MetroNews This Morning
MetroNews This Morning 7-5-24
Today on MetroNews This Morning:
--A judge refuses to allow a cases against a former Harrison County boarding school to be moved to another jurisdiction
--Lowe's will direce $200,000 toward renovations at two West Virginia fire departments
--The Charleston Sternwheel Regatta continues to draw big crowd despite dodging thunderstorms
--In Sports: the Reds sweep the Yankees in New York
- Duration:
- 13m
- Broadcast on:
- 05 Jul 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
This is Metro News this morning, bringing you this morning's biggest news headlines from across the state. It is Friday, July 5th, 2024. Good morning. I'm Chris Lawrence, ready to roll with a Friday edition of the Metro News this morning. Podcasts forecast today, pretty much the same as it has been, hot and humid, and the possibility of some pretty violent thunderstorms popping up just about anywhere later in the day. They'll run down at West Virginia, where the forecast for you in just a moment. Right now, though, let's turn to the latest from across the state of West Virginia at the Metro News Anchor desk with Carrie Huda said. Good morning, Carrie. Good morning, Chris. The ongoing civil lawsuits against the defunct Harrison County boarding school will stay in Kanaw County. Kanaw County Circuit, as Dave Hardy says, the attempt by the insurance companies representing Miracle Meadows School was nothing more than a Hail Mary when it was before him this week. They sought to remove the remaining abuse cases to Harrison County. More than 100 cases from former students and families associated with the school have already settled out of court for more than $100 million. Hardy says all of those cases were in Kanaw County, and the rest should be too. Playing as the attorney, Jesse Forbes, agrees. The reality is Miracle Meadows School was not located in West Virginia anymore. The abuse at the school began when the school started in 1987 and continues until 2014. Forbes and plaintiffs attorney Ben Salango continued to get calls from former students who went to become part of the lawsuits. I'm Jeff Jenkins, WV, Metronews.com. One person is dead and several others are injured following a five vehicle crash overnight in Kabul County. It happened at around nine o'clock Thursday night at the intersection of U.S. Route 60 and Davis Creek Road in Barbersville. Some of the victims were trapped in the wreckage names have not been released. Authorities in Kabul County are also investigating the death of a man whose body was found in Huntington Thursday morning. The body was located in a parking lot in the 800 block up 6th Avenue shortly after 8 o'clock in the morning. Investigators say drugs may have been a factor in the death. No foul play is suspected. Lowe's home improvement will use nearly $200,000 to renovate two volunteer fire department facilities in the state. Lowe's district manager, Brittany Roberts, says materials will be provided to the Milton and Spelter volunteer fire departments renovate the facility's common room, the kitchen, sleeping quarters and the gym flooring feelings and paint will also be updated throughout the facility to create a more comfortable space for the hard work that they all do. Members of the department will help the members of the community are also encouraged to help as well. Morgantown firefighters are concerned as new policies are enacted by the city to comply with the new state law. The measure sponsored by Monangalia County Senator Mike Oliveira requires municipalities to pay firefighters during holidays for their entire shift, even if it spans two calendar days or give them equal time off. Oliveira says Morgantown needs to look at their budgets. These are things that Morgantown needs to do to reduce expenses and areas that are not important and fund the things that are priorities and are the principal responsibilities of a municipality. MMO, last month of firefighters from the city manager called the measure an unfunded mandate that will require a reduction in minimum crew sizes and an increase in fire fees for residents. International Association of Firefighters Local 313 President Chuck Campbell says the firefighters love their jobs and community, but believe the city should follow the law when it comes to firefighter pay. My interpretation of that memo is almost as if city administration is blaming the firefighters for having to do this and having to raise the fire service fees to accomplish that. Morgantown firefighters and their attorney Teresa Torreseva have been in litigation against the city since 2019 over their pay policy. The Charleston Sternwheel Vergata enters a third day along the Knaw River. Jim Krantz, captain of the Sternwheeler Donna Ray, has been showing off and raising his boat at the five day Vergata since it returned to the capital city