radioNOVO News WV News Roundup for August 24, 2026

 Good morning.A major federal drug trafficking and money laundering operation linking Detroit to West Virginia has been dismantled, as reported by The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. U.S. Attorney Matt Harvey announced a one-hundred-fourteen-count indictment charging twenty-eight individuals, including residents from Morgantown and Parkersburg. The two-year investigation netted pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, alongside seized firearms and over six-hundred-twenty-thousand dollars funneled through mobile payment apps.Governor Patrick Morrisey has announced new state funding to address urgent water infrastructure needs in Wayne County, according to the Charleston News Podcast. The state is directing four million dollars toward constructing a backup water line in Crum, along with one-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars to extend the Fort Gay water system to Lavalette. State officials and West Virginia American Water are also launching an investigation into the Town of Wayne’s municipal system, which is currently losing an estimated seventy percent of its water to leaks.The Bluefield State University Board of Governors convened an emergency closed-door meeting citing concerns of imminent substantial harm to the institution, according to WV MetroNews. University President Darrin Martin’s office reported that administration was not given specific details ahead of the session, which was listed on the Secretary of State's open meetings registry. No public decisions were announced following the executive session.In commercial aviation news, Breeze Airways is preparing to pause its nonstop service between Charleston's Yeager Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport early next year, as reported by Simple Flying. Airport officials note the flight suspension, effective after January third, twenty-twenty-seven, represents a seasonal schedule adjustment for the airline, though no official restart date has been established for the route.In Boone County, WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals has partnered with Van High School to supply dedicated athletic training services for the Bulldogs football program, resolving a staffing shortage that previously delayed team practices. Meanwhile, in the Northern Panhandle, Follansbee residents face an upcoming municipal rate increase, with monthly residential garbage fees rising to twenty-six dollars starting September first.For more news, download the radioNOVO app. I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News, a service of Seven Mountains Media.