In the News Archive

In the News . . . 2009                 2008

• David Richmond, a WVU Extension agent in Raleigh County, says summer weather has been tough for farmers, but recent weather patterns are helping farmers and farmers markets. Watch the WVNS-TV report.
  
  
• During a Raleigh County mall Kids Expo, the WVU Extension Service showcased ATV safety. Watch the WVNS-TV report.
  
  
• Federal stimulus funding opened the Energy Express door to the fun world of reading this summer for 40 new students at Skyview Elementary in Monongalia County. Read more.
  
  
• Having diabetes doesn't mean you can't enjoy good food. WVU Extension's Dining with Diabetes classes are helping Cabell County residents learn how to prepare meals that taste great and keep their families healthy. Learn more.
  
  
• Firefighters from the Weirton area recently improved their skills as they moved through hands-on training exercises in WVU Fire Service Extension's live-fire simulator. See the WTOV9 report.
  
  
• During four days of 4-H Days this year, 4-H members showed their skills, toured WVU, and glimpsed possible college careers. Learn more.
  
  
• Seniors are "Wii" bowlers in Taylor County because of the WVU School of Nursing and the WVU Extension Service. Read the Mountain Statesman.
  
  
• A fourth farmers market has opened in Fayette County--through efforts led by the Fayette County Farmers Market Association and WVU Extension Service educator Brian Sparks. Read more.
  
  
• "With free food samples, fun activities and helpful tips for cooking, Family Fun Fridays at the Capitol Market have something for people of all ages." Read more in the Charleston Daily Mail.
  
  
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded Energy Express $175,000, which is helping the WVU Extension Service 4-H program create reading skills and nutritious meals for 180 additional children. See the WBOY-TV report.
  
  
• Do kids like science? They do when they have hands-on fun with Lego-robotics, geocaching, and nanotechnology. Those are just some of the workshops that captured 4-H members' imaginations during "Wired and Wonderful" sessions at WVU Jackson's Mill State 4-H Camp in Lewis County. See the WBOY-TV report.
  
  
• WVU Extension Service Master Gardeners concentrate on their favorite areas of interests after they receive their training, which covers a broad variety of gardening topics. Dr. Mary Beth Bennett, Berkeley County's WVU Extension agent, explains the successful statewide program. Read more in The Journal.
  
  
• "The experiences I've had at 4-H camp have really taught me more about myself, and I'm glad for that," explains a Mercer County high school student. Youths and adults love 4-H camp. Learn why.
  
  
• Extension educators in Mineral County say farmers markets provide many benefits. Discover more.
  
  
• Children are often victims in ATV accidents. But safety education can curb the climbing accident rate and save lives. Youths at the WVU Extension Service 4-H camp in Monongalia County learned about ATV safety and how to prevent accidents. See WBOY-TV's report.
  
  
• Yes, it's summer. But Energy Express makes reading so much fun, elementary students don't want to leave school. That's one report from a WVU mentor in Mercer County. Learn more.
  
  
• They practice putting out controlled fires and using hoses and ladders, and they learn CPR and First Aid. And they're on TV. Watch teens in action at the Junior Fire Fighter Camp.
  
  
• At Wiley Ford Monday, volunteer readers sat underneath colorful umbrellas, inside camping tents, and wherever their imagination took them as they read one-on-one to the youngsters. Read about Energy Express in Mineral County.
  
  
• Horses, water conservation, and 19th century West Virginia customs were among the camp classes Wood County 4-H members explored and enjoyed this season. Read more.
  
  
• WBOY-TV reports: "Seed sales are up in Monongalia County and that means more people will be canning the fruits and vegetables they're growing. The WVU Extension Service wants to make sure people know the correct and safe methods." Learn more.
  
  
• This summer, boys and girls of all ages are spending at least one week away from home to enjoy summer learning fun--4-H camp. WVU's county and state 4-H camps set camping standards for other states. WBOY-TV captured opening scenes at the 4-H camp operated by WVU Extension Service's office in Taylor County. Watch the video.
  
  
• Apples, pears, berries, and more! WVU Extension's Tree Fruit Research and Education Center, 67 Apple Harvest Lane, in Kearneysville, was among many rural stops for visitors when the Jefferson County agricultural community held its annual open house. The research center, visitors learned, caters to the tree fruit industry of the Mountain State, and 95 percent of that industry is centered in the Eastern Panhandle. Learn more.
  
  
• A WVU Extension faculty member whose work has improved the quality of life for thousands of West Virginians of all ages has been honored by West Virginia University for service to the community and state. Read more.
  
  
• Outspoken for 4-H cyclists were greeted in Mineral Wells as part of their 250-mile trek to raise money for 4-H camp scholarships. Read more.
  
