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Kanawha County Circuit and Family Courts to implement E-Filing starting in April

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — E-filing is coming to all Kanawha County Circuit Court and Family Court matters starting next month.

The Kanawha County Circuit Clerk’s Office, in conjunction with the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, is announcing the implementation of electronic filing effective April 1. E-filing is the electronic filing of court documents by attorneys and staff, as well as, by certain government filers.

On Monday, CourtPLUS and WV E-File will be implemented in Kanawha County. WV E-File is part of the CourtPLUS Initiative to bring electronic filing and unified case management to all circuit and family courts in West Virginia. The project is sponsored by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

“E-filing will significantly change the way the Court works making it more efficient, accessible and modern,” Kanawha County Circuit Clerk Cathy Gatson said. “Court employees will be more productive as paper document processing is reduced.”

The WV E-File/CourtPlus project aims to make the judicial system more efficient and create better communication between counties.

“This has been a collaborative effort between numerous offices in preparation for this new venture,” Chris Mcclung said, Trial Court Administrator for the 13th Judicial Circuit of the state Supreme Court of Appeals. “On behalf of the Court, we welcome the implementation of electronic filing and intend to make progress everyday towards meeting the challenges of modernizing the court”

The WV E-File registration link for attorneys can be found at: //efile.courtswva.com/Pages/Account. People can register or visit the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals website at www.courtswv.gov.

More information can be found by calling the Kanawha County Circuit Clerk’s Office at 304-357-0440.

Source: Local News – WCHS Network | News • Sports • Business | Charleston, WV

As Yeager Airport’s Wildlife Patrol Dog turns 7, a new dog comes in turn learn from him

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia International Yeager Airport is celebrating its beloved Wildlife Patrol Dog’s 7th birthday, as well as welcoming in a new pooch to learn the ropes of runway-guarding.

After starting his career as the Wildlife Patrol Dog at CRW in 2018 when he was just one and half years old, a birthday party was held for Hercules on March 27 at the Kanawha County Public Library branch in Charleston.

Yeager Airport Director and CEO Dominque Ranieri told MetroNews that library staff as well as the community love Hercules and wanted to take part in celebrating him.

Dominique Ranieri

“He is 7 years old which is a huge deal, we’re so excited,” Ranieri said. “The Kanawha County Library does a great job with getting Hercules out into the community, especially with the younger community, so we love the opportunity to be able to celebrate him with them.”

However, since Hercules is now 7, Ranieri said they have to start planning for what’s next in their wildlife control program.

In doing so, Ranieri said they just welcomed another Border Collie to join the team. And she said he’s so new they don’t even have a name for him yet, but they are currently working on coming up with one.

Meanwhile, the new Border Collie is getting acclimated and receiving training for his soon-to-be role of deterring wildlife off of the runway.

Ranieri said Hercules will take in the new pup as his wingman so he can learn everything the job entails.

“He will work with Hercules on the airfield, learn from Hercules exactly what needs to be done in keeping all of the wildlife away from the aircraft, and as Hercules transitions to just doing his marketing roles, the new Border Collie will take on the bulk of the runway work,” she said.

She said since Hercules has been serving at the airport, the wildlife population on the airfield has dropped immensely, from birds to rabbits, and even the coyotes that prey on those animals have all backed off of the airfield and the surrounding area.

Ranieri said wildlife patrol is an important task at the airport.

“It has improved our wildlife control program so much over the years since Hercules has joined us, we know it’s effective, we know that it works for the different species we face here on our fields,” she said.

She said the wildlife patrol dog allows for the aircraft to land safely and without interruptions.

Ranieri said CRW will introduce the soon-to-be Wildlife Patrol Dog to the community soon after he gets acclimated at the airport.

Source: Local News – WCHS Network | News • Sports • Business | Charleston, WV

Dunlow Volunteer Fire Department closes

DUNLOW, W.Va. — The Dunlow Volunteer Fire Department has voluntarily closed operations.

The West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed Thursday that Dunlow VFD did not have a valid workers compensation insurance policy in place. The department then agreed to close voluntarily.

