THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2015 | VOL. 118 NO. 131 | MARSHALL UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER | marshallparthenon.com INSIDE: NEWS, 2 SPORTS, 3 OPINION, 4 LIFE!, 5 JOCELYN GIBSON | THE PARTHENON UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS >BILL COLE >STATE OF EMERGENCY >TIPS FOR FLOOD SAFETY >#STRAIGHTTALK: NY >HERD PLAYERS AWARDED >DONALD TRUMP >#FEMINIST THURSDAY: SERENA WILLIAMS CHARLES REX ARBOGAST | AP PHOTO >ALL GOOD FESTIVAL RECAP & PHOTOS ALL GOOD RECAP MORE ON Life! page 5 MEGAN OSBORNE | THE PARTHENON AP PHOTO Fresh brew and brunch Bittersweet Coffeehouse takes their coffee curbside with Fair to Middlin’ serving up brunch THE PARTHENON Bittersweet Coffeehouse and Fair to Middlin’ mobile kitchen are teaming up Saturday to bring collaborative cof- fee and brunch to the community on the curb at 20th Street and Seventh Avenue. The even will begin at 10 a.m. and go until 2 p.m. Bitter- sweet will be offering its specialty coffees, pour-overs, lattes, smoothies and Italian sodas. Both establishments are new to the Huntington area, both having opened in the past year. FILE PHOTO Musical about Huntington founder ‘Collis P.’ continues at Ritter Park Amphitheater THE PARTHENON A new musical titled “Col- lis P.” continues the next two weekends at the Ritter Park Amphitheater. The show runs Friday, Sat- urday and Sunday as well as July 24-25. Gates open at 7 p.m. The children’s preshow begins at 7:30 p.m. A community pre- show begins at 8 p.m., and the main show begins at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for chil- dren, $15 for adults and $20 for reserved seating. Full concessions will be avail- able, but attendees are also welcome to bring chairs, blankets and a picnic dinner to the show. The show was based on a book written by Clint McEl- roy. McElroy also wrote the lyrics and Danny Craig pro- vided the music. The show opened July 10. Huntington Mayor Steve Williams made his stage de- but opening weekend as Mayor of Guyandotte. The cast of “Collis P.” hit the stage for a preview of the show July 9 at the Ritter Park Amphitheater. COURTESY OF HART IN THE PARK Heritage Station presents July Party On The Patio THE PARTHENON Party On The Patio continues at Heritage Station with another free concert Friday. Larry Whitt and Blue Eyed Soul will take the Gazebo Stage at 7 p.m. Cold beverages, beer on tap and Chickpeas Middle Eastern Grill will be available for purchase. First Sentry Bank, Coca-Cola, the Cabell/ Huntington Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation Dis- trict sponsor the event. See more >>> Life! page 5 Climate lobby training THE PARTHENON Citizens Climate Lobby Huntington is offering a training workshop for lobbyists. The group training session is Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cabell County Library. Citizens Climate Lobby has started a new chap- ter in Huntington aimed at introducing legislation that would reduce carbon emissions. CHARLES REX ARBOGAST | AP PHOTO BRITANIE MORGAN | THE PARTHENON
>BILL COLE>STATE OF EMERGENCY>TIPS FOR FLOOD SAFETY
>#STRAIGHTTALK: NY>HERD PLAYERS AWARDED
>DONALD TRUMP>#FEMINIST THURSDAY: SERENA WILLIAMS
CHARLES REX ARBOGAST | AP PHOTO
>ALL GOOD FESTIVAL RECAP & PHOTOS
ALL GOODRECAP
MORE ON Life! page 5
MEGAN OSBORNE | THE PARTHENON
AP PHOTO
Fresh brew and brunchBittersweet Coffeehouse takes their coffee curbside with Fair to Middlin’ serving up brunch
THE PARTHENONBittersweet Coffeehouse and Fair to Middlin’ mobile
kitchen are teaming up Saturday to bring collaborative cof-fee and brunch to the community on the curb at 20th Street and Seventh Avenue.
The even will begin at 10 a.m. and go until 2 p.m. Bitter-sweet will be offering its specialty coffees, pour-overs, lattes, smoothies and Italian sodas.
