Charleston police allege Julian Groom, 33, of Charleston shot a person on Veazey Street at just before 6 p.m.

The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the leg.

A criminal complaint said surveillence video shows Groom throwing a gun into the Kanawha River.

Groom was arraigned and bond set at $50,000.

The post Charleston man charged in East End shooting appeared first on WV MetroNews.

–The Mountaineer women’s basketball team knocks off TCU to win the Big XII Championship
–The Legislature enters the home stretch with the session ending Saturday night
–Another docu-series on Hulu examines the murder of Skyler Neese
–Also in Sports, the Mountaineer men prepare for the Big XII tourney

Listen to “MetroNews This Morning 3-9-26” on Spreaker.

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Hope Gas President and CEO Morgan O’Brien said the simulated neighborhood called Safety City has six homes and streets with utilities. The training center will serve continuing education as well as entry-level workers looking for a career.

“It’s a state-of-the-art training facility that will allow Hope Gas employees to learn every skill set needed to work in the natural gas industry,” O’Brien said recently on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.”

Safety City will also be the location of the Hope Academy, according to O’Brien. Hope Gas has worked with area public schools, skilled unions, local fire departments and higher education institutions to fully maximize the available learning opportunities.

“It’s a multi-tiered program where we will partner with vocation/technical colleges around the state of West Virginia, and we’re creating summer programs to hire young people to work at Hope Gas in the summertime,” O’Brien said.

The neighborhood provides the conditions where any “accident” or “incident” can be recreated to teach the proper response. Since the facility is purpose-built, it’s available when training is needed, not only when the facility is available.

“We can replicate any issue that a customer could have in their home in a controlled setting,” O’Brien said. “Our people can get trained in everything from a leak in your yard, on the farm, or in the street or home.”

On home is completely powered using the WATT HOME system. A fuel cell, battery, and inverter fully enabling home backup in grid outages. The system was recently certified for up to a 2kW power rating and qualifies for federal tax cuts as a critical clean power source.

“We’re going to have a home completely powered by the WATT Fuel Cell,” O’Brien said. “It takes natural gas, converts it to hydrogen, and without combustion, creates electricity.”

O’Brien said the Safety City and Hope Academy will be the starting point for many future careers and advanced technologies.

“Some people talk about the Field of Dreams, and this is the Field of Hope,” O’Brien said. “This brings a bright future to young people, keeping them here in West Virginia and hopefully showing them how to get a foot in the door of the natural gas industry.”

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Appalachian Power Company said the blaze was contained by local firefighters to the external building.

“There was no immediate threat to the public. All plant personnel are safe and no injuries were reported. There was no impact to operations or our ability to generate power for customers,” the company said in a statement forwarded to MetroNews. “A full investigation into the cause and extent of the damage is underway. We appreciate the swift response of the emergency crews and will provide updates as additional information becomes available.”

The fire was reported at around 5 a.m. Sunday. Winfield fire crews led the response. It took about 45 minutes to bring the fire under control.

The post Fire on John Amos Power Plant property appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Neese was reported missing from her Star City home in July 2012. She was murdered by her friends.

Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy, then 18, admitted to stabbing their University High School classmate to death in Greene County, Pennsylvania. After unsuccessfully attempting to dig a makeshift grave for Neese, they covered her body with brushes, sticks, and rocks. About seven months later, Shoaf led police to the body after suffering a nervous breakdown and confessing to the crime.

Both are serving prison sentences.

Friends Like These Director Clair Titley said the installments include The Disappearance, The Betrayal, and The Truth. The crew came to Morgantown several times over a 10-month period to film the series.

“Morgantown, which becomes a character of its own in the series,” Titley said. “I think I’ve been back and forth to Morgantown nine times for filming trips.”

In this film, time was taken to meet with parents Dave and Mary, her friends, and people in the community to get a feel for what Morgantown was like in 2012.

“We’ve really engaged with her friends and the community around Skylar,” Titley said. “We really wanted to investigate what it was like to be a teenager in Morgantown in 2012.”

One of those friends is Eric Finch, who endured the months of questions during the investigation and search. Finch still lives in the Morgantown area and said the tragedy still affects him today.

“It just took so long to navigate that,” Finch said. “I think it’s important to focus on is how much it impacts you to not have an answer; even years later, you don’t have an answer.”

Finch is now a student services coordinator at West Virginia University and said the experience makes him consider circumstances others are dealing with more carefully.

