Lena Lunsford back in jail

The mother of a missing Lewis County girl is back in custody.

Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Alex Neville said deputy marshals arrested Lena Lunsford at the Wheeling Business College Wednesday morning.

Neville said Lunsford had failed to pay court-ordered restitution for three months. She also allegedly violated her supervised release by having contact with a convicted felon at least five times. She’s reportedly pregnant by the man. She has seven children.

Lunsford has been on supervised release after serving eight months following her conviction on federal food stamp fraud charges.

Lunsford’s daughter, three-year-old Aliayah, disappeared from the family home near Weston in September 2011. No one has been charged in connection with the disappearance.

Lunsford is scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate Monday at 11 a.m. She’s currently housed in the Northern Regional Jail.

Mingo County awarded $2.5M for water project

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The federal government is providing more than $2 million to Mingo County to extend water service and fire protection to about 250 households.

The Mingo County Public Service District has been awarded a $1.5 million loan and a $991,000 grant for the Ben Creek Phase I project. About 11 miles of waterline will be built, along with a water storage tank and a booster station.

U.S. Senators Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin and Rep. Nick Rahall announced the funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development on Tuesday.

The lawmakers say wells, springs and cisterns are the only sources of water for a majority of residents in the project area. Septic systems that have malfunctioned or were poorly built have contaminated many of these water sources.

Miley elected state’s new House Speaker

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Fair. Open. Moderate. That’s how new House of Delegates Speaker Tim Miley described himself in the moments after his selection as the 56th speaker in the history of the state. 

Miley, D-Harrison, was elected Tuesday afternoon on a 53-44 near partisan vote to replace former speaker Rick Thompson who recently took a cabinet-level position in the Tomblin administration. 

Miley says the way he operated the House Judiciary Committee as its chairman is the way he hopes to operate the House.

“I think I’ve earned the respect of people who have observed how I manage and run the judiciary committee,” Miley said. “I don’t think I’ve ever necessarily instilled my views on anything we’ve done up there, rather I’ve tried to seek consensus from the body of members of that 25-member committee.”

The criticism of Miley, though, came almost immediately after his selection.
“It’s no surprise that the incumbent liberal politicians truly chose one of their own to run the House,” said West Virginia Republican Chairman Conrad Lucas.

“Delegate Miley is right out of central casting for the left.  In spite of all the progress this state has made in tort reform, worker’s compensation fixes and conservative judges on the Supreme Court, the Democrats in Charleston clearly don’t understand what can repair our broken economy.”

Greg Thomas, executive director of West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, said it’s “unfortunate” that the House chose Miley.  “Delegate Miley has voted against many of the positive legal reforms passed by the House in recent years,” said Thomas.

Miley, who  was first elected to the House in 2004, seemed to take the criticism in stride Tuesday.

“Like with most elected positions that anyone holds you’re going to be subject to criticism,” he said. “I’m happy to put my record of openness and moderation and deliberative thought that I’ve given to any piece of legislation to anyone that wants to see it.”

Miley was described as “fair” being a “good guy” and having “a steady hand” during three nominating speeches. He described his election as “an incredible moment.”

Just a few short months ago Miley was considering a run for the state Senate having been passed over by Gov. Tomblin when a seat opened up in Harrison County earlier this year. But now he finds himself in charge of the 100-member House. He said during his acceptance speech the state needs to continue to focus on education, infrastructure and its natural resources.

When speaking with reporters afterward, Miley again said he’s made no promises to delegates on who will get the key leadership positions but did say, “I don’t expect any significant changes.”

Miley mother and father, who will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary Saturday, attended Tuesday’s floor session along with a few dozen family, friends and supporters.

Delegate Ryan Ferns, D-Ohio, was the only Democrat, other than Miley himself, to vote against Miley. He said he did so in protest of the way labor tried to pressure delegates to vote for Miley. Ferns tweeted he voted his state not his party.