  
• It's summer. That means it's time for the WVU Extension Service to serve up reading and nutrition--Energy Express--in West Virginia. See the news coverage:
  • Through a combination of healthy breakfasts, lunches and learning activities, West Virginia University Extension Service's Energy Express program continues to improve the lives of low-income children every summer throughout West Virginia. Read more.
    
  • "This program provides families and kids with choices, with opportunities to make sure they have incredible, enriching and memorable summers," said Ron Fairchild, executive director the National Center for Summer Learning, when he presented a Johns Hopkins Award to Energy Express. Listen to learn more.
    
  • "To be a part of a program that is so good like this," explained one Energy Express mentor. "It's a gift." Watch the WBOY-TV report.
  
  
• The recent weather has been a double-edged sword for farmers, according to Ed Smolder, Extension agent in Jackson County. Learn why.
  
  
• Using newspaper in your garden controls weeds, provides good yields, and retains moisture for your crops. Just ask this South Carolina gardener who follows WVU Extension's recommendations. Read more.
  
  
• In West Virginia, our problem isn't what we eat. It's how much we eat, says a WVU Extension educator. Read more.
  
  
• Using U.S. Department of Agriculture coupon program, farmers welcome a larger market for their foods, and low-income young and senior families get access to fresh, nutritious foods. Read more.
  
  
• "I feel like I've learned more in the last couple days than I have in the past few months," explained one new Upshur County firefighter as he described the value of his hands-on fight with smoke and fire in WVU Fire Service Extension's live-fire mobile structural training unit. See the news report.
  
  
• Kitchen's Orchard is the first female-operated farm to win the West Virginia Conservation Farm of the Year award. Read more.
  
  
• Delivering personal care items to the Huntington City Mission was among the events organized by the Cabell County CEOS (Community Educational Outreach Service) as they joined CEOS members throughout West Virginia in celebrating their annual special week. Read more.
  
  
• For a television audience dealing with flood waters, Kerri Wade—Kanawha County’s WVU Extension agent—explains and demonstrates how to handle potentially dangerous flood-damaged items. See the TV news report.
  
  
• The quest for “clean” hands is leading some people to wonder when or if they should use antibacterial hand sanitizers. What is best? Antibacterial hand sanitizers? Or soap and water? Extension educators say the answer is: “It depends.” Read more.
  
  
• According to Tom McConnell, director of WVU Extension’s West Virginia Small Farm Center, West Virginians spent $6.8 billion on food in 2007 — $3,700 apiece. Helping the state’s families earn a piece of that economic pie will be a bonus for everyone in West Virginia. Read more.
  
  
• Thanks to WVU Extension’s Master Gardeners, a Parkersburg neighborhood is growing its own food. Families will bring fresh vegetables to their table throughout the summer, explained Todd Belcher, WVU Extension Service agent in Wood County. See the TV news report.
  
  
• Craig Yohn, Jefferson County WVU Extension agent, says agriculture contributes about $19 million already to the Jefferson County economy, and he sees an even greater potential as agritourism grows in the region. Read more and listen to the interview.
  
  
• Harrison County’s WVU Extension Master Gardeners recently set up shop at the 4-H Rec Center to answer questions and give some friendly advice about gardening.   Read more and watch the TV report.
  
  
• Herbs are in pizza? Who knew! That was the reaction of the students attending the Kanawha County Outdoor Classroom organized by the county’s office of the WVU Extension Service. The hands-on learning lab is a favorite among the students. Read more.
  
  
• If oral health is to improve in West Virginia, Gina Sharps likely will play a role. “I would attribute a lot of what I do now to the way I was brought up through 4-H,” Sharps says. She’s the assistant director of the Childhood Oral Health Project at WVU Health Sciences Center.  Read more.
  
  
• Organize a fun day with cats, dogs, and kids.  Then, add a little education about growing up to be veterinarian. Read more about the first Davis-Michael 4-H Day.
  
  
• Learn by doing isn’t just for 4-H members. Morgan County residents can highlight their roots by participating in a songwriting contest cosponsored by the county’s WVU Extension Service Office. Read more.
  
  
• Helping people with their needs is the most interesting aspect of being a WVU Extension agriculture agent, according to Rodney Wallbrown, who was profiled recently by the Point Pleasant Register.  Read more.
  
  
• He’s worked in agriculture around the world. Now Dr. Chuck Talbott is sharing his expertise through Putnam County’s WVU Extension Service Office. The Charleston Daily Mail says Talbott “isn't quite the usual starting county agent.” Read more.
  
  
• Alternative energy, horticulture, tourism, wool products, local foods, and a Winter Blues Farmers Market were among the attractions at the recent West Virginia Small Farm Conference in Morgantown. See some of the daily coverage:  
  • Farmers are starting to think about providing local food. Learn why. Watch this WDTV-5 report.
  • A truck fueled by wood! This green truck consumed only discarded wood as it rolled from Alabama into West Virginia for the conference. Watch the WBOY-TV report.  
  • Warm, aromatic aisles welcomed winter-weary families into the Morgantown area’s first Winter Blues Farmers Market. Read the Dominion-Post’s delicious details.
  • The Charleston Daily Mail looked at the comeback of the family farm in West Virginia and focused on farm conference highlights. Read more.
    
