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Education

Ihlenfeld creates investigative team to review Upshur County Schools spending

WHEELING — U.S. Attorney for Northern West Virginia Bill Ihlenfeld said Friday he’s made no predetermination but he’s heard enough about how federal pandemic relief money was spent in the Upshur County school system to begin a federal investigation. Ihlenfeld said he was contacted earlier this month by state education officials who noticed red flags in their review of the spending. He has now formed an eight-member team to do an independent investigation. “I put together a team that will subpoena all of the relevant documents, that will interview witnesses, that will issue ...

Mon BOE approves STEM school contract

The Renaissance Academy, a planned $72 million facility that would be devoted solely to science, technology, engineering and math pursuits for Monongalia County students, inched another notch closer to reality Tuesday night. That was when the county board of education approved the contract ...

Parents speak out about pre-K placements

KINGWOOD — Members of the Preston County Board of education heard more questions about placing pre-K students within identified schools of choice. Crystal Nestor told board members she signed her 4-year-old son up for South Preston but was told there was already too many students. “I have two daughters in South Preston. We’ve established roots. Now your asking me to send my 4-year-old son to Fellowsville. South is the best for me and my son. That works better for my family,” she said. Nestor said she wasn’t going to send her 4-year-old son on a bus alone knowing he ...

Phil Faini: ‘The Chief’ knew how to keep the beat

Hail to the Chief. If you want to know the unbridled joy Phil Faini had for the wondrous act of making music, just go to his Facebook page. There, you’ll find a prominent photograph of the former WVU Creative Arts dean in action. He’s not in a tuxedo in a concert hall. Nope. In this candid, the drummer and academician, grinning like a loon, is leading an impromptu percussion concert, smack in the middle of a Taipei restaurant. Let it be known that he’s wielding chopsticks on a beer bottle — the Faini-fashioned instruments at hand. Call it an international ...

Morgantown charter school plans an expansion to Preston

The West Virginia Academy, the state’s first brick-and-mortar charter school, is expanding its Morgantown campus to Preston County. “This is a second campus and not a campus move,” board chairman John Treu said of the project set to begin in 2024. The academy, which just completed ...