Tag: The Herald-Dispatch

West Virginia City's Housing Authority Bans Smoking

The housing authority of a West Virginia city has banned smoking at all its properties, including public housing units.

The Herald-Dispatch reports the Huntington Housing Authority has banned smoking at its administrative offices, company-owned vehicles, common spaces and more than 600 public housing units starting July 1. Authority Executive Director Vickie Lester says the new mandate comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which regulates public housing.

Lester says the department told public housing units about the impending ban a few years ago. The ban applies to any kind of lighted pipe, cigar, vapor device, cigarette or other lighted smoking device. It applies to all Housing Authority employees, residents, guests and visitors. Violators will be warned. A fourth violation will result in a notice to vacate.

West Virginia County to Get New Voting Machines

A West Virginia county is getting new voting machines that officials say will speed up the voting process and provide better security.

The Herald-Dispatch reports the Cabell County Commission approved the new machines Thursday. The machines and their installation will cost around $1.4 million. The approved proposal says the county plans to pay around $285,000 annually for the next five years to pay off the purchase.

Commissioners expressed concern, however, over where they’ll get the funds. They say grant money will hopefully covers at least half the costs, but won’t know how much funding they’ll receive until August. County Clerk Phyllis Smith says the purchase was necessary as many of the roughly 16-year-old machines don’t work properly.

The new machines are expected to arrive in August.

West Virginia City Sues Boat Owners for $150K Over Oil Spill

A city in West Virginia is suing the owners of a towboat that spilled oil along the West Virginia-Kentucky border earlier this year.

The Herald-Dispatch reports the boat sank in the Big Sandy River on Jan. 10. The complaint, filed this week, seeks more than $150,000 in expenses and compensation for future related costs and attorney fees.

The complaint says the towboat owners, Gate City River Transportation LLC and Western River Assets LLC, violated the 1990 Oil Pollution Act. The act says the owner of a vessel that leaks oil is liable for response costs and damages. The complaint also alleges the owners were negligent in maintaining the boat.

The city says it sent two claims to one of the owners and filed the lawsuit after they went unanswered.

Police: BB Gun Found at West Virginia Elementary School

Police say a BB gun has been found on the campus of a West Virginia elementary school.Huntington Police Chief Hank Dial told The Herald-Dispatch the…

Police say a BB gun has been found on the campus of a West Virginia elementary school.

Huntington Police Chief Hank Dial told The Herald-Dispatch the weapon and a student at Central City Elementary School were taken into custody. He told the paper that “the gun was taken very quickly.”

He did not release the name or grade of the student.

Jedd Flowers, a spokesman for the school district, said no injuries were reported. He confirmed that a “serious violation” of the student code of conduct occurred, but declined to release additional details citing student confidentiality.

Partnership to Protect 32,000 Acres for West Virginia Elk

A new partnership between West Virginia and a nonprofit group will protect about 32,000 acres of forest as habitat for the state’s new elk population.

The Herald-Dispatch reports the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and The Conservation Fund used $12 million from the Wildlife Conservation Fund to protect the land. The Conservation Fund purchased the land in 2016 and then transferred it to the Division of Natural Resources.

The project was completed in advance of about 60 elk from Arizona that will be added to West Virginia’s elk population in early 2018.

Additional funding came from the West Virginia Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund, Walmart, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Acres for America program, the Knobloch Family Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Department is Closing Crop Aggregation Facility

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture has decided to close the state’s first crop aggregation facility after determining that it was barely used and losing money.

The Herald-Dispatch reports the department’s new administration will not renew a lease for the Huntington Aggregation Center.

Department spokesman Cresent Gallagher says an audit of the department’s farm account found that the facility accounted for over $1 million of an over $2.8 million loss from the previous five years.

Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt has said he was unsure if the program was the best use of tax dollars.

Leonhardt’s predecessor, Walt Helmick, opened the center in 2016. At the time, he said the facility would help small farmers reach a larger customer base, and leverage existing agricultural resources to diversify the state’s economy.

Exit mobile version