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Local Government

SWA shares information to help trash problem

KINGWOOD — During a Tuesday evening meeting of the Preston County Solid Waste Authority (SWA), SWA President Don Smith, shared information he received while attending a recent Solid Waste Education Conference. Smith said a program in Wheeling called the House of Hagar is helping with the city’s trash problem. He said the local homeless population has started cleaning up the trash in town. “They are doing something like a business,” Smith said. “They will come and clean out garages or buildings for people. This is helpful because instead of all of the stuff they clean out ...

Mon County QRT awarded $1M federal grant

The Monongalia County Quick Response Team (QRT) plans to use a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to employ a full-time data improvement coordinator, increase data collection efforts and create stronger relationships with other community organizations. The data improvement coordinator “will be looking at the systems we have in place and working to improve our data collection and analysis,” said Brittany Irick, Monongalia County QRT coordinator. “Our QRT has a lot of data coming in and it is going to take an in-depth look at what we are collecting and ...

A look at campaign fundraising for state Senate 13th and 2nd districts

MORGANTOWN — Two candidates vying to succeed Sen. Mike Caputo in the state Senate 13th District have begun their fundraising. And in the 2nd District, incumbent Republican Mike Maroney is up for re-election and faces a primary challenger in Chris Rose, who gave up a U.S. Senate campaign to ...

SBA approves 46% increase in square footage allowance

CHARLESTON — The state School Building Authority took a vote Monday that SBA Chair Brian Abraham believes will hit the “sweet spot” when it comes to school construction projects. The SBA approved a 46% increase in the square footage cost allowance, the first increase in the allowance since 2019. Abraham, Gov. Jim Justice’s chief of staff, who also chairs the SBA, said the current allowance cost of just more than $300 a square foot is way below what construction costs actually are in the current inflationary times. “We’re hoping with this change that projects should ...

Plaintiffs in foster care class action move for sanctions

CHARLESTON — Lawyers in a federal class action lawsuit over how West Virginia manages its overflowing foster care system are pushing for sanctions, saying three or more years of requested emails of officials in the Department of Health and Human Resources were purged and cannot be retrieved. The emails included ones that were sent or received after September, 2020, by former DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch and by Linda Watts, former commissioner of the agency’s Bureau for Children and Families. For several agency employees, the trail of records no longer appears to exist at ...

Preston will participate in Operation Green Light for Veterans

KINGWOOD — The Preston County Commission held a short meeting Tuesday, but covered several topics, including signing a resolution for Operation Green Light for Veterans. In advance of the Veteran’s Day holiday, the county signed a resolution and announced the illumination of county buildings with green lights Nov. 6-12 in support of veterans and their families. Shining a green light lets veterans know they are appreciated and supported. “In observance of Operation Green Light, the Preston County Commission encourages its citizens in patriotic tradition to recognize the ...