Today on MetroNews This Morning:
–Dolly Parton is being remembered throughout the world this morning, and here in West Virginia
–Marshall is helping 40 students left homeless with a fire inspection which condemned six structures
–The DMV has cancelled a multi-Million dollar contract to upgrade computers
–In Sports: We’re on the eve of the first high school football games of the season.
Listen to “MetroNews This Morning 8-26-26” on Spreaker.

 
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ASHFORD, W.Va. — Layoffs in the coalfields.
Boone County-based Eagle Horizon Resources has posted a WARN notice saying it plans to permanently layoff 71 workers at its coal mining operation near Ashford later this year.
The last day of work is Oct. 11.
No reason for the layoff was given in the posted WARN notice.
The post Coal operator says it will permanently close Boone County operation appeared first on WV MetroNews.

WINFIELD, W.Va. — Putnam County residents and commissioners took on the polarizing topic of data centers during Tuesday evening’s meeting.
Google announced in March its plans to develop a data center in Buffalo. Ever since, many residents have brought forth concerns to the commission, wondering about the health impacts of the facility and whether it would actually benefit the local economy. Hordes of Putnam County residents packed the county courthouse once again on Tuesday night.
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POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Nscale, which is developing a data center in Mason County, is giving $500,000 to the Mason County Board of Education.
The presentation, made during the BOE’s Tuesday evening meeting, will go toward the establishment of what’s being called a premier STEM and skilled-trades initiative in Mason County.
“The Monarch Compute Campus will be one of the largest compute hubs in the world, and we are building it in Mason County. The opportunities that come with it should belong to

The state of West Virginia issued a 30-day cancellation notice today for a $63 million contract meant to upgrade the computer systems at the Division of Motor Vehicles.
The company that originally won the bid, AstreaX, had representatives in Charleston the same day of the cancellation, trying to talk through the situation with state officials.
Eric Jorgensen
Eric Jorgensen, chief executive officer of AstreaX, said in an interview with MetroNews that any delay in starting work on the

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — State Attorney General J.B. McCuskey issued an order last week directing future opioid settlement funds to the state’s general revenue fund rather than the West Virginia First Foundation.
J.B. McCuskey
McCuskey said the types of cases being litigated are much different now and will be handled by lawyers representing cities, towns, and counties.
The first round of lawsuits targeted drug distributors and pharmacy operators; now litigation is focused on Pharmacy Benefit Managers

HAZELTON, W.Va. — The deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, with a criminal history of his own, has stepped down from the post.
Josh Smith
Josh Smith was sworn in on June 9, 2025, as the first senior leader of the organization that had served time. Smith served five years in federal prison in the 1990s and was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2021.
“It was a slap in the face,” American Federation of Government Employees Local 420 Steward Jason Shaffer said. “To have an inmate