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Times West Virginian •

Documents: Former Marion County employee studied law on Circuit Court Clerk's dime

FAIRMONT — The Marion County Circuit Clerk’s Office reimbursed a former employee almost $50,000 from 2019 to 2022 for payments made to West Virginia University, according to records obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.

Current Circuit Clerk Belinda Biafore said the payments were unrelated to any function performed by Circuit Clerk employees. The state auditor’s office is investigating.

“The county wants to get to the bottom of this, find the truth of the matter,” County Attorney
Times West Virginian •

West Virginia University eclipse watch event serves as giant outdoor classroom

DeVault and his wife invited a family friend on a three hour road trip to Ohio, where the moon’s shadow would travel across the earth’s surface, temporarily turning day to night.

“It’s something she had never seen,” DeVault said. “I was kind of amazed at her interest in it. She knew a lot about it and I said, ‘well, we need to get the total eclipse, that’s the big enchilada.’ And she was like, ‘oh my god, that’d be great.’”

It’s a special moment for DeVault as well, who believes this might be
Times West Virginian •

Pagans' member murder trial ends in guilty verdict, no mercy

FAIRMONT — On Wednesday, Marion County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Sean Murphy showed the jury photos police took of Henry Silver’s body after he was gunned down by men in black ski masks in 2022.

Members of Silver’s family wept in the front row. On Friday, the jury gave them justice with a guilty verdict.

The jury found John Lee Wolfe guilty of conspiring to murder Silver on the night of Sept. 9, 2022. The state accused members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club of killing Silver in the parking
Times West Virginian •

Evidence unravels Pagans' defense in Marion County Circuit Court

FAIRMONT — Assistant County Prosecuting Attorney Sean Murphy buried John Wolfe’s defense with an avalanche of forensic evidence on day two of his trial.

Wolfe faces murder and conspiracy charges for the killing of Henry Silver in September 2022.

“Keep your phone on, I might need bail money,” Wolfe wrote to Ryan Lane on Sept. 9, 2022 by text. Lane is president of the Pagans Motorcycle Club chapter Wolfe belongs to.

Ten minutes later, Silver was gunned down in the parking lot of the Carolina Ar
Times West Virginian •

Defense makes Pagans' trial outcome unclear on day one in Marion County Circuit Court

FAIRMONT — It seemed like an open and shut case, with the prosecution ready to mount a strong case on the first day of the John Lee Wolfe trial.

However, by the end of the day, it was clear Wolfe’s defense attorneys weren’t prepared to allow the prosecution the luxury of a foregone conclusion.

Wolfe is on trial for the 2022 killing of Henry Silver in Carolina. Assistant Marion County Prosecuting Attorney Sean Murphy characterized the case as one that had the hallmarks of a compelling Netflix s
Times West Virginian •

Gunfight shooter’s grandfather tells story of a life spiraling out of control

FAIRMONT — Lawrence Michael Jecker has one dream that sticks out in vivid memory for him. His step-grandson, Peyton Fritts, and Fritts’ deceased father, are standing on a ledge overlooking a body of water.

“[Fritts’ father] is holding Peyton really tight, Peyton’s face is — like, their hearts are together,” Jecker said. “I mean, they’re just — he just closed his eyes and he leaps into the water. And then, downstream a little later, a young boy is down there and he’s walking along the bank and h
Times West Virginian •

Fairmont City Council grills organizers of questionable event

FAIRMONT — Fairmont City Council denied the permission LumberjAxe sought in order to sell alcohol at a dwarf wrestling event they had planned for June.

The majority of council voted down a proposed ordinance that would have granted consent for the event with the exception of Council Members Josh Rice and Rick Garcia.

“At the end of the day we’re representatives of our community,” Councilmember Rebecca Moran said. “I talked to a bunch of people in my community, including an individual with dwar
Times West Virginian •

Fairmont City Council to approve $125,000 contract for new city manager

FAIRMONT — The City of Fairmont will pay incoming City Manager Travis Blosser an annual salary of $125,000, according to documents presented to city councilors for next Tuesday’s meeting.

