Trees and Power Lines Downed by Storms in Kanawha County

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Crews are cleaning up downed power lines and trees across the Kanawha Valley.

Pennsylvania Avenue in St. Albans is back open after the high winds knocked a tree across the road.

Another tree was blown over in the 1300 block of Highland Drive in St. Albans early Wednesday morning.

Several weather related accidents were caused by the severe weather. A car hydroplaned and smashed into the back of ice truck on I-77 in downtown Charleston. No one was hurt and all lanes have reopened.

Another crash happened about 9 a.m. Wednesday on I-64 West near the Cross Lanes exit. Police say a pickup truck was carrying a backhoe on a trailer. The trailer flipped over causing the truck to crash.

AEP is reporting about 700 customers are without power in Kanawha County.

2,000 AEP customers are without power in West Virginia because of the high winds.

School officials at West Teays Elementary in Putnam County say an awning on the school blew off the building into the parking lot.

Workers are at the school repairing the damage. Classes are not being impacted.

Wayne County Names New School Superintendent

WAYNE COUNTY, W.Va.-– A new superintendent was selected last night for Wayne County Schools.

Lynn Hurt, the assistant superintendent of the curriculum, was chosen after Board of Education members spent several hours in executive session.

Mike Ferguson has been serving as interim superintendent after Gary Adkins announced his retirement last October.

Questions remain 4 years after 5 people perish in Logan County fire

On the four-year anniversary of a Logan County fire that killed five people, the investigation trail has grown cold.

West Virginia State Police Trooper P.A. Jones out of the Logan County detachment said investigators are getting leads, just not ones that go anywhere.

“Nothing that we’ve been able to go anywhere with. It’s all been kind of dead ends and no first-hand information,” said Jones. “It’s all been ‘somebody told me this’ and you go to that person and ‘somebody told me this.’ Seems like it just keeps going in a circle.”

On Jan. 29, 2009, a fire ripped through a two-story house in Monaville killing Dewayne Ellis, Melinda Dailey and her three children.

After an initial investigation by the state Fire Marshal’s Office, the fire was ruled suspicious and possibly drug-related. Jones said it was not ruled arson however.

“They didn’t actually call it an arson,” Trooper Jones said. “They actually called it a fire that started by any other means than natural.”

But Jones said they are still treating the case as an arson.

According to investigators, interviews conducted initially turned up a lot of intelligence regarding illegal drug activity.

Jones said they still have the same persons of interest they had in the beginning, but they don’t have enough evidence to make any arrests. He said authorities are not giving up.

“Any tips that come in, any leads that come in, we look into them, we still are looking into them,” said Jones.

Jones encourages anyone with information regarding the fire to call their local State Police Detachment or call the toll-free arson hotline at 1-800-233-3473. 

National mining official says the future looks good for coal

The President of the National Mining Association says there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of coal globally.

“The world is growing and developing nations are growing at an unprecedented pace with urbanization, industrialization and they’re turning to coal for that,” Hal Quinn said Yesterday.

“That’s why coal will surpass oil, in the next several years, as the primary energy source.” Quinn says that change could happen as early as 2015.

He references a global outlook for coal and minerals which makes that prediction.  The composite analysis put together for the National Mining Association estimates the amount of coal contributing to the U.S. electricity demand will grow by 45 million tons over 2012 levels.

Quinn says there is also more and more demand for coal out of China, India and Mexico, along with parts of Europe where gas prices are high right now, including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

The U.S. could export 111 million tons of coal this year with a lot of that coal coming from West Virginia.

Overall, the outlook says the domestic use of coal is expected to rise because of improvements in the U.S. economy, cooler weather and natural gas prices that are projected to increase by more than 20%.

Quinn says those natural gas prices, which have been at historical lows recently, have to go up at some point.

“The (natural gas) prices are so low, you can’t really sustain the investment over a long period of time to keep bringing that gas to market.  Investors want a return on their investment,” he said.

But, he says, a full rebound for coal will take time.  “It’s not to say that everything’s going to turn right overnight,” Quinn said.

“We’re seeing, right now, a stabilization, what we view in 2013 will be part of the stabilization of coal, the readjustment of coal to a different marketplace.  But we think the strengths, in the long term, are there.”

