High school football player seriously injured

A South Harrison High School football player was hospitalized following a serious injury during a game against Lincoln Friday night.

According to authorities, Dylan Jeffries underwent surgery at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown for a blood clot on his brain, which led to swelling.

Jeffries, a senior, was taken from the field on a stretcher midway through the fourth quarter.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on Highways plans to show and tell

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Blue Ribbon Commission on Highways plans to put its final report on Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s desk this week. But its job isn’t done.

Jan Vineyard, with the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association and a member of the BRC, said the Division of Highways is in the process of creating a video that the Commission can take out into the community to explain the state’s road needs.

“I don’t think people realize how much highway West Virginia is in charge of keeping up. I don’t think that they realize our only funding for highways comes from the federal gas tax, the state gas tax and some DMV fees,” stressed Vineyard.

The West Virginia Department of Transportation handles upkeep and new construction on 35,000 miles of roads. The BRC report made it clear, the state must come up with new funding in order to keep the roads in good repair and the economy moving.

The BRC proposed three ways to accomplish that. The DOH must find ways to slash its budget without cutting funding for road programs, the agency must be innovative with their cash such as public/private partnerships and a new source of revenue has to come from somewhere.

“Our highways take us to ballgames, education, church. They take us to the emergency room. I don’t think people realize the impact of us having a good highway system,” explained Vineyard.

The commission will use the video to get the word out to the public. Vineyard said it’s just three minutes long but it will get straight to the point and visually show state residents the dilemma. The video should be complete in the next week or so.

The BRC, which conducted nine public meetings around the state earlier this year to help them complete their highway report, will head out again into the community with the video to get the public on board.

“Anytime I need to move an issue forward, it’s always done by grassroots,” said Vineyard. “It’s by getting people educated and aware of what’s going on and sitting down one on one.”

The DOH is also working on an even shorter version of the three-minute video that will just give just the main talking points they want to get across to the public.

West Virginia Receives Unemployment Insurance Grant

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin says West Virginia will share in an $82.7 million federal grant to fund projects that will improve the state unemployment insurance system.

The U.S. Labor Department grant will be shared with Vermont and Maryland in a consortium that will design a new automated and integrated unemployment compensation system.

The governor's office said the system will include appeals and employer tax contributions elements, in addition to benefits.

The integrated system is scheduled to be deployed in early 2018.

Tomblin said the funding will help West Virginia WorkForce improve its services to the unemployed.

The consortium approach is intended to allow multiple states to more cost-effectively deliver services.

Health Care Enrollment Expected to be a Challenge for West Virginia

West Virginia is ready to launch a health insurance market under the federal Affordable Care Act, but an official overseeing it says enrolling people will be a challenge.

Jeremiah Samples of the Department of Health and Human Resources says that's because the federal government has failed to adequately explain what's happening.

Private and nonprofit organizations are ramping up outreach efforts, and Samples said that should help increase awareness.

West Virginians who have no health insurance can sign up for coverage under a state and federal partnership called a health care exchange. Open enrollment starts Tuesday

Benefits begin Jan. 1, and the Obama administration predicts six in 10 people will be able to find at least some level of coverage for $100 or less per month, after tax credits.

Federal judge dismisses benefits lawsuit against Peabody and Arch

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed against Peabody Energy and Arch Coal.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin ruled in favor of the companies Friday after they sought to have the class-action suit dismissed.

The United Mine Workers of America and eight active and retired miners filed the lawsuit back in October 2012.

The suit alleged the companies illegally shifted their obligations to workers and retirees to Patriot Coal. The suit claimed that such a move was illegal under federal law.

In Goodwin’s 13-page ruling, he said the actions by Peabody and Arch did not violate the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). He said the law doesn’t protect a pension fund’s financial stability.

In a statement released Friday, UMWA President Cecil Roberts said they are disappointed by the decision and they plan to appeal it.

“Our members who are at risk of losing the retiree health care benefits Peabody and Arch promised them clearly earned those benefits,” Roberts stated. “We will continue to fight for them in every possible venue until those benefits are secure.”

Roberts added that they “believe the decision fails to recognize the purpose of ERISA, which is to protect the benefits employees have earned.”

