-home placements by more than one-third and reduced the number of detention beds by more than 40 percent. So far, we've saved $6 million and the Division of Juvenile Services is confident we can double that savings in the coming years.

By providing our kids with the help they need at home, we're giving them the opportunity to take advantage of the bright future we are creating here in West Virginia.

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In 2010, we started down a path to improve our state's public education system.

Instead of allowing paperwork to drive education, we refocused our efforts to provide our children with the skills they need to compete in today's global economy. Since then, we've expanded early childhood education to help our youngest students build a foundation for a lifetime of learning. We're engaging middle school and high school students with hands-on training programs.

We're breaking down bureaucratic silos between state agencies, providing a more seamless transition for students transferring between community and technical colleges and four-year institutions.

These reforms - and the standards that come with them - are giving our kids the knowledge and skills they need to succeed, and that starts by making sure our students are in the classroom for 180 days of instructional time.

Over the past year, the delivery of public education in West Virginia has been used as a political football by members of both parties. It's disappointing. It's unacceptable. And it's a disservice to our kids.

At a time when comprehensive reform has led to real improvements, and our students are more competitive with their peers in other states, we need to build on these successes - not introduce legislation that prioritizes summer vacations over a good education. We cannot allow politics or red tape to get in the way of providing our kids with a thorough and efficient education.

While there are a number of reasons why traditional charter schools are not the best option for our students, we can find common ground by rewarding schools for innovation and creativity while raising student achievement.

That's why I'm introducing legislation to restructure the current innovation zone system to establish a new program - called Innovation in Education.

This legislation reallocates nearly $2.5 million in existing education funding to help schools develop new methods to increase our students' interest in science, technology, engineering, math and entrepreneurship. By giving schools the flexibility to focus on these subjects, we can teach our students how to think critically - a skill they need to be successful long after they've graduated high school.

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All of us in this chamber tonight and those watching and listening across the state know we are experiencing budget challenges unseen in more than a generation.

Nearly every agency and every branch of state government has shared in the burden of these reductions.

In spite of those challenges, we are paying not only our current bills, but keeping every financial commitment of the past, paying down our debts in workers' compensation, teachers' retirement and public employees' retirement. And we've done that without a single tax increase, while reducing tax burdens on West Virginia families and those doing business here by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Tonight, I am introducing legislation to pay off our old workers' compensation debt more than a decade ahead of schedule.

By accelerating this final payment, we can remove additional severance taxes on our coal and natural gas industries, providing much-needed relief to help them invest in our state and employ West Virginia workers. While historically low energy prices are good news when we fill up at the pump and pay our utility bills, they make it hard on our state budget.

As we work to find new ways to ensure our tax base is both stable and more diverse, we must also seriously consider new revenue opportunities.

Tonight, I am introducing legislation to increase our state's tobacco tax by 45 cents a pack to a total of one dollar. This increase will be considered too high by some people and too low by others. But it strikes a balance that protects retailers in our border counties and discourages our young people from smoking, while generating nearly $71.5 million annually in new revenue.

Combined with savings from a new prescription drug contract, $43 million of this new revenue will fund PEIA, meaning public employees will NOT SEE the dramatic benefit reductions initially proposed for the coming year.

I also am proposing legislation to eliminate a sales tax exemption and bring our state's telecommunications tax in line with 41 other states across the country. Once adopted, this legislation will place the same 6 percent sales tax on cell phone and phone line usage - putting us in step with what is done in the vast majority of other states. By eliminating this exemption, we can collect an extra $60 million each year.

With these proposed changes - and despite low severance tax projections - the 2017 budget I present to you tonight uses no money, no money from our Rainy Day Fund and does not include any across-the-board budget cuts beyond those already in place.

In spite of the tight budget years of the past, our new six-year budget forecast shows surpluses of nearly $7 million in 2019, $89 million in 2020 and $118 million in 2021. While I won't be in office to see these surpluses, I'm proud to have been part of more than 30 years of responsible fiscal policies that have put us on the path to a brighter financial future.

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As we look ahead at the challenges we must overcome this year, we are reminded that West Virginians have never had it easy. But we have proved time and again, for generations, what has been true all along - the people who call our state home are among the best and brightest in the world.

Clara Grant Santucci grew up in what was once a one room school house with her five brothers and sisters. This Doddridge County native spent her childhood like so many of West Virginia's children - playing outside, caring for the family garden and racing her brothers and sisters on her family's gravel road. By high school, she was breaking records and winning state track titles.

Clara was determined to run cross country for Coach Sean Cleary at WVU, and her hard work paid off. As a Mountaineer, she became an All-American.

In 2011, she ran the Boston Marathon. Clara finished 16th overall and was the 3rd American finisher. And three years later, she made her mark on the national stage - winning the Pittsburgh Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 32 minutes and 25 seconds.

Last summer, Clara returned to the Pittsburgh Marathon. For most of the race, she sat in second place, but after catching sight of the leader, she found the mental toughness to not only win for the second year in a row but to finish 40 seconds ahead of her competition.

This February, Clara will travel to the U.S. Olympic Trials in Los Angeles for a chance to compete for Team U.S.A. in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.

Katherine Johnson, who was born in White Sulphur Springs in 1918, would become what NASA Administrator Charles Bolden called "one of the greatest minds ever to grace our agency or our country."

For 33 years, she worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, what is now known as NASA. She used the most advanced practical mathematics of her day to chart and verify the path John Glenn would travel as he orbited the earth.

