DRC Director Dustin Luzier, Commissioner Lowell Moore, Governor Justice, DRC Officer Elizabeth Smith, Commissioner Diane Hinkle, Judge James Courrier, Delegate Buck Jennings and Delegate Danny Wagner
By Heather Clower
The Parsons Advocate
Tucker County was among four counties to receive a substantial grant to help fund the Day Report Center in the county. Governor Jim Justice came to Elkins to meet with the four counties and their representatives, and hand out the awards.
When Governor Justice arrived, he began by briefing those in attendance about some ongoing projects in our state. “Corridor H is the most important project in the state”, Justice stated, “President Trump is the key to Corridor H going all the way through”.
Justice also touched slightly on the budget and how it has changed since he took office. “It’s just unbelievable what has changed. The numbers have flipped”, he said when discussing how the financial statements were in debt and how they have begun to return to the positive side. According to Justice, this is the first time since 2012 that West Virginia was in the surplus. “You deserve it. You’re West Virginians. You are the best”, he added. “My job is to get the numbers going the right way so the citizens can enjoy prosperity in many ways”.
After his briefing, Justice turned his attention to the reason for his visit. “Today we have grants to four counties for community corrections and the judges for the great job they are doing. Just the scanners in our facilities are cutting down on drugs tremendously”, Justice said. Tucker County received their award of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars along with three other nearby counties.
“This money is used for clients in Tucker County for services for substance abuse and counseling”, said Dustin Luzier, Director of the Tucker County Day Report Center. “It is also used for daily operations, and we operate solely off of this grant”, Luzier added. The grant recipients are determined via application process that then goes before a board for review. Commissioner Lowell Moore added, “They also rate it based on your service to the county too, and Dustin does a great job”.
After the presentation of the grants, Justice talked more about ongoing issues they are dealing with in Charleston until he departed for his next destination. He ended his visit by saying, “I love you, God bless you, and thank you”.
