radioNOVO News WV News Roundup for August 19, 2026

 Good morning. Here is your West Virginia State Roundup.A federal jury in Wheeling has awarded Marietta Memorial Hospital five million dollars in compensatory damages after finding Camden-Clark Medical Center liable for civil conspiracy and vicarious liability, according to legal reporting from The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. The verdict concludes a decade-long dispute after former Camden Clark executives made allegations to federal investigators regarding physician compensation. Hospital officials say the resolution clears the health system of wrongdoing and compensates for years of lost physician recruitment opportunities across the region.In regional energy news, corporate dispute filings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court reveal an ongoing battle over the future of the Pleasants Power Station in Pleasants County. Former owners Omnis Fuel Technologies have filed a motion to dismiss the plant’s Chapter Eleven bankruptcy, accusing current management backed by investor Tony Robbins of executing an unauthorized filing to block corporate governance rights. Former owners contend the coal-fired plant is cash-flow positive and financially sound, while current management alleges prior financial mismanagement.Turning to state government, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey has announced a policy shift directing a greater portion of future opioid settlement recoveries straight to local governments and the state legislature. While seventy percent of initial settlement funds went to the West Virginia First Foundation, McCuskey says future funds will give local mayors, county commissions, and lawmakers direct control over how addiction prevention and recovery dollars are allocated in their local communities.And Governor Patrick Morrisey has appointed former state delegate Kayla Kessinger as West Virginia’s new Secretary of Tourism, as reported by WV MetroNews. Kessinger, who represented portions of Fayette, Kanawha, and Nicholas counties for eight years in the House of Delegates, fills the cabinet post following the resignation of longtime secretary Chelsea Ruby. State officials say Kessinger will focus on expanding regional tourism partnerships across the Mountain State.For more news from across the state and your local community, download the radioNOVO app. I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News, a service of Seven Mountains Media.