Council will vote on approving Blosser’s contract and bringing him onboard officially at the March 26 meeting. Blosser negotiated his salary and contract with Mayor Anne Bolyard and City Attorney Kevin Sansalone.

“The thing I’m most excited to bring to bear as Fairmont’s City Manager is just, oozing passion t
Times West Virginian •

Marion County Volunteer Fire Departments maintain detailed records of levy expenses

BUNNER RIDGE — Each of Marion County’s 13 volunteer fire departments is an open book, Bunner Ridge Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Roger Channel, said on Monday.

Channel is also secretary of the Fire Levy Board, which oversees the distribution of funds from the levy to each of the volunteer fire departments. Levy board meetings are open to the public, however, there is no set date and time for them. Channel explained the board tries to meet once a quarter, but conflicting schedules between
Times West Virginian •

Marion County Schools: Challenging factors force $2.5M in cuts to balance budget

FAIRMONT — Marion County Schools will cut 40 positions this semester for next school year, in response to dwindling student enrollment and expiring federal funds.

School Superintendent Donna Heston revealed the information during an informational presentation on staff reductions Thursday at the Board of Education offices. The school system lost 141 students between September and March 13. At the same time, expiring federal COVID pandemic funding and mandatory increases in the form of raises and
Times West Virginian •

Fairmont Catholic School students get firsthand civics lesson from circuit court judge

FAIRMONT — Lucy Sole, 8th grader at Fairmont Catholic School, got her first taste of what a future as a lawyer might look like Tuesday afternoon.

Marion County Circuit Court Judge David Janes hosted 7th and 8th grade students from the parochial school in his courtroom, taking time from his schedule to introduce them to the legal system.

When Janes asked the students who was interested in becoming a lawyer, Sole’s hand shot up almost immediately.

“I really enjoyed the trip, it was very nice an
Times West Virginian •

Devil is in the details for election reform

FAIRMONT — West Virginia’s retiring Senator, Joe Manchin, broke third party hearts everywhere last month.

At a press conference in Morgantown, he revealed he had no plan to go down in history as the Senator who threw the election to Trump as a third party presidential candidate. While that was the top story from the conference, Manchin also revealed ideas which if he follows through on in his life as a private citizen, might be more meaningful and consequential than a third party run.

Manchin
Times West Virginian •

Film explores Appalachia after the reign of 'King Coal'

FAIRMONT — Tea in the mid-19th century wasn’t just a commodity, it was an integral part of Chinese culture. It continues to play an important role in the different societies throughout Asia.

But tea also functioned as a lever on the fulcrum of history. Of such importance was tea to the factories of the UK during the Industrial Revolution, that the British Empire decided it was a good idea to get China addicted to opium just so the British could keep trading the drug for more tea.

To West Virgi
Times West Virginian •

Fairmont officials look forward after naming new city manager

FAIRMONT — Del. Mike DeVault recalls a time during the West Virginia legislative session when his colleagues offered up what he perceived initially to be bad legislation.

At a caucus meeting, he brought up his concerns. A fellow delegate informed him the legislation was really about bringing a new company to the state, and if this legislation didn’t change a crucial word, the state was going to miss out on the investment. Putting the company’s name out there might hurt the business’s competitiv
Times West Virginian •

With new Fairmont city manager named, just how did Council make its decision?

FAIRMONT — Although Travis Blosser’s nomination was near unanimous among Fairmont City Council, one council member dissented at the choice.

“I’m not saying that Mr. Blosser won’t do a good job for Fairmont, but I felt as for me, as a representative of the city of Fairmont. I was voted in to make the best decision on the most qualified candidate for the city of Fairmont,” Deputy Mayor Josh Rice said. “And he wasn’t it for me.”

Blosser’s nomination proved controversial among members of the publi
Times West Virginian •

Council to negotiate hiring Travis Blosser as city manager under allegations of improper conduct

FAIRMONT — An allegation Fairmont City Council broke the open meetings act overshadowed the nomination of Travis Blosser as the tenth city manager at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

Council voted on a resolution to nominate Blosser to city manager in order to begin contract negotiations, to which Deputy Mayor Josh Rice was the single dissenting vote. However, before the resolution was heard, a member of the public voiced her concerns regarding an email sent by Human Resources Manager Paula Fri
Times West Virginian •

Solar expansion can resume in West Virginia after Solar Holler, FirstEnergy reach agreement

FAIRMONT — Solar energy users who sell energy back to the energy grid maintained by FirstEnergy Corp. will no longer have their sale price cut by half.

