Tag: The Exponent Telegram

More W.Va. Towns, Counties Sue Over Opioid Crisis

Two West Virginia counties have joined numerous others in suing pharmaceutical companies, drugstores and the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy over the state’s opioid crisis.

The Exponent Telegram reports that Barbour and Taylor counties have hired lawyers from West Virginia and Florida to seek temporary and permanent restraining orders to curb practices they say are fueling the crisis, restitution, punitive damages and an insurance award from the Board of Pharmacy.

The lawsuits filed Tuesday says the defendants, including McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal, knew opioids were addictive, yet still flooded the state with the drugs through unscrupulous practices.

The pharmaceutical companies have denied similar claims.

Eleven local West Virginia governments are also suing drug companies who they say failed to follow state and federal law to prevent the distribution and abuse of prescription pain medication that’s created the state’s opioid crisis.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the lawsuits filed in the federal court this week come from governments around the state. The municipalities include Quinwood, Rupert, Rainelle, Milton, Smithers, Sutton, Logan, Summersville and Parkersburg, in addition to Nicholas and Braxton counties.

Coal Mine Idled in West Virginia, 260 Out of Work

A union official says a coal mine in northern West Virginia has been idled, with 260 workers losing their jobs, apparently because of adverse geological conditions and market issues.

Phil Smith, spokesman for the United Mine Workers of America, tells The Exponent Telegram in Clarksburg that another 59 people were laid off a few months ago at the Federal No. 2 mine owned by ERP Compliant Fuels, which has no other mine to transfer the workers to.

He says a few workers remain to prevent flooding and keep the mine ready to reopen, but coal reserves were getting thin.

The company did not reply to a request for comment.

In September, CEO Ken McCoy told Platts.com that the mine had some roof falls and other geological issues.

Covered Wooden Bridge Burns in West Virginia

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire Thursday night that damaged a 160-year-old wooden bridge in West Virginia.

The Exponent Telegram reports the Carrollton Covered Bridge was closed. No injuries were reported.

The Philippi Volunteer Fire Department and Office of the State Fire Marshal are investigating.

Originally finished in 1855, the Carrollton Bridge over the Buckhannon River in northern West Virginia was one of the two remaining covered bridges in Barbour County.

The Philippi Covered Bridge burned in early 1980 when a gasoline spill caught fire and was rebuilt and reopened within three years.

Highland Dam Removal Creating New Concerns

The partial demolition of the Highland Dam has caused new problems in the West Fork River, including dropping water levels and exposed sewer lines.

Bill Hoover, general manager of Greater Harrison Public Services, tells the Exponent Telegram that the department has been monitoring water levels since April. He says he’s never seen the water level this low.

While there hasn’t been any damage to the exposed sewer lines, Hoover says it’s possible. Freezing temperatures and heavy rains can both cause line breakage.

A sewer line break would subsequently contaminate the West Fork River.

Clarksburg Water Board President Paul Howe says the problems should be addressed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and that neither the Water Board nor Greater Harrison Public Works should be liable for the cost of repairs.

The Fish and Wildlife Service couldn’t be reached for comment.

Judge Asks to See Evidence Before Sentencing School Director

A Harrison County judge has asked attorneys on both sides to turn over evidence before he sentences a woman who has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection to her running of a Salem boarding school for troubled youths.

The Exponent Telegram reports that Chief Judge Thomas A. Bedell recently requested to see the evidence in the case of 69-year-old Susan Gayle Clark, who directed the now-closed Miracle Meadows School.

Clark is to be sentenced April 1 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor child neglect creating a substantial risk of injury, misdemeanor failure to report by a mandated reporter and misdemeanor obstructing a law enforcement officer.

Clark says she regrets not firing an employee accused of putting a student in handcuffs. She also has admitted to not properly reporting an accusation of sexual abuse or sexual assault.

New Natural Gas Pipeline Begins Operations in West Virginia

A new 50-mile pipeline is gathering natural gas from north central West Virginia and sending it to markets.

The Stonewall Gas Gathering Pipeline began operations on November 30. The Exponent Telegram reports that the pipeline runs from Doddridge County to a Columbia Gas pipeline in Braxton County that transports gas to markets across the Mid-Atlantic and the Gulf Coast.

The pipeline is owned by M3 Midstream, also known as Momentum. Momentum spokesman Dave Mashek says the pipeline will carry up to 1.4 billion cubic feet of gas daily when it becomes fully operational next summer.

Stonewall Gas Gathering spokesman Jerry Tingler says the pipeline gathers gas produced in an area around Doddridge, Harrison and Lewis counties, along with portions of southern Pennsylvania.

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