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Kanawha Circuit Judge Richard Lindsay cut through a couple of layers of confusion to issue a verbal order denying a family’s religious exemptions claim to school vaccination requirements, with the judge concluding that the state has a compelling health interest in suppressing the spread of disease.
The first practical challenge in the courtroom was that a Charleston mother representing her family without a lawyer did not attend the hearing for a second time that it had been scheduled. Because

Officials announced the Mountain State Plugging Fund, a public-private collaboration between the State of West Virginia and Diversified Energy to work toward the retirement of oil and gas wells.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey
“This initiative sends a clear message: West Virginia can both be a leader in energy dominance and in environmental solutions,” Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in the announcement.
A well is considered abandoned in West Virginia after 12 months idle. If the operator is unknown or

CHEAT LAKE, W.Va. — Representatives with the West Virginians Against Transmission Line Injustice were joined by Cheat Lake area residents to continue to voice opposition to the proposed MidAtlantic Resiliency Link, MARL, at a Wednesday evening meeting near Morgantown.
David McCormick
More than 40 residents were joined by members of the state legislature the Monongalia County Commission, and even mayors from neighboring towns to discuss what the best options are to prevent the MARL transmission

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Wednesday morning head-on crash on Corridor G in South Charleston sent two drivers to the hospital.
According to South Charleston police, a driver heading north near Childress Road at around 10 a.m. went across the median and slammed into a southbound vehicle causing it to overturn.
Both drivers were injured. Police said one suffered life-threatening injuries while the other suffered serious injuries. They were both rushed to the hospital.
Photos from the scene show a

Gov. Patrick Morrisey said today that the State of West Virginia will continue paying to keep national parks open during a key tourism season as the federal shutdown continues.
West Virginia’s “donation agreement” to keep national parks open in the state began near the start of this month. Originally, the state was aiming for 14 days. Now that the shutdown has stretched on, Morrisey said the state’s financial support to open the parks will continue.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey
“Just a few days into

Lawyers for Justice Holdings are asking a circuit judge to quickly halt a foreclosure sale of about 400 lots at the Resort at Glade Springs.
Jim Justice
Justice Holdings is a company owned by the family of Senator Jim Justice, R-W.Va.
Several hundred lots owned by Justice Holdings are up for foreclosure sale at 9 a.m. Oct. 29, according to a legal notice in Friday’s Beckley Register-Herald.
The sale has been prompted by a longstanding dispute over homeowners fees at Glade Springs.
Lawyers for

A hearing in yet another court case over religious exemptions to school vaccination requirements has been set for 10 a.m. Wednesday in Kanawha Circuit Court.
This is awkwardly timed because a circuit judge in Raleigh County last week announced his intent to certify a class of families with similar claims. The class could cover the more than 570 families whose students are seeking admission to school all over the state after receiving religious exemptions from the state health department.
But

Parents of homeschool families have sent dozens of written messages to express frustration over the online purchasing system for school supplies through the Hope Scholarship, which provides financial support for families pursuing education outside the public school system.
Homeschool families cited delayed or pending orders, frequently mentioning wait times exceeding 10 days and expressed concern that their children would be unable to start school without necessary materials, according to

West Virginia public health officials acknowledge that families seeking religious exemptions to school vaccination policies do not have to elaborate on their beliefs.
All that families seeking such exemptions have to provide is the name of the student, the school, the parent’s name and the family’s mailing address along with a mention of religious exemptions to confirm that’s what the request is about.
The Department of Health accepts such applications as a self-evident statement of the