radioNOVO News WV News Roundup for June 04, 2026

Good morning,Federal and West Virginia law enforcement officials have announced the major takedown of two multi-state drug trafficking organizations, resulting in thirteen federal arrests. F-B-I Director Kash Patel joined U.S. Attorney Matt Harvey at a press conference in Martinsburg to detail the coordinated operation. The two rival networks are accused of moving significant quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine into Berkeley and Jefferson counties over a two-year period. Investigators seized bulk narcotics, illegal firearms, and tens of thousands of dollars in cash and luxury assets during the tactical raids, and several suspects remain at large.Meanwhile, a former grave digger at a Cabell County cemetery is facing criminal charges in a deeply troubling case. A Cabell County grand jury has officially indicted Matthew Fortner on charges of unlawfully transporting removed human remains and lying to investigators. Authorities say Fortner was digging a new grave at Baylous Cemetery in Salt Rock when he struck a casket containing the remains of an infant buried there in nineteen-eighty-two. Investigators allege Fortner dug up the casket and callously dumped it over a hillside near the cemetery.In transportation news, the West Virginia Parkways Authority is actively studying whether to completely eliminate physical toll booths on the West Virginia Turnpike. The landmark safety study is evaluating a total switch to an all-electronic system, allowing drivers to pass through at full highway speeds. Executive Director Chuck Smith expects the study to wrap up this summer, noting that toll rates would not increase to pay for the upgrade.And West Virginia’s spring forest fire season has officially come to a close. Division of Forestry Director Jeremy Jones reports that crews responded to nearly seven hundred separate fires across the state, burning over eight thousand acres.I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News.