In 1958, Katherine's research focused on calculating margins of error for spacecraft take-offs and landings. The 34-page document was the first paper ever published by NASA's Flight Research Division with a woman's name on it.

Throughout her career, Katherine published 26 scientific papers. Her research was used to complete the Mercury and Apollo missions and was critical to sending man into space and bringing him home safely.

For decades, Katherine's story was hidden in the pages of history. This November she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our country's highest civilian honor for her incredible contributions.

In an interview with the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Katherine's daughter Joylette Hylick - a former NASA scientist herself - said it was her mother's quiet confidence that drove her to succeed.

Joylette told the Gazette-Mail, "my granddaddy told my mom she was no better than anybody else, and she was no LESS than anybody else. And she believed it."

Please join me as we celebrate the courage of these incredible West Virginians and wish Clara the best of luck in next month's Olympic trials.

Whether a marathon runner, an unemployed miner, a NASA scientist, a single mother going back to school, a budding entrepreneur, the CEO of an international company or a recent graduate overcoming challenges to help her local community, West Virginians have always been willing to work twice as hard and be twice as tough to get the job done.

Over the next 60 days and throughout the coming year, we know there is work to do and difficult choices to make. Tonight, I challenge each of you to find the courage to make these decisions for the sake of the next generation - not the next election.

It's time to get to work.

Thank you. God bless you, and God bless the great state of West Virginia.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin unveiled a budget plan Wednesday that would close more than $820 million in funding shortfalls in this year's and next year's budgets, in part, by raising taxes on tobacco and putting a new tax on telecommunications.

Tomblin's proposed 2016-17 budget bill does not provide any pay raises for state or public school employees - but would provide a total of $43.5 million for employer premiums for the Public Employees Insurance Agency.

That funding would help alleviate pending severe increases in co-pays, deductibles and other costs for employees insured by the state-managed health care plan, state Revenue Secretary Bob Kiss said.

Kiss said the funds would offset about 80 percent to 90 percent of the planned $120 million in benefit cuts proposed by the PEIA Finance Board - cuts that were called "draconian" by one board member. However, under a required 80-20 split on PEIA premiums, there still would be an $8.7 million increase in employee premiums under the governor's plan.

"This will allow, for lack of a better term, dodging of the bullet which would have hit at a much greater magnitude," Kiss said.

State revenue officials blamed a steep decline in exports as a major culprit in a projected $354 million revenue shortfall in the current budget year, followed by a $466 million budget gap in the 2016-17 budget year, which starts July 1.

A series of tax cuts over the past decade also have shrunk state revenue. Legislators have eliminated the business franchise tax and reduced the corporate income tax. Annual revenue from those two taxes dropped $184 million from 2008 to 2014. Also, the sales tax on food was gradually reduced, and then eliminated in 2013, which cost the state $170 million, officials have said.

To close the budget gap, Tomblin proposes two tax increases, along with redirecting portions of existing taxes.

Tomblin is calling for a 45-cent-a-pack increase in cigarette taxes, to $1 a pack, with comparable increases in taxes on other tobacco products, as well as a new tax on the liquids used in electronic cigarettes.

That would raise about $78 million a year, Kiss said. Tomblin's proposal would make the tax increase effective April 1, which would provide about $18.9 million to help balance the current budget.

While many advocates of a cigarette tax hike proposed a $1-a-pack increase, Kiss said Tomblin was concerned that the higher rate could hurt retail businesses in counties bordering states with lower tobacco taxes.

"One of the things the governor was sensitive to was not to disturb economic activity in the border counties," Kiss said.

Tomblin also proposed a 6 percent sales tax on telecommunications services, primarily cellphones and landlines, to raise about $60 million a year. The plan is to also start that tax on April 1, providing about $10 million toward the current shortfall.

Kiss said West Virginia is one of about 10 states that do not tax telecommunications services.

"It goes with the tradition of a broad-based sales tax," he said of the proposal.

Tomblin's budget plan also would redirect between $53 million and $83 million a year in severance taxes, insurance premium surcharges and income taxes imposed in 2005 to pay down a liability for workers' compensation benefits.

That liability, left by bankrupt companies that did not pay workers' compensation premiums, originally was more than $3 billion. It has been reduced to about $92 million.

Tomblin proposed redirecting - and then repealing - special severance taxes on coal, oil and natural gas that raise about $30 million a year for the workers' compensation fund. Coal industry officials contend that repealing the 56-cent-a-ton tax would help West Virginia coal compete with other coal-producing states.

However, under the law, the tax can't be repealed until the state can certify that the workers' compensation liability is fully funded, something Kiss said could occur as early as October or November.

Meanwhile, Tomblin is proposing taking about $51.8 million out of the state's Rainy Day reserve funds, which currently have a total balance of about $860 million, to balance the current budget. He would not raid the funds to balance the 2016-17 budget.

Overall, Tomblin is proposing a $4.69 billion general-revenue spending plan, which continues all spending cuts imposed in 2013, 2014 and last October.

Budget Office Director Mike McKown said the proposed 2016-17 budget would mark the second straight year that the budget reduced spending - including about a 3 percent cut for the coming fiscal year.

"That's huge," McKown said. "Normally, [the budget] grows 3 to 4 percent a year."

Kiss called Tomblin's budget plan a "courageous, responsible proposal," and urged the Legislature to pass it or come up with a comparable alternative that will balance the current and 2016-17 budgets.

