MONONGALIA COUNTY, W.Va. –A Michigan man will serve the rest of his life in prison for his role as the head of a multi-state drug operation that operated in parts of Morgantown and Fairmont.
Matt Harvey
United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia Matt Harvey announced at a press conference Wednesday morning that LaShawn Monroe, 31, of Detroit, was sentenced to life in prison for his leading role in an operation that stored over 45 pounds of various drugs in a Fairmont stash

State officials have rescinded a violation notice previously issued on developer Fundamental Data LLC, concluding that the company’s plans in Tucker County remain conceptual.
It’s unclear whether Fundamental Data even intends to pursue a High Impact Data Center as defined under state law, Nick Preservati, director of the state Office of Energy, acknowledged today in a letter to the company.
Nick Preservati
“Since the project is still in the conceptual phase and there is a legitimate possibility

CINCINNATI, Oh. — Kroger is buying Giant Eagle.
Kroger, the Cincinnati-based company, announced plans Wednesday to acquire Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle for $1.65 billion. The purchase terms are $1.25 billion in cash and Kroger will assume $400 million in liabilities.
Founded in 1931, Giant Eagle, Inc. operates more than 200 stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana. The grocery chain operates two stores in West Virgina, both in

ELKVIEW, W.Va. — New Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority Executive Director Lance Wheeler took quick action on his first day on the job Wednesday and fired two workers involved in a dragging death.
Lance Wheeler
A Wednesday afternoon announcement said Alyssa Middleton and Rayna Scott were no longer employed by the ambulance authority effective Wednesday.
“The Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority remains committed to providing professional, high quality emergency medical services

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — Residents, government leaders, proponents  and opponents of the proposed Valley Link Transmission Line expansion gathered at an open house held on the campus of Shepherd University Tuesday.
A proposed timeline was posted at Tuesday night’s open house. (Photo/MetroNews)
Tuesday’s focus was the project impacting the Eastern Panhandle, called the Valley North Project aimed at building “approximately 260 miles of new 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines connecting Putnam

CINCINNATI, OH – Winfield High School student Ty Laughery heard the words Wednesday morning that not just he, but his family, friends, classmates, neighbors, and thousands of West Virginians who heard the “TyStrong” story hoped he would.
“Cancer-free.”
After months of treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphona that saw a community form around Laughery and transcend the town of Winfield, he rang the bell at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to declare to the world that he had won.
“He had a PET

The State of West Virginia concluded the fiscal year with general revenue collections exceeding estimates by $370 million.
The state’s total general revenue collections for the fiscal year that just concluded were $5.693 billion.
Collections for the month of June surpassed $569 million, a figure that exceeded the monthly estimate by $57 million.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey
Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, said the financial outcome is a result of discipline. He said the money could be used to fund