Dan Conant, founder and CEO of Solar Holler, announced the news Wednesday at a virtual press conference. Solar Holler installs the infrastructure buildings need to become capable of harnessing the sun’s rays to generate electricity. They intervened on behalf of solar users in front of the West Virginia Public Service Commission to advocate again
Times West Virginian •

Four years on, WVU Medicine's management earns rave reviews at Fairmont Medical Center

FAIRMONT — Since 2020, DD Meighen has been to the emergency room at Fairmont Medical Center three times.

He was diagnosed with cancer, leading to health complications which require periodic health interventions.

“The care is exceptional there,” Meighen said. “Every time, I’ve been extremely pleased and extremely satisfied with the rotating doctors and everything. Even my family from Clarksburg who live close to UHC chose to come to Fairmont to the ER because they know of their ability to see y
Times West Virginian •

Manchin won't spoil election between Biden and Trump

MORGANTOWN — Sen. Joe Manchin reframed American politics past the ideological clashes between Democrats and Republicans seen in Congress on Friday in Morgantown.

Manchin stopped by Vantage Ventures as part of his larger listening tour across the country, where he also announced he would not act as a spoiler for the presidential race. However, Manchin laid out the intellectual foundations for a movement dedicated to bringing a third party into electoral politics.

“The political parties are not
Times West Virginian •

Manchin won't spoil election between Biden and Trump

MORGANTOWN — Sen. Joe Manchin reframed American politics past the ideological clashes between Democrats and Republicans seen in Congress on Friday in Morgantown.

Manchin stopped by Vantage Ventures as part of his larger listening tour across the country, where he also announced he would not act as a spoiler for the presidential race. However, Manchin laid out the intellectual foundations for a movement dedicated to bringing a third party into electoral politics.

“The political parties are not
Times West Virginian •

Congestion woes at White Hall Elementary lead to debate at council

WHITE HALL — Jo recalls the time an ambulance picked her up from her home close to the top of a hill that Timrod Drive lays on in White Hall.

An illness caused an emergency severe enough to where an ambulance became necessary. Jo is a pseudonym, she requested her name be withheld to protect her privacy.

However, what made Jo nervous was that her ambulance pickup coincided with the end of the school day at White Hall Elementary.

“We got down the hill, I’m facing, looking up at the hill and yea
Times West Virginian •

Student choice gives rise to new elective courses in Marion County Schools

“I find how languages developed very interesting,” she said. “The linguistic process, it’s so cool. English, it’s a lingua franca now and that’s partly because of the internet and stuff. But it came from, a lot of words came from other languages like French or German or other languages, and that’s why we have some weird spelling.”

Weird spelling will be familiar to survivors from the spelling bee. Next year, students will have their chance for revenge by dissecting how languages like English an
Times West Virginian •

Police pay dominates at Fairmont City Council budget workshop

FAIRMONT — Fairmont City Council is racing to have its 2024-2025 budget finalized in time for the March 28 deadline, but tripped over a police shaped obstacle at a budget work session Tuesday afternoon.

After Mayor Anne Bolyard opened discussion on the budget, Fairmont Police Chief Steve Shine raised an issue that is driving what he sees as a real problem to continued efficacy of the police department.

“We have not kept up with surrounding agencies and been competitive with them,” he said duri
Times West Virginian •

Mon County Health Department gives kids something to smile about

MORGANTOWN — Tiffany Summerlin, registered dental hygienist, bends over Gael Garcia, one of the children present for Monongalia County Health Department’s Give Kids a Smile! event at its dentistry office.

His mother, Llorleni Garcia, stands out in the hallway. They are uninsured. Llorleni immigrated to the country two years ago from Nicaragua. She does not speak English, and works through a translator to speak to Summerlin.

“I brought him for a cleaning,” Garcia said. “I also wanted to ask som
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