Quinn says he’s hoping the federal Environmental Protection Agency will work more with the coal industry during President Barack Obama’s second term in office to allow for continued coal growth.  He says public policy should not limit coal’s potential.

Even with fewer coal fired power plants in the future, he says higher efficiency coal based power plants could have larger output rates and lower emissions.

In the United States, “We have the largest coal reserves.  We have the most of what everybody else needs and wants and we have the capability of delivering it if we have the type of policy framework that allows us to perform to our potential,” Quinn said.

UMWA takes Patriot Coal fight to St. Louis

The United Mine Workers of America refuses to sit by during bankruptcy proceedings for Patriot Coal.   Union members staged a demonstration outside of the federal bankruptcy court in St. Louis Tuesday, then marched to the headquarters of Peabody Coal. 

“Corporations pay lawyers a lot of money to figure out how to do things like this,” said UMWA President Cecil Roberts speaking to the St. Louis media ahead of Tuesday’s rally. “This might somehow end up being legally correct, but it’s morally corrupt.”

Roberts was led away from Peabody Coal headquarters in handcuffs along with several other union members after refusing to leave.  It was civil disobedience Roberts promised well before the event.  He and the UMWA are fighting the bankruptcy of Patriot which threatens the retirement health care benefits of thousands of retired UMWA members.   The miners threatened by the settlement never worked for Patriot Coal, but instead retired after spending their careers working for Peabody Coal and Arch Mineral.  

Roberts says Patriot was a spin-off company designed with the expressed purpose of carrying the legacy obligations promised by Peabody and Arch to their retirees.     The move, according to Roberts, made Arch and Peabody among the largest and most profitable coal companies in America and burdened Patriot with costs it could never hope to cover.    

The future of the retirees now lies with the decision of a bankruptcy court.

“People may say, ’Well gee, the bankruptcy judge did A or the bankruptcy judge did B.’  but that’s not the issue with us,”  Roberts said. “The issue with us is justice and fairness and what’s right and what’s wrong.  And this is wrong.”

Roberts called Tuesday’s protest in St. Louis the beginning and promised the union would be back repeatedly until they are given what they were promised by the two companies.

“When coal miners say they’ll never forget……they don’t,”  Roberts said.

Mon Power says rates will go up if Harrison Power Station is purchased

Mon Power Company says its average customers would pay less than a dollar more a month than they did last year if the state Public Service Commission approves the company’s purchase of the Harrison Power Station near Shinnston.

The company filed the rate information Yesterday with the PSC.

Mon Power currently only owns 20 percent of the large Harrison Power Station. The rest is owned by Allegheny Energy Supply with much of the power shipped to Pennsylvania. Mon Power filed a case with the PSC last November to purchase the remaining 80 percent of the plant so it can use all of the power in the Mountain State.

Mon Power spokesman Todd Meyers says the company didn’t have enough electricity for its 385,000 West Virginia customers and the 132,000 Potomac Edison customers it serves in the eastern panhandle. The company has been purchasing the extra power on the spot market, which has worked up until now because of low fuel prices but Meyers says that will ultimately change. He says the best option for Mon Power is to fully own the Harrison Station.

“It uses West Virginia coal and supports the economy, not only in Harrison County, but the broader economy and we think that’s the most cost-effective deal,” Meyers said.

The state Public Service Commission is months away from making a final decision.

Because of low fuel prices last year, the average customer’s bill for Mon Power is expected to drop by five percent beginning this month, down to $94.31 a month. If the Harrison Power Station plan is approved, the average customer’s bill would go up to $99.94 but Meyers says that’s only 87 cents more than the 2012 average customer’s bill.

“Regardless of how we get the power it’s going to cost money,” Meyers said. “If we build new natural gas plants it’s going to cost money. If we purchase another plant somewhere it’s going to cost money.”

Mon Power closed three of its older coal-fired plants last year. Meyers says the company didn’t produce enough electricity for its customers even before the Rivesville, Albright and Willow Island plants were shut down last fall.

President of Chesapeake Energy Corporation retiring

The Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and President of Chesapeake Energy Corporation has decided to retire.