The closure of the Dunlow VFD is in effect until proper insurance coverage is in place.

According to Wayne County 911, there are plans in place for neighboring departments to provide coverage in the meantime.

Source: Local News – WCHS Network | News • Sports • Business | Charleston, WV

Charleston animal shelter seeks more donations, fosters following U-Haul crash

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Wooden beams have been put in place to support the corner roof of the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association shelter that was damaged after a U-Haul truck slammed into the building Wednesday morning.

Around 150 animals have been sent out to foster homes as a result of the crash. As of Thursday morning, there were about 15-20 dogs and 8 cats that still needed a foster.

Sarah Tolley, director of community engagement at KCHA, told MetroNews they’ve been amazed by the community response.

“We were shocked between a U-Haul ramming our building and shocked that so many people immediately came up. Within a half-hour of us posting that we needed help, we had a line of people out the door and it maintained that way until we left at 6:30 p.m.,” she said.

Charleston residents Marshall and Delilah were at the shelter Thursday to adopt a dog. Marshall said they were looking to get a dog anyway when they saw the urgent need for fosters Wednesday.

“We were here yesterday, and the truck ran through the building, so we didn’t get a chance, so we came back today,” he said. “It worked out.”

Angie Gillenwater, manager of community engagement at KCHA, provided an update on Thursday’s “580 Live” with Dave Allen heard on MetroNews flagship station 580-WCHS about the need for more pet supplies. She said they’re providing foster families with food, toys, and other items, but because there are so many fosters at once, they’re asking for donations from the public.

“We need food, bowls, blankets, towels,” Gillenwater said. “We went through an insane amount of clip leashes and flip leashes, so if you are able to donate either of those, that would be great as well.”

The shelter has about 40 functioning kennels, which is down from about 100 Wednesday.

Tolley said they’re asking people to foster for about a week while they figure out next steps for repairing the building.

“We’re asking for a week right now so we can get solid estimates of when our building will be repaired and we can go back to fully functioning,” she said. “Of course we understand if people can’t do the full week, even a night will be helpful for us.”

Photo by Jerry Waters

Gillenwater said, amazingly, only one dog was injured when the concrete blocks fell during the crash. She said the dog survived with an injured leg.

“A cinder block fell on her, but luckily she was a Great Pyrenees and walked away with a slight limp,” she said.

The driver of the U-Haul truck was at the shelter Wednesday to pick up his animal when he said his accelerator got stuck.

The Kanawha County Commission is working to help the Humane Association and will provide a financial donation.

Those looking to foster an animal are asked to come to the shelter’s clinic, Fix Charleston, at 1246 Greenbrier Street or contact Marissa Hsu at 681-319-1999.

Source: Local News – WCHS Network | News • Sports • Business | Charleston, WV

Winning $50,000 Powerball ticket sold at Chesterfield House

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A $50,000 winning Powerball ticket was sold at a Charleston retailer ahead of Wednesday night’s drawing.

The ticket was sold at the Chesterfield House on Chesterfield Avenue, according to the West Virginia Lottery.

The player matched four numbers and the Power Ball but did not purchase the Powerplay option.

According to the Lottery, the holder of the ticket should sign the back and call the Lottery at 304-558-0500 for instructions on how to claim the money.

Wednesday’s Powerball numbers were 37, 46, 57, 60, 66, and the Power Ball was 8.

The Powerball jackpot is currently $935 million ahead of Saturday night’s drawing.

Source: Local News – WCHS Network | News • Sports • Business | Charleston, WV

Traffic backed up on I-64 near Nitro

NITRO, W.Va. — Interstate 64 West is backed up Wednesday evening following a multi-vehicle crash.

Metro 911 dispatchers said the crash involved at least four vehicles. It occurred near the Nitro exit just before 5:30 p.m.

One lane of the interstate is closed for an unknown amount of time.

One person was checked by medics at the scene for injuries.

Source: Local News – WCHS Network | News • Sports • Business | Charleston, WV

Rollover crash with tractor-trailer backs up traffic on I-77

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. — A tractor-trailer was involved in a rollover crash Wednesday afternoon on I-77.

