WQBE News

Four YMCA branches in West Virginia were the recipients of grants this week totaling $35,000. The Walmart Foundation presented the grants to the Charleston Family YMCA, the YMCA of Huntington, the YMCA of Wheeling and the Southern West Virginia YMCA. The grants are designated to support local youth development and educational programming at the YMCAs.

A Point Pleasant High School senior got a nice surprise this week. Kaylee Nott’s principal organized an assembly for junior and senior classes and surprised her with the news that she’s been awarded the University of Charleston Presidential Scholarship. That covers tuition and room and board for four years and it’s valued at more than $160,000.

West Virginia lawmakers approved a bill to give Medicaid recipients dental coverage this week. The measure would provide dental health coverage for adult Medicaid recipients, with sponsor Sen. Mike Maroney saying it will save the state money in the long run. The bill now moves to the House of Delegates. The legislature’s 60-day session ends Saturday, March 7.

A bill that would have changed the annual, mandatory state inspections of vehicles to every two years was rejected this week in the West Virginia House of Delegates. The fee for inspection stickers also would have changed from $3 to $6, and the fee for inspection from $14 to $17.
The bill failed to advance to the Senate on crossover day Wednesday, which was the deadline to move a bill to the next chamber.

Governor Justice announced plans for a six-million-dollar aquatic center at the state fairgrounds in Fairlea. The Greenbrier Valley Aquatic Center will have three pools and additional activity and recreation areas. It’s expected to open by the summer of 2021.

West Virginia will receive more than two-million-dollars to help repair federal roads. U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced a grant to improve the state’s infrastructure from the U.S. Department of Transportaiton.

There are no cases of COVID-19, the deadly strains of the coronavirus, in West Virginia, but the state Department of Health and Human Resources says it’s preparing for the potential spread of the disease. They are working with county health departments to make sure they have the resources they need to respond to localized outbreaks.

The House of Delegates and Senate passed dozens of bills on the 50th day of the regular session, also known as crossover day. Wednesday was the deadline for bills to be passed in the chamber where they started.

A South Charleston shopping plaza project is making progress. The Park Place development, directly across from the Riverwalk Plaza on MacCorkle Avenue is expected to have more than two-dozen businesses when it opens in 2023.

Ohio State Troopers seized a brick of cocaine worth 50-thousand-dollars in a traffic stop in Scioto County. Police pulled over 34-year-old Latisha Moore and could smell marijuana coming from the car. They found a small amount of marijuana and 500-grams of cocaine.