Three delegates were absent for Tuesday’s floor session, Troy Andes (Putnam), Ron Walters (Kanawha) and Amanda Pasdon (Monongalia), all Republicans.

New delegate takes oath just before speaker vote

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A new Wayne County delegate helped elect Tim Miley as House Speaker Tuesday.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin appointed Timothy Kinsey Tuesday morning to the Wayne County seat former speaker Rick Thompson had held before resigning to be the secretary for the Department of Veterans Assistance.

Kinsey, of Lavalette, was sworn-in shortly before noon Tuesday.

Kinsey is a retired banker from the Wayne-Cabell county area.

Three people killed in separate accidents

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Police released the names Tuesday of three victims killed Monday in three separate accidents.

Police in Putnam County say Danny Quentrill, 63, died after his car slammed into a bridge abutment on Route 34 near Hurricane Monday morning.

Investigators say Quentrill may have suffered a medical problem before losing control of his car.

Police in Kanawha County say Joe Miller was killed Monday when his car slammed into a power pole in the Pond Gap area near Cedar Grove.

A Logan County man died after being pulled from the Guyandotte River Monday night. He’s been identified as Malcolm Meade, 49, of Verdonville

State Department of Transportation stressing work zone safety

CHARLESTON, W. Va.– The West Virginia Department of Transportation (DOT) is starting a more aggressive campaign to stress work zone safety across West Virginia.

Officials with the DOT along with the West Virginia State Police met with media Tuesday in Charleston to get the message out to motorists.

“We just can’t stress enough how avoidable these accidents are in work zones if people just pay attention,” said DOT Director of Communications Brent Walker. “Turn off the cell phone and just drive.”

The extra work zone safety push comes just weeks before the act of using a hand held cell phone while driving becomes a primary offense and about a week after the first work zone fatalities took place on I-81 near Martinsburg.

“This year in West Virginia since we started the work zone season, we’ve had two fatalities and that’s two too many,” said DOT Assistant Communications Director Randy Damron.

These two fatalities were not workers, but rather motorists driving through the work zone . Something DOT Safety Engineer Donna Hardy said happens more often than you think.

“Eighty percent of all fatalities in our work zones will be the motorists,” she said. “It is not our workers.”

As part of the campaign, the DOT will continue to partner with local law enforcement and with the State Police in an effort to get the message across to motorists.

State Police Sgt. Michael Baylous said thanks to extra government grant funding, law enforcement presence will be heightened in work zones across the state.

“When you see these yellow vests, the next thing you might see if you are speeding will be the blue lights and we all know what yellow and blue make,” said Baylous. “Yellow and blue make green and what that green translates into is you are going to paying some fines and some court costs.”

Baylous stresses that this is not about bringing in more money for the State Police because they don’t see any money from the fines, but rather it’s about keeping work zone workers and motorists safe.

In addition to the added law enforcement presence, the DOT will be putting out work zone safety advertisements for the multiple media outlets as a way to inform the public about being safe in work zones.

Walker stresses that work zone fatalities can be avoided simply by slowing down, turning it off, putting it away and just driving.

Two teenagers arrested after making false 911 call

ANSTED, W. Va– Two teenagers were taken into custody Tuesday in Fayette County after placing a false 911 call.

Dispatchers with the Fayette County 911 said they received a call around 2:30 a.m. stating that a pair of individuals were breaking windows and possible stealing items from a Shell station in the Ansted area.

Once police arrived on scene, they found that no windows had been broken at the business.

As they further investigated other businesses in the area they noticed two males fleeing on foot. Police pursued the pair and after a brief chase through several yards and a wooded area, the suspects were apprehended. 

Jonathan D. Crist, 18, of Victor was charged with the misdemeanor offenses of obstructing a police officer and fleeing on foot.

Police said Crist admitted to them he and an accomplice made the false 911 call.

The accomplice was a 17-year-old from the area. Police released him to his parents. He is expected to be charged with several misdemeanor offenses.

Crist is being held at Southern Regional Jail on $1,000 bond.