“The entire situation has made me a little more empathetic,” Finch said. “Not so much for what others experienced but because of what I experienced—no one around me would know what I was going through if I didn’t tell them.”

During the three episodes viewers will hear the saga told from the inside out, according to Titley. During those nine trips to the city, they attempted to capture the incident and how it affected Skylar’s family, friends, and community.

“You get a real sense of Skylar and the real kind of person she was, but the community around her as well,” Titley said.

The post Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Reese Allen, a Harrison County native, will serve as the 2026-27 Mountaineer mascot.

“It is my honor to have been part of so many cheers and so much Mountaineer spirit so far, but I’ve got a year more of it to really look forward to,” Allen said.

He’s a senior with a dual mechanical engineering and data science major, a 2022 Bucklew Scholar, Eberly Scholar, Honors College member, Presidential Student Ambassador, and the founding president of the Microgravity Research Club in the Statler College, where he leads STEM outreach activities for K-12 students.

Allen said he began growing a beard his freshman year in hopes of one day becoming the Mountaineer.

“I realized that years ago, from the story of me growing a beard at the oil and gas internship, I was just thinking about being a Mountaineer,” Allen said. “I realized that back then I wasn’t ready, but some time between then and now, I became ready, and now I am more than excited to go out and represent WVU and the state.”

Allen credits Rachel Morgan, who is winding down her time as alternate Mountaineer, for helping guide him through the many roles and responsibilities that come with being the Mountaineer.

In addition to Morgan’s mentorship, Allen has been greatly inspired by former Mountaineer mascots, especially Jonathan Kimble, the 62nd official WVU Mountaineer mascot.

“He had an unreal energy,” Allen stated. “That kind of vibrance that he was bringing at full spirit is something I really admire. I would love to bring his passion for this position, and help to really connect between me, the people, the university, and the state.”

Following his undergraduate studies, Allen plans to attend grad school and continue to further his education.

“Part of the reason that I’ve wanted to be the Mountaineer mascot is to really work on perspective and learn about my place in the world,” Allen concluded. “I think the best way to do it is to go meet people throughout the world. I want to, hopefully, visit every county, create stories, and meet people from all over the state and the country, and really help myself to understand where I fit into the world and where I can help give back.”

Allen will be presented the rifle and the responsibilities by Cade Kincaid, the 71st Mountaineer mascot, during the formal “Passing of the Rifle” ceremony on April 17 at 6 p.m. The ceremony will take place in the Mountainlair, Gluck Theatre. Prior to the ceremony, a reception, which is open to the public, will be held in the Mountainlair, Vandalia Lounge at 5 p.m.

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The Women’s Collegiate Sports Protection Act, SB 502, was approved by the Senate and is now being considered by the House Education Committee.

It creates permanent endowment funds intended to support women’s sports. Over time, the funds are meant to represent a consistent revenue stream for scholarships, coaching, and facilities.

Sen. Jay Taylor, R-Taylor, is the lead sponsor of the bill and said it will shield women’s sports from market volatility and shifty funding priorities. He says, with rumors flying around that some student-athletes could become employees or even engage in collective bargaining in the future, he wanted to make certain women’s sports were not left behind.

“This bill would help protect in case some of that stuff happens, they become employees, and then Title IX doesn’t really apply, this would. If we can get these endowments set up for both universities, then that would help protect the women’s sports so that they’ve got a source of revenue for that,” Taylor said.

West Virginia University, in a statement, expressed support for the bill, “which creates an optional endowment fund and is an important next step in helping to ensure women’s collegiate Olympic sports programs are available to our student-athletes in the rapidly changing NIL landscape.”

Taylor added that an endowment fund, like the one proposed in the bill, could have been used to help the Marshall Swimming and Diving program. The university announced in February that it was eliminating the program because of financial considerations.

“Hopefully, this would allow it so that, if Marshall would get this and get this going good and have that funding set up, they’d be like, ‘Hey, we’ve got some extra money here, let’s bring that back,’” hoped Taylor.

State money would not be used to seed the endowment fund. It would be built through private donations and other grant opportunities. The Senate Finance Committee amended the bill and removed a section that would have provided tax credits for donors and matching state funds. The bill only creates the mechanism for the endowment fund.

“That helps make it a lot easier,” said Taylor about getting support for the bill.

Earnings from a women’s athletics endowment may be used only for scholarships, coaching and training staff, equipment, facilities, travel, and other expenses directly related to women’s collegiate Olympic sports programs.