West Virginia State Police said the crash forced two lanes of I-77 southbound to be blocked.

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office along with fire and EMS crews all responded.

It’s unknown if there were any injuries.

Source: Local News – WCHS Network | News • Sports • Business | Charleston, WV

WV International Yeager efforts turning focus from runway extension to terminal building rebuild

The terminal building at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston. (Photo/Yeager Airport)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The project to extend the runway at West Virginia’s busiest airport is being paused for now to focus on another major undertaking.

Charleston-based Yeager Airport announced Wednesday it’s now going to focus its efforts on securing federal funding to modernize its 77-year-old terminal building.

Yeager Airport Director and CEO Dominque Ranieri said they made the decision to pause the nearly two-year-old Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) work for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the terminal. She said the Airfield portion of the multi-faceted project to improve the airport will specifically be paused to allow for additional planning to be conducted.

Dominique Ranieri

“This just gives us extra time for planning to make sure we are doing the right thing for the future of the airport, and this gives us the opportunity to move forward with a major terminal project and compete for those BIL – ATP funds,” Ranieri told MetroNews.

CRW is now making a push for terminal grant funding through the FAA’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Airport Terminal Program (BIL – ATP). The program provides competitive grants of $1 billion overall per year for airport terminal development projects– that address the aging infrastructure of U.S. airports– for a total of $5 billion in allocation from 2022 to 2026.

Ranieri said they are excited about that project’s prospects.

“CRW greatly appreciates the support the EIS process has received from the FAA, Senator Manchin, Senator Capito, and Congresswoman Miller,” Ranieri said. “We are very excited for the future and the possibility of upgrades to our terminal building.”

There’s been a community effort protesting the proposed runway expansion to 7,000 feet because it would impact Coonskin Park.

An environmental protection group known as Save Coonskin Park was formed in response, and their aim has been about getting the word out about the project and raising awareness of the many environmental damages it could potentially bring to the park.

Group spokesperson Jeremy Severn previously told MetroNews the proposal would be devastating for the park.

“It would end up kind of looking like a mountaintop removal coal mine site that would then be used as fill dirt to fill in the valley to extend the runway into the park,” he said.

“The biggest argument against it is that the airport does not need this longer runway to continue to service our area, and so they’re going to permanently take a park what was built for the citizens of Charleston,” Severn added

Once word got out that the airfield project was being put on pause, however, Severn said that it’s great news for them as saving the park from having a runway cutting through it has been their goal all along.

“For at least a temporary win here to be able to save that greenspace and to save our mountain tops, even though they are using the word ‘pause,’ it is definitely a win for us in this battle,” he told MetroNews Wednesday.

Severn went on to say that it’s not a matter of if or when the airport decides to pick back up on the runway project, however, it’s a matter of continuing to do everything the group can to stop it or something like it right now from ever happening again.

Those with Save Coonskin Park held a rally last August. (Photo/WCHS-TV)

“If and when Save Coonskin wins this battle of saving the park, what will our next steps be in trying to keep this from coming back up in the future, and so if this is a temporary winning this battle, we need to continue to focus on the war,” he said.

Severn said after acquiring 11,000 signatures on a petition the group launched last year to help save the park, as well as a Facebook group that has over 8,500 members, he said they definitely have the support to continue the fight if they need to.

However, airport authority board members expressed their concern at Wednesday’s meeting for pushing back the airfield portion of the project and shifting focus to the terminal, as they feel runway expansion needs to be the bigger priority in accommodating the larger aircrafts that are flying into the airport on a daily basis. Longtime airport board member Allen Tackett said that renovating the terminal would be like putting lipstick on a pig.

But, Ranieri said the terminal improvement project would also help to accomodate those aircraft carriers, as it will include adding on a large one-level hold room containing the right sized gate areas and jet bridges for the carriers.

She said the terminal project will move quickly as they know exactly where their priorities lie.

