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Local Government

Feds file for contempt for Justice companies over mine safety fines unpaid for a year

Lawyers for the federal government are asking for a judge to hold 23 coal companies owned by Gov. Jim Justice and his family in contempt, saying they failed to meet the terms of a settlement agreement over mine safety fines, continually made payments late and whiffed five months ago on paying the final amount of nearly a half-million dollars. The Tuesday filing in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia includes emails from federal officials continually reminding a lawyer for the Justice companies that payments are overdue or missing. “The only thing consistent ...

Granville election question to be on November ballot

MORGANTOWN — Should Granville move its municipal election in line with the county-run primary?  Granville Town Council voted in July to put that question before its citizens as part of the upcoming general election.  The Monongalia County Commission on Wednesday approved the ...

PEIA pauses pilot program supporting cost of weight loss drugs

West Virginia’s Public Employees Insurance Agency for a short time ran a pilot program to support more than a thousand members with the costs of drugs to fight obesity, where the state’s statistics rank worst in the nation. But, like other states, West Virginia was challenged by the expense of the drugs. PEIA paused the pilot program this past March 15, honoring existing pre-authorizations through June 30, the end of the fiscal year, or the term of the authorization, whichever was longer. “The reasons for pausing the program were multifaceted and included cost, supply ...

City’s proposed camping ban leans on existing MPD policy

MORGANTOWN — At the heart of Article 1157 is General Order 339.  Article 1157, titled “camping on public property,” is the proposed citywide ban on camping or using “camp paraphernalia” on any public property in Morgantown.  As the latest, and boldest, new ...