The bill has yet to make an agenda before the House Education Committee with less than a week to go before the end of the regular legislative session.

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Education West Virginia Co-President Dale Lee said he’s disappointed but he said he remains hopeful because the 60-day session doesn’t end until Saturday at midnight.

“There’s still an opportunity with House Bill 5453 (school funding formula bill) that’s still active in the Senate and there could be parts of that you could make available immediately,” Lee said.

The bill as it left the House includes language where the changes in the formula won’t be made for three years. Lee said county school districts can’t wait that long in the special needs costs area.

“I would like to see amendments made where you could at least fund the special needs part in this next school year because our counties are going under a ton with coping with the needs of these special needs students,” Lee said.

The decades-old school aid funding formula doesn’t provide additional revenue for special needs. The numbers of those students have grown in recent years. Lee said there’s a variety of reasons for that growth including the impact of the opioid epidemic. County school systems have lost student enrollment but the overall percentage of special needs students has grown.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Jason Barrett, R-Berkeley, acknowledged on MetroNews “Talkline” Friday a Senate bill calling for additional funding for special education needs further review. He said it carried a price tag of $45 million. Barrett left the door open that he House-passed bill, HB 5453, may good a look this week that Lee is hoping for.

“We’re going to take a really hard look at that bill over the next week and see if there are some things that we can work on and tweak where we can have an affordable price tag with it but also help our public education,” Barrett said.

Senate Education Committee Chair Amy Nichole Grady, R-Mason, told reporters Friday that she’s received a proposed amendment from Del. Joe Ellington, R-Mercer, the chief sponsor of HB 5453, to help with special education costs through the bill.

“This would take care of those Tier-II and those Tier-III students right away,” Grady said. “I wasn’t a huge fan of the bill waiting until 2029 (for funding). I think this will make it a lot better.”

The bill is on the agenda for Grady’s Senate Education Committee meeting set for 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Lee said even though lawmakers have passed the budget bill he believes they can still find money for the special education issue. He said it could be done through a budget supplemental.

“It’s all about priorities and you can find money if it’s a priority and this really should be a priority for the legislature to address the needs of our counties with the special needs students,” Lee said.

Barrett sounded hopeful Friday.

“I think in the last week we’re going to make a push to see what can be done as it relates to some modifications in the school aid formula,” Barrett said.

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“It is with a heavy heart that we share the heartbreaking news that an Elkins High School student has tragically passed away, and several other students were seriously injured this weekend,” Dilly said. “This loss is deeply felt across our entire school community.”

Dilly didn’t release any names or specifics.

“Our hearts go out to the family of the student that we have lost, and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” Dilly said. “We also continue to keep the injured students and their families in our thoughts and prayers as they receive care and begin the road to recovery.”

Dilly said counselors would be available at Elkins High School.

This story will be updated when more information is released. 

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The watch is in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday.

The counties included in the watch are:

Brooke, Hancock, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Monongalia, Marion, Harrison, Doddridge, Ritchie, Preston, Tyler, Wood, Pleasants, Taylor and Wirt.

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The county commission unanimously agreed earlier this week to consider the move.

The commission heard more more information at this week’s meeting from groups opposing the project that will encompass parts of three states and cut through nearly half a dozen counties in West Virginia.

Commissioner Tom Bloom read from a letter.

“On behalf of all the residents in the four affected counties, (the commission is asked) to please help us fight the proposed transmission line and consider Mon County becoming an intervener,” said Bloom. “So I did want to put that on the record.”

The approximately 107-mile-long MARL project would be powered in Greene County, Pennsylvania. The 500-kilovolt line would support data center development in Virginia and would also include crossings in parts of Maryland, with the state portion expected to cost approximately $482 million.

According to Monongalia County resident Juliet Marleer, one of many who have vocally opposed the project moving forward, aspects related to costs have continued to change in the negative as well as additional parameters that would make areas affected by the planned power line much worse. Aspects of the project that have been pointed out by organizations like West Virginia Against Transmission Injustice in recent weeks.

“It has gone up from the original $440 million to $1.16 billion (price tag),” said Marleer. “So right now, my question is, how do we find out exactly what’s going on here?”

Bloom said he’s concerned about recent adjustments about the width of property needed for the line.

“That’s the one that bothers me the most, the siding corridor width is 200 to 500 feet, however, with aerial easement blowouts, the maximum width could be 715 feet,” said Bloom.

The county commission plans to make a decision on intervenor status in the near future. The state PSC is expected to schedule public hearings on the MARL application as early as May or June.

