Wyoming County

Wyoming County is instituting an adult drug court program aimed at stemming abuse.

The Register-Herald reports that the new program is expected to be operational July 1.

Officials say the program is designed to reduce criminal recidivism and substance abuse among "targeted offenders" through a specialized court.

During a meeting last week, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall said drug courts are a vital tool that serve as an alternative to imprisonment and are proven to save lives as well as money.

After months without access to safe water, representatives with the Department of Health and Human Resources say the boil water advisory has been lifted in a Wyoming County community.

Folks in Alpoca/Bud including Herndon Consolidated School have been on a boil water advisory since September 2013 with water running a dark brown at times. The boil water advisory was issued because of the color and because the system did not have a certified water operator.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission is just days away from issuing a final order that is expected to bring some folks in Wyoming County closer to clean water. Folks in Alpoca and Bud including Herndon Consolidated School have been on a boil water advisory since September with water running a dark brown at times.

Part of the holdup has been a business deal with the current owners and the Eastern Wyoming County Public Service District.  Public Service Commission orders issued this week are helping to move the sale along.

On this West Virginia Morning, we meet a water hero.

Also, updates from the legislature on government fraud and a bill on abortions.

Visitors are also in Charleston talking about tourism, and the water spill.

Water donations from across the country have poured into Wyoming County since our original report.  The folks in Bud and Alpoca were dealing with unpotable water, running a dark brown at times, months before the chemical spill in Charleston.

The folks in a Wyoming County community were dealing with unpotable water months before the chemical spill in Charleston.

About 170 customers, around 500 people, have been on a boil water advisory since September.

On this West Virginia Morning, state legislators are striving to find ways to fix some water problems in Wyoming County.

Also, the State Senate continues to debate prescription drug legislation, and the House looks at a bill to protect employees from being fired.

Senators vote on seven bills, reject one, and also down amendments to the prescription-only pseudoephedrine bill. The House of Delegates passes a bill to expand the hours of alcohol sales at some businesses to include Sunday brunch. Senators Mike Green and Daniel Hall talk about Wyoming County's own water issues and what they're hoping to do to solve the problem.

Congressman Nick Joe Rahall is looking into the water situation in Alpoca/Bud in Wyoming County.

The long-term fix, known as the Covel project, will bring a new transmission main to serve the Bud/Alpoca area. The Eastern Wyoming Public Service District (PSD), in partnership with the Wyoming County Commission, has taken steps to repair the existing water system.

The Covel project has nearly a $5.7 million price tag, all of which – except for $125,000 – is Abandoned Mine Land (AML) funding.

Water donations from across the country are finding their way to West Virginia … still. But the Charleston area is not the only place where residents don’t feel safe to use the tap water. Residents in a community in Wyoming County have been purchasing drinking water since September.

Herndon Consolidated and residents in the surrounding communities have been buying their water for about five months. The community has been on a boil water advisory while ‘ownership issues’ are resolved and the aging water system is worked on.

A community going on five months without clean water received another donation Thursday. This time, from a group based in New Jersey.

Earlier this month, we shared a story about the community of Bud and Alpoca along with an elementary school that have been without clean water since September.

Since then, Principal Virginia Lusk says she has received several phone calls and emails from people saying they want to help.

A  truckload of water was delivered to a school in Wyoming County Monday morning. The school and several communities served by Alpoca Water Works have been without usable water for almost five months.

Last week, we brought you the story about Herndon Consolidated and the surrounding communities.

Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox talks funding and construction for roads to the Senate Committee on Transportation, the Office of Legislative Information serves as a resource for legislators and the public, Charleston businesses take a hit from the chemical leak and water outage, and unrelated to the water crisis in Kanawha County and eight other counties, Wyoming County Schools have had unusable water since September.

While hundreds of thousands of West Virginians are going on five days without water, a school in Wyoming County has not had usable water since September.

The flushing process is underway but without an upgraded system, Herndon Consolidated and those on the Alpoca Water Works lines will have to wait even longer for usable tap water.  

"It’s awful because I mean the water is brown and no one wants to wash their hands in brown water," fifth grader Martina Sizemore said.

Residents are pitching in across the state to help out their fellow West Virginians. Churches, schools and even businesses have been collecting items for several days and sending to areas affected by the ban.

As the ban to use water is slowly lifted, several places in Wyoming County are still collecting items like baby wipes, diapers, formula, and of course … water.

"Go without water for a few days and you’ll just how much you miss that water," Charlene Cook said.

The Lumberjackin’ Bluegrassin’ Jamboree took full swing earlier this month at Twin Falls State Park.  The annual event includes speed competitions, vendors, and bluegrass music.

Three school clubs from Penn State, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University competed in various team events such as a log roll, cross cutting, chainsaw, bolt splitting and chopping.  The students’ participation exposes them to the timber industry. 

Twin Falls Activity Coordinator, Brian Danford, oversaw the student competition.