Tuesday, June 28, 2011
EKB Capsule News...West Virginia...6-29-'11
U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration officials met privately with families of the victims of the April 2010 explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County Tuesday to release their latest findings into what caused the explosion that killed 29 coal miners and injured two others. MSHA is still investigating, but inspectors believe the explosion was sparked by a mixture of coal dust and methane gas, and has blamed the mine's former owner, Massey Energy, for allowing the explosive gas to build up. MSHA says it will release the findings to the public on Wednesday. Massey claimed the explosion was caused by a sudden innundaton of gas into the chamber.
- During a hearing Tuesday, the murder trial of 32 year old David Kinney of Charleston was scheduled for November 14th. Kinney is accused of fatally shooting 31 year old Jeremy Parsons on Charleston's West Side last July. Kinney was indicted on murder charges in October. He has been on home confinement since posting bond.
Brandon Gray, 19, is accused of fatally shooting 26 year old Timothy Thompson Jr. on June 9th when they met on First Avenue on Charleston's West Side after police say Gray, who was Thompson's friend, had been texting Thompson about a drug deal. Investigators say, when Thompson arrived to buy $250 worth of marijuana, Gray shot him. Thompson suffered two gunshots to the head and one to the torso. Gray's lawyer argued Monday that there is no proof Gray had anything to do with the murder, but a Kanawha County magistrate forwarded the case to the grand jury.
- Police arrested five people Monday after finding marijuana, prescription pills and cash in a Super 8 Motel room in Dunbar. Corey Armstead of Charleston, Timothy Harper of Poca, Adam Halstead of Cross Lanes, Cassandra Gentry of Nitro, and Curtis Conway of Liberty face felony charges of possession with intent to deliver. Police say a caller reported a funny smell coming from the room. When officers arrived, one man opened the door, while another man threw a purple baggie out the window. Police found marijuana in the bag and got a search warrant. Police determined the suspects intended to sell some of the drugs.
- The driver of a tractor-trailer was killed around 4:14 A.M. Tuesday morning when the truck he was traveling southbound in went off the roadway near mile marker 31 just north of the Ghent toll booth on Interstate 77 and went over a hill before catching fire.
- A Kanawha County judge has put the city of Huntington's occupation and sales tax om hold. A hearing was held Tuesday afternoon in Kanawha County Circuit Court challenging Huntington's one-percent occupation and sales tax set to take effect Friday July, 1st. At Monday's regularly City Council meeting, council members went into executive session to discus the five lawsuits filed against the city last Wednesday. They voted to hire Mike Farrell to represent the city in court. Cabell County Commissioner Bob Bailey said Monday, "We're trying to get the city to understand that some parts of the home rule are good, but the bad part is the one-percent tax because you can't tax people if they've got no one to represent them."
- At Monday's Huntington City Council meeting, the firefighter's union announced the results of a "vote of no confidence" held within the department. Of the 83 valid votes cast, 81 voted they did not have confidence in the ability of Fire Chief C. Creig Moore to lead the Huntington Fire Department. Two voted they did. Reasons for a vote of no confidence against Moore include Moore's dishonesty with City Council on several occasions, causing harm to the reputation and integrity of the Huntington Fire Department, Moore's continuous use of derogatory statements when referring to Local 289 and West Virginia State Civil Service Law, his inability to operate within the current fiscal budget year and an unwillingness to address safety issues brought forth by the Union Executive Board.
Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin is holding a series of roundtables across the state to discuss a growing drug abuse problem with police, local officials and lawmakers. Tomblin kicked off the roundtables Monday with discussions in Beckley and Bluefield and followed with discussions in Bridgeport Tuesday and one in Jefferson County on Wednesday. Other roundtables will be announced later. Tomblin says he wanted to hold the discussions throughout the state so he can hear directly from the police, sheriffs, city and county leaders as to what they are experiencing. Senator John Unger says he requested the Eastern Panhandle meeting because the region's proximity to several major cities makes it ripe for drug and substance abuse issues. Tomblin plans to appoint a task force to deal with the issue.
- St. Mary's Medical Center in Huntington is now tobacco-free after a ban on tobacco use on the hospital's campus went into effect Monday. St. Mary's spokesman Doug Korstanje says the hospital sees the impact of tobacco-related health problems daily, and hospital officials believe it's important for St. Mary's to take a leadership role and prevent smoking on its campus, joining at least 10 other hospitals in West Virginia that have adopted similar bans. The hospital has offered classes and support outlets to employees who smoke.
A recent audit by the Department of Energy found that West Virginia has mismanaged a $38 million federal weatherization grant. Problems identified by the audit included work awarded without bids and prioritization of projects. Representative Shelley Moore Capito sent a letter Monday to the department requesting a full briefing on the audit and a detailed plan on how the department will ensure the problems are corrected, along with status updates. Capito states in the letter that the audit's findings are disturbing, given the nation's current fiscal situation.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 11:32 PM 
