Gov., state asked to not take stimulus funds for overdraft fees

April 21, 2020

Gov. Jim Justice asked the State Supreme Court to look into who has legal authority to provide debt relief to West Virginians. The governor asked the court after several organizations asked that he and the court stop banks and creditors from taking federal CARES Act consumer payments. Meanwhile, in Preston County, Circuit Judge Steve Shaffer has already issued an emergency order to stop WVU Hospitals Inc., from freezing Seth and Cheri Long’s bank account until a hearing can be held and ordered the couple’s account unfrozen. In his ruling last week, Shaffer said that ...

Sundale sees improvement in number of cases

April 21, 2020

Residents and employees of the Sundale Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care in Morgantown continue to slowly recover from the COVID-19 virus almost a month after the first case was reported, medical director Carl Shrader said Tuesday. Originally 33 people associated with Sundale tested ...

A look back at the 1918 flu pandemic

April 18, 2020

The 2019 annual of Proceedings and Papers, the Monongalia Historical Society journal that features Jessica Eichlin’s paper on the 1918 flu pandemic in Morgantown, is available for sale.Cost is $7 by mail or $5 if picked up, personally.Orders may be placed by calling 304-594-2290, or by sending a check to the Monongalia Historical Society, P.O. Box 127, Morgantown, WV 26507-0127.The 63-page, illustrated publication also features works by Eichlin’s fellow WVU students Elizabeth Satterfield and Andrew T. Linderman, and Rebecca Snyder Bromley, a retired judge in Colorado whose family in ...

How long will it take for small businesses to recover from pandemic?

April 18, 2020

Even though the federal Small Business Association is providing small business loans totaling more than $1 billion to 5,200 small businesses in West Virginia, it will still take time to recover economically from the pandemic, a West Virginia University professor said.“But, the question is how long will it take for the money to get to the businesses?” said Heather Stephens, assistant professor of resource economics and management in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. “And as of April 15, the fund was out of money. So, how many businesses who need money ...

Monongalia County Unsheltered Task force, Motel 6 help homeless

April 18, 2020

Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom said the Monongalia County Unsheltered Task Force — formed to assist the area’s homeless through the COVID-19 crisis — has placed33 people in 18 rooms at the Motel 6, in Star City.Bloom said the task force may potentially secure additional rooms if needed.At present, however, Rachael Coen, program coordinator for the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, said things are holding steady. She said the plan is to keep two of the 20 rooms open in case someone is discharged from a hospital and needs shelter or someone develops symptoms and ...

1918 Spanish Flu and its impact on Morgantown

April 18, 2020

History doesn’t repeat itself, Mark Twain supposedly said, but it often rhymes. Jessica Eichlin gave a little laugh last week as she tried to conjure the exact wording of the above quote often attributed to the American humorist who was an oracle to the human condition. “I’m ...