The company announced Tuesday that on April 1 Aubrey K. McClendon will retire from the company.

Company officials said both McClendon and the Board of Directors have agreed it is time for a new leader to be selected for the next phase of the company.

The 53 year old has served as Chesapeake’s Chief Executive Officer since the start of the company in 1989 and served as Chairman of the Board from its founding until 2012.

Company officials stated that McClendon has was key in making Chesapeake Energy one of the most valuable and innovative companies in the energy industry.

McClendon will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer until his successor is appointed. He will also resign from the Board of Directors at that time.

Although retiring, McClendon will continue to be an important partner with the company as he maintains his stock ownership as well as his interests in certain of the company’s wells in connection with the Founder Well Participation Program, which will terminate on June 30, 2014.

McClendon will work in cooperation with the Board as they search for his replacement. The process will include a full review of internal and external candidates.

Fayette County home invasion sends one person to hospital

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office is searching for two men wanted in connection with a violent home invasion Tuesday in Hilltop.

The incident happened at a home on Prudence Road around noon.

Police say two men wearing masks entered the residence and attacked the homeowner with an electric heater while he was reportedly sleeping.

The two suspects allegedly hit the 58 year old homeowner in the head with the heater several times, leaving him with serious injuries.

The suspects then allegedly stole a Walther .380 pistol before fleeing from the scene.

The victim’s name and condition have not been released.

Anyone with information regarding the incident are urged to contact the Fayette County 911 Center at (304) 574-1610.

Two circuit judges retiring; one becoming a state senator

Two long-time circuit judges are retiring this month, and one will be sworn in as a West Virginia Senator.

Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit Judge Donald H. Cookman will be sworn in as a Senator on Thursday in the Senate Chamber at 2 p.m.

Judge Cookman will be sworn in by his brother-in-law Twenty-Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge Thomas H. Keadle, who is retiring Thursday.

Cookman retired January 23, the same day Governor Earl Ray Tomblin appointed him to a seat in the Fifteenth Senatorial District.

Cookman fills the seat vacated by Senator Walt Helmick, who was elected West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner in the Nov. 6 general election.

Cookman has been a Circuit Judge since 1993 and an attorney since 1971. During his years as a circuit judge, he served as a special judge in other counties on numerous occasions and several times was called to sit on the Supreme Court when a Justice was recused.

Cookman was also recently appointed to be one of four judges on the new statewide Business Court by the Supreme Court.

He is a graduate of Romney High School, West Virginia University, and West Virginia University College of Law.

Judge Keadle has been a judge since 1985 and an attorney since 1974. He practiced law in Romney and Buckhannon before being elected to the bench in 1984.

He also served four years in the Marine Corps followed by eight years as a state trooper in Romney and Buckhannon before enrolling in college.

Judge Keadle is a graduate of Alderson High School, West Virginia University, and West Virginia University College of Law.

A reception will be held in the Capitol Rotundra following the ceremony in the Senate Chamber.

Federal charges filed in UVA Wise hoax

ABINGDON, Va. --- A University of Virginia at Wise student accused of falsely reporting a gunman on campus is facing federal charges.

Bryant Alexander Hairston is charged in a criminal complaint with knowingly making false, fictitious and fraudulent statements and representations. Federal authorities filed the complaint Monday in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

The university's police department charged the 20-year-old Martinsville resident last week with falsely summoning law enforcement officials.

Hairston is accused of calling 911 shortly before 9 p.m. on Jan. 23 and reporting that he had seen a gunman on campus. The call prompted university officials to place the school on lockdown.

Huntington City Leaders Outline Budget Plans

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Finding new sources of cash was a key topic at Monday night’s Huntington City Council meeting as city leaders revise their annual budget.

Plans call for improvements to the storm water system, the Keith-Albee Theatre, downtown library and new safety equipment for the police and fire departments.

The measure now moves on to the state auditor's office for approval.

Online Database Cracks Down on Meth Makers

CHARLESTON, W.Va. --- Cracking down on meth is now possible with the stroke of a few keys, thanks to a new online database being used by pharmacies.

The National Precursor Log Exchange Program (NPLEx) officially kicked off this month in West Virginia. It tracks the number of times you buy over-the-counter cold medicine containing pseudophedrine.

