Government

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is being sued by one of his brothers, who says the West Virginia Democrat and another brother never repaid a $1.7 million loan intended to keep the family's carpet business afloat.

Dr. John Manchin II filed the lawsuit in Marion County against the senator and Roch Manchin.
 

An animal rights group opposes plans to conduct testing on animals of chemicals that spilled into West Virginia's largest water supply using animals.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals voiced concerns in a letter Thursday to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

Wednesday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials promised additional tests on rats, worms and zebra fish. They will cost up to $1.2 million and take up to a year.

  Kanawha County commissioners have agreed to begin removal proceedings against Prosecutor Mark Plants.

The commission voted Thursday to file a petition, citing the costs of paying a special prosecutor to handle certain cases in his place. Once filed, the state Supreme Court would appoint a panel to rule on it.

Plants and his office are barred from handling cases involving crimes of violence by a parent or guardian, abuse and neglect cases, and violations of domestic violence protection orders.

  The city of Huntington is reallocating $500,000 in its budget to hire 10 police officers to fight drug problems in neighborhoods.

The city council unanimously approved the move Thursday. It will transfer funds from the city's insurance program and the street paving budget.

Mayor Steve Williams told the council that Huntington residents are scared to take their children outside. He says the hirings will send a message to drug dealers to get out.

  Democrat Nick Casey and Republican Alex Mooney say the global warming debate is better left to scientists.

During Thursday's West Virginia Business & Industry Council forum at the Charleston Civic Center, they added that other countries should step up in reducing carbon emissions.

It marked the first forum featuring both party candidates in this fall's 2nd Congressional District election.

More than $900,000 in refunds from insurance companies are headed to 8,300 consumers in West Virginia.

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced the payments Thursday, crediting the Affordable Care Act.

Burwell said the refunds in West Virginia will average $177 per family.

  Huntington remains without a permanent police chief four months after Skip Holbrook announced his resignation.

Mayor Steve Williams says the selection process for Holbrook's replacement has gone slower than he anticipated.

Williams says he underestimated the time required to conduct background checks of candidates.

If you spend any time at the West Virginia state capitol during the annual 60-day legislative session, you’ll notice many voices clamoring for the attention of our state’s part-time lawmakers.  All citizens are welcome to approach legislators with ideas and requests, but average citizens generally don’t have the time or the know-how to impact state policy decisions.  One grassroots initiative has been working to change that. 

Federal, state, and Kanawha county officials met Wednesday in U.S. Senator Joe  Manchin’s Washington D.C. office to pin down plans for more studies on the January 9 chemical spill at Freedom Industries. The announcement comes as a relief to those who’ve been pressing for this development since almost day one. 

Members of the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Health, and the West Virginia Department and Health and Human Resources were part of the meeting.

As the country continues to struggle to help its military members returning from war, one fledgling program in West Virginia isn’t wasting any time tackling the issues veterans face. 

From transitional job training to psychological therapy, members of the Warriors and Veterans to Agriculture Program say they’re discovering they can help West Virginia veterans in more ways than they ever anticipated.

  A bankruptcy judge is giving Freedom Industries, its insurer and stakeholders 10 days to strike an agreement on its $2.9 million insurance policy.

The company that contaminated West Virginia's largest water supply returned to bankruptcy court Tuesday in Charleston.

Freedom and 24 residents and businesses that sued after the spill proposed a $2.9 million settlement Friday using insurance. A board would pick projects benefiting the public to fund.

 A retired coal miner who suffers from black lung disease has urged Congress to help clear a backlog of claims of fellow miners who have the disease. Princeton native Robert Bailey testified at the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace hosted a hearing Tuesday. The hearing focused on the struggles miners face while seeking black lung benefits. Lawmakers say the testimony on Capitol Hill was meant to do three things:

  Independent Ed Rabel will be on the November ballot in a 2nd Congressional District race featuring Democrat Nick Casey and Republican Alex Mooney.

Rabel was an award-winning CBS and NBC News correspondent. Rabel says in a news release he collected the 2,269 validated signatures required by law. The Mountain Party has endorsed him.

Rabel was born and raised in Kanawha County.

  A West Virginia health official says an investigation that found syringes were being reused at a pain management clinic was triggered after a patient developed bacterial meningitis.

Health officials in Ohio and West Virginia advised patients of Valley Pain Management in McMechen on Monday to be tested for blood-borne infectious diseases.

Operating a city is a complicated business. Cities provide a variety of services from public safety and road repair to clean water and public parks. There are multiple departments, a mish-mash of funding streams, and oodles of state and federal regulations to observe. The City of Fairmont, West Virginia has launched an interactive program to make sure its citizens understand the city’s role and responsibilities and its processes for serving the public: “Fairmont 101”.

  West Virginia Democrats say Republican state Del. Suzette Raines doesn't live where she claims and shouldn't be on the November ballot.

They also want GOP House of Delegates hopeful Melissa Lewis off the ballot.

The state Democratic Executive Committee filed complaints Monday in Kanawha and Preston circuit courts.

  A Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic closed because of air concerns is expected to reopen next month.

The Greenbrier County Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Maxwelton was closed June 6 after several employees became ill.

Beckley Veterans Affairs Medical Center spokeswoman Debbie Voloski tells The Register-Herald that the clinic is tentatively scheduled to reopen Aug. 1.

  An online billing program offered by the West Virginia Treasurer's Office is making it easier for local governments to manage their finances.

Treasurer John Perdue says the LGov program helps local governments process their bills. He tells the Charleston Gazette that the program reduces paperwork and gets money into the system faster.

  At least $2.9 million could fuel studies in a proposed settlement between West Virginia businesses and residents and the company that contaminated their water supply.

The deal between lawyers for Freedom Industries and businesses and people who sued Freedom was filed Friday in Charleston federal court. It needs approval in both U.S. district and bankruptcy court.

The agreement would settle 24 lawsuits against Freedom. Many businesses sued to recoup profits they lost while shuttered for days. A January tap-water ban affected 300,000 people.

More research has surfaced indicating the abysmal state of rural infrastructure these days, especially in West Virginia, and shortfalls in federal funding for highway maintenance could make the problem worse as well as leave many road workers filing for unemployment.