three years ago. He says the boat is a lot to maintain. More than just having the boat, a person has to really enjoy all of the care that it takes. It's a house with an engine, made a steel sitting in the water. It's just something happening all the time to take care of. The Sternwheeler boat race kicks off at one o'clock Sunday afternoon. Despite a passing storm on Thursday, the Vergata and the city's Fourth of July fireworks went off with a big crowd and a lot of fun celebrating the fourth. The Fab Four rocked the main stage and people enjoyed all the activities, including the Tudor's biscuit world hot dog eating contest. The winner there downed 19 hot dogs. Today's event features the firemen's parade at five o'clock, then Emily Roberts on stage at six thirty. The headliner tonight is Montgomery gentry featuring Eddie Montgomery. Triple A says a record number of Americans are traveling this holiday weekend. The book's person Tiffany Stanley says because July 4th was on Thursday, it opened two weekends for travel. Our forecast actually includes two weekends. Now historically, we only include one weekend of travel, but since this holiday lands on a Thursday, we're seeing that people are actually taking the entire week. An estimated six million people travel by air through Sunday. That's an all-time record breaking the previous record set back in 2019. Today workers have the day off today, Governor Jim Justice declaring today a state holiday in addition to the 4th of July holiday, meaning all state offices are closed. Thank you, Kerry. Coming up in a moment, we will hear more about that case involving the old Miracle Meadows School in Harrison County, which the remaining lawsuits over that will stay in Canaw County's jurisdiction. We'll hear more about that coming up in our background. Cal Wigs is at the sports desk. You'll have that coming up. The Reds get a sweep of the Yankees and the Bronx will tell you about that in all the day's sports. Still ahead. The high school football season is fast approaching, and you can get ready with video previews of your favorite teams. Now on the new Metro News TV app, Joe Percato will visit all 55 counties this summer to get the latest on the upcoming season, check out the free season hype, and get all your favorite Metro News shows like Talkline with Hoppy Kerchival, Sportsline with Tony Caritini, and three guys before the game free by downloading the new Metro News TV app on your smart TV or streaming device. Now watch the voice of West Virginia on the new Metro News TV app downloaded today. Hi, this is Hoppy Kerchival, inviting you to join me weekdays from 10-0-6 to noon for Metro News Talkline. Each day, I try to provide the very latest news and information about our state and our nation. I interview newsmakers and thought leaders who help us better understand these stories. Yes, I mix in my observations, but mostly I just want us to be better informed. So I'm inviting you to be my radio and streaming companion as we sort out and work through the news and information of each day. That's Talkline, weekdays, 10-0-6 to noon on this Metro News radio station. West Virginia Outdoors is the Mountain State's only hook and bullet radio show dedicated to the more than quarter million hunters and anglers across the state. Award-winning host Chris Lawrence has been tracking down hunting and fishing stories for more than 25 years. Stock fish for repatriation purposes, so that's reintroduction, re-establishment of Brooktroughs and two of those streams, the oldest that we have worked on, the earliest ones that we started putting fish into. We've noticed natural reproduction in both of those streams. Whether it's hunting and fishing news or just compelling stories about the enjoyment of the great outdoors. It was a pretty good flight, it took me about 10 minutes to get it in. My dad actually had to run to the truck and grab a nap 'cause there was no way. I could lift him up over top of the rail. West Virginia Outdoors covers it all Saturday mornings at 7.06 a.m. And for your daily fix. Outdoors today brings you two and a half minutes of news and notes from the woods and water every weekday morning on Metro News, the voice of West Virginia. Kyle Wigs, we'll have sports in a moment, right now in our background, are seven years after word-first surface of the abuse that was going on at the Miracle Meadows School in Harrison County. The impact continues. The plaintiff's attorney, Jesse Forbes, says former students who suffered abuse continue to join civil lawsuits against the insurance companies that covered that school. And Forbes says he hopes this case is serving as a deterrent, more from him and our backgrounder. There should be no defense to it. I mean, this is something where there's no question what happened. I mean, we've taken depositions of law enforcement, of CPS workers, of