Meant to catch meth-making criminals before they leave the pharmacy, it loads that information into an online database that is instantly accessible to police.

Lawmakers set the purchase limits at 7.6 grams per month. It varies by brand, but that equals about two packages of the popular drug Claritin D.

Officials say that allows you to take the maximum daily dosage every day to fight colds or allergies.

If you go over that limit, officials say you'll be flagged in the system and pharmacists will deny the sale.

Officials say if you need to buy more than the limit allows, you'll have to get a prescription from your doctor.

Officials say the system also works in Ohio, Virginia and Kentucky to catch criminals who try to cross state borders.

ABCA suspends Charleston nightclub’s license

The West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration has suspended the private club license of the Impulse nightclub in downtown Charleston for 10 days following a stabbing near the establishment Sunday morning.

ABCA spokesman Gig Robinson says this is a public safety issue.

“This is a matter of public safety which is of paramount importance. So therefore, the administration deemed it necessary to allow the investigation to be completed. And in the meantime suspend that license.”

Impulse will not be allowed sell or serve alcohol during the suspension. Robinson says the ABCA reserves the right to take further administrative action depending on what the investigation yields.

Charleston Police say Kevin Clemens, 18, from Wexford, Pennsylvania was stabbed twice in the stomach. Investigators say they do have a suspect. Clemens plays football for the University of Charleston.

Those with Impulse say the stabbing had nothing to do with the club. Charleston Mayor Danny Jones disagrees.

Jones says the victim was leaving the club when he was stabbed twice in the stomach. Jones calls Impulse “a crime factory.”

ABCA spokesman Robinson says the agency was made aware of the stabbing minutes after it occurred. He says Impulse has had some problems in the past. He says the 10-day suspension should allow for a cooling off period and for the investigation to be completed.

College debt averaging $26,000

More and more West Virginians are getting their college degrees but they’re left tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

The average 2011 graduate ended up with $26,600 in unpaid loans according to a U.S. News study.

West Virginia State University hosted a roundtable discussion Monday that included educators, student counselors, state and national leaders to delve into the growing problem of student debt.

State Senator Chris Walters of Putnam County says he knows just how expensive an education is today.

“I was a student not too long ago. I still have debt from my college years,” the newly elected senator said.

West Virginia college students and those hoping to go to college are currently in the midst of filling out federal financial aid forms, called FAFSA. It’s a step that has to be taken before a student can be eligible for any federal or state financial aid.

Second District Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito has three children who’ve gotten their degrees. She stresses it’s not just the tuition students are worried about.

“There are a lot of hidden costs with college: you’re not working, you’ve got travel costs, books. So I think this is an issue that weighs a lot on parents,” Capito said. “It certainly did when we were going through it and I know it does today.”

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, also the father of three college graduates, says what worries him the most is the fact that 60 percent of West Virginians who start college never get their degrees.

“If [students] are not finishing but they’re incurring a lot of debt, something’s wrong!”

Maisha Challenger with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid also took part in the roundtable discussion. She says there’s a lot of grant money coming from the government that’s being left on the table.

“The federal government offers 150 billion dollars [in grants, loans and work study] and a lot of people don’t realize that,” Challenger said.

She says students and parents need to know that and how to access the money. The best way to do that, according to Challenger, is to make parents and students aware so they can apply for as much funding as possible to avoid crippling college debt.

NTSB warns of antiquated gas line systems

The chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board told a congressional field hearing Monday the aging line that ruptured and exploded in Sissonville in December wasn’t the only antiquated piece of the gas transmission system.

Deborah Hersman told U.S. Senators Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin, and those gathered at the federal courthouse in Charleston, the entire gas transmission system is running on 50-year-old technology.

“These systems that have been set up to operate these pipelines are really operational systems, they are not leak-detection systems,” Hersman testified. “These systems are not sophisticated. These are older systems based on operations.”

Hersman cited three incidents in which the NTSB noticed a critical lack of timely information reaching pipeline operators: A gas leak and explosion at San Bruno, Calif., which resulted in one death, a pipeline rupture in Inbridge, Mich., which caused a catastrophic petroleum leak, and the Sissonville incident.

