West Virginia Politics
Government and political news from around the state
Protesters arrested at coal firm Alpha's HQ in Va
Several environmental activists were arrested Friday after blocking the road leading to the headquarters for Alpha Natural Resources to protest the coal producer's mining practices. The members of Radical Action for Mountain Peoples' Survival chained themselves and large industrial equipment to a bridge railing, which prevented Alpha employees from getting ...
3 tied to coal ship detained in Virginia indicted
A federal grand jury has indicted the owner, operator and chief engineer of a Maltese-flagged coal ship that has been detained in Virginia since April over alleged environmental violations. The Virginian-Pilot reported (http://bit.ly/Zig5nz) Friday that the indictment names Malta-based owner Angelex Ltd, Liberian operator Kassian Maritime Navigation Agency Ltd. and ...
New River Gorge visitors to get water safety tips
Water safety programs are being offered to New River Gorge visitors during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. National Park Service rangers will discuss safe boating, swimming and wading, and demonstrate how to wear and use flotation vests. Rangers will share tips Saturday through Monday at the Sandstone Visitor Center in ...
NY gov: Fracking decision to come before election
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he'll make a decision on whether to allow shale gas fracking in New York before the 2014 election. Cuomo says he's waiting for his state health commissioner, Dr. Nirav Shah, to report on his own health review. The Democratic governor told the editorial board at the ...
Cooper to pay EPA $340K for W.Va. site cleanup
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Cooper Industries LLC will pay $340,000 to reimburse the agency for cleanup costs at a Superfund site in Bluefield. Cooper agreed to the payment as part of an agreement filed Thursday in U.S. District Court over the Lin-Electric site. The EPA says that from ...
Panel looks at tax, fee hikes to fund W.Va. roads
A commission studying West Virginia's highway system is proposing tax and fee increases to raise millions of dollars for maintenance and repairs. The proposals include increasing the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent, increasing vehicle registration and title fees, raising the cigarette tax by 50 cents a pack, ...
W.Va. gov offers response help to Oklahoma
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is offering West Virginia's emergency response resources to Oklahoma officials following this week's deadly tornado. Tomblin said Wednesday he spoke with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, telling her that West Virginia is "prepared to help out in any way we can." Tomblin says the state also has ...
Rockefeller sponsors new head-injury legislation
A senator who's long pushed parents, coaches and communities to help protect young athletes from sports-related concussions is now sponsoring federal legislation to set safety standards for helmets. The Youth Sports Concussion Act would help ensure parents aren't misled by false and unproven claims from manufacturers of helmets and other ...
Keeley recuses herself from WVU degree lawsuit
U.S. District Judge Irene Keeley has disqualified herself from hearing a lawsuit filed over a 6-year-old degree scandal at West Virginia University, citing a federal statute that requires judges to step aside if their impartiality could be questioned. The order entered Tuesday doesn't offer specifics, but Keeley is a past ...
Gas law issue won't go to W.Va.'s high court yet
A federal judge has changed her mind about having the West Virginia Supreme Court answer a question on gas drilling laws that could have statewide economic implications. Last month, U.S. District Judge Irene Keeley said the justices should rule conclusively on whether the law allows a gas drilling company to ...
W.Va.'s local-food movement a model for Appalachia
With eight in 10 farmers making less than $10,000 a year, West Virginia will never rival big Midwestern factory farms in producing food. But creative collaborations with food entrepreneurs are seeding a new kind of economy that federal officials say could become a model for 12 other Appalachian states. Officials ...
Warner bill aimed at tracking bay restoration
Sen. Mark R. Warner says he's introduced legislation that would better track the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia Democrat says the legislation would require the Office of Management and Budget to compare costs and the performance of restoration activities by various federal agencies involved in the massive environmental ...
2 W.Va. staffing agency execs plead to tax evasion
Two staffing agency executives have pleaded guilty to federal employment tax evasion charges. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin says 60-year-old Daniel Hovis and 63-year-old Janice Hensley each pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Charleston to failure to pay trust fund taxes. Hovis is president of Career Search One Inc. Hensley ...
Organic sheep farm tucked away in Jefferson County
On the winding trails off Bakerton Road sits one of Jefferson County's unique treasures, Good Faith Farms. Taken from the idea when starting out on a new path in life, Charles Barton thought of making the first payment on a mortgage, known as a "good faith" payment, and modeled his ...
Greenbrier clinic receives federal grant
A clinic in Greenbrier County has received more than half a million dollars in federal funding for preventive care improvements and operations. U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall and U.S. Senators Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin announced the more than $515,000 grant awarded to the Northern Greenbrier Health Clinic in Williamsburg. Rockefeller ...
ARC education tour to make stops in W.Va.
Education's role in the economy is the focus of a federal tour that's making several stops in West Virginia. The Appalachian Regional Commission's annual Jobs & Food Systems Tour is scheduled to visit Hampshire County High School in Romney and Tucker County High School in Hambleton on Tuesday. On Wednesday, ...
W.Va. gets reprieve from No Child Left Behind law
West Virginia won limited freedom Monday from the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind, gaining approval of its own method for identifying struggling schools and then devoting resources to improve them. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin was joined by state education officials and representatives of teacher organization to ...
Education Department gives 3 more states waivers
Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced on Monday that three more states would join the ranks of those given permission to ignore parts of the federal No Child Left Behind law in favor of their own school improvement plans. The addition of Alaska, Hawaii and West Virginia brings to 37 the ...
Putnam school board resolves leave lawsuit
The Putnam County Board of Education has resolved allegations that it violated the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. The U.S. Department of Labor made the allegations in a lawsuit filed against the school board over its termination of an employee. The lawsuit alleged that the board retaliated against the ...
Mom of missing W.Va. girl won't be relocated
The mother of a missing West Virginia girl can remain in Wheeling to serve the remainder of her supervised release for welfare fraud. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey on Monday approved a modified supervised release plan for Lena Lunsford that allows her to remain in Wheeling. The modifications requested ...
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