"What the administration didn't do is stick our head in the sand," Kiss said. "The easy thing to do would have been to say, let somebody else clean it up next year."

Deputy Revenue Secretary Mark Muchow said a key factor in declining state revenue has been plunging exports. Exports of nonmanufactured goods, primarily coal, have dropped 74 percent since 2012, from $7.5 billion to $1.9 billion.

"Exports are like having rich uncles and rich aunts paying a significant portion of West Virginia government costs," he said.

Reach Phil Kabler at philk@wvgazettemail.com, 304 348-1220 or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.

The Kanawha County Planning Commission unanimously recommended Wednesday that the county commission reject Clendenin's attempt to annex 166 homes and seven businesses.

The verbal decision elicited a round of applause from a standing-room only audience at a public hearing about the annexation proposal.

Commissioners listened to more than 15 residents speak out in opposition of the proposal, before they made their decision. Only one person spoke in favor of the proposal.

"I think it's overwhelming that they do not want to be annexed," Commissioner Pam Eder said before the vote.

Clendenin Mayor Gary Bledsoe only had an estimate of how much it would cost the people affected by the annexation, but he said that they would only have to pay a $3 a month municipality fee and any changes to their insurance prices.

"It's time for the town of Clendenin to grow a little," Bledsoe said. "We're not doing this for the money."

But the public worried that new taxes could make it difficult for people living on fixed incomes.

"The taxes, while it's not much to one, it's a whole lot to somebody else," said Matthew Myers, who lives in the proposed annexation area.

Bledsoe said the reason he wanted to annex the area was so that his police department could provide protection for the people currently outside town limits.

He said that often, Clendenin police assist the Kanawha County sheriff's deputies by investigating events in the unincorporated areas.

"When we do that, we leave the town of Clendenin unprotected," Bledsoe said. "It does take away from our taxpayers."

For the most part, the people attending the meeting didn't feel like becoming a part of Clendenin would provide them with more safety. Many referenced recent crimes within city limits and worried that expanding the boundaries would stretch the department.

"I don't think they can handle the police protection," said Kenneth Sloan, who lives in the proposed annexation area. "There's breaking and entering, there's drugs all over town and the cops just look the other way."

The only person from the affected area who spoke in support of the plan, thought that the police might be able to help with the drug problem in her neighborhood because it would increase local patrols.

Some of the affected residents were also worried that being a part of the city would affect their ability to own animals and hunt on their property.

Georgia Barido raises chickens and would like to build another coop for her poultry. She was worried that becoming a part of the town would keep her from doing that because of town ordinances against raising farm animals.

Kimberly Dawson, who owns a potbelly pig and has lived on Kelly Hill for 35 years, said that the people can take care of themselves.

"We're all a family, we're all a community," Dawson said.

Now that the planning commission has made its recommendation, the proposal will go to the Kanawha County Commission for a vote.

Reach Daniel Desrochers at dan.desrochers@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4886 or on twitter at @drdesrochers.

In his sixth and final State of the State address Wednesday evening, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin acknowledged the current tough times in West Virginia, but urged the state to draw inspiration from "incredible West Virginians," including NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson and world-class marathoner Clara Grant Santucci.

"As we look ahead at the challenges we must overcome this year, we are reminded that West Virginians have never had it easy," Tomblin told a joint session of the House and Senate. "But we have proved time and again, for generations, what has been true all along - the people who call our state home are among the best and brightest in the world."

The governor emphasized the positive in spite of the state's difficult economic situation, highlighting accomplishments in economic development, workforce training, education, juvenile justice, and fighting the state's substance abuse problems.

Facing state budget deficits totaling $800 million in the current and upcoming budget year, Tomblin called for "new ways to ensure our tax base is both more stable and more diverse," including a 45-cent-a-pack increase in the state tax on cigarettes and a new 6 percent sales tax on cellphone and landline use.

Combined, those taxes would raise $131.5 million a year in new revenue, he said.

Tomblin pledged to commit $43 million of that to increase employer contributions to the Public Employees Insurance Agency, alleviating proposed severe increases in co-pays, deductibles and other expenses for state and public school employees covered by the state-managed health insurance plan.

"This new revenue will fund PEIA, meaning public employees will not see the dramatic benefit reductions initially proposed for the coming year," the governor said, drawing the loudest applause and cheers of the evening.

Tomblin also proposed shifting tax surcharges imposed in 2005 that have successfully paid down a $3 billion liability in workers' compensation benefits - a plan that later this year would also repeal a 56-cent-a-ton surcharge on coal severance taxes. He said that would provide "much-needed relief" to the struggling coal industry.

"Forces beyond our control have severely damaged our coal industry, and even the most optimistic among us realize it is unlikely coal will ever reach production levels in the past," he said.

Tomblin Wednesday offered proposals to diversify the struggling Southern West Virginia economy. Foremost is a plan to develop the 12,000-acre Hobet mountaintop removal mining site in Boone and Lincoln counties into what he said would be "the largest industrial site in West Virginia history."

Environmental groups sued in federal court last year over water pollution at the Hobet site, which was owned by Patriot Coal at the time. As part of its bankruptcy, Patriot sold the Hobet site to the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund, which Tomblin mentioned along with West Virginia and Marshall universities as "local landowners" at the site.

Tomblin said the site would be bigger than the state's Toyota, Procter & Gamble, Gestamp, Macy's and Amazon industrial sites combined.

Investment in those sites, Tomblin said, resulted from years of hard work to improve the state's business climate.