“What we see is a lack of recognition the pipeline leaked,”  Hersman said. “In two of these events it’s been outside sources calling in and saying, ‘You have a rupture. You have a leak.’”

Hersman says the Sissonville explosion had the potential to be incredibly tragic and could have gone on for hours if it hadn’t happened at a time when four field technicians from Columbia Gas were on site at the Lanham pump station to shut off the valves to the line. She said because of the aging technology it was impossible for operators at the Columbia control room to know which of the three lines in the Sissonville area was ruptured and forced the shutdown of all three.

A subsequent NTSB investigation revealed the pipeline which ruptured and exploded was installed in the 1960s and the walls of the pipe had deteriorated to a dangerously thin level. She says in addition to improved leak detection, the system needs automatic shutoff valves which can be operated remotely or automatically in the event of a pressure drop.

“The future is really to improve the technology and to understand what is going on — whether it’s the controllers getting better information or having these automatic valves,” ” Hersman said. “We know people have trouble shutting these valves down.”

Controllers needed 90-minutes to close off the ruptured line in California which resulted in a loss of life.   Gas company workers were stuck in traffic trying to get to the valve location. The Michigan petroleum leak went on for 17 hours with crude oil spilling onto the ground and three shifts of controllers came and went before detection was made.

“In an area like West Virginia, this situation could have been very different if it had been in the middle of the night, during rush hour, or if there were people on I-77,” Hersman testified. “You happened to have four people in the compressor station at Lanham.  They actually could shut the valves down.  It took them an hour to do it, but they could actually shut the valves down, they didn’t have to come from somewhere else to do it.”

NiSource Executive Vice President Jimmy Staton told the panel the improvement process is underway.

“It is our plan as we learn more and finalize our analysis of bringing the line SM80 back in service, we will consider putting automatic and remote control valves in place,”  he said.

Staton also testified NiSource is presently involved in a $5 billion system-wide upgrade of its transmission system. The plan also includes system wide installation of modern control valves.

PHMSA still reviewing pipeline restart plan

The federal agency that oversees pipeline safety isn’t ready to allow NiSource-Columbia Gas to restart its line near Sissonville that ruptured and exploded last month.

During testimony at a congressional field hearing Monday in Charleston Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Administrator Cynthia Quarterman testified certain things must be done before the line is turned back on.

“The pipeline will not be placed back into service until we are absolutely satisfied with the restart plan of Columbia Gas Transmission,” she said. “When the pipeline is placed back into service it must operate at 20 percent pressure reduction until a series of tests and evaluations have been completed and reviewed by our engineers.”

Sissonville resident Sue Bonham told her emotional pipeline survival story again Monday. Bonham thought she was going to burn alive in her own home in the minutes after the Dec. 11 blast.

“I believed there was an earthquake or possibly a plane had crashed,” she remembered.

NiSource Executive Vice President and Group CEO Jimmy Staton also testified Monday. He told Senators Rockefeller and Joe Manchin that he vowed from beginning to do right and make things right for the people of Sissonville. Staton says that effort continues. The company has made good with several property owners along with Kanawha County and the state of West Virginia.

Property values climb in Marshall County

The gas and coal industry is doing great things for property values in Marshall County.

According to Marshall County Assessor Chris Kessler, the assessed values of real and personal property in the county has increased by an extraordinary $577.2 million.

This total excludes the public utility values which is provided by the State Tax Department. Once those values are added, the total taxable assessed value of all property in Marshall Count is anticipated to be around $2.7 billion. This is a $917 million jump over the last two years.

Kessler adds that if tax-exempt property is added, the total assessed value in the county would be slightly less than $3 billion, doubling the values seen in 2007.

The significant jump in property values is being attributed to growth in the natural gas industry in the county related to the Marcellus Shale, and the status of the coal, chemical, and power industries in the county.

Assessor Kessler believes the increased assessed values and potential property tax revenue is a result of several factors.

One of the factors has to deal with what Kessler calls the processing and fractionation facilities which separate the wet gas products such as ethane, propane and butane from the drier methane product.

These facilities include those built by Williams Partners, Markwest Liberty Midstream and Dominion Resources.

