W.Va. Moving to Embrace Stimulus Dollars

Details from West Virginia's plans for spending funds from the massive federal stimulus bill continue to emerge, as lawmakers start scrutinizing Gov. Joe Manchin's approach, The Associated Press reports.

Among other developments, a House oversight committee quizzed highway officials on the rationale behind the roster of more than 100 road and bridge projects that the administration wants to fuel with stimulus dollars.

"Highway officials expect the road and bridge projects will yield nearly 3,400 direct jobs, with an equal number of indirect jobs," AP reports, while "Division of Forestry Director Randy Dye told the committee his agency has requested $14 million from the stimulus for projects he estimates will create 500 contract jobs."

Manchin has also launched a page on his office's Web site devoted to stimulus information, mostly reflecting the spending's infrastructure component.

Other state-specific stimulus coverage comes from The Charleston Gazette, the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington, MetroNews (with audio of Manchin and a separate report on airport-related stimulus money), Public Broadcasting (with audio) and (updated) The News and Sentinel of Parkersburg.