Both establishments are new to the Huntington area, both having opened in the past year.
FILE PHOTO
Musical about Huntington founder ‘Collis P.’
continues at Ritter Park Amphitheater
THE PARTHENONA new musical titled “Col-
lis P.” continues the next two weekends at the Ritter Park Amphitheater.
The show runs Friday, Sat-urday and Sunday as well as July 24-25.
Gates open at 7 p.m. The children’s preshow begins at 7:30 p.m. A community pre-show begins at 8 p.m., and the main show begins at 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for chil-dren, $15 for adults and $20
for reserved seating. Full concessions will be avail-able, but attendees are also welcome to bring chairs, blankets and a picnic dinner to the show.
The show was based on a book written by Clint McEl-roy. McElroy also wrote the lyrics and Danny Craig pro-vided the music.
The show opened July 10. Huntington Mayor Steve
Williams made his stage de-but opening weekend as Mayor of Guyandotte.
The cast of “Collis P.” hit the stage for a preview of the show July 9 at the Ritter Park Amphitheater. COURTESY OF HART IN THE PARK
Heritage Station presents July Party On The Patio
THE PARTHENONParty On The Patio
continues at Heritage Station with another free concert Friday.
Larry Whitt and Blue Eyed Soul will take the Gazebo Stage at 7 p.m.
Cold beverages, beer on tap and Chickpeas
Middle Eastern Grill will be available for purchase.
First Sentry Bank, Coca-Cola, the Cabell/Huntington Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation Dis-trict sponsor the event.
See more>>>
Life! page 5
Climate lobby training
THE PARTHENONCitizens Climate Lobby
Huntington is offering a training workshop for lobbyists.
The group training session is Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cabell County Library.
Citizens Climate Lobby has started a new chap-ter in Huntington aimed at introducing legislation that would reduce carbon emissions.
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a State of Emergency in Braxton, Webster and Wood counties on July 13 in response to the heavy rain fall and sever weather earlier this week. The state of emergency mobilized state resources to combat severe flooding following heavy rain-fall Sunday night and Monday morning.
The governor has also issued a State of Pre-paredness for 35 additional coun-ties. Barbour, Boone, Cabell , Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fay-ette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Har-rison, Jackson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDow-ell , Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Pleasants, Poca-hontas, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Taylor, Tyler, Upshur, Wayne, Wirt and Wyoming counties because of major storm events.
A State of Emergency does not guarantee federal assistance unless certain thresholds are met . In addi-tion, the declaration does not provide for direct individual assistance. West Virginians should continue to con-tact their local offices of emergency management for immediate needs.
“Areas of our state have experi-enced rockslides, mudslides and severe f looding as a result of ma-jor storms and substantial rainfall ,”
Tomblin said. “State agencies have people in the field to help local of-fices of emergency management assess local damages, and additional state resources have been mobilized to pre-pare for a second major storm event.”
Tomblin is encouraging citi-zens to prepare for flooding and other weather related disasters.
The State of Preparedness statue was passed last year to allow the governor to mobilize nec-essary resources in advance of pre-dicted severe weather or large-scale threats. The powers are similar to those involved in a State of Emer-gency but allow for additional prepara-tions in advance of the expected event .
“I encourage West Virginians to gather supplies necessary to pre-pare for flooding, power outages, downed electric
lines and downed trees,” Tomblin said. “As you make preparedness plans, I encourage you to talk to your fam-ily about what to do and where to go. Remember to check on the elderly and your neighbors, and consider a plan to care for household pets.”
THere has been reports of standing water in major streets of Huntington. Marshall students and city residence should remain aware of weather situations and how to stay safe.
“I encourage West Virginians to gather supplies necessary
to prepare for flooding, power
outages, downed electric lines and downed trees.”
Governor Tomblin
GOVERNOR TOMBLIN DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY
By BRITANIE MORGANNEWS EDITOR
Senate President Bill Cole announced his candidacy for the 2016 West Vir-ginia governor race last month. Since then he has hit the ground running, in terms of discussing his platform.