“I think that the commission can play a part in helping with that lift in regard to making sure that we have competent legal counsel representing us and our citizens,” said Commissioner Sean Sikora. “It’s been on our list of things to do and something we’ll certainly have a conversation about.”

An informational meeting for those in opposition of the MARL project will be hosted at the Cheat Lake Volunteer Fire Department sometime later this month. A specific date has not been announced.

The post Monongalia County Commission may intervene in MARL transmission case appeared first on WV MetroNews.

According to the Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney’s news release, Brian Steven Parker, 44, of Deep Water, West Virginia, faces eight counts of second-degree sexual assault and three counts of kidnapping.

The release also said he is scheduled to be arraigned on March 26, in front of Judge Jennifer Bailey.

The office and the Charleston Police are encouraging the community to reach out have any information regarding additional victims/witness. You can contact CPD at 304-348-6400.

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The West Virginia Department of Transportation said that a rope crew and inspector assessed all of the areas that were impacted and found no damage to the structure.

MASON, W.Va. –A bridge that connects Mason, West Virginia and Pomeroy, Ohio is shut down due to a barge strike.

According to a social media post from the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, the Pomeroy-Mason Bridge was shut down a little before 2 p.m.

It’s unclear when the bridge, which is located between the end of West Main Street in Pomeroy and Second Street in Mason, will be back open. The West Virginia Department of Transportation will come in and inspect the bridge for any potential damage.

No other information is available.

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As it was passed over from the state Senate, SB 890 would change the minimum public school 180 instructional day requirement into a minimum 900 instructional hour requirement. The bill would also convert other public school calendar provisions from days or months to hours.

After considering the bill during three meetings this week, the House Education Committee made some changes on Friday afternoon, increasing instructional time from 900 hours to 954 hours.

That change and others will now go to the full House of Delegates for consideration during the final week of the regular legislative session. For the bill to reach final passage, the state Senate would need to approve the changes too.

The education committee removed references to the school employment term to prevent affecting existing employment contracts, and the committee removed references to retirement so those benefits would not be affected.

The House Education Committee also incorporated provisions of another bill, SB 802, renaming “leave teacher alone days” as “educator focus days,” limiting faculty senate meetings to three two‑hour blocks held on those days.

The legislation also aims to change public notice for school calendar hearings by allowing posting on county websites or other local outlets instead of newspapers.

Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said he likes the concept of greater flexibility. But he expressed concern that the result could be a four-day week.

“If it does result in a four day week, we do not have adequate childcare options in this state,” Pushkin said, referring to family needs.

“I don’t think that’s the answer, is to cut down on the amount of days, although I would like to see flexibility.”

Delegate Elliott Pritt, R-Fayette, also had a list of concerns. But he told his community he would vote for the legislation.

“I have concerns about bus drivers missing out on extra run pay. I have concerns about kids not being fed on as many days,” Pritt said.

“However, stating my concerns, I have very rarely heard from so many of my co workers and board members back home on a bill, and I have not heard a single one asked me to vote no. So every person I’ve heard from back home that I work with, my entire school board and my county superintendent have requested that I do vote for this bill.”

He concluded, “So I’m going to vote for the bill.”

Senate Education Chairwoman Amy Nichole Grady, earlier in the day, had described her continued support for the legislation.

“A lot of our counties talk about how we need flexibility,” said Grady, R-Mason. “You’ve seen a lot of calendar adjustment bills in the House — like, you can’t start before Labor Day or after Memorial Day. There were several that took away that 180-day requirement.

“Nobody can tell us where that came from. It’s just an arbitrary number that nobody can describe or say why it was 180 days. Some states do hours, some do hours and days and some do just days. So this was just something to give counties an opportunity to be a little flexible with their calendar if they want to.”

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The pothole is at the 148.5 mile marker just south of the I-68 split.

“At the 148-mile marker, we’ve had 32 cars damaged since the first of the month, and that does not count what will happen today,” Forbes said Friday WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.”

Forbes said they have been in contact with the state Department of Highways, and the weather has been the reason the hole hasn’t been fixed.

“They indicated they are trying to stay on top of it,” Forbes said. “The rain keeps the material from working properly, and it’s supposed to stop raining today.”

Motorists are advised to slow down significantly before reaching that portion of I-79 as well as allow a long following distance while avoiding sudden maneuvers.

“We’ve had an officer out on the interstate on most of the days taking property damage reports on the tires,” Forbes said. “So, we can certainly try to help.”