children that have been in this place, of workers that have been there. There's no one that with a straight face can dispute what happened to these kids. So there is no defense to this. There should be no defense to this. And these cases have continued to resolve over the years. I mean, as you've reported before, there's been over $100 million in settlements in these cases. And that's a testament to what the cases are and what the kids went through and what justice they deserve. And also, the hope is that that sends a message to bad schools that might be out there in the world that are operating improperly, that someone's not looking at. You've got an oversight from insurance or whoever that's not looking at what's happening. They can come in and look at those things and say, listen, we've got to fix this because this can't happen again. And so you hope that this sends a message clearly through these settlements that this cannot happen. It should not happen anywhere in America. It certainly shouldn't happen in West Virginia. And we look forward to continuing to get justice for the survivors of this horrible, horrible school. And lawyer, Jesse Forbes, time now to go to the sports desk. Kyle Wigs is in call. The last time the Reds got a sweep of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium was the 1976 World Series. That was a big deal yesterday. It was a big day. And what's more, no nationally team had ever swept an inter league series on the road at Yankee Stadium. And the Reds accomplished that since daddy hit three home runs, Nick Martini, a solo shot in the second shot of an India, a solo home run on the third Spencer steer hit a three run shot in the fifth inning. Yankees made it five to two. Then Jake Fraley really broke the game open. He had a three run triple in the seventh. The Reds beat the Yankees by a final of eight to four. And again, since daddy becomes the first nationally team to sweep a regular season inter league series and the Bronx and that sweep helps the Reds get closer to the five hundred marks since daddy had 42 and 45 on the year. They beat the Yankees on the fourth of July eight to four. The Cardinals and the Pirates played a great series in Pittsburgh tight games and including a couple of extra inning games back to back. The Pirates won an extra innings over St. Louis on Wednesday night on the fourth of July. The Cardinals had a one nothing lead. Brian Reynolds tied the game with a solo home run on the fourth that stayed one one until the 10th. The Cardinals got back to back RBI singles in the 10th. The second one from Alec Burleson made it three to one and that was the eventual game winning hit. Pirates countered with a single run in the bottom of the 10th St. Louis wins the series and wins the game on the 4th of July. That final was three to two. Seattle beat Baltimore seven to three Christian walkers red hot for Arizona. He's hit four home runs and two games. A pair of home runs for Walker on the 4th of July leading Arizona past the Dodgers nine to three giants doubled up Atlanta four to two he and half Homer twice for the Cubs and attended to win over Philadelphia Jesse Winker accounted for the game's lone run with an eighth ending home run as Washington beat the Mets one to nothing and all star Juricks and pro far Homer San Diego beat the Rangers by final of three to one so big day of baseball on the 4th of July Argentina beat Ecuador four to two on penalties to move into the semi final round of the Copa America on Thursday. So Argentina is moving on it is a Friday sports line is back tonight. The Metro News statewide sports line 606 until seven o'clock tonight with mountaineer talk. Thank you, Kyle. Listen in tomorrow morning for my show West Virginia outdoors. I'll be on the air at 706 statewide on the radio or catch the live stream at our website WV Metro News dot com. Now if you happen to be tied up and can't catch us live tomorrow morning, we do a podcast to the show as soon as it clears the air that podcast is uploaded and available at all podcast sites or at our website WV Metro News dot com your West Virginia weather on this Friday going to be areas of low stratus or fog developing all across the state this morning shower and thunderstorm activity could fire up along a stalled front this afternoon. Most of that likely across southern West Virginia now shower and thunderstorms are possible just about everywhere tonight ahead of a new cold front. But that threat will diminish once the front crosses overnight high pressure system will start to build in tomorrow with any remaining precipitation tapering off temperatures looking to remain above average into next week. And now you're up to date. Have yourself a great day and a greater weekend for Kyle wigs and carry who to sec. I'm Chris Lawrence and this is Metro News the voice of West Virginia. (dramatic music)