Latest news with #WestVirginiaStateCode
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Changes to fishing at Glenwood Lake being considered
PRINCETON – Changing what methods fishing enthusiasts can use at Glenwood Lake and how many fish they can keep are being discussed by the Mercer County Commission. The public was invited to fish at Glenwood Lake and keep what they catch when the county made plans to drain and dredge the lake. This move was to reduce the numbers of fish that had to be relocated when the project got underway, but that project with restoration work to the lake's dam have been delayed. County Commissioner Greg Puckett said during the commission's Tuesday meeting that this dredging project will proceed later, but for now the lake's fish need to be conserved so the public can still go fishing there. 'We basically lifted all fees,' Puckett said. 'I'm pretty sure we're going to stay fee-less for right now, but we had talked about when we were going to keep the park when we were going to do the dam restoration and basically told everybody to come out and fish to your heart's content. And then now that we are going to be keeping the dam for a little while longer.' Joshua Parks, assistant superintendent at Glenwood Recreational Park told the commissioners that he didn't put putting a moratorium on fishing would be appropriate. He suggested two ways to limit the numbers of fish being taken from the lake. 'I think that we need to either, one make the park catch and release, which I'm not sure that's the right answer,' Parks said. 'I think we at the very least need to impose daily creel limits on fishing.' A creel is a basket used for holding fish. The county may need to ban some fishing methods, he said. Glenwood Lake is not bound by state laws since it's on a county-owned park, but in West Virginia, using a cast net to catch game fish is illegal. 'Well, I've asked several people over the past 12 months to please not cast net the game fish,' Parks said. 'It's not technically illegal at Glenwood as it is in the rest of the state.' Putting limits on how many fish can be kept would be one way to conserve the lake's fish. Another would be making the lake catch-and-release only. 'We can make the park strictly catch-and-release, bit I don't think that will go over very well with the community,' Parks said. 'People do want to come out there and eat fish, especially in the winter time.' Sheriff A.P. Christian, who attended the meeting Tuesday, asked if the county could pass a fishing ordinance aligning with West Virginia State Code. Puckett replied that the county would look at that idea. Christian said that people were cast netting small fish to use as bait during catfish tournaments. 'That's exactly what they're doing,' Parks said. Puckett asked Christian if they could get examples of other counties' ordinances. Prosecuting Attorney Brian K. Cochran could then check any fishing ordinance based on the ones used in other counties and if it aligns with the State Code. In a statement Puckett posted later on his Facebook page, he said the county was not trying to take fishing at Glenwood Lake away from the public and keeps encouraging it. There were no plans to start charging fees for fishing there. 'We do ask that the community abide by state laws while fishing,' he said. These state laws include not taking of game fish by seine, dip netting and cast nesting, Puckett said. All game fish must be taken with rod and reel. 'We are hopeful that the upcoming creel limits strike a very fair balance between fishing for recreation and fishing for food,' he said. 'If you have any questions feel free to contact us at 304-887-0506.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
First readings of Mercer County spay/neuter and canine control ordinances pass
princeton – First readings were conducted Tuesday for spay/neuter ordinances and a canine control ordinance aimed at reducing Mercer County homeless pet population and getting pet owners to keep their dogs under control. A canine control ordinance and a spay/neuter ordinance had first readings by the Mercer County Commission. Commissioner Greg Puckett, who read both ordinances into the official record, said copies of both would be posted on the county's website and Facebook page. The canine control ordinance has measures requiring dog owners to keep their pets on a leash when out in the public or fenced in so they cannot roam. 'That's one of the worst issues that we have,' Puckett said later. 'Roaming dogs are a terrible problem here in Mercer County. They collect a lot of problems. They do a lot in not only being nuisance, they tear down the fabric of land they go across.' A canine control ordinance will help the county address the damage that stray dogs do to private and public property and control where they harass pets and livestock, he said. 'We had this issue come up back in the winter,' Puckett said. 'We had a constituent come from Matoaka and say hey, I've got roaming dogs. They're eating all the free-roaming chickens, they're actually eating cats. There were some videos of actually cats that were being consumed by a pack of dogs, so there's a lot of things where if you can control those packs, control that roaming, then you have a lot more safety not only for the people in the community, but for the animals as well.' The spay/neuter ordinance would require those procedures for dogs and cats. This ordinance has exceptions for work animals such as farm dogs, hunting dogs and dogs used for legal breeding purposes. Fees collected from licensing and fines will go into a fund to help pet owners who cannot afford these procedures, Puckett said. Between the canine control ordinance and the spay/neuter ordinance, the county can address population issues at the county animal shelter, he said. Puckett said the ordinance fits West Virginia State Code and magistrates should be allowed to hear cases under it, Puckett said. Both ordinances would go into effect after a second reading at the commission's June 24 meeting. 'The spay/neuter ordinance is a beginning to reduce the population in Mercer County, ' said Lesia Moten, co-founder and president of ALIVE (Animal Lives Inspiring Volunteer Efforts). 'We have to start somewhere. It may not be perfect, but it's a start. It has been worked on for years. It will need to be tweaked as we go along for enforcement. We need to enforce it in a responsible manner that the shelter can handle the intake and the influx.' Sandy Flanagan with the Mercer County Humane Society said that the spay/neuter ordinance would be 'a very progressive step.' 