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Marshall County EMA Director Tom Hart said the emergency crews were dispatched at 3:15 p.m. to the Cameron Portal for four patients suffering burns. Marshall County EMS crews from both the Cameron and Moundsville stations were then dispatched to the mine.

“Three crews responded to the call, the Cameron Volunteer Fire Department was notified as well and the Marshall County Decontamination Unit was placed on standby,” Hart said.

Before arriving at the scene EMS crews were informed the incident involved at least four workers.

“When the Cameron Squad arrived on scene they were able to get a quick assessment on the patient conditions and they were receiving assistance from people at the Marshall County Mine,” Hart said.

Hart said the weather was too bad to use an air medical transport, so the patients were taken to WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital and WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital.

The type of chemical involved has not been disclosed.

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“We’ve got eight new aircraft, we picked those up in 2021after transitioning from our previous platform the ‘H’ model C-130’s,” said Wing Commander Col. Richard Switzer.

The planes were used to ferry materials and supplies as well as for diplomatic missions in remote areas around the Horn of Africa. The crews spent almost four-months deployed to the area for the mission.

“We’re able to take our talent, expertise, and the previous mission set and apply it to the new aircraft. As usual our folks went out there and got it done and they did very well,” Switzer said.

The J-30 models are the most modern of the C-130 class. According to Switzer, although they include the most modern technology, the mission never changes.

“Little bit longer range, little more capability, but a similar mission set. While the aircraft, equipment, and all the things that come along with a new aircraft are new, the mission the C-130 executes, which is one of the most versatile in the Air Force, hasn’t changed for us,” he said.

Switzer also praised the members of the Guard who performed admirably in some difficult conditions.

“We heard outstanding stories about individual efforts. People having to use a little West Virginia ingenuity on the fly just to make sure things got done. Typically we’re just going to move people, parts, and things around the area just to execute the mission,” he said.

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After receiving a satisfactory evaluation, the board declined to renew her contract. The BOE said she exceeded the standards for two goals and met the standards for three others and then, weeks later, voted 3 – 2 not to renew her contract.

During a special meeting Thursday, the BOE again voted 3-2 to offer her a one-year contract extension after a 90-minute executive session.

“They did come back to the table, and they reconsidered the offer and voted on that,” Heston said on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town” Friday. “I am just focusing on this next year and how I can help Marion County Schools.”

In the days leading up to the special meeting, speculation was rampant on social media about the possible reason. One reason was a board member, James Saunders, had a handpicked candidate and acknowledged that during the special meeting. He then said the interest in that candidate was at the time Heston was interviewing for the job five years ago. Saunders also reminded the public the BOE has no legal obligation to reveal why a contract would or would not be renewed.

“It really isn’t about Donna Heston for me, and this month has not been about Donna Heston, but I like to focus on Marion County Schools and getting us out of this idle period we’ve been in,” Heston said.

Two schools in the district have earned National Blue Ribbon honors during her tenure, and the district has employed technology like facial recognition and metal detectors to enhance security. Academically, they’re leveraging vocational and technical options while still providing a traditional public education.

“Just this week we had an aviation summit where we brought in people from the industry to talk to our middle school about career opportunities available in the state of West Virginia,” Heston said. “Those are the types of things we like to see in the headlines about Marion County Schools.”

Many of the aging facilities in the district have created financial challenges. Federal and state grant dollars are being used to complete the improvements in many of the 21 facilities in the district.

“We continue to operate them with a budget that has constraints on it because you’ve lost student enrollment,” Heston said. “We’ve been creative—the last five years we’ve sought School Building Authority funding, we’ve sought grants, and we’ve sought federal grants for safe entrances and safety upgrades.”

Heston said this fall she will meet with the BOE to agree on a new set of goals, and the possibility of consolidation will enter that conversation.

“I’ll enter into that process this fall with this board of education, and they’ll set goals for me,” Heston said. “I certainly will do as I did for this last evaluation and every evaluation before that, and I will do it with the data.”

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Photos by Ben Queen/www.BenQueenPhotography.com

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Several hundred law enforcement officers ran through the fog on the streets of Charleston Friday morning as part of the 10th Annual U.S. Marshals Fallen Heroes Honor Run.

The annual run, which helps the U.S. Marshals Survivors Benefit Fund support the families of fallen U.S. Marshals and deputy marshals, started at the Municipal Auditorium in downtown Charleston and ended at the state capitol.