"We overhauled workers' compensation, and companies operating here have saved more than $233 million since the program was privatized in 2006. We've reformed medical malpractice and improved our legal climate," Tomblin said.

"We've enacted gradual reductions in our business and consumer taxes, and since I took office, we've saved employers and West Virginians more than $225 million [a year]," he added, without acknowledging that those tax cuts have contributed to the current budget deficits.

The governor's proposals will face tough sledding in the Legislature, with the House of Delegates firmly controlled by Republicans and the Senate under GOP control by a hair's breadth - although that could change, pending the outcome of a lawsuit over a Senate vacancy.

Tomblin generally avoided partisanship and confrontation in his speech - with the exception of his comments on public education.

"Over the past year, the delivery of public education in West Virginia has been used as a political football by members of both parties," Tomblin said, in apparent reference to efforts to repeal Common Core-based educational standards. "It's disappointing. It's unacceptable, and it's a disservice to our kids."

Tomblin also voiced his opposition to proposals for state-funded but privately operated charter schools.

"While there are a number of reasons why traditional charter schools are not the best option for our students, we can find common ground by rewarding schools for innovation and creativity while raising student achievement," Tomblin said, announcing a new $2.5 million program to encourage students to pursue interests in science, technology engineering, math and entrepreneurship.

Tomblin also cited the administration's commitment to fighting substance abuse and improving the state's juvenile justice system.

"We have updated our prescription drug monitoring program, cracked down on the sale of drugs used to make meth, and put an end to doctor-shopping," he said. "We have shut down pill mills for irresponsible prescription practices, and my administration is committed to continuing the fight against drug companies that oversupply pain medication without proper orders," he said.

Tomblin said efforts to promote truancy diversion and expand youth reporting centers has reduced out-of-home juvenile placements by one-third, saving $6 million to date.

Tomblin's 45-minute speech may have set a State of the State record for recognizing a total of 18 distinguished audience members.

Summarizing those introductions, Tomblin closed out the speech by commenting, "Whether a marathon runner, an unemployed miner, a NASA scientist, a single mother going back to school, a budding entrepreneur, the CEO of an international company, or a recent graduate overcoming challenges to help her local community, West Virginians have always been willing to work twice as hard and be twice as tough to get the job done."

Legislative leaders, meanwhile, didn't wait for the governor's address to begin pursuing their own agendas, with advancing at least two priority issues early in the session.

Senate Judiciary Committee members are scheduled to take up legislation this morning to make West Virginia a right-to-work state (SB1), which would prohibit requiring payment of union dues as a condition of employment in union shops.

Meanwhile, the House Government Organization Committee has scheduled a public hearing for Friday morning on legislation to repeal the state's prevailing wage law (HB2206).

Last year, legislators compromised on a similar bill, and instead shifted responsibility for calculating wage rates paid to construction workers on major state-funded projects to WorkForce West Virginia. However, legislative leaders were dissatisfied when the agency used a statewide survey of contractors to come up with new rates that are not substantially lower than the previous prevailing wage.

Angered by those bills, hundreds of union employees and their families packed the second floor of the main Capitol Wednesday evening, from Senate chambers, around the Rotunda, and to House chambers, to protest policies they described as anti-worker.

Tomblin ended his speech by recognizing marathoner Santucci and Joylette Hylick, Katherine Johnson's daughter and, like her mother, a NASA mathematician.

Reach Phil Kabler at philk@wvgazettemail.com, 304 348-1220,

or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.

The volume of the crowd grew exponentially louder in the state Capitol and from the far end of the marble-lined Rotunda boos began to mix with the chants of "right-to-work is wrong."

As Senate President Bill Cole, R-Mercer, made his way toward the House Chamber, his path grew narrower. The walls of unionized teachers, carpenters, electricians and miners squeezed in around the Republican candidate for governor, as a pair of State Police troopers tried to clear a path.

The first day of the 2016 West Virginia legislative session started off with more than a little energy as union members from throughout the state packed the Capitol Wednesday night to protest Republican sponsored bills that would end prevailing wages for laborers working on public projects and prohibit labor groups from collecting dues from non-union employees, even if they benefit from the union's wage and benefit negotiations.

Many of the union members who protested Wednesday see the Republican majority's policies as an effort to weaken unions. Most are angered by what they see as a veiled attempt to disrupt their ability to collectively bargain with their employers, and Cole was the target of much of that ire before the State of State address later in the evening.

Jeff Childers, a 40-year member of the Carpenters Union in Parkersburg, said right-to-work legislation - the law that would eliminate mandatory union dues - is nothing more than a direct attack on labor unions in West Virginia.

"It's political," Childers said, as he stood outside the Capitol with his son for more than 20 minutes Wednesday waiting to get through new security check points.

Republicans and other conservative politicians in West Virginia have made it a priority to repeal the state's prevailing wages and to pass right-to-work legislation - now referred to as the "Workplace Freedom Act" - in order to make West Virginia more attractive for businesses.

The union members, who packed the top floor of the capitol in their camouflage jackets, United Mine Workers of America hats and signs reading "Stop the War on Workers," didn't buy that argument.

That right-to-work legislation and the repeal of prevailing wage were the first two bills introduced Wednesday was evidence enough for some organized laborers that the Republicans' real goal was to dismantle unions in West Virginia.

"It says Republicans want to cram it down our throats, whether we want it or not," said Andrew Keeney, a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers from Beckley.

