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Gov. Patrick Morrisey has selected Charleston attorney Gerald Titus III to fill a state Supreme Court vacancy.
Titus focuses on corporate litigation, strategic acquisitions, environmental and regulatory issues, commercial trucking and other areas of law at the Spilman Thomas firm.
“I am committed to the rule of law in applying the law as it is written. I believe it’s critical that the court remain impartial and ensure fairness for all parties,” Titus said in his introduction today.
Morrisey’s

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Fruth, which has a dozen stores in West Virginia, has announced a sale of its pharmacies to Walgreens.
Fruth has served residents in the Mountain State since 1952 when founder Jack Fruth opened the first store in Point Pleasant.
Fruth’s daughter, Lynne Fruth, took over the business in 2009, a few years after her father died.
She released a statement Wednesday, saying Fruth has been a staple in the area for decades.
“I am proud of the many contributions that Fruth Pharmacy has

BUFFALO, W.Va. — Toyota is adding jobs to its plant in Putnam County.
The automaker announcing a $912 million investment in its U.S. plants including $453 million at Toyota West Virginia in Buffalo where 80 new jobs will be created.
According to Toyota, the investment will “increase assembly of 4-cylinder hybrid-compatible engines, sixth generation hybrid transaxles and rear motor stators. The expansion, which will begin production in 2027, also includes new shift patterns for greater

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — About 50 people filed into the Gold Ballroom in the Mountainlair Monday night for the final Public Employees Insurance Agency Finance Board public meeting on proposed health insurance plan changes.
The group provided the board information on what they would face due to the proposed three percent premium increase and the addition of a $200 spousal surcharge.
John Taylor, president of the Taylor County Association of Retired School Employees, said the increases cut directly

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A federal audit says the state Bureau of Social Services did not comply with intake, screening, assessment and investigation requirements for responding to reports of child abuse and neglect.
Kyneddi Miller
The Office of Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ordered the audit after the case of Kyneddi Miller, the Boone County teenager who starved to death at her home in 2024.
The audit report, posted Friday, said auditors reviewed 100 reports

Bluestone Coal, a company owned by Senator Jim Justice’s family, has had more than $3 million in liens filed against it for unpaid severance and special reclamation taxes over the past few years, according to public records on file in McDowell County.
The liens were filed by the West Virginia Tax Division between 2023, when Justice was still governor, and this past summer.
Bluestone Coal is run by members of the Justice family, including siblings Jay and Jill Justice, plus close associates,