Cole has said that he intends to unite universities like Marshall with the State Government in order to im-prove the college going rate and business climate in West Virginia.
“Our flagship universities are criti-cal to our states success going forward,” Cole said. “I will look for op-portunities for working between the universities and state government.”
Moving forward Cole said he believes that best way to improve the sate is to invest in the people and provide an environment that allows them to grow and share knowledge.
“Most importantly we need to invest in and put faith in our people,” Cole said. “We need public schools and technical schools and colleges and universities that can create a skilled workforce that includes entre-preneurs and highly trained professions. “
By training our people it allows them in turn to give back to the state instead of seeking help from others, Cole said.
“We need our college campuses to serve
as centers for creativity and innovation so that we can create jobs of our own and not rely solely on others from outside the state. “
The Senator continued to press how important it is to train teach-ers so they cant train West Virginia students in a way that work for them.
“We need to invest in our teachers and in our classrooms,” Cole Said. “We need to develop our own West Virginia college and career ready standards. The days of being virtually last in student achieve-ment must and will come to an end.”
Cole said he is ready to his best to in-sure that west Virginians no longer have to leave the state to pursue their dreams.
“I’m going to work my level best to make sure there are opportunities for them to stay here and make their future in this state and raise their families in this state,” Cole said. “I want that more than anything in the world. I’m tired of our kids having to leave to go find their successes somewhere else.
The Senator said education re-form is just one of his main priorities if elected to the Governor seat.
“To me West Virginia is worth the in-vestment, worth the fight. I want to put myself in a position to help the state.”
Senate President Bill Cole discusses plans to unite universities and State Government
Senate President Bi l l Cole Signing his 2016 Governor candidacy paper work July 2.
BRITANIE MORGAN | THE PARTHENON
Tips for staying safe in case of flooding:
- Be prepared! Pack a bag with important items in case you need to evacuate. - Don’t forget to include needed medications.- If advised to evacuate your home, do so immediately.- If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground.- If possible, bring in outdoor furniture and move essential items to an upper floor.- Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances.- Do not walk through moving water. As little as 6 inches (15 centimeters) of moving water can make you fall.- If you have to walk in water, wherever possible, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.- Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely.- Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.- Listen for news reports to learn whether the community’s water supply is safe to drink.- Avoid floodwaters; water may be contaminated by oil, gasoline, or raw sewage. Water may also be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines.- Avoid moving water.- Be aware of areas where floodwaters have receded. Roads may have weakened and could collapse under the weight of a car.- Stay away from downed power lines, and report them to the power company.- Return home only when authorities indicate it is safe.- Stay out of any building if it is surrounded by floodwaters.- Service damaged septic tanks, cesspools, pits, and leaching systems as soon as possible. - Damaged sewage systems are serious health hazards.- Clean and disinfect everything that got wet. Mud left from floodwater can contain sewage and chemicals.
Source: U.S. Federal Emergency Management AgencyFlooding on 3rd Avenue in Huntington, Tuesday, near the Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
#Straight Talk:DISASTER IN NY By MACLOLM WALTONSPORTS EDITOR
Once Phil Jackson agreed to become the New York Knicks’ president in March 2014, the basketball world instantly con-sidered the Knicks a force in the eastern conference for years to come.
And why wouldn’t the team be considered a contender after bringing in one of the greatest basketball minds to have ever graced the NBA paired with the perceived talent on its roster at that time?
Superstar forward Carmelo Anthony opted to re-sign with the team shortly after Jackson’s arrival, allowing the Knicks to keep its pre-eminent scorer and franchise player on board. There was also still a beacon of hope that Amar’e Stoudemire would rekindle some of what he left in Phoenix before his devastating knee injuries. And Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and company looked like an above average group of role players.
Fast forward to present day, and the Knicks are all but considered a serious contender. In fact, the team has become the butt of many jokes, as of late.
Anthony, who was sidelined due to injuries for most of the Knicks’ abysmal season last year, is the only player mentioned that still remains with the team.
Stoudemire signed with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason after posting a career-low 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Knicks last season. Most thought if anyone was able to get something out of the former No. 1 overall pick, it would be Jackson. But that just wasn’t the case.