The Republican leadership tried to change the prevailing wage laws last session by altering wage surveys, but they became frustrated when Workforce West Virginia didn't use the type of data they wanted. At the same time, the 2015 right-to-work law never made it out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

David Bell, an 18-year member of the Carpenters Union in Huntington, said the bills introduced in 2015 have made more people aware of what the Republican majority in both chambers are proposing.

"It worked everyone up last year," Bell said.

Bell compared the collection of union dues to being a member of a country club. He said a golf course would never allow someone to enjoy a round of golf and the clubhouse bar without paying for it. He said the same should be true for people who benefit from union wage and benefit negotiations.

"Why can't we earn a decent living? Why can't we get a piece of the pie?" Keeney asked. "It's got nothing to do with individual freedoms. It's just a union busting attack."

Jerry Booth, a 60-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, came to Charleston with more than 52 union members from Huntington.

Booth has been retired since 1999, but he said his son and grandson are both union members.

"It's a pretty good turnout," Booth said, as another chant went up inside the Rotunda. "Now we need to get the voters out."

As the 2016 legislative session begins, Steve Shamblin, a teacher at Riverside High School, said the Legislature's priorities are clear. He said lawmakers are trying to "pull the carpet out from under workers, and give employers the ability to cut wages and benefits."

Dinah Adkins, the co-president of the Kanawha County Education Association, and other public employees at the rally were also there to protest the underfunding of the Public Employees Insurance Agency. State leaders say benefits for the public employees may need to be cut by as much as $120 million.

Adkins said it is time for legislators to fund PEIA, and she suggested using an increase in the tobacco tax to generate enough revenue.

Adkins said the union has accepted lower wages in the past with the understanding that they would receive better benefits. She said it's time for the state to uphold those promises.

"It's a good idea to let the Legislature know that we are alive and well," Adkins said. "They need to listen to their constituents. It's the everyday person that is supporting the economy and the state.

"When you don't listen to the people, nothing goes well after that."

Mark Dorsey no longer works as an underground coal miner, but he was gathered with many of his fellow UMWA members in the Capitol.

If "Workplace Freedom Act" passes, Dorsey believes it will spell the end of organized labor in West Virginia, and if that happens, he isn't confident his union-negotiated benefits with Consol Energy will be respected and upheld in the future.

"I'm not about to lose what I worked a lifetime for," Dorsey said. "The Legislature will run right-to-work tomorrow. The fight's gonna start early."

Reach Andrew Brown at andrew.brown@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4814, or follow @Andy_Ed_Brown on Twitter.

Republican legislative leaders were split over Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's proposal to partially fill the state's budget shortfall with tax increases, with Senate President Bill Cole open to the idea and House Speaker Tim Armstead deeply skeptical.

Armstead said House members favor cutting state government spending - not raising taxes. In addition to significant spending cuts already in effect on this year's budget, Tomblin proposed raising taxes on cigarettes and phone lines during his State of the State speech Wednesday night.

"These proposals from the governor are basically asking the people of West Virginia to step in and take more of their hard-earned money to solve these [budget] issues," said Armstead, R-Kanawha. "I think West Virginians want us to tighten our belts first and cut spending."

Cole, R-Mercer, a candidate for governor, said he had only seen Tomblin's proposals minutes before they were unveiled in the State of the State speech, but that he was committed to working with the governor to close the budget gap, projected at more than $350 million. If raising taxes are part of Tomblin's solution to the funding crunch, well, Cole will consider that too.

"I'm not too open to just general tax increases, but if it can be considered as closing a tax loophole, an opportunity where somebody, for some reason or another, has sort of gotten away from paying their fair share, if it's a fairness issue, I don't have a problem looking at those things," Cole said.

The governor's proposal to start taxing landline and cellphone bills - at 6 percent -might fall under that heading, Cole said.

Tomblin said that 41 other states tax such telecommunications, and that doing so in West Virginia would bring in $60 million a year.

"I've always said, where we're an outlier, we should consider not wanting to be an outlier," Cole said. "It's hard for me to say anything's off the table."

Armstead said a phone tax won't be on the House's table.

"I'm not excited about a cellphone tax," he said. "It's not a very responsible approach to come up here and say we want tax increases to fill budget holes."

Tomblin also proposed a $71.5 million tobacco tax hike. The tax would add 45 cents to every cigarette pack purchase, raising the total tax to $1 a pack. Tomblin said the increase would "strike a balance," protecting retailers in West Virginia counties that border other states, while discouraging people from smoking.

The governor wants to pump $43 million of the $71.5 million in new revenue into the public employee health insurance plan to help alleviate significant cuts in state workers' health benefits.

House Majority Leader Daryl Cowles said a tobacco tax would be a difficult sell to state lawmakers from border counties.

"Virginia's awful close to home," said Cowles, R-Morgan. "There's not much of an appetite to raise taxes. We should streamline government."

Virginia has a cigarette tax of 30 cents per pack. Maryland, which also borders Morgan County, has a tax rate of $2 per pack.

Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler, also a candidate for governor, has been calling for a $1 per pack rise in the tobacco tax for months. He applauded Tomblin's move.

"His willingness, for the first time since he's been in office, to talk about revenue enhancements," said Kessler, D-Marshall. "I think they are important, and also a recognition that you can't solve this budget crisis with merely cuts alone."

Representatives from both the tobacco and telecommunications industries said they would be open to the tax hikes.

Kit Francis, a lobbyist for Reynolds American tobacco, said he was a bit disappointed, but the amount of the proposed increase was "not unreasonable.

