Kanawha emergency response plan modified

Kanawha County officials have changed an emergency response plan more than three months after a deadly explosion at the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute.

Depending upon the severity of an event, Emergency Services Director Dale Petry says the county will issue an automatic shelter-in-place during a chemical emergency if officials can't get clear information about the incident within 10 minutes.

Petry says the 10-minute rule applies only in serious events.

Emergency services officials have criticized Bayer CropScience for failing to provide timely information following the Aug. 28 explosion in which two people died. The incident remains under federal, state and local investigation.

Social worker's slaying prompts safety bill

The July slaying of a social worker has prompted a legislative committee to endorse proposed changes to laws meant to protect people who provide such services.

The bill recommended Monday for next year's session would ensure that contracted workers are covered by a law that enhances penalties for those who assault or batter government employees in the course of their duties.

Brenda Harper was a social worker for a company that contracted with the state when she was killed during a Cabell County home visit. Three people face charges in the slaying.

Committee Co-chairwoman Virginia Mahan, D-Summers, said the bill recognizes the risks taken by public and contracted workers on the public's behalf.

Manchin OKs assistance to poor for home heating

West Virginians who get state assistance to keep their homes warm will get a little boost when they need it most.

Gov. Joe Manchin said Monday he has approved an additional $200 payment to elderly, disabled and low-income residents for this winter. The payment through the Low Income Energy Assistance Program will be made automatically.

Manchin said the state is fortunate to be able to fund the program, which is critical to many people. The payments should be issued in mid- to late January.

Healthy living program showing mixed results

Gov. Joe Manchin is seeing mixed results from his administration's Healthy Lifestyles program aimed at West Virginia's schoolchildren.

Eighty-five percent of the state's middle schools say they offered a semester's worth of daily physical education during the last academic year. That's up 6 percent from the prior year.

But 67 percent of elementary schools reported meeting their standard of 90 minutes a week, a 3 percent drop.

Legislation passed in 2005 at Manchin's request set those and other benchmarks to improve childhood health. Lawmakers got a progress report during Monday interim meetings.

Fitness testing also saw mixed results during those two years, while body mass index measurements improved slightly.

Heat, sprinklers cancel classes at new school

MORGANTOWN - Classes were canceled at the brand-new University High School in Morgantown after the heating system went so high in one classroom that it set off sprinklers.

Denny Weleski of Brewer & Co., which installed the sprinkler system, said temperatures in one math classroom may have exceeded 155 degrees, hot enough to cook an apple on a teacher's desk and set off the sprinklers.

Monongalia County Schools Superintendent Frank Devono said about 29 classrooms have water leakage, but most of the damage was done to offices.

Devono doesn't know how much the repairs may cost.

Classes were canceled Monday and Tuesday as crews tried to find the source of the heating problem. The school opened its doors last Friday.

Wood County plastics company to lay off 14

PARKERSBURG - SABIC Innovative Plastics plans to lay off 14 hourly workers at its plant in Wood County.

Plant spokesman Bill Brown says retirement incentive packages have been offered to other workers.

Kanawha County officials have changed an emergency response plan more than three months after a deadly explosion at the Bayer CropScience plant in Institute.

Depending upon the severity of an event, Emergency Services Director Dale Petry says the county will issue an automatic shelter-in-place during a chemical emergency if officials can't get clear information about the incident within 10 minutes.

Petry says the 10-minute rule applies only in serious events.

Emergency services officials have criticized Bayer CropScience for failing to provide timely information following the Aug. 28 explosion in which two people died. The incident remains under federal, state and local investigation.

Social worker's slaying prompts safety bill

The July slaying of a social worker has prompted a legislative committee to endorse proposed changes to laws meant to protect people who provide such services.

The bill recommended Monday for next year's session would ensure that contracted workers are covered by a law that enhances penalties for those who assault or batter government employees in the course of their duties.

Brenda Harper was a social worker for a company that contracted with the state when she was killed during a Cabell County home visit. Three people face charges in the slaying.

Committee Co-chairwoman Virginia Mahan, D-Summers, said the bill recognizes the risks taken by public and contracted workers on the public's behalf.

Manchin OKs assistance to poor for home heating

West Virginians who get state assistance to keep their homes warm will get a little boost when they need it most.

Gov. Joe Manchin said Monday he has approved an additional $200 payment to elderly, disabled and low-income residents for this winter. The payment through the Low Income Energy Assistance Program will be made automatically.