On its way to a 17-65 record, the Knicks decided
to deal Shumpert and Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers mid-way through the 2014-15 season as part of a three-team trade, which brought in Alex Kirk, Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas. The move was meant to solely clear up cap space as if the team planned to hit free agency hard during this offseason.
However, despite the cleared up cap space, the Knicks did rel-atively nothing this offseason to utilize its abundant spending ability. That’s not to say Jackson did not try. Apparently, players were just not impressed with the direction Jackson is taking the Knicks.
But this is the great Phil Jackson we’re talking about here. The Zen Master. The same guy who has won 11 NBA championships
and was seemingly the mastermind behind the Bulls’ success in the ‘90s and the Lakers’ success throughout the 2000s. (Granted, he did have the luxury of coaching some of the all-time great players.)
Is it possible that after only a few years away from basketball, he’s no longer capable of constructing a team?
Despite always having more power to make off-court deci-sions than most NBA head coaches would ever dream during his illustrious coaching career, this is Jackson’s first stint as an executive, which is a much different job.
After selecting Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft and only signing Robin
Lopez and Arron Afflalo in free agency, it is safe to say Jackson is under pressure to make some-thing happen for the Knicks sooner rather than later.
The 69-year-old Jackson was once able to not only bring in great players — some with very ec-centric personalities— but he was also able to get those players to buy into his method of mad-ness, whether that be a quick yoga session before practice, sprinkling incense around the locker room for good luck or giving his players lengthy books to read mid-season.
While Anthony may have publicly said he stills believes Jackson knows what he is doing and can turn things around, there is no doubt he has to be concerned that re-signing with the Knicks may have cost him the opportunity to compete for a championship during the prime of his career.
Hopefully, Jackson can still break out some of that good-luck incense.
ball team placed a league-best six players on the 2015 All-Conference USA Preseason Team, which was announced Tuesday by league officials.
The 34-player team was se-lected by the league’s 13 head coaches.
The six selections for the Thundering Herd included two each on offense, defense and special teams.
The Herd selections were
running back Devon John-son and right tackle Clint Van Horn on offense, nose tackle Jarquez Samuel and strong-side linebacker D.J. Hunter on defense, and punter Tyler Williams and long snapper Matt Cincotta on special teams.
Johnson, Van Horn, Wil-liams and Cincotta were among the Herd’s league-re-cord 10 All-C-USA First Team selections for the 2014 sea-son last December.
THE PARTHENONMarshall University line-
backer D.J. Hunter and offensive tackle Clint Van Horn were named to the watch list for the 2015 Rotary Lombardi Award.
The award is named after Vince Lombardi, the Pro Foot-ball Hall of Fame coach, and is presented annually to a ma-jor college football lineman or linebacker.
Hunter, of Middletown, Ohio, and Van Horn, of Beckley, West Virginia, are seniors for the Herd and All-Conference USA picks.
The preseason Lombardi Award Watch List includes 146 players.
Eligibility for the Rotary Lom-bardi Award – named for the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach, Vince Lombardi -- is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, ei-ther on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, or linebackers who set up no farther than five yards from the line of scrimmage.
Hunter enters the 2015 sea-son with 28 career starts, the most for any returning player in Coach Doc Holliday’s program. In Marshall’s 13-1 Conference USA title season of 2014, Hunt-er’s 80 tackles ranked fourth among the Herd, and included 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
The 6-foot, 214-pound Hunter has 232 career tackles – tops among 2015 Marshall players – with 15 tackles for loss.
Van Horn, an All-Conference USA first team selection last season, was also named to the Outland Trophy Watch List last week. That honor goes to the nation’s top down lineman.
Marshall’s starting right tackle played 1,035 offensive snaps in 2014, finishing with a team-best 92 knockdowns in 14 games. The 6-5, 310-pound Van Horn played every snap in the fi-nal four games of the nationally ranked Herd’s season. He has 22 career starts and is a repeat se-lection on the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List. He was an all-conference second team se-lection as a sophomore in 2013.