The lawsuit against Peabody and Arch was part of a larger effort to to protect pensions and health-care benefits for its miners at Patriot, who is currently undergoing financial reorganization in bankruptcy court.

Patriot filed for bankruptcy in July 2012 citing financial troubles. A bankruptcy judge allowed Patriot’s plan to cut many employee and retiree benefits, but the UMWA negotiated a new deal in which the company reinstated many of those benefits.

Since that time the UMWA has focused its fight on Peabody and Arch.

WV Air National Guard trying to save jobs

 MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The West Virginia Air National Guard continues to work on a plan in response to possible job cuts at the Martinsburg Air Base.

Currently the West Virginia Air Guard maintains C-5 aircrafts for the U.S. Air Force, but in a couple years that will change to the C-17 aircraft. The switch will constitute to around 217 positions being lost.

West Virginia National Guard Brigadier General David Buckalew said the C-17 requires fewer personnel to maintain it than the C-5 does.

“With the C-5 you pull the part, you repair it and you replace,” said Buckalew. “With the C-17 it’s remove and replace. Components come out and another replacement goes in.”

With the C-17 components, the repairs are all handled by the Air Force depot supply system rather than members of the Air Guard.

But the Air Guard has known about the switch for a couple of years now and Buckalew said they have been preparing for it and have the number of lost positions below 200.

“We’ve mitigated that down through attrition and honestly just getting by without filling all the jobs,” he said. “We’ve got that down to, the last number I had was 81 and we’ve still got time.”

In addition to what they have already done through attrition, Buckalew said they are also working on another strategy that would allow them to keep all the jobs.

“Is remission the 200 slots into a cyber mission and we would like to have there at Martinsburg, with its proximity to the national capital region, it’s a prime location for that capability,” said Buckalew.

That plan is kind of currently on hold, however, because there is some disagreement on whether the West Virginia Air National Guard was notified properly about the coming switch. Negotiations are ongoing on that discrepancy.

Buckalew said they plan to place as many of the personnel impacted by the switch as they can in other positions within the Air Guard that become available.

The conversion isn’t scheduled to take place until Fiscal Year 2015. 

Suspect in Shooting Named

Police have named a suspect in a shooting spree that sent six people to the hospital Tuesday night.

Officers are looking for Antonio Michael Smith, 31, of Huntington.

Smith is wanted for six counts of Malicious Wounding and one count of Wanton Endangerment.

Police say he is originally from Columbus, Ohio but has been in Cabell County for the past 

couple of years.

They say he is approximately 6'1, 170 pounds and has a large tattoo on his face.

Smith is accused of opening fire in Northcott Court at about 8:45 p.m.

Six people were injured. Four were taken to the hospital where they were treated and released.

Two are still in the hospital.

Bear Sightings on the Rise

If you think you've spotted a bear in the last few weeks, researchers say you're probably right.

Experts at the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) say more bears are wandering toward developed areas this fall in search of food.

They say that's because one of their natural food sources is scarce this season.

Just this week, DNR researchers say a large black bear was hit and killed by a passing car near the entrance to I-77 and I-79 in Charleston.

They say severe weather patterns last year caused the bears' current food shortage, causing them to move closer.

DNR researchers say they get about 800-1,000 complaints of bear sightings every year.

They say most problems can be solved simply by putting your food and trash away.

Lawyer Disciplinary Board claims Mingo County prosecutor is lying

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The U.S. Attorney’s Office has told the state lawyer Office of Disciplinary Counsel that Mingo County Prosecutor Michael Sparks has admitted to being part of conspiracies involving suspended Mingo County Circuit Judge Michael Thornsbury. 

The ODC has filed additional information with the state Supreme Court seeking the immediate suspension of Sparks’ law license. The disciplinary counsel received a sealed order from federal prosecutors that said Sparks admitted to the FBI of his “knowledge and involvement” in the alleged crimes against Thornsbury.

On Thursday, the state Supreme Court set a hearing date for arguments before a decision will be made on the future of Sparks’ law license.  That hearing will be held on Oct. 16.

