The Associated Press
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Social Security hearings spark travel complaint
COVINGTON, Va. (AP) — If you live in Covington, Va., you have to drive 90 miles to Beckley for a Social Security disability benefit hearing.
Now a Covington lawyer is campaigning to have the Social Security Administration conduct hearings in that western Virginia locality.
Attorney Bill Wilson told The Roanoke Times that’s a long drive for folks who often are on medication and have to find a driver to take them.
The drive has been a fact of life for residents in Alleghany and Bath counties whose disability claims have reached the hearing stage.
They previously had to drive about 30 miles, to Lewisburg.
A spokesman for the SSA says the hearings were moved to Beckley because the agency’s lease on a building in Lewisburg had expired.
WVU seeks volunteers for biometrics research
MORGANTOWN (AP) — West Virginia University is looking for volunteers to help with biometrics research.
It takes 45 minutes to donate fingerprints and images of the face and iris for a database that will be used by faculty and student researchers, and the FBI.
WVU says the privacy of the subjects will be protected. The database will be built using anonymous data, then used to test new biometric collection devices.
Biometric systems identify people using unique physical or behavioral characteristics.
Volunteers also must supply five photos of themselves spanning a 10-year period so scientists can study how facial features change over time.
Participants must be 18 or older and get $40 worth of gift cards for their time.
WVU receives grant to study clean coal
MORGANTOWN (AP) — West Virginia University is getting $12.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to study capturing and permanently storing carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants.
U.S. Energy Secretary Ste-ven Chu announced the grant Thursday at the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center. WVU will get the money over five years and match it dollar for dollar, upping the total amount available for research to $25 million.
WVU is going to lead a group that includes universities in Wyoming, Kentucky and other leading coal producing states, several government laboratories and private companies such as American Electric Power.
The University of Michigan is getting another $12.5 million to work on clean vehicles.
WVU-Parkersburg gets child care funds
PARKERSBURG (AP) — The federal government is helping West Virginia University at Parkersburg make it easier for people with young children to pursue a college degree.
The university has received a $47,981 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to provide campus-based child care services. U.S. Sens. Jay Rockefeller and Carte Goodwin announced the funding Thursday.
The senators say campus-based child care services give people with young children access to higher education.
