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Governor gives final statewide briefing; announces grants, housing project and economic wins
Summary
In a farewell briefing the governor announced a series of economic and education-related grants, a 650-home housing project in Putnam County, and new private investment, and reflected on state progress and priorities including energy and veterans.
The governor delivered what he described as his final public briefing, announcing multiple grant awards and economic development milestones while reflecting on his administration's priorities and the state's recent gains.
In the briefing the governor said the state had provided $5,000,000 to support a neuroscience institute at Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) and announced $750,000 for Union Mission, a nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness. He also marked a ground-breaking in Putnam County for a planned 650 residential units intended to address local housing needs tied to incoming businesses.
Why it matters: the announcements bundle near-term spending and development measures with the governor's broader economic message — increasing in-migration, tourism growth and infrastructure investment — that he said underpins West Virginia's turnaround.
The governor said the School Building Authority (SBA) has supported school construction and renovation and that the state has delivered large infrastructure investments. He referenced a figure of $1,100,000,000 for school projects through the SBA and said the state's economic enhancement grant fund has delivered “over $2,300,000,000 in investments” for water, sewer, broadband and roads.
He also cited a recent inbound-migration ranking (identified in his remarks as a "United Band Lines report") that he said put West Virginia first for inbound migration in 2024, and said tourism spending in the state totals about $9,000,000,000 annually.
The briefing included several personnel and program notes: the governor said he had sworn in Larry Pack as state treasurer; he praised the Community in Schools program and noted an initiative that placed about 45 dogs in schools; and he said Fairmont Aviation received “a couple million dollars” to expand its aviation training capacity toward a target enrollment of 100.
On economic development, the governor announced a private manufacturer, named in his remarks as Wayne Novak, is locating a firearms manufacturing operation in Parkersburg, and he referenced additional, unnamed investments in Putnam County tied to housing construction.
He spoke at length about energy and state economic strategy, saying energy — including coal, natural gas and hydrogen — is central to national and state prosperity and arguing for a broad mix of resources while supporting miners and gas development.
Throughout the remarks the governor repeatedly framed the announcements as part of a broader recovery and improvement in West Virginia finances and services: he said the state moved from near bankruptcy at the start of his term to having “buckets of dollars” in reserves and that the administration had cut taxes multiple times while investing in roads, hospitals, parks and other infrastructure.
Quoting the speaker directly, he said, "this is my last briefing," and closed by urging West Virginians to check on neighbors during winter and to "be safe." He ended with a farewell and a request for prayers.
Ending: The briefing combined funding and development announcements with personal reflections on the governor's tenure, priorities for an incoming administration and broad policy priorities such as energy, education and support for veterans. The governor did not cite formal vote counts or legislative actions in the briefing; he presented allocations and project milestones as executive announcements.