The 46th Rotary Lombardi Award presentation will be held Dec. 9 at the Bayou Music
Conference USA Media Members’ Preseason Predictions
EAST DIVISION 1. WKU2. Marshall3. Middle Tennessee4. Florida Atlantic5. FIU6. Old Dominion7. Charlotte
WEST DIVISION 1. Louisiana Tech2. Rice3. UTEP4. Southern Miss5. North Texas6. UTSA
Two Herd players nominated for prestigious award Phil Jackson sits with New York Knicks’ 2015 draft picks and head coach Derek Fisher during a press conference.
The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and Thursday during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for news and editorial content.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble; and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
THE FIRST AMENDMENT
EDITORIAL
THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015
Opinion
Please keep letters to the edition at 300 words or fewer. They must be saved in Mi-crosoft Word and sent as an attachment. Longer letters may be used as guest columns at the editor’s discretion. Guest col-umn status will not be given at the author’s request. All letters must be signed and include an address or phone number for confirmation. Letters may be
edited for grammar, libelous statements, available space or factual errors. Compelling let-ters that are posted on The Parthenon website, www.mar-shallparthenon.com, can be printed at the discretion of the editors.
The opinions expressed in the columns and letters do not necessarily represent the views of The Parthenon staff.
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The GOP has a Trump problem
On June 16, the 2016 presidential race became a must-watch reality show. The Republican Party may not want to watch, though.
That was the day Donald Trump, businessman and billionaire, announced his in-tentions to run for president on the republican ticket.
Trump didn’t hold back in his announcement speech, coming out swinging at a de-mographic that republicans should actually be trying to attract.
In between boasts about himself, Trump said Mexico was to blame for the problems in America.
“They are bringing drugs, and bringing crime, and their rapists,” Trump said.
And with that, his campaign began. Despite the incredibly
insensitive remarks, Trump has found himself as the top GOP candidate in the polls.
That’s why the GOP should be worried. Donald Trump is in it for the long haul, and the longer he sticks in the race the more chances he has to make comments like he did on June 16. And the more chances he has to make comments like that, the worse the GOP looks.
Granted, we’re already talk-ing about a party that does a good enough job on its own at making itself look silly, the last thing they (should) want is an uncontrollable pitbull foaming at the mouth for attention as the face of its party.
As for the 17 percent of vot-ers who had Trump as their first choice republican can-didate, the businessman may seem like a good choice to
boost the economy and lead the country to some sort of capitalistic utopia.
Maybe the diluted GOP field has led to the most known can-didate rising to the top. After all, Trump’s name is plastered on just about every kind of product imaginable.
But that’s the GOP’s prob-lem: Trump’s celebrity status (compared to the other GOP candidates) has and will get him supporters.
The Republican Party will have to hope that someone else, potentially Jeb Bush, can surpass Trump’s popularity. Because they likely don’t want someone who has proven him-self to be at times uninformed on political issues and has admitted to bankruptcy and skirting bankruptcy laws.
Then there’s the previously
mentioned uncontrollable as-pect to Trump.
With the first GOP debate a little over two weeks away, Trump will be foaming at the mouth once again under the bright lights. As long as Trump stays toward the top of the polls, he’ll likely be invited to the debates.
Maybe GOP Chairman Re-ince Priebus can find his party a dog whisperer to control Trump, but Priebus will have to settle for second-best, though. Mexican-American Cesar Millan is probably out of the question.
There’s still over a year to go until Election Day. More than enough time for Trump to sink his own campaign with a highly publicized controversy.
Until then, the show goes on.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles
for a photographer before he addresses members of the City
Club of Chicago, in Chicago.CHARLES REX ARBOGAST | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
#FeministThursday: Ignoring race isn’t the answerBy JOCELYN GIBSONEXECUTIVE EDITOR
Refusing to talk about race DOES NOT EQUAL the end of racism. I do not presume to know what it means to be a black woman in America, because I haven’t had those experiences. It is also not my place to tell any person how they should react to harass-ment or criticism aimed at them because of race, gender or sexual orientation.
