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Mon Health receives approval for $20 million small format hospital

Mon Health System received its Certificate of Need from the West Virginia Health Care Authority to proceed with plans to construct a $20 million, small format hospital in Fairmont. Mon Health CEO David Goldberg said the next step is to put the project out for bid. Construction, he said, should take 16 months to complete. “We’ll be open by the end of the year 2021,” he said. The 10-bed hospital, dubbed Mon Health Marion Neighborhood Hospital, will be constructed on land the health system already owns along Interstate 79 near Fresenius Kidney Care in Pleasant ...

CVB furloughs 8 employees, lays off 3 staff members

Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors Bureau furloughed eight employees, laid off two part-time and one full-time staff member and its president and CEO took a voluntary20% salary cut. Susan Riddle said these moves were necessary because the bulk of the CVB’s revenue — the6% Monongalia County hotel room tax — has been mostly wiped out by COVID-19 restrictions and business closures since March. “Nationwide, the industry has been devastated,” said Riddle, who made the cost-cutting moves last month. “This was the right thing to do,” said Riddle, adding ...

Fire at Vic’s Junk Yard

Crews from Westover, Granville, River Road and Star City volunteer fire departments responded to a fire at Vic’s Junk Yard on Fairmont Road around 7 p.m. Saturday. Flames were visible in several spots around the yard and witnesses in the area said the smoke could be seen from miles away. ...

Blaney clears up confusion on absentee ballot requests

Monongalia County Clerk Carye Blaney is looking to clear up any confusion and head off potential frustration for voters as her office processes more than 12,000 absentee ballot requests. In response to COVID-19, the state ruled every voter is eligible to vote absentee in the primary ...

Class of 2020: The class of COVID-19

If you’re a high school senior, you likely watched this movie as a little kid. “Back to the Future.” Your dad surely has it on ancient DVD. Heck, he probably still watches it. Since you’ve watched it with him enough times, you know how the movie works. You know its ...

Brake looks back at tenure in office

At 39 months, Paul Brake’s tenure as Morgantown city manager is the longest since Dan Boroff held the position for 17-plus years before retiring in late 2010.Brake’s tenure ended on May 14 as he heads back home to Michigan and steps into the same role for Detroit suburb Royal Oak.When a new manager is hired this summer, that person will be the fourth to hold the title in a decade — sixth if you count the interim stints of Glenn Kelly and acting interim manager Emily Muzzarelli.Brake characterized his time in Morgantown as the most ambitious of his30-plus years in and around public ...