A former Eastern Kentucky sheriff charged with murdering a district judge in 2024 will no longer testify in person at a civil trial involving his former deputy. Shawn “Mickey” Stines, 45, previously served as sheriff of Letcher County. He is charged in the Sept. 19, 2024, fatal shooting of Kevin Mullins inside the judge’s chambers. … Read more
SUMMERS COUNTY, W.Va. — Healthcare officials are alerting residents to a powerful synthetic opioid known as cyclorphine that has recently been identified in Kentucky and linked to overdose deaths in neighboring states. According to a social media post from the Summers County location of Appalachian Regional Healthcare, cyclorphine is reportedly up to 10 times stronger … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Delegate Larry Kump, R-Berkeley, died Saturday at the age of 78, state officials confirmed. Kump, who represented the 94th District in the West Virginia House of Delegates, first took office in 2010. He served from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2020. After being elected a third time … Read more
A West Virginia man has been charged with first-degree murder after a woman was found shot to death in Clay County, according to authorities. Richard Grad, 24, of Maysel, is accused of fatally shooting Savannah Keaton, 31, of Massillon, Ohio, on Thursday, according to a news release from the West Virginia State Police. Troopers responded … Read more
A Charleston man serving a home confinement sentence for a sexual assault conviction has been arrested after his 2-month-old son was hospitalized with serious injuries authorities say are consistent with abusive head trauma. Jeremiah Gibson, 23, was taken into custody Tuesday and charged with child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury. Court records show he … Read more
Police in Portsmouth, Ohio, are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 16-year-old girl. Randi Preston was last seen Friday in the 2200 block of Sixth Street, according to the Portsmouth Police Department. Preston is described as 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. … Read more
A Kanawha County woman who was reported missing and believed to be in danger has been found safe, authorities said. Ashley Dawn Taylor, 31, was located Friday after deputies sought the public’s help in finding her, according to the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office. Taylor had last been seen Feb. 22 on Lula Lane in the … Read more
The Huntington City Council voted Friday during a special meeting to place a levy supporting the Tri-State Transit Authority.(TTA) on the May primary election ballot. The ordinance would allow voters to decide whether to continue funding bus service in the region. Residents have approved levies supporting TTA operations and assets for decades. In recent months, … Read more
A bill that would prevent parents from removing their children from school while a child abuse or neglect investigation is pending has hit a setback in the West Virginia Senate. Senate Bill 972, sponsored by Amy Grady, R-Mason, would bar parents from withdrawing a student from school if Child Protective Services has already opened an … Read more
The United States Department of Justice has filed lawsuits against five states — including West Virginia and Kentucky — after officials declined to provide unredacted voter registration records, according to a department press release. West Virginia and Kentucky join Oklahoma, Utah and New Jersey in the latest round of litigation. The department said its total … Read more