ACLU, Residents Criticize New City Drug Ordinance

The West Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and city residents have expressed concern over a new Weirton ordinance that creates a criminal charge for those under the influence of drugs in public.

The Intelligencer reports the city council passed the law through an emergency reading in March. The ACLU chapter sent a letter April 6 and residents approached the council Monday.

Residents cited mental health concerns, vague language and inadequate law enforcement training and treatment provisions.

City Attorney Vince Gurrera is reviewing the letter and offered to speak with residents. He says the law was developed because of increased incidents. West Virginia has been hit hard by the opioid crisis.

Those convicted face up to $500 in fines and 30 days in jail.

New Weirton Ordinance Targets Drug Users

The city of Weirton will make it a crime to appear in public under the influence of drugs.The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reports the ordinance passed…

The city of Weirton will make it a crime to appear in public under the influence of drugs.

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reports the ordinance passed in an emergency reading on Monday by a 7-0 vote of the Weirton City Council, establishing a charge of “appearing in a public place or automobile in a drug induced condition.”

City Attorney Vince Gurrera says the ordinance was developed because of an increase in incidents in which people have been found to be in a drug-induced condition while in public. He says the charge can be equated to a public intoxication charge, but for drugs instead of alcohol.

A conviction of the charge carries a fine of up to $500 and up to 30 days in jail.

Italian Manufacturer Bringing Jobs to Weirton

An Italian manufacturing company is moving forward with plans to invest $9 million toward a new facility on West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.

News outlets report that local officials met with representatives of Pietro Fiorentini USA on Friday to officially sign off on a land purchase agreement at a business park in Weirton. The planned industrial facility was first announced in 2013.

The project is set to create an initial 41 jobs in the first phase. There would be up to 150 positions when fully operational. Workers will be producing pressure regulators, valves and pressure reducing and meter systems for the natural gas industry.

This will be the first manufacturing facility in the U.S. for Pietro Fiorentini, which is based near Vicenza, Italy.

ACLU Wants to Review West Virginia Police Shooting

West Virginia’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is seeking details related to the death of a 23-year-old black man who was fatally shot by police.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that attorneys with the ACLU filed Freedom of Information Act requests last week with both Weirton police and State Police in connection with the May 6 shooting death of Ronald Williams Jr.

A State Police trooper wrote in a report that Williams was pointing a gun at officers when he was shot in the back of the head outside his ex-girlfriend’s house in Weirton.

The ACLU’s Jeff Martin says the organization wants to review whether policies and procedures were being followed by Weirton police at the time of the shooting.

Williams was from McKees Rocks, outside Pittsburgh.

Weirton Council Approves Local Sales Tax Under Home Rule

Taxable items and services offered by Weirton businesses soon will cost an additional penny on the dollar.

The Weirton Daily Times reports that City Council voted on Monday to create a 1 percent municipal sales tax under the state’s home rule program. The council also amended its business and occupation tax to eliminate a wholesale tax.

State law requires cities that impose a municipal sales tax to reduce business and occupation taxes.

Mayor Harold Miller says the sales tax is expected to generate $1.2 million to $1.5 million in revenue for the city.

Weirton is among 28 cities participating in the home rule program. The program shifts power from the state to the local level.

Seven Indicted in Ohio Heroin-Trafficking Ring That Reached into West Virginia

A federal grand jury has charged seven individuals suspected in a heroin-trafficking operation in eastern Ohio with one count each of conspiracy to possess a controlled substance.

Federal authorities say a grand jury in Columbus recently indicted four suspects from Steubenville, one from Irving, Texas, and two from Weirton, West Virginia.

Authorities say the yearlong investigation into the Steubenville-area operation resulted in the seizure of eight firearms, three vehicles and about $110,000 in suspected narcotics proceeds.

Court documents allege the organization was responsible for street-level heroin sales in Steubenville and Bellaire in Ohio and in Weirton and Wheeling in West Virginia.

Conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin is punishable by 10 years to up to life in prison.

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