When the New York Times criticized Serena Williams for her body and others called the criticism out as depend-ing on her race, I was not in a position to deny it. I have no idea the kind of criticism black women face on a daily basis for not conforming to our Euro-centric beauty standards, but I am not about to deny that it exists because there is too much evidence sug-gesting that it does.
When one
commenter agreed with a Huffington Post article that the criticisms were indeed racial she was attacked with a barrage of middle-class white women telling her to get over it. There arguments ranged from saying they don’t see race, to insinuating that she was “fueling race wars” and calling her racist against whites. It was embarrassing.
Not embarrassing because I am white, but embarrassing because humans shouldn’t treat each other this way. I don’t have the experiences Serena Williams has had, I don’t have the experiences the original commenter has had and I apparently haven’t shared experiences with those
in my demographic either because I am not OK tell-
ing other people how to feel about an issue
that doesn’t affect me.
As women who all ex-
perience body-shaming it shouldn’t
matter where
it is com-ing
from racism, sizism, agism, we should all understand how it feels to be marginalized by a bodily characteristic we can’t control, and yet I see women every day tearing each other down on the Internet, but where I draw the line is telling someone how to react to being shamed.
I am over white people tell-ing black people to “get over it.” If we can’t talk about rac-ism (which is still alive and well), if we can’t talk about race issues and class issues and feminist issues how the hell are we ever going to solve anything? We learn from lis-tening to others, not telling them how to feel.
The fact of the matter is that I don’t have to think about race on a daily basis, but I try to, because others don’t have that luxury. I want to be aware of my privilege because I know it exists. I’m not doing myself or my fellow humans any favors by pretending ra-cial issues don’t still exist.
Whether some are willing to admit it or not, the prob-lem they have with Serena is that she is a champion and she is a black woman and they can’t rationalize those two
concepts in their
mind
because they have been raised in a society that tells them black women aren’t champi-ons. If we can’t talk about that, how are we supposed to break down those stereotypes?
The way our society views it is: you’re already a woman, strike one, and then add an-other “undesirable” physical characteristic (overweight, racial or ethnic minority, old, clothing choices that deviate from “the norm” and you be-come an automatic target for harassment. Serena killed it on the court and, instead of get-ting the credit she deserved, her body was criticized.
It happens to women ev-erywhere and it’s not always about race, but it is always about something. Hillary Clin-ton is an accomplished woman (strike one), she’s mortal and thus getting older (strike two) and she is attacked for her fashion choices (strike three).
So, the next time you read a perspective you don’t agree with, take a step back, reflect on your own experiences and ask yourself, “would I want someone who doesn’t know what I’ve been through tell-ing me to get over it?” I would venture to say the answer is no, and you should keep that negative comment to yourself and maybe try to understand where someone else is coming from.
WV needs to invest in needle exchangesTHE HERALD-DISPATCH
Officials in Cabell County have been working for months on ways to respond to the impact of a skyrocket-ing heroin addiction problem in the region, one that’s also reflective of what’s happen-ing in many other parts of West Virginia.
Leading the way have been officials with the Cabell-Hun-tington Health Department and the Huntington Mayor’s Office of Drug Control Policy, with about 30 other partner agencies also involved. The focus has been on estab-lishing what health officials call a harm reduction pro-gram that not only hopes to steer addicts toward treat-ment and recovery but also provide a syringe-exchange program so that needles are not reused and contributing to the spread of hepatitis and setting the stage for an outbreak of HIV.
The health department’s board approved the syringe-exchange program on June 25, setting an expected start date of Sept. 1 for the state’s first syringe-exchange initiative.
What seemed to be lack-ing was state involvement, at least publicly. That finally changed on July 2, when Dr. Rahul Gupta, commissioner of the West Virginia Bu-reau for Public Health, and Karen Bowling, secretary of the West Virginia Depart-ment of Health and Human
Resources, showed up in Huntington. They announced that the DHHR would con-tribute $10,000 cash and $10,000 in technical sup-port toward the program. They described the Cabell County initiative as a pilot program for the state that can help guide future ef-forts to combat the rise in overdoses, overdose deaths and the diseases that ac-company intravenous drug use and needle sharing. In that context, it’s somewhat disappointing that the state isn’t contributing more, con-sidering the ramifications of the heroin epidemic.