Manchin said the state is fortunate to be able to fund the program, which is critical to many people. The payments should be issued in mid- to late January.

Healthy living program showing mixed results

Gov. Joe Manchin is seeing mixed results from his administration's Healthy Lifestyles program aimed at West Virginia's schoolchildren.

Eighty-five percent of the state's middle schools say they offered a semester's worth of daily physical education during the last academic year. That's up 6 percent from the prior year.

But 67 percent of elementary schools reported meeting their standard of 90 minutes a week, a 3 percent drop.

Legislation passed in 2005 at Manchin's request set those and other benchmarks to improve childhood health. Lawmakers got a progress report during Monday interim meetings.

Fitness testing also saw mixed results during those two years, while body mass index measurements improved slightly.

Heat, sprinklers cancel classes at new school

MORGANTOWN - Classes were canceled at the brand-new University High School in Morgantown after the heating system went so high in one classroom that it set off sprinklers.

Denny Weleski of Brewer & Co., which installed the sprinkler system, said temperatures in one math classroom may have exceeded 155 degrees, hot enough to cook an apple on a teacher's desk and set off the sprinklers.

Monongalia County Schools Superintendent Frank Devono said about 29 classrooms have water leakage, but most of the damage was done to offices.

Devono doesn't know how much the repairs may cost.

Classes were canceled Monday and Tuesday as crews tried to find the source of the heating problem. The school opened its doors last Friday.

Wood County plastics company to lay off 14

PARKERSBURG - SABIC Innovative Plastics plans to lay off 14 hourly workers at its plant in Wood County.

Plant spokesman Bill Brown says retirement incentive packages have been offered to other workers.

Brown says the layoffs are part of a staff reduction in the company's global operations and are expected to occur before Jan. 1.

SABIC Innovative Plastics manufactures engineering thermoplastics and is part of Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

The plant near Parkersburg currently employs 300 people.

Mason prosecutor to helm candidate's drug case

HUNTINGTON - Mason County Prosecutor Damon Morgan has been chosen to handle a drug case involving former Cabell County magistrate candidate Amy Walker Daugherty.

Cabell County Prosecutor Chris Chiles recused himself because he knows Daugherty's family.

Daugherty was charged in October with felony bribery and six counts of possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine.

Court records indicate Daugherty brokered a $20 crack cocaine deal, admitted to five similar transactions and tried to bribe a Huntington police officer.

Daugherty was the leading vote-getter in the Democratic primary for the county magistrate position. She finished last in the November election.

Daugherty remains free on bond.

Company fires workers for abusing turkeys

LEWISBURG - Several workers at a West Virginia turkey plant have been fired after they were caught on film abusing birds.

Aviagen Turkeys spokeswoman Sandi Hofmann said the employees, including a supervisor, were released around Thanksgiving.

The abuse was disclosed last month by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which released undercover video recordings of workers punching, kicking and beating live turkeys.

PETA released a statement Monday saying it is asking prosecutors in Greenbrier and Monroe counties to press criminal charges.

Hofmann said the company has reminded employees that animal abuse will not be tolerated and incidents of abuse must be reported to a member of the company's management team.

Rabies cases reappear in Hancock raccoons

NEW CUMBERLAND - Hancock County health officials are alarmed by three new cases of rabies found in raccoons, the first cases of rabid animals there this year.

Jolene Zuros, a sanitarian with the county health department, said health officials has been putting out bait containing rabies vaccine for animals since 1999, and the eradication effort had shown encouraging results.

The last case in the county was a rabid bat found in 2007.

Zuros said there was no human contact with the raccoons. She urged residents to be cautious if they see wild animals, especially if the animals are behaving strangely.

The state Department of Agriculture reported that during the first half of 2008, nearly 70 wild animals and two farm animals tested positive for rabies in West Virginia.

Chesapeake Energy CEO reassures investors

OKLAHOMA CITY - The top executive of the nation's largest natural gas producer is blaming the dramatic fall in the company's stock on "false rumors" that the company could end up in bankruptcy.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon told analysts on a conference call Monday that the Oklahoma City-based company is well positioned to ride out the recession and tumbling natural gas prices. He said the company's shares are worth several times what they are currently trading for.

The news helped support the company's stock, which hit a five-year low on Friday.

Shares rose $3.66, or 32.3 percent, to $14.98 in trading Monday morning.

Chesapeake has holdings in West Virginia.