Those who participated included deputy marshals, sheriff’s deputies, troopers, municipal police and cadets from the West Virginia State Police Academy.

There was a brief ceremony remembering fallen officers once runners reached the capitol.

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The controversial bill passed out of committee but was never taken up on the Senate floor by the crossover day deadline.

Senate President Randy Smith issued a statement Friday and said it was his decision.

Here is Smith’s statement:

In recent days, there has been a lot of discussion regarding the fate of Senate Bill 1071, the Creating Public Defense and Provisioning Act, also known as “the Machine Gun Bill.” This bill, which was introduced in the Senate on the last possible day Senate bills could be introduced, was a poorly drafted piece of legislation provided by a gun rights group who, to my knowledge, had never been active in the West Virginia Legislature prior to this bill. After consultation with several attorneys and with membership of West Virginia’s two leading and longstanding gun rights groups – the National Rifle Association and the West Virginia Citizens Defense League – I was convinced this bill as it was submitted to us would be unable to pass the House of Delegates, and would face numerous legal challenges to its implementation upon passage.

Based upon those conversations, I alone decided that the Senate would not take up the bill for further consideration. I did so with no reservation. With an issue as critical as the protection of our Second Amendment rights, we must ensure the legislation we pass will survive legal challenge. This would not have.

My record with the NRA and WVCDL is unquestioned, and West Virginians unquestionably trust the judgment of these groups on Second Amendment issues. And, further, I trust them.

The behavior of this out-of-state group has been disappointing to say the very least. I have seen individual Senate members harassed and threatened. I have seen calls for people to show up at their homes. I’ve seen people accuse the Senate of treason. It makes it very difficult to negotiate in good faith with anybody who cannot come to the table with respect.

We welcome the Gun Owners of America to consider this legislation next year, but would encourage them to submit the bill before the last minute so that the Senate can give it the full, thorough, and fair vetting it deserves.

— ?Senate President Randy E. Smith, R-Preston

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Eggleton said Angela McFarland Born did not survive the collision.

“This is a tragedy. Mrs. Born, driving down the road minding her own business and is struck by someone running from police,” Eggleton said.

Joseph Elswick, 23, of Putnam County, is charged with vehicular homicide and fleeing police. Eggleton said he had stolen a car a few minutes earlier and wouldn’t stop when spotted by deputies.

“We will continue to investigate and charge whatever possible to make sure that Mr. Elswick pays for his crime because he alone is responsible for this,” Eggleton said.

Born grew up in St. Albans. Eggleton said the McFarland family (Born’s maiden name) is well-known. Eggleton said Born was also well-known in the Elk River community where she and her husband settled. The couple has six children.

“Angela was known for her strawberries, her strawberry farm and many other things, just the salt of the earth,” Eggleton said.

She and her husband owned Country Road House and Berries Bed Breakfast in Clendenin including a farm where visitors could pick their own strawberries.

Eggleton said Elswick is also well-known but for the wrong reasons.

“He’s known to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office but not for anything good,” Eggleton said.

Elswick tried to plead guilty during his arraignment in Putnam County Magistrate Court Thursday night. The magistrate first asked him he wanted to apply for a court-appointed attorney. He said he didn’t.

The magistrate asked, “You don’t want to apply for a court-appointed attorney?”

Elswick said, “I just plead guilty.”

“You can’t do that here,” the magistrate said.

Elswick is being held in the Western Regional Jail on $500,000 cash-only bail.

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–The Legislature has passed the budget and it’s on to Governor Morrisey with a week to go in the session
–A man is in jail after police say he fled in a stolen vehicle and killed a woman in a crash during the pursuit
–Members of the West Virginia Air Guard’s 130th Airlift Wing are home from a three month plus deployment
–In Sports: Tournament brackets are filled for next week’s girl’s state high school basketball tourney

Listen to “MetroNews This Morning 3-6-26” on Spreaker.

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House Finance Chairman Vernon Criss said the timing is intentional.

“We wanted the budget out so that we have the opportunity for the governor to take a look at it, and if he decides to do line item vetoes then we have an opportunity to override those vetoes,” Criss, R-Wood, told reporters following the evening passage vote.

Criss said lawmakers ramped up their budget process this year because of experience from last year. In his first year in office, Gov. Patrick Morrisey used the line-item veto 29 times. 

“That was very high,” Criss said.

A year ago, Criss said, “we had no knowledge of how this administration was going to act towards a budget. And so we learned in the process of the 29 veto items that he did in the current budget that we needed to have the ability to voice our opinions about those 29 line item vetoes.

