Legislative leaders outline goals for education, labor before start of 2019 session

January 6, 2019

CHARLESTON — Legislative leaders outlined  priorities for the session that begins next week during  West Virginia Press Association’s Legislative Look-ahead. There was a substantial amount of overlap, with few points of contention among the four who spoke. Senate President Mitch Carmichael and Minority Whip Corey Palumbo spoke for the Senate Republicans and Demo-crats, respectively. Carmichael prefaced his comments by noting  the state has the lowest workforce participation rate and is among the lowest for education attainment. With that in mind, he said, the Senate will again ...

Minor crimes down in Mon County in 2018, but slight increase in major offenses

January 6, 2019

Minor crimes  in Monongalia County decreased by more than 600 in 2018. However, major crimes saw a slight increase. The number of cases charged does not mean the number of cases prosecuted. It does mean a law enforcement agency arrested and charged a person who was then arraigned in Monongalia County Magistrate Court. According to the Magistrate Court’s database, 5,574 misdemeanors — offenses that  are punishable by no more than a year in prison — were charged in 2018. That’s 601 less charges than in 2017, which had 6,175. Misdemeanors include crimes such as possession of ...

Kingwood to discuss maintenance of South Price Street

January 5, 2019

KINGWOOD — Who is responsible for maintaining a section of South Price Street referred to locally as Hospital Hill? That’s the issue Kingwood Council will take up when it meets in regular session at 7 p.m. Tuesday. “It’s a question of who owns it,” Kingwood Mayor Jean Guillot said ...

Winter Farmer’s Market holds first market of the new year

January 5, 2019

MORGANTOWN — On a not so wintery Saturday the Morgantown Farmer’s Market was in full swing at their Winter Farmer’s Market at the Wesley United Methodist Church. Market Manager Caitlin Diehl said the winter market started in November, and wintertime market differs from the summer season ...

Republicans, Democrats, mostly agree on legislative goals for 2019 session

January 4, 2019

CHARLESTON — Legislative leaders outlined their priorities for the session that begins next week during Friday’s West Virginia Press Association Legislative Lookahead. There was a substantial amount of overlap, with few points of contention among the four who spoke. Senate President ...

Education panel talks reform, teacher pay, absences, charter schools

January 4, 2019

CHARLESTON — The state schools superintendent and the leaders of the two teacher unions all want to see education improve, but differ on how to move it forward. Superintendent Steve Paine, West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee and American Federation of Teacher-West ...