CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Clerk is encouraging residents to cast in their ballots earlier this year ahead of the anticipatedly busy Primary Election Day. Early in-person voting gets underway across the 55 counties this Wednesday, May 1 and goes through Saturday, May 11. Kanawha County Clerk, Vera McCormick said it being a major election this year, voting early is a good opportunity to ensure one has a chance to cast in their ballot, as Election Day itself will be particularly crowded across the county’s 184 precincts. “I hope people does take the opportunity to get out and vote ea ..read more

HAMLIN, W.Va. — A baseball dugout and a storage facility at Lincoln County High School were set on fire sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning. According to the Hamlin Volunteer Fire Department, the structures are considered to be a total loss. The storage facility was used to store lawn care equipment. State Police and the State Fire Marshall’s Office are now investigating the blaze. Anyone with information that could lead to identifying who set the structures on fire is encouraged to contact local authorities ..read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County Schools has proposed implementing a policy where armed security personnel are hired to patrol county elementary and middle schools. The district’s excess levy will fund 12 positions. The hired on officers will rotate as the security at the different county elementary schools, as well as some middle schools. The officers will be armed with concealed weapons. The Kanawha County Board of Education approved the first reading of the policy during a recent meeting. General counsel Lindsey McIntosh said during that meeting that the sole purpose of the security offic ..read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A man was killed in a two-car crash Saturday afternoon in Charleston. According to Charleston police, Stanley Burkes, 63, of Charleston, was driving east on Kanawha Boulevard near the area of the Moose Lodge at 4:52 p.m. when he turned left on East Point Drive into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Burkes died at the scene, police said. The driver of the oncoming vehicle suffered minor injuries. A passenger in that vehicle was uninjured. The investigation into the crash continues ..read more

CROSS LANES, W.Va. — A West Virginia coach says she’s proud two of her gymnasts have qualified for the USA Gymnastics championships scheduled for next month. “For West Virginia, just like any sport, our population is smaller here in our state so when we can athletes to this level, it just shows the dedication of the athlete,” Susan Brown, owner of Revolution Gymnastics in Cross Lanes, told MetroNews. Emma Mason Sophia Fala, a junior at George Washington High School, will compete in the 2024 Women’s Development Program Level 9 Eastern Championships in Myrtle Beach, SC from May 2-5. Emma Mason ..read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice is calling on fellow West Virginians to be a hero for children. Members of the community were invited to a “Light up the Capitol” event Friday night at the steps of the West Virginia Capitol Building to show their support for child abuse victims. With glow sticks in hand, dozens of supporters were able to light up the capital city. Misty Atkins, director of the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice at the West Virginia State Police, put on the event. The biggest program within the Center for Children’s Justice is “Handle ..read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin spoke Friday to members of the American Postal Workers Union at their annual convention in Beckley. Joe Manchin Manchin fielded a number of questions about the U.S. Postal Service and he also talked about the recent decision by the USPS to change the operations at the processing and distribution facility in Charleston at Southridge to a local processing center. Manchin said he’s still waiting for the agency to answer his request for an audit of how the decision was made. “There’s no need for them to delay this audit because they had to make a decisi ..read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The new state Fire Hydrant Maintenance and Testing Task Force has less than 60 days to recommend a package of rules to the state Public Service Commission that will govern the testing, inspection and marking of fire hydrants across the state. The PSC ordered a general investigation last year after a few situations where fires occurred and fire hydrants weren’t working or provided very little water. The state legislature followed that action with a bill this year that allows the PSC to establish rules governing hydrants. The PSC created the task force to recommend the rules ..read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va.  — The opportunity to get rid of unneeded, unused, or expired prescription medications is here again for the first time this year. As local and state law enforcement agencies, substance use prevention organizations get ready to team up to host Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, April 27, health officials area laying out why such a move is important for people’s health and safety. State Health Officer Dr. Matthew Christiansen with the Department of Health told MetroNews that ridding the home space of those old medications helps prevent medication misuse, which contributes ..read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Hundreds of employees at CAMC are celebrating anniversaries this week including a few with over 50 years of service. More than 1,200 employees and volunteers are celebrating anniversaries in 2024. CAMC recognizes employees celebrating milestone anniversaries for their years of service starting at five years. Dave Ramsey A recognition dinner was held at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center Thursday evening. More than 800 people were expected to attend the dinner. CAMC President and CEO Dave Ramsey said the milestones that people have been able to reach as a member ..read more