“So this year we decided we were going to back up and with the consent of the Senate do this project so that we have an opportunity to voice our opinion if that’s what he decides to do.”

As it lines out, the Senate would send the budget bill to the governor on Friday. The governor then has five days to act. Overriding vetoes would take votes by two-thirds of legislative members. The regular legislative session ends in a little more than a week, midnight March 14.

On Thursday, the budget bill bounced first from the Senate in morning and then to the House in the evening.

“This is a process in which we have to negotiate with the governor’s office, with our counterparts in the House — and they’ve done a good job working with us on this budget, and we had it ready,” said Senate Finance Chairman Jason Barrett, R-Berkeley.

“So we’re comfortable putting the budget out early.”

The latest version of the budget bill reflects about $5.5 billion in estimated general revenue spending.

The package has the average 3% public employee pay raise and allows room for the 5% personal income tax cut that the governor proposed. The governor has consistently asked lawmakers to collaborate to find a way to get to a 10% tax cut.

The 5% amounts to about $125 million in state revenue. The 10% would be $250 million.

“Obviously the 5% tax cut that is built into the budget is incredibly important to the Senate. We wanted to go to 10 percent; just couldn’t get there,” Barrett said.

Total funding for the Hope Scholarship is about $290 million through several funding methods. This is the first year the funding has been available to all families outside the public school system.

“Fully funding the Hope Scholarship has been incredibly important to the Senate, particularly those in the Republican caucus,” Barrett said. “To be able to do that for five quarters and fully fund for fiscal year ’27 and also the first quarter of fiscal year ’28 is really important.”

Although lawmakers discussed additional financial support for the public school system, that is not reflected in this budget.

Delegate John Williams, the lead Democrat on the House Finance Committee, said the budget doesn’t make priorities of West Virginia’s needs. That includes school system funding, water infrastructure and needs in the foster care system.

“I’m concerned still with our state budget. I’m concerned that our services continue to suffer from attrition because of inflation,” said Williams, D-Monongalia.

“I know that the taxpayer expects us and deserves from us that we be good stewards with their dollars. I also think the taxpayer expects the state of West Virginia to take care of basic needs.”

The post Lawmakers will send budget to governor in time to deal with line item vetoes appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Sheriff Bobby Eggleton said that Kanawha County resident Angela Born was pronounced dead at the scene.

They also released information that Joseph R. Elswick, 22, of Putnam County has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, fleeing with reckless indifference, among other charges.

According to Eggleton, around 2:30 p.m. Elswick allegedly stole a car with a firearm inside, and a deputy had pursued the vehicle on Johns Creek Road.

The deputy deployed stop sticks, however, the suspect had continued on I-64 past the Hurricane exit with flattened tires. A short time later, Elswick’s vehicle collided with Born’s vehicle.

The post Victim’s name released in fatal I-64 crash; man arrested appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The legislature approved a phase out of the use of a large number of artificial dyes used as food additives from being sold in the Mountain State. A lawsuit filed in December blocked implementation of the law for the time being in West Virginia as the litigation plays out.  With just over a week to go in the session, due to legal issues, the Legislature has been considering an adjusted ban.  The American Beverage Association has been lobbying against those changes.   The organization has questioned the claims proposed by advocates of the ban.

First, claims the dyes are unsafe and banned in other countries they say are not true.

“These dyes are certified, each batch, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to insure they are what they are actually supposed to be, so that we don’t have contaminants in there that make these ingredients unsafe,” said Dr. Lyle Burgoon, Ph.D., ATS, President & CEO of Raptor Pharm & Tox, Ltd. in a Thursday Zoom call with reporters.

Burgoon said one the criticisms he often hears from advocates of banning the artificial dyes also doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. The claim is the dyes have already been banned in other countries, including those across Europe.

“There USED to be bans in individual European countries, but when they created the European Union the European Parliament actually struck down those laws and replaced them. Where they just widely approved a lot of different certified dyes for specific purposes, just like we do here in the United States,” said Burgoon. “Europe permits more than twice the number of certified dies than we do.”

The beverage industry added the other part of the equation people aren’t told about is the impact it will have on grocery store prices.

“West Virginia has seen some of the highest increases in the nation in the past couple of years. Bans like the one being considered here don’t come without a cost,” said. Ed Patru, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, American Beverage Association. “They not only burden businesses but they also make groceries more expensive,”

He said a recent study found in state’s like Texas, Louisiana, and West Virginia if the bans would take full effect it would drive up the cost of groceries in West Virginia more than 12 percent.