Kessler also states that new wells that are being constructed as of the July 1 assessment date each year results in increased property tax revenue since the drilling rigs and equipment are assessed to the contractors doing such work.

The pipeline network necessary to transport the gas from the wells to processing and fractionation facilities continues to be put in place and is being assessed is another possible factor for the increase in values.

And Kessler believes the gas industry will continue to grow as several of the processing and fractionation plants in the county continue to expand, including the Dominion Resources Plant which has not reached completion yet.

And as the plants continue to expand, so will the pipeline network needed to connect the wells to the facilities for processing of the gas.

Kessler plans to present the numbers to the County Commission sitting at it’s initial meeting as the Board of Review and Equalization Tuesday

He hopes the tremendous increase will convince the board to reduce its levy rate so county residents can fully benefit from the increased values.

Hatfield, McCoy artifacts now available for public viewing

They have been in the ground for 125 years, but now you have the opportunity to see artifacts from the Hatfield and McCoy feud.

A team from the National Geographic Show "Diggers" found the never before seen items last year, and officials are now hoping people will come from around the world to see them.

"Before this all we had were legends and stories found out through the families. This is the first ever tangible evidence from the feud, so it's tremendous," said Bill Richardson, an extension professor with West Virginia University.

Bullets, a piece of the burnt cabin, and household items now sit in a display case at the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce in Williamson, West Virginia.

Bob Scott who owns the property where the artifacts were found turned them over for public viewing on Monday.

Last year, a team from the show "Diggers" found the items where Randall McCoy's house used to sit. They had an archaeologist come in to look at the items which dated back to the late 1800s.

They hope by putting the artifacts on display it will boost tourism and the economy.

"Feud tourism has had a $20 million impact on eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, and this is going to bring even more people here to look at these artifacts," said Richardson.

The artifacts will stay at the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce through the end of the Summer.

Kanawha County Sheriff issues new policy on body armor

All Kanawha County law enforcement personnel will now be protected by body armor while they are on duty.   Sheriff Johnny Rutherford issued a new policy Friday which requires any employee who carries a gun on the job, whether in uniform or not, to be outfitted with a bullet proof vest.

“He’s codifying what’s already being done by most people in the department,” said Cpl. Brian Humphreys. “Everybody’s wearing their vests, but this actually puts it to paper and says, ‘We want you to.’”

Humphreys admits the vests are not the most comfortable article of clothing, which can at times cause somebody to not want to wear it.

“It’s bulky.  It’s difficult to move in and it restricts your movement to some degree.  They’re hot,” he said. “But you have to give to get, you have to say the benefit of it possibly saving my life outweighs the aggravation of the discomfort.”

Most road deputies have long worn body armor in their day to day duties.  However, the Sheriff’s new policy will put vests on others who are in less contact with the public.  Baliffs, detectives, process servers and other non-uniformed police will still be required to wear the vest.

“Whether answering 911 calls, baliffing a courtroom, or writing a citation, there’s always a risk of somebody pulling a gun on you,” said Humphreys.  “The sheriff wants to make sure all officers have a vest and  they are wearing them.”

Mine safety instructor sentenced to probation

A Fayetteville man will not spend time in prison for cocaine distribution.

United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.  instead sentenced Gerald Wayne Hopkins, 52, to three years’ probation.

In court, Hopkins, a mine safety instructor, admitted to selling 2.94 grams of cocaine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement authorities on February 1 of last year.

He further admitted that the illegal transaction took place at his Fayetteville residence, where he conducted his mine safety training courses.

In addition to the probation, Judge Copenhaver ordered Hopkins to pay a $500 fine.

Columbia Gas parent company approved for pipeline improvement plan

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has granted NiSource’s Columbia Gas Transmission approval for a customer settlement that facilitates Columbia’s comprehensive pipeline infrastructure improvement plan.

Under the settlement, NiSource plans to invest $300 million per year through 2017 on improvements to its Appalachian pipeline system. This is in addition to a $100 million investment in ongoing maintenance.

These improvements include replacing approximately 1,000 miles of existing transmission pipelines and replacing and modernizing more than 50 critical compressor units along the pipeline system.