'I helped write the spay/neuter ordinance years ago,' Flanagan said. 'It feels good that it's going to finally, hopefully, get passed because it's needed. I hate it that people have to be made to do the right thing, but the mindset of so many people around here, to me, if you're going to get a dog, why are you not keeping it on your property? It's frustrating for us who do keep our dogs up and have to put up with the neighbors'.' 'I also think it has to do with the overpopulation as far as letting your dogs run,' Flanagan said. 'They work in tandem with each other,' Moten said about the ordinances. 'If you don't have free-roaming dogs, you have less overpopulation of animals that are just being allowed to reproduce out in the community. And if you have the spay and neuter ordinance, then you have people being held accountable for their own animals and it just works together in tandem.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cell phone bills to go up in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, (WBOY) — Starting next month, West Virginians will see a slight increase to their cell phone bills. According to a release Thursday from the Public Service Commission (PSC) of West Virginia, the wireless enhanced 911 (WE911) fee in West Virginia will increase by 10.2 percent in July, going from $3.64 to $4.01. On top of that, wireless providers will begin to collect a $0.08 wireless tower fee and a $0.29 public safety wireless fee, both of which will be shown separately on customers' bills. In total, customers will see their 911 fees jump from $3.64 to $4.38. All of West Virginia under Air Quality Alert Thursday So what do these funds do? The funds from these new fees are designed to go toward improving and operating 911 and emergency phone services, the release said. The PSC collects the fees through wireless service providers, but the funds are redistributed to counties. The WE911 fee can be recalculated every two years based on costs that county commissions impose on local exchange and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) users, which is known as the enhanced 911 fee. If the enhanced 911 fee goes up by a certain percentage, the WE911 fee is set to match it. In March 2025, the PSC voted to increase the enhanced 911 fee by 10.17 percent, meaning that the WE911 fee has now been raised to match, rounding to the nearest penny. According to the West Virginia State Code, the fee can never increase by more than 25% at a time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Terra Alta won't be able to collect taxes next year: Auditor's office
TERRA ALTA, (WBOY) — The Town of Terra Alta is nearly two months behind the deadline to submit its annual budget, and state officials say that the Tax Department could intervene soon. According to Hayden Erwin, the Director of Communications for the West Virginia State Auditor's Office, Terra Alta has yet to submit its budget for the upcoming 2025-2026 fiscal year, meaning that no levy rate has been approved and that the town will not be able to levy or collect property taxes for the fiscal year. Public transportation service expanding into Tucker County Erwin said that Terra Alta and all other municipalities were required to submit their budgets by March 28. He added that under §11-8-9 of the West Virginia State Code, the State Auditor may allow late budgets to be submitted between April 15 and May 1, but only if 'good cause' is shown. Because Terra Alta didn't do that, despite receiving a certified letter from the auditor's office, a levy rate or budget for the town can not be approved. According to Erwin, if the town never submits a budget, the State Tax Department and county assessors may take action, including things like excluding Terra Alta from county tax rolls. 12 News reached out to officials in Terra Alta by both phone and email, but has yet to receive a response as of this publication. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bridgeport mayor issues statement on city manager's possible removal
BRIDGEPORT, (WBOY) — Bridgeport Mayor Andy Lang has issued a statement on Thursday's special council meeting to discuss the potential removal of City Manager Patrick Ford. In a statement emailed to 12 News on Wednesday morning, Lang wrote 'Thursday's Special Meeting was called by me in accordance with the City's procedural requirements.' City officials have not commented publicly on the reason they're considering Ford's removal. 'The City Council and I are elected to serve the residents of the City of Bridgeport, and we took an oath to serve and always work in the best interests of the City,' Lang wrote. 'Many times, we must discuss and act on tough issues and make decisions to keep the City moving forward.' Bridgeport city manager intends to fight for his job Ford, who was hired in October of 2024, has claimed his possible termination is an effort by city leaders to hide the results of an internal investigation initiated in February of 2025. In a letter to City Council obtained by 12 News, Ford wrote 'on February 10th, 2025, you (city council) unanimously voted to initiate an internal investigation — the initial results of which you are collectively now attempting to hide through my termination.' In that same letter, Ford invoked West Virginia State Code, which he said gives him the statutory right to have an open meeting concerning his employment status. In an email sent to local media outlets Tuesday, Ford said there was a 'wealth of misinformation' circulating about his reputation and character and that he intends to 'fight for what is right — and my job.' The Thursday special meeting has one item on the agenda: discussion and possible action on Ford's removal from office. 'Thursday's Special Meeting was called by me in accordance with the City's procedural requirements,' wrote Lang in his Wednesday statement. 'As an elected official who takes my responsibilities seriously, I will not deviate from the processes that we are obligated to follow. Rest assured, regardless of any information posted on social media or elsewhere, accurate information will be provided when appropriate. We must follow State Law and the Charter of the City of Bridgeport.' The special meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 5 p.m. 12 News will be at the meeting and will bring you the latest. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