"They have to determine," Francis said, "whether the state's poorest sector, the adults who choose to smoke, should be burdened with a tax increase to meet the budget."

Kevin Wallick, a senior vice president for Frontier Communications in West Virginia, said they recognize the urgency of the budget deficit.

"If the governor supports it and the Legislature passes it, my job is to collect that tax," Wallick said. "So, from that perspective, we would support it."

State workers are staring at draconian rises in co-pays and deductibles on their health insurance unless the Legislature addresses a funding gap of about $120 million in the program.

Tomblin said that the tobacco tax hike, along with savings he said would come from a new prescription drug package, would alleviate 90 percent of the projected benefits cuts.

Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association, was dubious.

"You can't fix a $120 million hole with $43 million," Lee said. "It's a start, it's a first step, but that's all it is, is a first step."

Lee lamented that state employees will see no pay raise in next year's budget, which will do nothing to help ease the teacher shortage - there are more than 600 openings - the state is facing.

Cole said that he wished Tomblin had proposed means-testing the health insurance plan for state workers, so that state workers with, for instance, wealthy spouses got less generous benefits.

House Republicans also criticized Tomblin's opposition to charter schools. In his speech Wednesday night, Tomblin said, "... traditional charter schools are not the best option for our students."

"Public charter schools with strong accountability can unleash that innovation that's sorely lacking across our state," said Delegate Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson, the new chairman of the House Education Committee.

Cole's chief lieutenant, Senate Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael, said the tax increases would face long odds in the Republican-controlled Legislature, but expressed, perhaps, a glimmer of available common ground.

"They're really long odds," said Carmichael, R-Jackson,. "We're for some of these taxes, but in others, just to lay an enormous tax increase on the people of West Virginia without running government more efficiently is the wrong approach."

Delegate Don Perdue said it's easy to talk about making government more efficient through spending cuts, but often difficult to do.

"I'm not sure how we cut spending with the challenges we have," said Perdue, D-Wayne. "We've got to repurpose the state, and the Republicans' mantra continues to be we can do that without raising taxes."

Reach David Gutman at david.gutman@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5519 or follow @davidlgutman on Twitter. Reach Eric Eyre at ericeyre@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4869 or follow @ericeyre on Twitter.

Parks and recreation

Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission's Finance/Golf Committee will meet at 1 p.m. today at the Coonskin Clubhouse, Coonskin Park.

Reunion group

The Magazine/Garrison Avenue Area Reunion Group will meet for breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Shoney's on Kanawha Boulevard. Call Norma Levy at 304-342-1095 for information.

DAR meeting

The John Young Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution will meet at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Canaan United Methodist Church, Roane Street. Light refreshments will be served by hostesses Christine Bower, Nancy Doak and Susan Silman. Carolyn Saul will give a slide presentation on "Holy Land."

Community concert

A free community concert featuring Shadowshaker, of Cabell County (blues, rock, Americana), will be featured at 7 p.m. Sunday at Cross Lanes United Methodist Church, 5320 Frontier Drive, Cross Lanes.

Items for Bulletin Board may be submitted by mail to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, 1001 Virginia St. E., Charleston, WV 25301; faxed to 304-348-1233; or emailed to gazette@wvgazettemail.com. Notices will be run one time free. Please include a contact person's name and a daytime phone number.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The latest on Wednesday's Powerball drawing (all times local):

10:45 p.m.
A spokesman for the California lottery says a winning Powerball ticket was sold at a store in suburban Los Angeles.
Spokesman Alex Travesta tells The Associated Press the jackpot-winning ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in Chino Hills, about 25 miles northeast of Anaheim.
The identity of the winner is not yet known. It could take several hours before officials know whether any other winning tickets were sold elsewhere.
The odds to win were 1 in 292.2 million.
Officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs the Powerball game, had said they expected more than 85 percent of all the possible number combinations would have been bought for the drawing.
Had no one matched all of the numbers drawn - 4-8-19-27-34 and Powerball 10- lottery officials said the next jackpot would have reached $2 billion.
10 p.m.
Lottery officials have announced the numbers drawn for Wednesday night's record $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot.
It could take several hours before officials know if any tickets sold since last Saturday's drawing matched all six winning numbers drawn, which were 4-8-19-27-34 and Powerball 10.
The odds of winning are 1 in 292.2 million.
Officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs the Powerball game, said they expected more than 85 percent of the possible number combinations would have been bought for the drawing.
If no tickets match all of the numbers drawn, lottery officials say the next jackpot could reach $2 billion.
Powerball is played in 44 states as well as the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
10:20 a.m.
A lottery official says the estimated Powerball jackpot remains at $1.5 billion, still the largest lottery jackpot in the world.
Kelly Cripe of the Texas Lottery says 85.8 percent of possible number combinations have been selected ahead of the drawing scheduled for Wednesday evening.
The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
The $1.5 billion prize would be paid in annual payments over 29 years or the winner could opt for a lump-sum payment of $930 million.
Cripe says if no one wins the jackpot Wednesday, the estimated jackpot for Saturday's drawing will increase to $2 billion, with a cash value of $1.24 billion.
1 a.m.
The largest lottery jackpot in the world is up for grabs in the latest Powerball drawing.
The prize has climbed to an estimated $1.5 billion, easily surpassing all other lotteries. The jackpot estimate is reviewed daily, so it could increase before Wednesday night's drawing if ticket sales continue to exceed expectations.
The jackpot for the twice-weekly game started at $40 million on Nov. 4. No one has matched all six Powerball numbers since then, so the prize kept growing.
Lottery officials expect at least 80 percent of the 292.2 million number combinations will be purchased before the drawing.