In his filings with the state Supreme Court, Sparks denied being involved but the Office of Disciplinary Counsel said a sworn affidavit from FBI Special Agent Joe Ciccarelli shows Sparks hasn’t told the state Supreme Court the truth.

The ODC also said the U.S. Attorney’s Office plans to take the information against Sparks to a federal grand jury for consideration.

Sparks has not been charged and he’s pointed out that he voluntarily spoke with federal investigators. Sparks has previously said and the ODC confirmed, Sparks did so without immunity from federal prosecutors.

Judge Thornsbury is scheduled to plead guilty Oct. 2 on charges that he violated a man’s constitutional rights. It’s alleged Thornsbury worked with several other elected officials in Mingo County, including Prosecutor Sparks, to protect late Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum from a federal investigation.

Originally, Thornsbury had been accused of illegally using his judicial power to target the husband of his ex-mistress over a period of years. The ODC said Sparks has admitted he knew about Thornsbury’s actions, which included setting up a grand jury to indict the husband, but Sparks failed to report the judge.

Sparks’ attorney Lonnie Simmons filed a response Thursday to the new information. In it, Sparks maintains he’s violated no rules of professional conduct and has not committed a crime. Sparks called the allegations by the ODC, ethics complaints, and he asked the Supreme Court to allow them to go forward in an appropriate forum where witnesses could be called and cross-examined.

Sparks said suspending his law license would be “professionally, personally and economically devastating.”

Fundraiser Benefits Cabell Wayne Shelter

It was an exciting evening for one animal shelter in the region.

The Cabell Wayne Animal Shelter held a fundraiser Thursday evening.

Visitors enjoyed music, food and plenty of activities for the kids. Visitors also toured their new facility.

“To me, it’s showing me that the community is starting to get behind the shelter and are accepting the jobs that we are starting to provide and do for them," Scott Iseli, assistant director of the shelter, said.

There were several activities, including horse rides for kids.

Mingo County Commissioner Expected to Resign

Commissioner David Baisden, a suspect in a political corruption investigation in Mingo County, is expected to step down soon.

Baisden is expected to plead guilty to a federal extortion charge and step down from his position as commissioner.

A plea hearing is set Tuesday, Oct. 1, in Charleston.

Baisden is accused of pulling a local tire dealer's contract with the county when they refused to give him a personal discount. He is expected to resign from the commission as part of his plea deal.

He has been free on bond. 

Feds implement rule changes aimed at helping black lung victims

Changes to federal black lung rules are expected to make it easier for coal miners and their families to obtain benefits.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Program on Wednesday announced a final rule that implements amendments to the 2010 Black Lung Benefits Act.

The amendments sponsored by the late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd reinstate two provisions that were eliminated in 1981.

After 1982, survivors of a coal miner totally disabled due to black lung had to prove the disease caused the miner's death. One amendment makes that an automatic assumption for those who worked in coal mines for at least 15 years and suffered a totally disabling respiratory impairment.

The other amendment automatically transfers black lung benefits from the late recipient to eligible survivors.

Huntington Police continue to search for answers in shooting

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Police in Huntington continue to search for a suspect in Tuesday night’s shooting even though they continue to get little cooperation from the victims involved.

The shooting took place around 8:45 p.m. at Northcott Court complex along Hal Greer Boulevard.

Police said six people were shot during some type of altercation among a group of people loitering in the courtyard area adjacent to the Northcott Court Community Center.

Five of the victims showed up a Cabell Huntington Hospital. Another was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center after being found by police on the porch of apartment 31.

Police said none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening. The victims all suffered gunshot wounds to their lower extremities.

The victims have been identified as Andre Maurice Branch, 36, of Huntington, Jamal R. Tubbs, 21, of Huntington, Dwitght McVernon Green, 23, of Huntington, Semaj Markes Leondre Figg, 22, of Huntington, Jayron Antonio Washington, 19, of Huntington, and Maurice LaVelle Miller Jr., 23, of Columbus.

Police said Tubbs and Branch are the only ones who remain hospitalized.

Huntington Police said five of the victims ran to the Huntington Mart Gas and Convenience Store in the 1100-block of Hal Greer Boulevard after the shots were fired.

Officers said surveillance footage taken from the store shows the victims going into the business, moving around the grocery and bathroom areas, as well as walking outside to the back of the store.

