radioNOVO News WV News Roundup for July 15, 2026

Good morning. We begin with a major multi-million-dollar federal settlement impacting healthcare facilities across the state. The West Virginia United Health System, doing business as WVU Medicine, has agreed to pay over four-point-one-seven million dollars to resolve civil allegations of Controlled Substances Act violations. A DEA investigation uncovered recordkeeping and reporting failures between 2017 and 2024, including a systemic failure to report thefts and significant losses of highly addictive medications.Meanwhile, a federal judge in Charleston has delivered a major victory to West Virginia election officials. District Judge Thomas Johnston dismissed a Department of Justice lawsuit that sought to force Secretary of State Kris Warner to hand over unredacted voter registration lists. The court ruled the federal government failed to show any valid legal reason to demand sensitive personal data, like partial social security numbers.In Huntington, local leaders are moving forward with a controversial two-million-dollar surveillance system. Despite overwhelming opposition from more than fifty residents at a marathon city council meeting, officials approved a five-year contract with Flock Safety. The network will install more than forty license plate readers, seventeen security cameras, and deploy two surveillance drones.Federal investigators are searching for answers following a tragic helicopter crash in Pocahontas County. State Police say a privately owned Sikorsky helicopter went down near Huntersville, claiming the life of fifty-seven-year-old pilot Leo Basile of Arthurdale. The N-T-S-B is leading the investigation into what caused the crash.And state health officials are warning residents to take precautions after a sudden, unusual spike in a rare intestinal virus. The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department has confirmed thirteen local cases of the severe stomach illness so far this year, a massive jump compared to their typical average of just one case annually.For more West Virginia news, download the radioNOVO app. I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News.