LONDON (AP) - British actor Alan Rickman, whose career ranged from the Royal Shakespeare Company to the "Harry Potter" films, has died. He was 69.

Rickman's family said Thursday that the actor had died after a battle with cancer.

Trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Rickman was often cast as the bad guy; with his rich, languid voice he could invest evil with wicked, irresistible relish.

His breakout role was as scheming French aristocrat the Vicomte de Valmont in an acclaimed 1985 RSC production of Christopher Hampton's "Les Liaisons Dangereuses."

Film roles included the villain Hans Gruber in "Die Hard" in 1988; a deceased lover who consoles his bereaved partner in 1990's "Truly Madly Deeply"; the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" in 1991; and a wayward husband in 2003 romantic comedy "Love Actually."

Millions know him from the Potter films, in which he played the Dark Arts teacher Severus Snape, who was either a nemesis or an ally - possibly both - to the titular teenage wizard.

Rickman is survived by his partner of 50 years, Rima Horton, whom he married recently.

WELCH, W.Va. (AP) - A new drug court is opening in West Virginia.

According to the West Virginia Supreme Court, the McDowell County Adult Drug Court will hold its opening ceremony at noon Friday. The event will be held in McDowell County Circuit Judge Booker T. Stephens' courtroom.

Stephens will speak, along with state Supreme Court Justice Brent D. Benjamin and Mike B. Lacy, director of West Virginia Probation Services.

Drug courts strive to reduce substance abuse and improve rehabilitation through treatment, periodic drug testing, community supervision and other services. The first adult drug court in West Virginia was established in 2005 in the Northern Panhandle.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is joining officials for the naming of a Navy ship after Medal of Honor recipient Hershel "Woody" Williams.

A ceremony is set for Thursday afternoon at the state Culture Center in Charleston. The Navy's newest Expeditionary Sea Base ship will be named the USNS Hershel Woody Williams.

Manchin requested the naming last February in a letter to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. Manchin said naming a ship after the Fairmont native would not only honor his legacy, but also the legacy of scores of other West Virginia veterans and their families.

The 92-year-old Williams is the last living Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. After retiring from the Marines, he worked for the Veterans Affairs Administration for 35 years.

In Around West Virginia today: an ordinance to protect LGBT residents of Lewisburg, a disrupted bank robbery, SNAP recipients lose assistance, and more.

n Lewisburg City Council has set a location for the second reading of an ordinance to extend protection from discrimination to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents. The Register-Herald reports the meeting will be held at the Roland P. Sharp alumni center on the campus of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Police have also announced special safety procedures. The ordinance, which prohibits discrimination in housing, employment and public accomodations, drew numerous people from out of town to the first reading. Estimates ranged from 150-500 people. Opponents are saying the ordinance would allow men to put on dresses, sneak in women's restrooms and assault women and children.

n A bank robbery was thwarted when someone tackled the suspect, according to The Herald-Dispatch. The attempted robbery occurred at City National Bank on 5th Avenue in Huntington just before 2 p.m. Wednesday.

n Michael Ihle will resign as the mayor of Ravenswood to remain in the House of Delegates, The Jackson Herald reports. The newspaper reported that new legislation requires Ihle to pick one position.

n City officials are worried about the effect of the Department of Justice's decision to stop giving local police agencies money obtained through federal asset forfeiture cases. Clarksburg Mayor Cathy Goings and Bridgeport Mayor Bob Greer told The Exponent Telegram that the Greater Harrison County Drug Task Force is due $937,000 from the program.

n West Virginia's Department of Health and Human Resources' plan to require residents of nine counties to meet work or education requirements for SNAP benefits took effect on Jan. 1. Nancy Exline, commissioner of the West Virginia Bureau for Children and Familes, told West Virginia Public Broadcasting that DHHR hopes the change will encourage recipients to get back to work.

Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.

Steven Wilson was at a loss for words on Thursday afternoon when West Virginia Lottery officials presented him with a check for $1 million.

While he didn't win the $1.5 billion Powerball Jackpot on Wednesday night, he still walked away a winner when he matched five of the winning numbers, only missing the Powerball.

Wilson, of East Liverpool, Ohio, purchased the ticket in Chester, after his wife came up with the idea that Ohio tickets are less likely to win.

"It just so happens that was a great idea and it worked," Wilson said.

Chaney's Service Station in Chester, will also receive $10,000 for selling Wilson's winning ticket.

With his winnings, Wilson plans on paying off his student loans, help out his mother pay off his late father's house, and purchase a home for his family. He said he will continue working as a Shipping Coordinator at a company based in Pittsburgh.

Wilson, who spent $400 on tickets, turned on the weather report Wednesday night and caught the ticket numbers at the bottom of the screen.

He said he hurried up and wrote it down then checked the numbers to his tickets. When he saw the matching numbers he was in shock.

"I rechecked it at least six times," Wilson said.

He started screaming for his wife, Nancy, who checked it again and again for him. After confirming they had won, the pair got into their car and drove four hours to Charleston to claim their prize. Wilson had already taken two days off work.

"Everything happens for a reason, I guess," Wilson said.

West Virginia Acting Lottery Director John Myers said Wilson was one of 88 people nationwide to match five numbers.

Three tickets will share the $1.5 billion jackpot.

