WQBE News

The founder of Murray Energy, Bob Murray, died over the weekend. His death comes just days after announcing his retirement as chairman of the board of directors. He recently filed for black lung benefits, saying he was heavily dependent on oxygen and “near death.” Murray was 80-years-old.

More than two-hundred-thousand votes have been cast in West Virginia. The Secretary of State’s Office says over 75-percent of absentee ballots have been returned, and early in-person voting has drawn over 96-thousand people.

A coronavirus testing blitz continues across the state this week. A testing event will be held Wednesday at the K-Mart parking lot on McCorkle Avenue and on Friday at the Shawnee Sports Complex.

A 70-year-old Cabell County man has died, and there are nearly two-hundred new cases of COVID-19 statewide. West Virginia is one of thirty states where COVID-19 cases are classified as higher and staying high. More than 85-thousand new cases of the virus were confirmed nationwide, breaking a single-day record set in July.

A church in Pomeroy was badly damaged when a car crashed into the building. No one was inside when it happened. The driver wasn’t seriously hurt. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Three people are under arrest after police found drugs, thousands of dollars in cash, and a gun at a home in Martin County, Kentucky. Officers found marijuana, fentanyl, meth, and heroin. All three are facing drug trafficking charges.

A Huntington man is under arrest after exchanging gunfire with police. Officers responded to a domestic assault on Artisan Avenue. When they arrived, fifty-one-year-old Thomas Ray III took off on foot and fired multiple shots. Officers returned fire and hit him in the leg. He’s hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

Four Kanawha County schools are switching to remote learning this week. George Washington High School, Capital High School, Edgewood Elementary School and Alum Creek Elementary School will go online due to possible COVID-19 cases.

More than 160 members of the West Virginia National Guard returned Saturday from a nine-month deployment. Members of the 157th Military Police Company, 771st Troop Command Battalion provided support for detainee operations in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Some soldiers were greeted at the airport in Charleston. The unit is headquartered in Martinsburg and Moorefield.

After being in green the previous weekend, Kanawha County shifted to gold in the map released Saturday by the West Virginia Department of Education. Now that it is in gold, Kanawha will still be permitted to have in-person classes next week, but sports teams will only be able to have competitions against other teams in the county or with other gold counties in the state. Face coverings are required for kids in grades three and above. Putnam County was in green on Saturday, shifting from the yellow it was in the previous Saturday. Cabell County moved to yellow after being in green the previous week.

Four Kanawha County schools will be operating remotely Monday due to the coronavirus. Alum Creek Elementary, Capital High School, Edgewood Elementary and George Washington High School will all be closed, according to the Kanawha County Schools website. Alum Creek will remain closed through the rest of the week while Capital will be closed through Wednesday, Nov. 4. Edgewood Elementary will be closed through Thursday, Oct. 29. George Washington High School will only be closed Monday.