News Staff A Kentucky man involved in a scheme to defraud Boone County Schools has been sentenced. Federal prosecutors say 65-year-old Jesse Marks of Rush was given five years of probation, including 18 months of house arrest, and must repay nearly $3.5 million. His co-conspirator, former Boone County Schools maintenance director Michael David Barker, was sentenced earlier … Read more
Public employees from many sectors made their voices heard to the Public Employees Insurance Agency’s finance board on Thursday, saying proposed rate increases are not feasible for many teachers, paramedics and countless others covered under PEIA. Prior to the PEIA finance boards public meeting, several teachers lined the steps of the Capitol building in protest … Read more
Flags will be flown at half staff in West Virginia in honor of Steve Lipscomb, a miner who died in an accident at a Nicholas County mine. Lipscomb’s body was found Thursday after days of searching at the Rolling Thunder Mine. A section of the mine flooded on Nov. 8 and Lipscomb became trapped while … Read more
A man is in custody after a high-speed chase early Thursday morning in Kanawha County, deputies said. James Howard Stump II, 39, was charged with fleeing with reckless indifference following a pursuit about 4:30 a.m. along Elk River Road, according to a news release from the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the chase reached … Read more
The Boone County Quick Response Team received $23,000 from the Milan Puskar Foundation to continue its work across the county of providing addiction treatment services, recovery services and hot meals. “Especially with the government issues, the amount of people that’s coming together trying to make ends meet with food items and not just food items … Read more
Two former Fort Gay officials were sentenced to prison Thursday after an investigation revealed more than $370,000 in public funding was diverted for personal use over the span of eight years. Former mayor Joetta Hatfield and former treasurer and recorder Sheila Brown will serve 1-to-10 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony embezzlement in … Read more
The West Virginia Department of Health is warning doctors, hospitals and county health departments that whooping cough is on the rise. Kanawha County Health Department officer Dr. Steven Eshenaur said. “This year, so far, we’re tracking approximately 126 known contacts. That’s the most we have seen since 2010.” State officials noted a shift from infant … Read more
Sorrow is being shared across the Mountain State after search and rescue efforts for a missing miner in Nicholas County came to a tragic end. The body of Steven Lipscomb, a 42-year-old section foreman, was found at the Rolling Thunder Mine following days of searching, officials confirmed Thursday. Lipscomb went missing Saturday afternoon after crews … Read more
The search for a missing Nicholas County miner has ended. The body of 42-year-old Steve Lipscomb of Elkview was found early Thursday morning—more than five days after flooding trapped him inside the Rolling Thunder Mine. Lipscomb was an advanced EMT and longtime employee of Alpha Metallurgical Resources, and was last seen helping his crew escape … Read more
The University of Charleston named Jamie Cope as its new Executive Director of Innovation. Cope joins UC from West Virginia University Industrial Extension, where he served as Business Development Manager, and previously was Deputy Director at the Robert C. Byrd Institute. In his new role, Cope will oversee UC’s innovation ecosystem, including the Russell and … Read more