Update, May 1, 2019: A federal court judge granted Rockwool’s motion for a preliminary injunction, halting the Jefferson County Board of Education’s efforts to obtain the Rockwool site by eminent domain. The judge’s order means that the BOE may not pursue condemnation of the property in state court. The injunction […]
Washington, DC–The People’s Embassy Protection Collective at the Venezuela Embassy grew to as many as 150 people as more activists arrived from around the country. They continue to stand firm against a possible Secret Service intrusion to take over the building. On Thursday, Elliott Abrams, the U.S. envoy for Venezuela, […]
Washington, DC— American supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro have chained the front doors of the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown to prevent the Trump administration from invading and taking over the building. Calling themselves the Embassy Protection Collective, they are residing at the Venezuela Embassy 24 hours a day at […]
Ranson, W.Va.–Granny Smith Lane was until recently riddled with almost impassable potholes. If you navigated them successfully and wound your way to the end of the narrow, tree-lined roadway, you would reach a secluded corner of what used to be an apple orchard. Hardly noticeable, a few gravestones sit atop […]
Drone photos indicate that concrete walls are rising on the Rockwool site in Ranson, W.Va., a signal that construction of the manufacturing complex to produce mineral wool fiber has begun in earnest. Official groundbreaking took place on June 26, 2018 and site preparation has proceeded since then. Construction of the […]
The West Virginia Department of Environment (WVDEP) on Friday issued the final permit necessary for Mountaineer Gas to build a gas pipeline to service the Rockwool factory in Jefferson County, ignoring repeated requests to reschedule a public hearing on the matter. The decision was reportedly made at the highest levels […]
Arlington, Virginia–A main fiber optic communications cable was severed at the Pentagon, forcing the Department of Defense to shut down all critical functions and seal off its headquarters for emergency repairs. All 40,000 Pentagon personnel are being told to expect to stay home for as much as two weeks beginning […]
Washington, DC–Twenty-one people were arrested on Thursday when they obstructed the gates of the Danish Embassy. The protesters, about 100 in total, had come from West Virginia to make a moral appeal to the Danish ambassador to hold Rockwool, a Danish company, to the same health and safety standards when […]
Washington, DC–Palestinians and supporters gathered at the White House on Sunday afternoon to rebuke the lobby American-Israel Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC), for its lopsided influence over U.S. governmental policy. Speakers called out its role in supporting Israeli government policies affecting the Occupied Territories, which they say mimic apartheid policies of […]
Charles Town City Councilman Michael Tolbert searched for a word to describe the mood when the West Virginia Development Office offered millions of dollars to finance a new sewer line up Rt. 9. “Giddy. Because at the beginning of this, everyone was giddy,” he said. “There was this new project […]
Danish corporation Rockwool International is tackling “today’s biggest sustainability and development challenges” by producing highly energy efficient, recyclable and fire resistant insulation products, according to its website and promotional materials. But shareholders Tim Ross and Rod Snyder think there’s room for improvement. The two West Virginians will travel to Denmark […]
After cancelling a public hearing last month on a permit for an extension of the Mountaineer Gas Pipeline, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) appears to be waffling on setting a new date–and the people who asked for a hearing are growing impatient. The proposed 4.85-mile distribution line […]