Charleston hosts lawmakers from 15 states for conference - WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

Charleston hosts lawmakers from 15 states for conference

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  • GovernmentGovernment

  • Monday, May 20 2013 2:50 PM EDT2013-05-20 18:50:08 GMT
    Helen Holt, now 99, was West Virginia's first female secretary of state. She received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from WVU during Sunday's commencement.
    Helen Holt, now 99, was West Virginia's first female secretary of state. She received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from WVU during Sunday's commencement.

  • Monday, May 20 2013 6:11 AM EDT2013-05-20 10:11:12 GMT
    MORGANTOWN, WV (AP) — West Virginia landowners who want to apply for grants to improve wildlife habitat have until June 14 to contact the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
    MORGANTOWN, WV (AP) — West Virginia landowners who want to apply for grants to improve wildlife habitat have until June 14 to contact the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

  • Sunday, May 19 2013 1:21 PM EDT2013-05-19 17:21:57 GMT
    LAWRENCE MESSINA,Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia's House of Delegates faces a momentous decision after Speaker Rick Thompson departs for Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's Cabinet: choosing
    est Virginia's House of Delegates faces a momentous decision after Speaker Rick Thompson departs for Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's Cabinet: choosing a new leader will help set the stage for 2014, when Republicans aim to wipe out the Democrats' ebbing majority.
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West Virginia will be host to the 66th annual meeting of the Southern Legislative Conference this weekend for the first time in 15 years.

The conference will include meetings about policies related to economic development, education, fiscal management, agriculture, energy and the environment.

Those seminars will be conducted by lawmakers and officials from other states, as well as representatives from national groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Council of State Governments.

West Virginia experts will share lectures and tours with attendees, including Toyota Motor Manufacturing and underground and surface coal mines.

Actress and Charleston native Jennifer Garner will join Mark Kennedy Shriver for a lecture on their program, Save the Children, and author Homer Hickam of McDowell County also will speak to attendees.

The conference also will organize recreational tours to key sites of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, Blennerhassett Museum and Park, The Greenbrier, Blenko Glass factory and the New River Gorge for rafting, zip lining and a catwalk tour of the bridge.

"I am extremely proud to welcome participants and their families to West Virginia," said House Speaker Rick Thompson, who serves as chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference. "This conference will include a wide variety of programs and seminars on issues of importance to state policymakers and at the same time provide several opportunities for informal meetings among colleagues from other states.

"It's a great way for us to collaborate on common challenges and solutions. Just as importantly, this event gives us a chance to showcase our capital city and the entire state."

The conference starts Saturday with fireworks at the Capitol, open to the public. West Virginia Power Park will host a family night, and conference attendees will be invited to visit the Clay Center. Landau Eugene Murphy also will perform for conferees.

Attendees also will be invited to gather Sunday morning to help assemble 20,000 meals to distribute to West Virginia families through Mountaineer Food Bank and the Huntington Area Food Bank.

"I am honored to welcome members of the Southern Legislative Conference to West Virginia," said Senate President Jeff Kessler, who is co-chairman of the host committee that has worked to put together all the events. "Attendees will have the opportunity to explore, learn and experience all West Virginia has to offer.

"It is my hope that the time spent in West Virginia will leave a lasting impression of a warm and vibrant place to visit."