CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Department of Education got the ball rolling Monday with the first two “Keep the Ball Rolling” events at Marshall University and MU’s Bill Noe Aviation School at Yeager Airport in Charleston.
Michele Blatt
Through the program, which includes significant financial donations from L&S Toyota owners Shawn and Angela Ball, the Pack Family Foundation of state Treasurer Larry Pack and his wife Lisa, and the Wing 2 Wing Foundation, of Marshall President Brad Smith and

KINGWOOD, W.Va. — The Preston County Commission approved emergency funding for KAMP Ambulance in an emergency meeting Monday.
Commissioners voted to send $16,000 to KAMP in order for them to be able to meet payroll.
EMS agencies have suffered financially in recent years and others are hurt even more by the federal government shutdown like KAMP Ambulance.
There are concerns of how much help the county can provide if the shutdown is extended, commissioners said.
The county commission meets in

PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. –The members of the Putnam County Republicans gathered Monday evening to honor the late Charlie Kirk and to rally conservatives to action.
The event, titled “Stand and Speak,” was held at the Putnam County Courthouse in Winfield.
West Virginia House of Delegates member Josh Holstein, who spoke at the event, said it was primarily intended to inspire and encourage young people to get involved.
“One of the ways to do that is by engaging in Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. –A high-speed chase Monday evening ended in a crash along Interstate 64 in Kanawha County.
According to the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department, the Charleston Police Department had put out a be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) for a Ford F-250 with Michigan license plates before the crash after the vehicle came close to hitting a CPD cruiser while they were traveling the wrong way and then speeding through the City of Charleston. The truck also reportedly came close to hitting a man

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A murder trial got underway Monday in Charleston for a man accused of killing a woman and dumping her body in a Kanawha County well.
Michael Wayne Smith
Michael Smith is accused of killing Cheyenne Johnson, of Jackson County, in April 2021. Johnson, who was 35 at the time of her time, was found dead in a Sissonville well a few days after she went missing.
Smith faces several charges, which include first degree murder and concealment of a dead body.
A jury heard opening

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The truck driver who pled guilty in connection with the I-68 crash that killed Kevin Lataille has been sentenced to the maximum in Monongalia County.
Sukhjinder Singh (WVRJA)
In January of 2025, Singh was accused of driving a tractor-trailer recklessly on I-68 eastbound during a snowstorm and pushing a car driven by Kevin Lataille of Pennsylvania over the side of the bridge into the icy lake.
Lataille’s body and car were recovered from the lake one week after the accident.