During the initial investigation, police said they found multiple shell casings and two guns, which were both stolen. One gun was found at Northcott Court while the second one was located behind the store.

Officers also found a significant amount of crack cocaine inside the store’s bathroom.

Police said the victims are not cooperating with detectives at this time.

Detectives are currently reviewing video footage and canvassing the area for additional information and evidence. Anyone with information should call the Huntington Police Department tipline at 304-696-4444.

Is medical marijuana right for West Virginia?

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia lawmakers are beginning to gather the facts on the possibility of legalizing medical marijuana. A legislative interim committee heard a pair of presentations Wednesday at the state capitol.

Marijuana Policy Project Legislative Analyst Matt Simon told a group of delegates and senators that 20 states and the District of Columbia have already legalized marijuana in various forms. Simon said some states allow residents to grow their own plants but in other states, like Colorado, for-profit dispensaries handle the distribution.

In some states smoking the marijuana is permitted, while in others it is eaten.

“So patients say they are able to titrate their doses much more effectively if they’re able to inhale it. But many patients do prefer the edibles, particularly if you have severe pain and you want to sleep through the night a brownie a couple of hours before dinner may help people,” Simon said.

Lawmakers asked questions about how the legalization has impacted marijuana use by teens and if impaired driving statistics increase. Simon said the research numbers are good in most cases.

Del. Margaret Staggers, D-Fayette, said the federal government has already recognized medical marijuana works but the debate comes down to how it should be delivered.

“The facts are already there, this is a good drug,” Staggers said. “Certainly people can abuse it but they abuse things like oxygen and water too.”

Simon said there have been a lot of improvements in medical marijuana laws since California took it up years ago. He said states have learned what to include and not to include. Simon supports even more states legalizing it.

“Those are some of the really tragic cases in my opinion, patients who have to move to another state just to try a plant that would work for them,” he said.

A medical marijuana bill, just like in recent years, will be introduced again in the next regular legislative session.

Plea date set for Mingo County Commissioner

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A plea hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Charleston for Mingo County Commissioner David Baisden who is charged with extortion.

Baisden, 66, is accused of ending Mingo County’s business with Appalachian Tire when business owners refused to give him the discounted county price for tires for his personal vehicle in 2009.

Only government vehicles are eligible for the special price.

Since his indictment for extortion in August, he has since given up his purchasing agent position but is still a member of the Mingo County Commission.

Baisden’s trial had been scheduled to start on Oct. 21.

Goodwin and other regional officials discuss prescription drug abuse

JOHNSON CITY, TN – U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin joined other U.S. Attorneys from the Appalachian Region Wednesday to take part in a panel discussion regarding the prescription drug abuse problem.

It was part of the Appalachian Regional Summit on Prescription Drug Abuse at East Tennessee State University. The purpose was for officials across Appalachia to share information and identify practical solutions.

According to the C.D.C 100 people die everyday from drug overdoses in the United States. Since 1990 drug overdose rates have more than tripled.

Panelists representing Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia shared about programs that were currently being used in their respective states to address the issue.

For instance, Kentucky currently uses two initiatives to combat the problem that panelists said have made an impact. The first is called Operation UNITE, Unlawful Narcotic Investigations, Treatment and Education and the second is Recovery Kentucky.

Recovery Kentucky features eight long-term residential treatment centers that Kentucky residents can participate in for free. Operation UNITE features a toll-free hotline that is available for those looking for help. Tennessee also has the same toll-free hotline available.

Other states also had their programs but the focus was on the importance of those struggling with prescription drug abuse getting the necessary treatment and recovery they needed.

Goodwin cited the significance in companies and businesses offering drug treatment programs to their employees. He used the AFL-CIO as an example in West Virginia.

“Has a very strong program where they look for signs of dependency , they reach out to their membership and they reach out to their members if they are addicted,” He said. “Pull them in, get them into treatment and they have a remarkable rate of success.”

In addition to offering treatment, panelists stressed the importance of intervention. Goodwin said that is two fold.

“Identifying places where we can intervene and then get the information to the people who need the information to intervene,” said Goodwin.

