Dear Editor: Surprised by the November 5 article, “Commission reports no Broadband Implementation Grant,” which stated that the county’s USDA grant was denied, I investigated the source of this information. I have spoken to the local media, the lead applicant on the grant application, which is the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation (GVEDC), the fiber company that is part of the application, the USDA, Senator Capito’s office, and contacted the County Commission. The information reported by the Commission appears to be unfounded. The USDA ReConnect application for Pocahontas County has NOT been denied and is still being reviewed. The USDA may have a couple of additional requests for information, and the GVEDC stands ready to provide that information, if needed. There is still money available to fund this grant application, and we are anxiously awaiting a final decision, which I hope comes very soon. Michael Holstine Frost Open letter: Hello Pocahontas; I want to take a minute this morning to reinforce and remind the good folks across this great land of the importance of COVID-19 precautions and personal hygiene practices. I realize it is not a convenient topic or practice, but wearing your mask and washing your hands and maintaining social distance is effective. With cold weather here and more time spent indoors, these precautions are going to be paramount in preventing virus transfer. I also want to remind the parents of school age children to keep up the good work of encouraging your students to complete their homework. Homework assignments are so important, and they are graded. Thank you for reading, and if you have any concerns or thoughts you can email me at samhoward030@gmail.com Sam Gibson, member Pocahontas County Board of Education
