Government

With little known about the chemical compound MCHM, public health was—and remains—the focus of January’s spill of MCHM by Freedom Industries into the Elk River. Dr. Rahul Gupta of the Kanawha Charleston Health Department and other public health officials gathered Tuesday for an online presentation hosted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials to detail past and on-going efforts.

Gupta began his portion of the webinar to outline the timeline of the spill before moving on to data collected on the event. He said a recent survey shows that, while some residents were using the water to do laundry or for other purposes, many of those affected weren’t drinking the water at the beginning of March.

Former Mingo County prosecutor Michael Sparks' sentencing in a federal corruption case has been rescheduled a third time.

Court records show Sparks originally was set to be sentenced Feb. 24. The sentencing was pushed back to March 5 and then reset for Thursday.

Last Friday, U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston rescheduled Sparks' sentencing again. He's now scheduled to be sentenced June 16 in U.S. District Court in Charleston.

  U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall says he has arranged a roundtable discussion with federal and West Virginia officials on the state's prescription drug abuse and trafficking problems.

The event is being held Tuesday in Atlanta in conjunction with a national drug abuse summit.

West Virginia faces a multitude of challenges when it comes to providing healthcare to its citizens. Because of its rural nature, many citizens face a lack of access to healthcare facilities, healthful foods and places to exercise.

But a recent forum at West Virginia University uncovered problems even more complex, problems with recruitment, public education and cooperation between healthcare providers.

Wood County school officials have asked their lawyers to review a wrestling team's T-shirts that bear a Bible verse on the back.

Superintendent Pat Law said the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation complained about the Parkersburg South High School team's T-shirts to school officials.

State regulators have ordered Antero Resources to suspend operations at two drilling pads where water tanks ruptured recently.

Two water tanks ruptured at the company's Marsden Pad in Doddridge County on April 11. On April 15, two tanks ruptured at Antero's Varner-West Pad in Harrison County.

The question of gubernatorial power in West Virginia was forced into the spotlight after two decisions by Governor Tomblin following the 2014 legislative session; two vetoes, to be more specific. Now lawmakers, the Governor’s Office and even the Attorney General are trying to figure out what’s next for these rejected bills.

Historical documents seem to strengthen some Republican lawmakers' case that the Legislature has the ultimate power to override a gubernatorial veto. West Virginia's Professor of the Year for 2013 is an English teacher at Marshall University who has a unique style, and John Gorka performs "Give Us Back Our Water" in the Mountain Stage Song of the Week.

West Virginia is expanding its tourism funding in hopes of offsetting negative publicity from the January chemical spill in the Elk River that spurred a water-use ban for days.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources says a program intended to keep mothers and their young children healthy has raised its income eligibility guidelines.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has filed motions to intervene in and dismiss a Kanawha County Circuit Court case challenging a new state gun control law.

The bill passed during this year’s legislative session strives to make gun ordinances uniform across the state.

In a release, Morrisey said the case should be dismissed because the City of Charleston did not name a defendant. Instead, the city is asking the circuit court judge to rule on the "validity" and "construction" of the new law.

A Marshall University English Professor has been named the 2013 Professor of the Year in the state.

Kateryna Schray is an English Professor in the Marshall University College of Liberal Arts. She’s been named the 2013 Professor of the Year by the Faculty Merit Foundation. Each year the Faculty Merit Foundation honors an outstanding faculty member at a West Virginia college or university. Schray said her students were supportive and happy for her after her award. She said she’s just not sure she’s deserving because she still has a ways to go.

Theatre West Virginia is preparing to return for its 54th season following a shutdown caused by financial problems.

One state lawmaker says the balance of power in the state has been shifting toward the office of governor for decades as legislators slowly cede their powers to the office, and the tradition of salt rising bread in Appalachia is slowly being forgotten, but two Pennsylvania women are trying to change that. They're making sure people remember not just the history, but also the science behind the food.

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.