Government

A West Virginia homeland security official thinks responders for a Jan. 9 chemical spill into the water supply could receive $2 million in federal help.
 
Homeland security official Greg Myers says the estimate covers state and local agencies, and select nonprofits, like volunteer fire departments. He says the total could grow.
 

Democrat U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall raised almost $324,000 last quarter for his contested re-election bid, while GOP challenger Evan Jenkins banked about $193,500.
 
Federal Election Commission reports say Rahall has about $1.1 million in his campaign account after the January-through-March fundraising period. Jenkins has about $512,000 cash on hand.
 

Martinsburg City Council has given preliminary approval to four proposed firearms ordinances designed to bring the city into compliance with a new state law.
 
The law prohibits municipalities from enacting firearms regulations that are greater than those of the state and federal governments.

Concerns about drug contraband have prompted a ban on regional jail inmates touching loved ones during supervised contact visits.

A directive issued by West Virginia Regional Jail Authority executive director Joe DeLong prohibits inmates from hugging, kissing or shaking hands with loved ones at the beginning and end of contact visits.
 
The directive also prohibits children from sitting with inmates.
 

After some controversial vetoes from Gov. Tomblin, lawmakers, academics and citizens a like arequestioning the balance of power in West Virginia's Constitution and a 21-year-old Fairmont native is making a name for himself on the national poetry scene.

Federal prosecutors say a 49-year-old Barboursville man has been indicted on charges he threatened to kill U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin.
 
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin says Steven Anthony Major was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury in Charleston. He is accused of making four separate threats to kill Manchin. The threats allegedly occurred from March 17 through March 20.
 

West Virginia's former state school superintendent has filed a second lawsuit contending she was unfairly fired.

Jorea Marple's latest legal claim was filed this week in Kanawha County Circuit Court, according to media reports. A similar lawsuit is pending in federal court.
 

The West Virginia Republican Party says former U.S. Rep. Mick Staton has died. He was 74.
 
W.Va. GOP chairman Conrad Lucas says Staton died Monday.
 
Lucas says Staton's health had been declining and he entered the intensive care unit at a hospital in Winchester, Va., last Thursday.
 

A figure in the federal Mingo County corruption probe is suing several former county officials and others.     

George White's lawsuit claims the defendants violated his constitutional rights and damaged his reputation.

The soon-to-be former Mayor of Williamson is charged with making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service just hours after resigning from his post.

Williamson Mayor Darrin McCormick submitted his resignation letter Monday, but didn’t give a reason for the departure. That information was made public Tuesday and was followed by an information from US Prosecuting Attorney Booth Goodwin.

West Virginia University and two other institutions of higher learning in the state will share in a $2.5 million grant to attract, retain and graduate underrepresented students in so-called STEM studies.

The Higher Education Policy Commission will meet April 25 at Fairmont State University to vote on a new contract for West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee.

West Virginia utility regulators have approved utility vegetation-management plans aimed at reducing power failures during destructive storms.

West Virginia American Water said new tests show no signs of MCHM from water filtered through two newly replaced carbon filters.

The company began changing out the 16 activated carbon filters in the Charleston plant on April 1.

In a release this Monday, WVAM said 16 water samples taken throughout the filtration process at that location returned non-detect levels of MCHM.

The results came from Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories, Inc. in Lancaster, Pa., which WVAM said is testing the water at the 0.38 parts per billion level.

A Virginia man who is a former director of a Homeland Security division has been indicted on charges he used his government-issued credit card to obtain more than $100,000 in cash advances at the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town.
 
U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced Monday that 55-year-old Gene Protogiannis of Lovettsville, Va., has been indicted on 45 counts of wire fraud. He says Protogiannis used the government credit card to obtain $115,000 in cash advances in 2013.
 

Two West Virginia counties are among two dozen nationwide that Republicans are targeting to sway women's votes.
 
The Republican National Committee's "14 in '14" program calls for volunteer work in the 14 weeks before the November midterm elections. The initiative will use female volunteers to attract other women from 21 to 40 years old to vote Republican and become involved in election season.

The Transportation Security Administration says a loaded handgun and brass knuckles were discovered in a carry-on bag at Huntington Tri-State Airport.
 
The agency says the bag's owner was detained but wasn't charged. The woman missed her flight and was allowed to book another one, without the weapons.
 

Kanawha County prosecutor Mark Plants says his office doesn't have a conflict investigating domestic violence cases involving children.
 
Plants is facing a domestic battery charge. He's accused of hitting one of his sons more than 10 times with a leather belt on Feb. 22.
 

An annual survey shows long-term and home health care costs in West Virginians are outpacing such costs nationally.
 
The Cost of Care Survey released Monday by Genworth Financial shows the median hourly cost of home health aide services in West Virginia has increased 3.8 percent annually over the past five years. Nationally, the annual increase was 1.3 percent.