The state’s contribution no doubt will help Cabell County’s program get off the ground, but local officials say a top-notch initiative that they envision could cost as much as $250,000 a year.
As Huntington Mayor Steve Williams and others have noted, addressing the state’s drug addiction problem is vital for the state to move forward economically. An-other factor is that besides the loss of life, the cost of treating diseases associated with intravenous drug use is a burden for taxpayers in many cases.
That’s why the state should not hesitate to invest more in this program if needed to ensure it has a good opportu-nity to make a difference and serve as a proving ground for other areas of the state.
Party On The Patio is been a summer tradition in Hunting-ton for many years. One Friday night a month Heritage Station fills with people, live music and great food. Friday July 17, 2015 starting at 7 p.m. Party On The Patio presents Larry Whitt and Blue Eyed Soul.
Kevin Brady, the Executive Director of the Greater Hun-tington Park and Recreational District, expresses that the goal behind Party On The Patio is to not only entertain the people of Huntington, but to showcase the local businesses located at Heritage Station.
“The Party On The Patio serves 2 goals; first, to provide the community with an Arts & Cultural experience that in-cludes performances by groups of local and regional musician
and bands,” Brady said, “And secondly, to expose the com-munity to the various shops and local businesses within Heritage Station.”
Heritage Station is home to many locally owned and oper-ated stores such as Sip Wine Bar, Let’s Eat Café, All About You Hair Salon, Birds Of A Feather Boutique, Brand Your-self, Summer Beer Station, and many more.
“Typically the businesses at Heritage Station will stay open late during the Party On The Patio, and will often host their own “Open House” so visitors can come in and browse,” Brady said.
Party On The Patio has faced declined attendance rates this summer because of the chaotic weather. Brady explains that the outdoor events have strug-gled to dodge the threatening
weather and rainfall.Guests attending Party On
The Patio will be able to enjoy live music from Larry Whitt and Blue Eyed Soul, along with food featuring items from The Wedge, and a vast selection of beverages. Coca-Cola products will be served as well as a vari-ety of craft and domestic beers on tap.
“Larry Whitt and his band will create a jammin’ good time filled with great southern rock and soulful blues,” Brady said, “A Party On the Patio is a great evening out for people to enjoy some great food from Wedge, including their signature Mac & Cheese, Brisket Mac & Cheese and pulled Pork Nachos! Plus, Ice Cold Coca-Cola products, and Ice Cold Beer on tap.”
Party On The Patio presents Larry Whitt and Blue Eyed Soul to Huntington
Party On The Patio happens one Friday a month at Heritage Station located at 210 Eleventh Street in Huntington.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GREATER HUNTINGTON PARKS AND RECREATIONAL DEPARTMENT
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBUSALIVE.COMAll Good music festival took place July 9-11 in Summit Point, West Virginia.
Campers prepare for a day full of live music at All Good music festival. MEGAN OSBORNE|THE PARTHENON
It’s All Good in the Mountain StateBy MEGAN OSBORNETHE PARTHENON
All Good has returned to its rightful place in the hills of West Virginia after moving to a different venue in Ohio and taking a year hiatus. This jam-heavy festival has that down-home West Virginia feel with its (rela-tively) small crowd and cozy mountain venue in Summit Point.
Favorite performancesCakeI’ve been waiting for Cake to come to West Virginia since the band’s Mountain Stage performance, and singing along to “Short Skirt / Long Jacket” was just as fun as I had expected it to be.
PrimusDelving into the mind of Les Claypool via a Primus set is exactly as weird as expected. Nasty guitar and bass riffs accompanied by
Salad Fingers flashing on screen make for a weird and entertaining festival performance.
STS9Like jam bands and awesome lights? Sound Tribe will not disappoint. This band can go all night without coming up for a breath and keeps the crowd dancing.
Thievery CorporationThis Washington D.C. musical troupe killed it at Wakarusa and brought the same energy at All Good, with all the funk-a-delic vibes a dirty festie could ask for.
Keller WilliamsI was not expecting to be impressed by Keller Williams, but I was pleasantly surprised by his one-man-band show.
