radioNOVO News WV News Roundup for July 20, 2026

 Good morning. From the radioNOVO State News Center, here is your West Virginia morning roundup.We lead with a massive federal funding announcement that marks the largest grant in West Virginia University history. The National Science Foundation has selected the WVU-led RETI Consortium to receive up to one-hundred-and-sixty-million dollars over the next decade to develop next-generation energy technologies, grid reliability systems, and cybersecurity infrastructure. An additional one-hundred-and-sixty-one million dollars in matching investments from regional industry and philanthropic partners brings the total project investment to over three-hundred-and-twenty-million dollars, a move projected to generate twenty-one thousand jobs across West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania.Meanwhile, families across the Mountain State can officially begin applying for the annual back-to-school clothing voucher program starting today. The state Department of Human Services program provides crucial funds for more than eighty-thousand eligible children to help families purchase new school outfits, following a brief administrative delay earlier this summer. Applications are being accepted online through the WVPATH portal or in person at local county offices.In surveillance news, Huntington city leaders are facing intense community backlash and a new civil rights lawsuit after approving a controversial two-point-one-million-dollar surveillance contract. Despite significant public opposition during a lengthy city council meeting, officials passed the deal to install high-tech Flock Safety cameras to monitor incoming traffic. The ACLU of West Virginia has since filed suit in Cabell County Circuit Court, claiming the city skipped mandatory legal procedures before voting on the multi-million-dollar package.This comes as West Virginia's Secretary of State Kris Warner reassures voters that local election infrastructure remains safe, honest, and completely secure. Warner addressed recent federal concerns regarding domestic voting records by clarifying that neither the White House nor any federal intelligence agencies have notified state officials of any existing vulnerabilities or cyber threats ahead of the upcoming general election.And down in the Mid-Ohio Valley, three out-of-state and local suspects are behind bars following a major late-night drug raid on Seventh Street in Vienna. The Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force and local tactical teams seized approximately thirty-seven grams of suspected fentanyl after catching the suspects attempting to flush the drug supply down a toilet.Finally, sports fans are waking up to the end of a historic era on the ice. The Pittsburgh Penguins have officially announced they are terminating their nearly three-decade-long partnership with the Wheeling Nailers, confirming they will no longer serve as the team’s primary NHL affiliate due to unique developmental circumstances.Reporting from the state capital, I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News, a service of Seven Mountains Media.