Local News
DMV: More than 200 may seek bioptic driving privileges
Upward of 200 potential motorists in West Virginia might seek permission to operate a vehicle while using bioptic telescopic lenses to enhance impaired vision, says Motor Vehicle Commissioner Joseph Cicchirillo.
Lawmakers approved the concept in last winter’s regular session, opening the door to allow motorists to drive while using the special lenses in limited conditions.
Cicchirillo said the legislation would impose no burden on the DMV and that at the outset of the program, motorists using such lenses likely will be restricted to driving during daylight hours.
“We don’t think this is going to affect a whole lot of people in West Virginia,” he said. “I think about 200 people probably will apply for the program.”
Before going solo, the commissioner emphasized that enrollees will undergo a mandatory, 90-hour training session.
“It will be 30 hours of sitting there as a passenger, 30 hours of classroom and 30 hours of actually driving with an instructor watching them as to how they use that piece of equipment,” he said Monday.
The idea was supported during last year’s interims workshops and in the regular session by Charles “Chuck” Huss, an academy-certified orientation and mobility specialist with the state Department of Rehabilitation Services.
Huss has 25 years of teaching experience with the visually impaired and recalled his experiences in a pilot program in the 1980s when 32 residents were licensed to drive. About 25 who are still driving were grandfathered in.
“We’re initially going to restrict them to daylight driving,” Cicchirillo said. “They’ll have to be off the road when it gets dark. The reason being is, they’re going to have to provide some kind of proficiency and their history.”
Cicchirillo said the initial class trained two decades ago had an overall commendable safety record.
“A lot of them did some self-restricting,” he said. “They knew their limitations.
“And we hope that these people understand that driving is a privilege. We’re going to afford you the opportunity to drive, but please, make sure you don’t abuse the privilege.”
That bill along with the revised statute on driving under the influence will be part of Gov. Joe Manchin’s bill-signing ceremonies Thursday at the Capitol.
Cicchirillo applauded the new DUI law, promoted primarily by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, as “a pretty good bill” that attracted input from a wide variety of stakeholders.
— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com
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Improvements under way to make Bluestone Dam safer
Improvements and repairs planned at Bluestone Dam over the next 10 years will make the structure safer, but new operating procedures could lead to increased flooding in some areas downstream from the dam, officials said Thursday at a public meeting in Hinton.
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DOH to relocate cemeteries for expressway
West Virginia Division of Highways officials will begin relocating cemeteries next week to make room for the next phase of the Coalfields Expressway.
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GVEDC board gets training
Jeff Finkle, president and CEO of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), spent several hours with local development officials Thursday, giving pointers and leading a discussion on economic strategies.
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Mix-up leads to W.Va. couple on wrong ballot
Stan and Janet Norman are running for office whether they like it or not.
- Calendar — Friday, March 19, 2010
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SCHOOL CLOSINGS and DELAYS
Click HERE to go to the West Virginia Department of Education with up-to-date school closings and delays by county.
- Tentative agreement reached between Appalachian Regional Healthcare and the United Steelworkers of America A tentative collective bargaining agreement between Appalachian Regional Healthcare and the United Steelworkers of America was reached Wednesday for more than 2,300 ARH employees represented by the USW in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia.
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Greenbrier to host Fun Fest and Egg Hunt
The Greenbrier will host its first Community Children’s Easter Fun Fest and Egg Hunt for children ages 3-12 March 28.
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Bluestone Wildlife Area cleaning up from flood
Very little flooding was reported along the New River near Bluestone Dam Saturday, but in other locations the river overflowed its banks and caused considerable damage, including in the Bluestone Wildlife Management Area, officials said.
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W.Va. gets $72 million in school construction bonds
West Virginia is getting more than $72 million in federal bonds for public schools.
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