    
• Kanawha County’s WVU Extension Service Office has a new agriculture agent. One of his main interests:  promoting locally grown foods. Read more.
  
  
• Dining with Diabetes, family financial literacy, food preservation, and Community Educational Outreach Service clubs are under the guidance of  WVU Extension Service’s new Families and Health agent in Monongalia County. Read more.
  
  
• WVU Extension is helping small companies become safer workplaces via safety alliances. “Safety alliances create a mentorship program where companies with more established safety programs can help the smaller companies.” Read more in The Times West Virginian.
  
  
• Census statistics and West Virginia State Code have different meanings for each county. Read how WVU Extension helped the Mineral County Planning Commission see new possibilities.
  
  
• Extension is helping West Virginians see how their family garden can grow family dollars. Read what’s happening in Morgan County.
  
  

In the News . . . 2008

• WBOY-TV discovered that the Mannington 4-H Club Robotics Teams aren't just playing with LEGOs and robots. Watch the report.
  
  
• WVU Extension was part of a Morgan County community training session that covered youth technology, drug abuse, and behavior issues. Learn more.
  
  
• “Taking Charge of Your Health and Safety,” a WVU Extension health program that empowers seniors, was recently featured on “Aging with Grace & Dignity” on West Virginia Public Radio. Listen to the audio clip.
  
  
• WVU's 4-H program travels to Chile to expand its program. Read more from WVU's Daily Athenaeum.
  
  
• WSAZ-TV shares information, with video, from WVU Extension educators about safely canning deer meat.
  
  
• WTAP-TV talked with WVU Extension educators to learn how to live with less money and effectively shop.
  
  
• What do WVU Extension educators see in today’s poultry industry?  Read “State Farmers Feel Pinch of Poultry Downturn.”
  
  
• When the new 4-H year kicks off in October, 4-H members’ plans and community activities catch reporters’ attention. Read these samples from Mason County and Raleigh County.
  
  
• Wayne Bennett, Putnam County’s WVU Extension agent, has officially ended his 30 years of service to his neighbors. He may have left his Extension post, but his contributions will continue to benefit the community. The Charleston Daily Mail and the Putnam Standard fondly review some of Bennett’s talents.
  
  
• WVU Extension educators will help up to 50 families in Braxton, Clay, Mercer, Mineral and Wirt counties identify danger zones on their farms. A $221,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will fund the Youth Safe Farm program.  Read more.
  
  
• Power of Ten is the newest way Extension's community development educators help West Virginians revitalize their towns. Learn more about the first Power of Ten Summit. (See WVNS-TV, which covers the Beckley, Bluefield, and Lewisburg region)
  
  
• Emily Evert is becoming the eyes and ears for West Virginians wanting to learn about European life. Read what one newspaper said about the 4-H'er from Hampshire County.  Then, check Emily's blog.
  
  
• WVU Extension's Dining with Diabetes cooking schools are showing families how to turn bland menus into tasty fine-dining fare. Read a reporter's taste-tempting review. Then, find out when a Dining with Diabetes cooking school will be held in your community by contacting your county's WVU Extension Service office.
  
  
• "Before we graduate, let's put out that airplane fire!" That's how junior firefighters from West Virginia, Maine, New York, and Ohio enjoyed their last day of the West Virginia Junior Firefighters Camp held at the new West Virginia University Extension State Fire Training Academy at WVU Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp, Weston. See WBOY-TV news clip.
  
  
• This summer, the new State Fire Training Academy opened on the campus of WVU Jackson's Mill State 4-H Camp, near Weston. Murrey Loflin, director of WVU Fire Service Extension, describes how the academy benefits West Virginia's firefighters and other emergency first-responders. Later, during the academy's dedication, WBOY-TV captured ribbon-cutting scenes and sentiments.
  
  
• The West Virginia Junior Firefighter Camp had the honor of being the first class held at  the West Virginia University Extension State Fire Training Academy at WVU Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp, Weston. The teens stopped working long enough to participate in the opening dedication program.  Then it was back to learning how to save lives—theirs and others.  See news clips: WDTV and WBOY-TV
  
  
• Mount Vernon Dining Hall is the heart of WVU Jackson's Mill State 4-H Camp. Its $3 million renovation complete, the historic building officially opened its new and renovated facilities to admiring guests during rededication ceremonies, which were captured for television news and WVU Jackson's Mill photo archives.
  
  
• Browse State 4-H Day Photos
  
  
• The Mobile Fire Training Unit takes cutting-edge live-fire training experiences to West Virginia career and volunteer firefighters. WVU Fire Service Extension pulls the Mobile Fire Training Unit into communities for local firefighters to practice with their own equipment.