“We’re in a 77-year old building our priorities are, you know, our check point, our TSA check point is too narrow, so that’s priority number one getting the right sized check point for the facility, so that immediately improves the customer experience,” Ranieri said.

She said while some of the gates may have to be relocated, everything will stay open for airport customers during the renovation process of the terminal.

Ranieri could not give a specified date on when the terminal project would get underway.

Source: Local News – WCHS Network | News • Sports • Business | Charleston, WV

Shelter damaged after rental truck rolls through corner of building

The U-Haul went through the corner of the shelter. (Facebook)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A rental truck ran into a corner of the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association animal shelter Wednesday morning causing significant damage to the block building.

“The U-Haul truck is all that’s holding the roof up right now,” KCHA Community Engagement Manager Angie Gillenwater told MetroNews.

She said no one was outside to witness what happened but they heard it inside at just before 11 a.m.

“We all just heard a loud noise. The driver claims the gas pedal of the U-Haul got stuck,” Gillenwater said.

She said the Charleston Fire Department hopes to get the Greenbrier Street building stabilized in the hours to come.

The corner of the building taken off houses the shelter’s grooming area and includes a couple of dog kennels. Gillenwater said amazingly only one dog was injured.

“Luckily the dog was a very large breed dog, it was a Great Pyrenees, and it’s only limping on its leg. The concrete blocks did fall onto the dog but all we’ve seen now is an injured leg,” Gillenwater said.

The more immediate issue is finding fosters for the animals that are in the shelter. Gillenwater said every kennel was full when the crash occurred.

“We’re doing a desperate plea for fosters if anyone can take a dog into their home while we get this situation under control, that’s the ideal scenario,” she said.

Fosters are being asked to come to the shelter’s clinic, Fix Charleston, at 1246 Greenbrier Street or contact Marissa Hsu at 681-319-1999.

The Kanawha County Commission said it is working to help the Humane Association and will provide a financial donation. It’s also offering county facilities to help house some of the animals if necessary.

Source: Local News – WCHS Network | News • Sports • Business | Charleston, WV

Oak Hill students hold mental health outreach workshop

OAK HILL, W.Va. — Students at Oak Hill High School in Fayette County are working to bring mental health to the forefront.

Lily Zukowski

A mental health outreach workshop was held Wednesday to provide other student support teams from across West Virginia with tools to implement student-led mental health committees.

The workshop was led by the Oak Heal Outreach Team where senior Lily Zukowski serves as president. She said it’s important to have a space where students can talk with their peers about the issues they face in school.

“Around teenagers specifically there’s always been a negative stigma, so I’m learning to spread positive awareness to kind of eliminate that,” Zukowski told MetroNews.

The team was formed more than two years ago in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zukowski said she started high school on lockdown.

“My freshman year I was completely virtual, so I was isolated. I didn’t get to hang out with my friends, talk to people or anything like that. Online classes were via Zoom,” she said. “I’ve always been a social person so that isolation was really hard on me.”

Elementary schools, middle school and high schools from across the state from 17 counties were in Oak Hill for Wednesday’s event.

Oak Hill High School Project Aware Therapist Tiffanny Gray was there to speak with school leaders about ways to implement student-led events surrounding mental health.

“We just want to basically teach them the same concept of student-led mental health groups, how you can run events, plan out things and really make that lasting impact for mental health within your school building,” she said.

Gray said sometimes it’s easier for students to open up to their peers rather than a counselor or parent.

“Kids sometimes don’t open up as much to adults. They’re worried about how an adult may perceive them. Sometimes they’re more vulnerable with students who are their friends, so if we have someone who has already built that relationship who can teach them those coping skills that they may need or even just be someone who can listen to them, it just makes a better impact,” she said.

Gray said it’s also about creating community and learning to create a safe space where students can feel heard.

Breakout sessions focused on developing new teams, utilizing school-wide data, increasing community partnerships and parent engagement, and marketing to student audiences to increase involvement.

Wednesday’s event was held at the New River Health Convention Center in Fayette County.

Source: Local News – WCHS Network | News • Sports • Business | Charleston, WV