He was talking about educating the doctors and specialists whom addicts tend to first go to for help. One panelist added that very little curriculum is seen in medical schools dealing with the treatment of pain as well as with the treatment of addiction.

On top of stressing the importance of educating doctors, panelists also saw a great need for educating the public. Goodwin said they need to get to the kids before they get hooked. He mentioned that the average age of first use is 11.

“It’s so critical to reach kids while we still have them, while they are still a captive audience,” he said.

Goodwin pointed out that he has been trying to visit middle schools across his region in West Virginia in order to talk to students about prescription drug abuse.

After roughly 45 minutes of discussion and taking questions from the audience, panelists were in agreement that a continuing collaborative effort by the states of the Appalachia would be key in making this fight against prescription drug abuse a success.

Goodwin stated that the problem can be addressed and that progress is already being made.

The summit was scheduled to continue through Thursday.

Gov. Tomblin declares “GEAR UP for College Week”

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — It’s “GEAR UP for College Week” in West Virginia.

The governor’s proclamation was aimed at recognizing the achievements of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs across West Virginia.

GEAR UP is a grant program through the United States Department of Education that aims to help students pursue education and training beyond high school.

Since its launch in 2008, thousands of students in 10 West Virginia counties have received assistance in going to college.

Taylor Raby and Allison Epling, seniors at Scott High School in Madison, have been in the program since seventh grade and said they’re proof GEAR UP helps.

“Without this opportunity we wouldn’t know how to be a college student in the future and it’s prepared us so that we are not in the dark as far as what college is like,” said Epling.

Through the program, Raby and Epling, gained first-hand experience on a college campus.

“They’ve taken us to lots of college campuses and we’ve gotten to explore,” said Raby. “They have a camp called GEAR UP U every summer. It’s been at a different college campus and it’s let us stay in the dorm rooms and experience college life.”

From the tours Raby has selected her college destination and Epling has narrowed her choice to two campuses.

When the program was first launched in the Mountain State, it targeted high school students in counties who were less likely to be aware of key college planning information, including financial aid program requirements and deadlines. Recent surveys indicated that GEAR UP students are now better informed than students in other areas.

Raby received college information from her parents who both went to college and her sister, who is currently attending college. But Epling will be a first-generation college student.

“I always knew I wanted to go, I just didn’t know the steps that I would need to take or how to fill out applications or apply for scholarships. But definitely with GEAR UP it taught me what I needed to do and what I wanted to do with my life,” she said.

In a news release, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said the program has made an impact in the state.

“By engaging students at a young age and building family and community support around them, the program makes going to college more than just an ambition for our young people,” Tomblin said. “As we continue helping West Virginians prepare for the 21st century workforce, we will certainly look to the GEAR UP program as a standard for increasing college access and improving college readiness.”

GEAR UP is coordinated by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.

Nearly 13,000 students have received college counseling and academic support through the program.

Fifty two people arrested Wednesday in Summers County

HINTON, W.Va. — Numerous people were arrested Wednesday in Summers County on drug charges.

Multiple law enforcement agencies arrested 52 suspects on 172 indictments related to felony drug charges, issued by a Summers County Grand Jury.

The West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Hinton Police Department, Summers County Sheriff’s Department, and Southern Regional Jail Officials all took part in the round up.

The indictments and subsequent arrests were the result of a year-long investigation conducted by the West Virginia State Police.

All suspects taken into custody are currently sitting in the Southern Regional Jail.

Plea hearing date set for suspended Mingo County judge

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Suspended Mingo County Circuit Judge Michael Thornsbury will plead guilty to a federal information next Wednesday.

A plea hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2 in U.S. District Court in Charleston.

Last week, an information was filed against Thornsbury that alleges Thornsbury worked with several other elected officials in Mingo County to protect late Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum.  An information usually indicates a defendant is cooperating with investigators.

Federal prosecutors claim Thornsbury promised a lighter sentence to Crum’s alleged drug dealer, earlier this year, if the man fired his attorney and stopped talking to investigators with the FBI about Crum.

Originally, Thornsbury had been accused of illegally using his judicial power to target the husband of his ex-mistress over a period of years.  That federal charge will be dropped.  It is being replaced with the more recent charge.

