Commerce Secretary Thrasher to be Replaced

Governor Jim Justice requested and received the resignation of Commerce Secretary Woody Thrasher Thursday. Justice says in a news release that Thrasher has done a solid job in the area of economic development, but expressed that recent media attention had distracted from what he believed was his core mission. Justice added that he hopes the resignation allows the state to turn its attention to the full recovery of all of the 2016 flood victims. The governor had announced earlier in the month that a restructuring of the Commerce Department, including terminations, would happen. He also turned RISE WV flood recovery efforts over to the state’s top military officer, West Virginia National Guard Adjutant General James Hoyer.