DMV license renewal offices closed today
West Virginians hoping to get their driver's licenses renewed onNew Year's Eve are out of luck.
The state Division of Motor Vehicles says its regional officeswill be closed today. Offices will reopen Monday.
Business/licensing office open today, Tennant says
Secretary of State Natalie Tennant says her office will remainopen on the last day of 2010 for last-minute business needs.
Tennant says the Business and Licensing Division will be openduring normal hours on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The office will allow business owners to conduct end-of-the-yearbusiness before Friday's deadline.
School embezzler placed on five years' probation
RIPLEY - A former employee convicted of embezzling more than$52,000 from Ripley High School has avoided jail time.
Robin Wise received five years' probation on Wednesday, WSAZ-TVreported. A Jackson County judge also ordered Wise to makerestitution to the school.
Wise pleaded guilty in February to embezzling the money in 2008.She was the school's financial secretary at the time.
Fire units to share grant for training, equipment
BECKLEY - Three Southern West Virginia fire departments aregetting federal funding to train and equip firefighters.
U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall said Thursday that the departments willshare a $152,893 federal grant.
The funding includes $63,935 for the Rainelle Volunteer FireDepartment, $50,198 for the West Hamlin Volunteer Fire Departmentand $38,760 for the Bluefield Fire Department.
The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency wasawarded in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration under theAssistance to Firefighters Grant Program.
Deadline is Jan. 24 for disaster loan filings
West Virginia private nonprofit organizations have until Jan. 24to apply for federal relief from damages incurred during lastFebruary's storms.
The Small Business Administration says the loans are available in20 counties that were hit by the snowstorms between Feb. 5 and 11.
Nonprofits can borrow up to $2 million at 3 percent interest ifthey suffered any economic injury because of the storms.
The loans are available to private nonprofits in Berkeley,Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Jefferson,Marion, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Morgan, Ohio, Pocahontas,Preston, Ritchie, Tucker, Tyler and Wetzel counties.
Judge dismisses claims in hospital billing suit
WHEELING - Claims against Ohio Valley Health Services & EducationCorp. in a health-care billing dispute have been dismissed.
Wheeling Hospital sued Ohio Valley Health and The Health Plan ofthe Upper Ohio Valley in June. The federal lawsuit claims OhioValley Health owes $4.5 million to Wheeling Hospital and itsaffiliates for services provided to Ohio Valley Health's employees.
The (Wheeling) Intelligencer reports that U.S. District JudgeFrederick Stamp Jr. ruled Wednesday that Ohio Valley Health and itsaffiliates didn't sign an agreement concerning the health-careservices.
The Health Plan remains a defendant in the lawsuit.
Spokesmen for Wheeling Hospital and The Health Plan declined tocomment on the ruling.
Wood County to reduce buildings' energy use
PARKERSBURG - Wood County is working to reduce energy usage incounty-owned buildings.
The Parkersburg News reports that the County Commission hasapproved a contract with engineering firm Pickering and Associatesto improve the buildings' energy efficiency.
Chip Pickering with the firm told the commission that the countywill save money from lower energy costs for years to come.
Post office in Preston loses lease, will suspend
BRETZ - A Preston County community's post office is suspendingoperations after more than 100 years.
The U.S. Postal Service will halt service at the Bretz PostOffice at noon today. The facility's 94 customers will have totravel about a half-mile to Masontown to get their mail.
Postal Service spokeswoman Cathy Yarosky told The (Morgantown)Dominion Post that the owner of the building housing the post officeisn't renewing the lease.
Yaroksy says the suspension of service is temporary but she hasno other information.
The post office opened in February 1904.
- The Associated Press