“That adds about $860 a year to the average West Virginian’s grocery bill,” said Patru.

The post American Beverage Association disputes state’s food dye law appeared first on WV MetroNews.

The BOE decided last month not to renew Heston’s contract past this June 30 after giving her an evaluation that said she met three goals and exceeded two others.

Board member James Saunders made the motion at a special meeting Thursday to reconsider the contract decision and clarified to the public what they are legally required to do. He said the board “may” use the evaluation results to determine employment decisions, and they have no obligation to the public to explain why.

“If the board does not vote to renew a contract, strictly speaking, the county board is not required to give any reasons for that,” Saunders said.

Over the last several weeks social media was alive and well with several theories as to why the decision was made—one of those assumptions was that a board member had a candidate waiting in the wings.

“I think it’s unfair to that certain friend because five years ago I did want him to be the superintendent, and he would make an excellent superintendent,” Saunders said. “It’s very unfair, and I apologize to him that those things were talked about.”

The BOE voted 3 – 2 to offer Heston a one-year contract extension that would begin July 1.

“I’ll only pray that given a second chance the superintendent and the BOE can work closely together and the superintendent and employees can start over fresh and make things happen for our great county, Marion County and for our kids,” Saunders said.

Over her five years of service, the district has added safe school entrances and made strides to refurbish buildings and athletic facilities that are decades old and in need of repair. Two schools have won the National Blue Ribbon honor: Jayenne Elementary School in 2023 and Pleasant Valley Elementary School in 2024.

***The quotes in this story were previously attributed to Kevin Rogers in error. 

The post Marion County BOE reconsiders Heston decision, offers school chief 1-year contract extension appeared first on WV MetroNews.

It’s unclear when they will be back open

PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. –A two-vehicle accident has closed the eastbound lanes in Putnam County on Interstate 64.

The incident occurred a little after 3 p.m. Thursday, just east of the Hurricane exit.

One of the cars was on fire.

No other information is available.

The post All lanes closed east and westbound in Putnam County, one fatality reported following two-vehicle wreck appeared first on WV MetroNews.

“There’s nothing like it, it makes their day, it makes our day, it’s been a long time. Happy to be home and it’s time to make up for some lost time for sure,” said St. Albans resident Captain Mike Adler of the 130th Airlift Wing.

Daddy’s home!!! 130th Airlift Wing @WVNationalGuard pic.twitter.com/hnNuqH8m4b

— Chris Lawrence (@WVOutdoors) March 5, 2026

He was aboard the first of several aircraft to make it into Charleston after a deployment to the Horn of Africa.

“We flew into different airfields around the Horn of Africa delivering supplies and things like that. It’s winter over there, so it was a little bit cooler so it wasn’t too bad,” said Airman Thomas Staggs of Lincoln County.

Staggs spoke to MetroNews while holding his young son Sawyer.

“Yeah, I missed his first Christmas, but we planned one out and did it early before I left,” he added.

Ben Foster of Milton had a similar story as he held onto his young son who was only two months old when he deployed just before Thanksgiving.

“It’s great, he’s grown up a lot since I left him. He’s like 20 pounds heavier,” said Foster.

It was a successful mission according to Air Guard command. It was also the first mission for the 130th Airlift Wing in the C-130 J aircraft. The unit began upgrading from the C-130H3 models to the more advanced C-130J-30s in 2021, marking an important milestone in the unit’s history.

The post 130th Airlift Wing returns from mission to the Horn of Africa appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Michael Terry, 54, of West Hamlin, was arrested Thursday on Daughters Lane in West Hamlin. Terry faces charges of wanton endangerment and prohibited person with a firearm.

Police say that Terry drove to a residence in Branchland, existed his vehicle and fired two rounds with a rifle and fled the scene.

He is being held in the Western Regional Jail, awaiting arraignment.

The post Lincoln County man facing charges following shots fired incident Wednesday night appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Victor Chess is accused of misconduct with a 7-year-old girl at the North View Elementary School and was arrested in May 2024 by West Virginia State Police.

The case was orignially set for trail next week, but a continuance was granted at the request of ther prosecution.

The pre-trial hearing is scheduled for July 22, and the trial is scheduled to begin on Aug. 17.

The post Sexual abuse trial for Harrison County student aide continued appeared first on WV MetroNews.