Congress Backs Court Challenge to Obama's Climate Plan

  West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is 1 of more than 200 members of Congress that is backing a court challenge to President Barack Obama’s plan to curtail greenhouse gas emissions.

A brief filed Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington argues that the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its legal authority by regulating carbon dioxide emissions.

Led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, those signing on include senators and Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Manchin is the group’s lone Democrat.

About two dozen mostly GOP-led states have sued to stop the Clean Power Plan, which aims to slow climate change by cutting power-plant emissions by one-third by 2030. The Supreme Court has delayed implementation of the plan until the legal challenges are resolved.

Ohio County Board Expands Smoking Ban

Health officials are expanding Ohio County’s smoking ban to hotels, motels and outdoor public places.

The Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health approved a revision to the county’s clean air regulations on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

The revised regulations also prohibit the use of electronic cigarettes and vaporizing devices in public. The changes go into effect March 1, 2016.

Smoking will still be allowed on the gambling floor at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack and in other establishments’ designated video lottery rooms.

The existing 2005 regulations ban smoking in restaurants, bars and other indoor public venues in the county.

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