WVML Press

A new online resource, the “Knowledge Network,” provides more than 25,000 loca lgovernment professionals from across the world with tools and resources to promote best practices and innovation in local government.

The Knowledge Network is the result of a partnership of the Alliance for Innovation, Arizona State University’s School of Public Affairs, and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The network offers information to the public, but provides additional features to all government employees who work for municipalities which are members of the ICMA, as well as Alliance for Innovation members. Available at: www.transformgov.org/knowledge_network

Read more: Alliance for Innovation Press Release: New Website & Knowledge Network

What does this mean for employers?

The federal Department of Labor. which is charged with administering and enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act, announced last month that it is ending its decades-old practice of issuing opinion letters explaining how the federal wage and hour law applies to specific scenarios faced by employers. The DOL instead will issue occasional broad pronouncements called "Administrator Interpretations" that will summarize the agency’s "general interpretations" of the FLSA, but will not explain how the law applies to specific facts.

The DOL’s change of course comes at a particularly bad time for employers. The FLSA, which establishes federal minimum wage and overtime requirements, is more in fashion now among the plaintiff’s bar than at any time since it was passed in 1938. Federal court statistics show that the volume of FLSA cases grew almost 13 percent between 2008 and 2009 alone. Many of those cases were "collective actions" brought by large groups of employees. Such cases can be lucrative to plaintiff’s attorneys and devastating to employers.

Read more: US Department of Labor to Issue No Further Opinion Letters

Afterlife Electronics is a company that wants to do more with less - less solid waste buried in West Virginia landfills.

Based in rural Wirt County, the family-owned business seeks to recover materials from electronic products so their owners don't have to dispose of the worn out computers and other equipment in landfills.

Chris Drennen, 47, a native of Roane County, Afterlife Electronics said he and his family have guided the company to gather electronics equipment from businesses, schools and individuals. The company subscribes to a simple formula: "Our mission at Afterlife Electronics Recycling is to keep as much as possible out of our landfill; that's why we work to make sure everything is recycled from the electronics we get."

Drennen comes from a recycling background. His father's business in Roane County - D&D Enterprises - specializes in ferrous and nonferrous metal recycling.

Drennen, who works with his wife, Corinna, and sons Jarrett and Zack, said his company takes apart the equip-ment it receives and segregates it - plastics in one bin, metals, glass and other materials in separate containers.

Read more: New Law Requires W.Va. to Recycle Old Electronics

During a time when economic decline is a national trend, one West Virginia city is being honored for its growth and development.

Fairmont was one of five cities nationally recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., with a 2010 Great American Main Street Award.

Sponsored by Chesapeake Energy, the award is a tribute to the city for its creation of effective networks of leaders who facilitate success through high-profile projects -- specifically, through the development of their Main Street commercial districts.

Fairmont City Manager Jay Rogers said Fairmont is thriving, and the community couldn't be more grateful for the national recognition of its progress and success.

Read more: Fairmont Receives National Recognition for Progress