Tag: Welch

Another W.Va. Town Sues Drug Wholesalers

A southern West Virginia town has joined other communities in seeking to recoup the costs of dealing with opioid abuse.Opioids

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the McDowell County town of Welch filed a lawsuit Monday against several out-of-state drug distributors.

The lawsuit claims the companies delivered huge amounts of prescription pain pills that created a “public nuisance” in the town of 2,200. Welch is the county seat of McDowell County, which has the highest drug overdose death rate in the nation.

The McDowell County Commission sued drug distributors in December. Similar lawsuits have been filed by the cities of Huntington and Kermit.

An investigation by the Charleston Gazette-Mail found drug wholesalers shipped 780 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to West Virginia in six years.

January 19, 1894: John Hardy Hanged in Welch

John Hardy was hanged in the McDowell County seat of Welch on January 19, 1894.

The black railroad worker had been convicted of murdering a man in a gambling dispute at present-day Eckman.

Hardy was just one of tens of thousands of African Americans who poured into southern West Virginia in the late 1800s and early 1900s to work in the coal and railroad industries.

Hardy’s hanging probably would have been the end of the story if not for a ballad written about the event. The song circulated by word of mouth, with the details changing over time.

Today, “John Hardy” is considered a standard in folk and bluegrass circles and has been performed by everyone from the Carter Family to Béla Fleck.

Demolition to Clear Way for Teacher Housing in McDowell County

Demolition will start soon on two buildings to clear the way for new apartments for teachers in a blighted southern West Virginia community.

A news release says the Best Furniture and Katzen buildings in downtown Welch will be torn down starting Thursday.

The new space will house the Renaissance Village apartment complex, which will primarily be intended for teachers.

The apartments are a key component of the Reconnecting McDowell partnership. That project led by the American Federation of Teachers and its many partners aims to improve opportunities in impoverished McDowell County.

The 30-unit Renaissance Village will include rental apartments, a common area for residents and street-level retail establishments, like a coffee shop.

The news release says the project will be the first multistory construction in Welch in 50 years.

Supreme Court Justice Loughry Speaking at Law Day Event

A West Virginia Supreme Court justice will speak this week in Welch during the McDowell County Law Day event.Justice Allen H. Loughry II will be the main…

A West Virginia Supreme Court justice will speak this week in Welch during the McDowell County Law Day event.

Justice Allen H. Loughry II will be the main speaker at the event, set for 10 a.m. Friday at the McDowell County Courthouse.

The Supreme Court said President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed Law Day in 1958 to reflect on the role of law in the founding of the U.S. It is usually held on or around May 1.

Winners of contests held for McDowell County schoolchildren will be given awards during the ceremony Friday. McDowell County Judges Booker T. Stephens and Rudolph J. Murensky II host the event each year.

Welch Police Now Carrying Body Cameras

Welch police officers have begun carrying body cameras to record all contact with the public.

The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports that Police Chief Eugene Muncy announced that the offers began carrying the devices on Tuesday.

Muncy says the main reason for obtaining the cameras is the evidence value of data that they will collect. But he says the police department also wants to document what officers see so their actions can be reviewed when complaints or lawsuits are filed.

He says officers also have been issued new, updated Tasers. The devices have been enrolled in the company’s automatic update program.

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