While Wilson is not a West Virginia resident, Myers was still pleased that West Virginia produced a million dollar winner. Over the last two years, there have been 12 million-dollar winners in the state.

"We're happy that we were able to sell the ticket, and apparently Mr. Wilson is someone who frequents West Virginia quite a bit," Meyers said. "We're happy for him."

West Virginians have spent roughly $11.48 million on Powerball tickets over the last two weeks, according to Randy Burnside, public relations and drawing manager.

Burnside said $5.2 million was generated in sales from Saturday's Powerball, and an additional $6.28 million worth of tickets were sold leading up to Wednesday night's drawing.

"With those sales totals of the last two weeks, Powerball has been very good to West Virginia and helps us return money to the state and good causes," Burnside said.

For every dollar spent on a Powerball ticket, just about 29 percent is returned to the state and 50 percent goes to some prizes, according to Burnside.

In addition to the $1 million winner, five tickets matching four numbers and the Powerball number also were sold in West Virginia. Those tickets - worth $50,000 - were purchased at Par Mar #23 on Old East Grafton Road in Fairmont, the Speedway at Rt. 33 and Scott Lane in Scott Depot, Sheetz #137 on Charles Town Road in Kearneysville, Sheetz #458 on Courthouse Road in Princeton and the Loading Zone on Ridgecrest Road in Wheeling.

Myers encouraged all lottery players to sign the back of their tickets and check them closely.

The West Virginia Lottery advised the winners to sign the back of their winning tickets immediately and keep them in a secure place. Winners can call the West Virginia Lottery at 304-558-0500 for further instructions on claiming their prizes.

The Powerball numbers for Wednesday were 4, 8, 19, 27, 34 and the Powerball was 10. The PowerPlay multiplier was 2x. Tickets that were sold in California, Tennessee and Florida matched all six numbers and those players will share the record $1.58 billion jackpot.

All told, 128,874 Powerball tickets that were sold in West Virginia for the Wednesday drawing won a prize, Burnside said.

West Virginia also had a player match five numbers in the Hot Lotto game last night. That ticket, which was sold at M & C Market in Rock, is worth $30,000.

Reach Laura Haight at laura.haight@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @laurahaight_ on Twitter.

Beckley Water Company has lifted a boil-water advisory for customers on Hampton Drive in Shady Spring, including all side streets. The notice was issued following a water main break.

Customers in these areas should boil their water for at least one full minute prior to use until further notice.

A man was shot in the head and killed in broad daylight Thursday at an apartment complex on Charleston's West Side. Police said the shooting apparently was drug-related.

Nate Chaney, 22, of Charleston, was shot multiple times while in the parking lot at Littlepage Terrace apartments, on Washington Street West.

The shooting was reported to Kanawha Metro 911 just after noon. Lt. Steve Cooper, chief of detectives for the Charleston Police Department, said Chaney died at Charleston Area Medical Center's General Hospital.

"There were several shots fired," Cooper said at a news conference later Thursday. "We're not exactly sure how many bullet wounds the victim has until the autopsy has been completed."

The shooting appears to have been drug-related, according to Cooper. Chaney's girlfriend lives in an apartment at Littlepage, Cooper said.

Police were still looking for suspects late Thursday. Cooper wouldn't say if police had anyone specific in mind, although he noted that "most violent crimes are committed between two individuals that are known to one another."

He said Thursday's shooting wasn't related to the other three shootings in recent weeks.

"We are currently evaluating evidence and forensic information," Cooper said at the news conference. "It appears that this crime was directly related to drugs. We hope to bring this case to a quick resolution."

Chandler Academy, a career and technical school on Washington Street West, was placed on lockdown after the shooting.

"Any time there's a shooting in the middle of the day, it's more sensational," Cooper said. "It creates more risk of collateral damage or innocent people being harmed."

Melonee Price, who lives in the apartment complex where the shooting took place, said she was in her apartment with her two sons when she heard a gunshot.

"When I heard the first gunshot, I got my kids against the wall," she said.

She said she heard four or five more shots and came out to find a black man lying on the ground and a crowd of about 10 people surrounding him.

"It was horrible," she said. "There was blood everywhere."

Price said she doesn't feel safe in the apartment complex. She doesn't allow her children, ages 11 and 14, to play outside.

She said she wishes the police would establish more of a presence at and around the apartment complex.

"Low income doesn't make you less," she said. "My kids deserve to play outside."

Reach Lori Kersey at lori.kersey@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1240 or follow @LoriKerseyWV on Twitter.

Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.

West Virginia State University's presidential search process was given the green light Thursday when the state Higher Education Policy Commission voted to approve a plan that aims to have a new leader for the college selected by May.

Later this month, the university will begin that process by hiring an executive search firm. A presidential search committee also will meet with students, faculty, staff and alumni and develop a list of qualifications the university expects of its next president.

After those meetings, the search firm will advertise the position in national publications. The search committee will begin selecting candidates for interviews in March. Candidates will be interviewed in April and May.

According to the approved search process, the university will have open forums with finalists on campus.

A final selection is expected in May.

The university's search for a new leader was prompted by President Brian Hemphill's unexpected announcement last month that he'll resign at the end of the spring semester to become president of Radford University in Virginia. He's been president of West Virginia State University since 2012.

University board members have said they hope to hire a leader who can continue Hemphill's successes, which include raising the school's profile by improving enrollment, expanding academic programs and increasing fundraising.

State code requires universities to adopt search procedures when they begin looking for a new president.