radioNOVO News WV News Roundup for August 28, 2026

Good morning.At the state capitol, West Virginia has a new member in the House of Delegates. Republican Bill Vest of Fayette County was officially sworn into office after being appointed by Governor Patrick Morrisey. Vest, a public safety veteran with over four decades of experience, fills the legislative vacancy left by former Delegate Elliott Pritt following his resignation last month.In economic news, layoffs are coming to the southern coalfields. Eagle Horizon Resources has submitted a state notice confirming it will permanently lay off seventy-one workers at its mining operation near Ashford in Boone County. The layoffs are scheduled to take effect October eleventh.In healthcare news, Marshall Health Network has unveiled a major upgrade in Mason County, cutting the ribbon on a brand-new emergency department at Rivers Health in Point Pleasant. Backed by seven million dollars from the state’s Rural Hospital Grant program, the twelve-thousand-square-foot facility is more than double the size of the previous E-R and will officially open to patients on September first.This comes as state transportation officials clamp down on administrative spending, canceling a sixty-three-and-a-half-million-dollar contract meant to modernize the Division of Motor Vehicles' computer infrastructure. Transportation Secretary Todd Rumbaugh says the initial bidding process lacked sufficient top-level oversight and led to inflated costs, prompting the state to restart the proposal process from scratch.In North Central West Virginia, a former Marion County Board of Education president has filed a sworn affidavit in an ongoing lawsuit against the school district. Former board president George Boyles stated that Superintendent Doctor Donna Heston received a positive performance review prior to the board's contentious decision regarding her contract extension, alleging certain board members circulated false personal claims.And in sports, the West Virginia University women’s soccer team is off to an undefeated start. The seventh-ranked Mountaineers carry a three-and-oh record into their weekend road trip against Princeton and Army, coming off back-to-back wins over N-C-A-A tournament contenders.For more news from across the Mountain State, download the radioNOVO app. I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News, a service of Seven Mountains Media.