Crum was shot and killed while eating his lunch near the Mingo County Courthouse in April.

Suspected Crime Ring Busted In Hurricane

A national crime ring hit home and two players were busted and charged with stealing credit card information.

Police say Barrie Mohamed and Diello Lamine went to great lengths to steal credit card numbers.

"They would get your information from your banking account, then they would make debit cards," Hurricane Police Department Capt. S.J. Sisk said. “They would take these debit cards to Walmart and different places and purchase gift cards, then they would send other people back to make purchases on the gift cards."

More than $10,000 worth of cigarettes, video games and other electronics were bought with fake debit cards from local stores.

"We uncovered all this stuff in their vehicle and on their person," Captain Sisk said.

Local business helped police in the investigation.

Police say at least one of the men is an illegal immigrant. They also say more people are involved, and more arrests are planned in the near future.

There's no word on what the suspects were doing with the merchandise.

Kanawha prosecutor takes Mingo sheriff murder case

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants has been appointed the special prosecutor in the murder of Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum. 

Plants said Tuesday that he’ll work with Kanawha County Assistant Prosecutor Fred Giggenbach in the prosecution of Tennis Maynard, the Delbarton man who allegedly shot and killed Sheriff Crum in his parked cruiser during a lunch break in Williamson back in April.

Plants replaces Mingo County Prosecutor Michael Sparks who recused himself last week for “an emerging conflict of interest.” The following day Sparks was named in a federal information that he was allegedly part of a conspiracy with Mingo County Circuit Judge Michael Thornsbury and others in connection with a drug case initiated by Sheriff Crum. Sparks has not been charged and he denies being part of the conspiracy.

Plants said once he gets the Maynard case file he’ll head to Williamson to begin interviewing witnesses in connection with the sheriff’s death.

“We’re going to see what previous testimony they’ve given with regard to this case and take that into consideration as part of the evidence that we move forward with the prosecution,” Plants said.

Maynard is being held without bail in the Western Regional Jail. He was shot 7 times by an off-duty deputy not long after Crum was shot. He was in the hospital for several weeks.

Plants said he’ll treat the case just like he does murder cases in his county.

“This case is going to prosecuted based on the evidence and the law and we’re going to maximize the prison sentence based on the evidence we have,” he said.

Cabell County Circuit Judge Paul Farrell is presiding over the case. He currently has a trial date of Dec. 9.

Current state health department structure raising questions

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department said West Virginia lawmakers must devote more attention to local health departments.

“Whatever the structure and mechanisms that are in place today to save failing health departments, I think the Putnam County Health Department is an example that they do not work,” said Rahul Gupta, health officer and executive director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department.

Gupta went before the Finance Committee during interim meetings to explain the current partnership between the ailing Putnam County Health Department and the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and propose it as a possible solution for operating health departments in the state.

The Putnam County Health Department contracted services with Kanawha-Charleston in June to combat mounting financial problems.

Gupta told lawmakers the partnership has resulted in positive outcomes.

“We are talking about an increase in services by several hundred percent while decreasing their budget by 41 percent,” Gupta said.

To be exact, there has been a net increase of public health services provided to the residents of Putnam County by 283 percent and a net projected decrease in the annual budget around $515,000.

Gupta said they achieved this by reducing overhead, providing capitol savings, reducing inventory and improving resource management. This is all part of a concept Gupta said can help other health departments.

“I believe in local control and self-control with checks and balances,” he said.

Gupta told committee members he wasn’t asking them to take control of the state health department, but simply to take a closer look at revising the current system.

“This is really a time to look at us and see, can we restructure and can we find a way to get it right where there are proper checks and balances and perhaps approach the future challenges in a much more savvy manner,” Gupta said. 

6 people hurt in Huntington shooting

 HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Six people were injured Tuesday night during a shooting at a housing complex.

The shooting took place around 8:45 p.m. at Northcott Court complex along Hal Greer Boulevard.

Five of the victims were taken to Cabell Huntington Hospital for treatment, while another was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center.

Dispatchers said none of the victim’s injuries are considered to be life-threatening.

No arrests had been made, though police continued to investigate.