The work also includes improving Columbia’s ability to perform state-of-the-art maintenance and inspections without interrupting services.

The work will involve Columbia Gas transmission lines in
Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia and is expected to create more than 7,000 direct jobs.

In the long-term, NiSource expects to make a total investment of approximately $4 billion over a 10-15 year period.

The plan stems from a consumer settlement filed on September 4, 2012.

The settlement is unrelated to the December 11 explosion of a Columbia natural gas transmission line near Sissonville that destroyed several homes, but it could help prevent similar incidents.

The announcement comes just before a scheduled Senate Commerce Committee field hearing Monday that U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller is holding in Charleston on pipeline safety and a recent report by the General Accountability Office.

Teenager shot in Huntington

Huntington Police are looking for the two teenaged boys who may be responsible for Saturday night’s shooting of a 17 year old girl.

At about 10 p.m. Saturday, investigators say the girl was shot several times at the intersection of 19th Street and West 5th Avenue in Huntington.

The girl was being treated at a Huntington hospital, but her condition was not available.

Huntington Police are looking for more information about the shooting.  Anonymous tips can be left for investigators by calling 304-696-4444.

State looking for help to feed kids

Children who rely on free school breakfast and lunch often miss out on meals during the summer break. That’s why the Summer Food Service Program, sponsored by the state Department of Education Office of Child Nutrition, is looking for some help to reach out to more children in need.

“We’re trying to fill that gap from the time school is out til the time school begins,” explained Gloria Cunningham, the coordinator of the Summer Food Program.

In 2012 the program served nearly 14,000 meals a day to needy children. Cunningham says there are more kids out there that need those meals. That’s why they want to broaden the areas they already serve.

“There are still a lot of areas that are underserved. So what are those kids doing?”

Cunningham says they’re looking to communities all across the state to step up.

“We’re looking for locations where kids can be fed during the summer months,” she said.

Non-profits organizations are being urged to consider offering up their space as a feeding site. There’s also other ways to assist.

“It could be space, it could be volunteers to help operate the program, it could be new agencies to get involved or volunteers to transport meals.”

Cunningham stresses it’s important that all children have access to healthy, balanced meals year round and the Summer Feeding Program helps fill that need.

For more information on the project, you can log on to wvde.state.wv.us/nutrition/sfsp.html.

Advisory Council on Substance Abuse releases its report

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s Advisory Council on Substance Abuse has released its year end report.

The report provides policy and program recommendations that state lawmakers will consider for the upcoming Legislative Session.

The report addressed regional projects completed and comprehensive legislation passed by legislators during last years session.

It also outlines new funding for expansion of substance abuse services awarded in all six regions of the State and speaks to the strategic action plan that has been implemented.

The recommendations in the report included, among others, maintaining existing successful substance abuse programs, continuing efforts to develop community-based after-treatment recovery supports and encouraging on-going efforts of substance abuse prevention coalitions.

The report also includes the implementation of legislation, local ordinances and statewide policy changes related to prevention, early intervention, enforcement, treatment and recovery efforts.

The past years progress of the Advisory Council and Regional Task Forces can be found in detail in the report.

According to recent national data, there was a decrease in prescription drug misuse among those aged 12 years or older in West Virginia for the first year since 2008.

Flu cases remain ‘steady’

Some good news when it comes to the flu virus here in West Virginia. The number of cases has plateaued according to Dr. Rahul Gupta, with the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department.

But that doesn’t mean the season is over.

The state began to see the flu ramp up in early December. That is not common for West Virginia. It usually happens in February or March. But cases continued to climb last month into January. Gupta says we’re now about eight weeks into what is usually a 12-week flu season.

So far, the season has been listed as a ‘moderately severe.’ What happens next is anyone’s guess..

“It’s really very hard to predict whether we’re going to have another peak, whether we will come down now or we’ll stay steady,” Gupta said.

There have been several flu-related deaths here in West Virginia and hundreds are still being admitted to the hospital each week.

It’s not too late to get a flu shot. Unlike other states, West Virginia has plenty of the vaccine left and you can still find it at your doctor’s office, pharmacies and health departments.

Two Charged Following Police Chase, Drugs Seized

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. -- A police chase in Kanawha County ended with two people arrested and drugs off the street.

