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Celebrating Congress Week at the Byrd Center

3/28/2017

 
April 1-7 is Congress Week, an annual observation of the history and importance of the Legislative Branch of our government. The Byrd Center joins with dozens of other repositories and research organizations across the United States in celebrating Congress Week. We hope that you will join us at the center for our special Congress Week programs! 
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Building the East Huntington Bridge

3/21/2017

 
​By Jody Brumage

The Huntington Herald-Dispatch published an editorial on October 11, 1977 on the tenth anniversary of the collapse of the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. However, the editorial was more than a remembrance of the 46 people who died in the accident. The paper lamented the deteriorated state of Huntington’s Sixth Street Bridge and penned the concerns of many area residents who feared a similar tragedy in their own community.
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Harold E. Burdick, publisher of the Herald-Dispatch sent a copy of the editorial to Senator Robert C. Byrd who replied on October 14, 1977, relaying that he had directed his staff to check with the State Department of Highways who had confirmed that though the bridge was under weight restrictions, it was considered safe and not in imminent risk of failure.

​Huntington residents did not have such confidence in the durability of the bridge. Poor drainage from the bridge deck hastened the deterioration of the structure, leaving gaps and cracks which people drove and walked over daily crossing the Ohio River. The bridge had also been operating under weight restrictions since 1969 when signs were posted prohibiting vehicles carrying more than 12 tons. This prohibition meant that trucks carrying coal could not use the span, limiting that traffic to a bridge on the southern side of the city.
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The editorial from the Herald-Dispatch which sparked conversations with Senator Byrd's office to obtain the resources to build a new bridge in Huntington.

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So Far Only the Media Have Been Doing Their Job. Now It’s Congress’s Turn.

3/7/2017

 
By Ray Smock

This article first appeared on the History News Network ​on Sunday, March 5, 2017. 
Calls for investigations of the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian agents, the alleged Russian hacking of Democratic Party officials including Hillary Clinton, then Democratic National Committee Chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Clinton campaign director John Podesta and others could involve investigations by House and Senate committees, the establishment of a special prosecutor, or an independent commission, not unlike the 9/11 Commission that investigated the attacks on the Trade Towers, the Pentagon, and the loss of Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. Whatever investigations do emerge, all will be fraught with pitfalls and perils that may not get to the bottom of the complex and murky Russian connections to the presidential election of 2016.
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1987 Iran-Contra Investigation (Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition). From the United States Senate Historical Office.

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The Byrd Center advances representative democracy by promoting a better understanding of the United States Congress and the Constitution through programs and research that engage citizens.
© 2021 Robert C. Byrd Center for
​Congressional History and Education
  • Home
  • About
    • Latest News
    • Statement on Systemic Racism
    • Leadership
    • Our Partners
    • Parking and Directions
  • Education
    • People Powered 2023 Program
    • Educational Resources
    • Teacher Institute
    • Internship Program
  • Research
    • Congressional Collections >
      • Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Congressional Papers
      • Scot Falkner CAO Papers
    • Blog
    • Digital Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Plan a Visit to the Archives
    • Collecting Policy
  • Events
    • Voices of the Community series
    • Summer Fundraiser 2023
    • Forum on Pollution
    • Formidable - author event
    • Voices of the Community
    • Constitution Day
    • Past Events
  • Support Us
    • Friends of the Byrd Center
    • Name a Seat
    • Annual Report
  • Reservations
  • Login