Deputies say they tried to pull over Jason Phillips and Robert Harvey on Route 21 in Sissonville early Thursday morning.

Phillips and Harvey took off, turned on Derricks Creek Road and tried to ditch the car.

They were found in a nearby home.

Deputies say Harvey was trying hide meth and materials needed to make the drug.

Both men are being held in the South Central Regional Jail.

MSHA Issues 150 Citations at Mines in December

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal mining regulators issued 150 citations during December impact inspections.

The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said Thursday it also issued nine orders following inspections at eight coal mines and three other mines.

MSHA issued 13 citations and five orders at Dorchester Enterprises Inc.'s No. 4 Mine No. 4 in Wise County, Va. Violations included failing to follow an approved ventilation plan and accumulation of combustible material.

MSHA also issued 28 citations at the Azarco LLC Ray Mine, a surface copper ore operation in Gila County, Ariz. Among the violations were exposing miners to fall hazards and failing to provide insulating material to prevent electrical shock.

The inspections began in 2010 after a mine explosion in West Virginia that killed 29 coal miners.

Boone school threat serious to deputies

A Boone County man is jailed on charges of making threats of terror at a local grade school.  However, equally concerning to sheriff’s deputies is why it took so long for them to learn about it.

Deputies arrested Herman Dewayne Pickens, 53, at Sherman Grade School in Seth.   Deputies say he showed up wearing an empty holster on his belt, but made several remarks indicating the next time he came to the school it wouldn’t be empty.

“He made references to the holster and said, ‘It’s so bad I had to leave my gun in the car.  Next time I won’t leave it in the car,’” said Chief Deputy Chad Barker.

Deputies found a loaded .40 caliber handgun in his car.  

However, this was the first time it had happened.

“We weren’t alerted about it until Tuesday,” said Barker. “There’d been some previous instances earlier in the month several times.”

The morning after learning of the threat deputies went to the school which was running on a two-hour delay.  Barker said Pickens just happened to show up again, making the same threats.   Investigators are now working with the school board to learn why they weren’t alerted until well after it had happened several times.

“We were very surprised and taken aback they waited to call,” said Barker. “We felt the guy was a legitimate threat, bad enough to send an officer to school.”

Investigators are now working with the school board to investigate the reporting of the incident.  Barker says there are also issue with how it was reported.  He wouldn’t elaborate on how they learned about the threat, but indicated it may not have come through the normal protocol which would have been expected in such an incident.

Drug Court celebrates another graduating class

Family members and friends packed the the Old County Courthouse’s Ceremonial Courtroom Thursday afternoon to watch their loved ones graduate from the Kanawha County Drug Court.

Five individuals were part of this years graduating class from the drug rehabilitation program that is operated through the county court system.

It was a special moment for all graduates including Harold Battle.

“This is a celebration, it’s like a new life,” said Battle.

Battle said after all the crying, the breaking down and the sharing that went on between all the group members during the program, they have created a family.

The drug court took it’s first client in July 2009 and since then has had 38 individuals graduate from the program and begin a new life.

Battle said the program gave him a second chance.

“I developed two felonies in my drug use and I had got a third felony and I was due to get off probation real soon,” said Battle. “My probation officer and Judy Jones thought of this program that it might help me out called Drug Court. If I successfully completed the program, they wouldn’t prosecute me for my third felony.”

Battle said the year long program was tough, but now that he graduated from it he believes he can do anything.

Those who graduate from the program have a recidivism rate of 13.16%, far below the National Average.

Michal Raynes, another graduate, said despite being a nervous wreck the whole day leading up the ceremony, she was happy.

“It feels good. Feels good and I’m just going to keep moving forward,” said Raynes.

It was a long road to recovery for Raynes, but she had a great support group to help push her along.

“I have a wonderful supportive family and they have been there for me even when they probably shouldn’t of been,” said Raynes. “That makes all the difference.”

Raynes, along with the rest of the graduates said they have a lot of goals to accomplish and they are thankful the Drug Court has put them in a position to achieve those goals.

The Drug Court Program has had 162 clients enrolled in the program since it began and has saved $2,362,017 in jail costs as of December 31, 2012.