Talk of the Town October 14, 2026

Let's take a look at a couple of headlines, and then we'll dive right in.

Well, if you live in Morgantown, you may have noticed that your street's much brighter these days.

First Energy's been replacing the old high-pressure sodium technology in favor of LED fixtures.

Now, the LEDs reduce energy and maintenance costs, plus they last longer.

Officials say they'll replace 1,200 of those streetlights by the end of the year here in the city of Morgantown.

A 41-year-old Fairmont woman has been arrested after being found slumped over in a car with a child inside.

Jenny Ponceroff has been charged with driving under the influence of narcotics with a child in the car.

They found Ponceroff at the Taco Bell in Westover at 3 Sunday afternoon with a 7-year-old sleeping in the backseat.

She's being held in the North Central Regional Jail on a $10,000 bond.

A vice chair of the Morgantown Utility Board, Tom Witts, attended his final meeting.

More than half of the utility's 25 customers live outside the city limits, as Witt does.

He's the only non-Morgantown resident on the board.

Witt's term officially ends on November the 1st, and he would like to see some more representation for, you know, we call it the Morgantown Utility Board, but let's be honest, this is definitely a regional affair.

There's no doubt about that.

House Democrats renewed their call for a special session to suspend the state gas tax.

State Economic Party Chairman Mike Pushkin believes that we need to follow the example that has been set by the state of Ohio, where lawmakers approved about three-quarters of a billion dollars in surplus money to backfill road maintenance revenue while the tax is suspended.

Here in the state of West Virginia, we know that Senator Chris Rose He did bring up the possibility of using rainy day funds, but said that, you know, hey, I'm not saying that that's how we need to attack this problem.

Because remember, every 5% cut of the state personal income tax, that equals about $120 million.

During the last session, the governor wanted 10%.

Lawmakers only came up with 5%, so that means there's $120 million in the budget there somewhere, and this suspension is expected to cost about $150 million.

So there's a partial remedy out there, but time will tell.

We'll see what happens.

And finally, High School Sportsline airs following the CityNet Statewide Sportsline tonight.

They're going to get you ready for Week 8. of the high school football season.

And by the way, you'll be able to get updated high school football or Metro News high school football power rankings right now at wvmetronews.com.

Let's take a look at a couple of headlines, and then we'll dive right in.

Well, if you live in Morgantown, you may have noticed that your street's much brighter these days.

First Energy's been replacing the old high-pressure sodium technology in favor of LED fixtures.

Now, the LEDs reduce energy and maintenance costs, plus they last longer.

Officials say they'll replace 1,200 of those streetlights by the end of the year here in the city of Morgantown.

A 41-year-old Fairmont woman has been arrested after being found slumped over in a car with a child inside.

Jenny Ponceroff has been charged with driving under the influence of narcotics with a child in the car.

They found Ponceroff at the Taco Bell in Westover at 3 Sunday afternoon with a 7-year-old sleeping in the backseat.

She's being held in the North Central Regional Jail on a $10,000 bond.

A vice chair of the Morgantown Utility Board, Tom Witts, attended his final meeting.

More than half of the utility's 25 customers live outside the city limits, as Witt does.

He's the only non-Morgantown resident on the board.

Witt's term officially ends on November the 1st, and he would like to see some more representation for, you know, we call it the Morgantown Utility Board, but let's be honest, this is definitely a regional affair.

There's no doubt about that.

House Democrats renewed their call for a special session to suspend the state gas tax.

State Economic Party Chairman Mike Pushkin believes that we need to follow the example that has been set by the state of Ohio, where lawmakers approved about three-quarters of a billion dollars in surplus money to backfill road maintenance revenue while the tax is suspended.

Here in the state of West Virginia, we know that Senator Chris Rose He did bring up the possibility of using rainy day funds, but said that, you know, hey, I'm not saying that that's how we need to attack this problem.

Because remember, every 5% cut of the state personal income tax, that equals about $120 million.

During the last session, the governor wanted 10%.

Lawmakers only came up with 5%, so that means there's $120 million in the budget there somewhere, and this suspension is expected to cost about $150 million.

So there's a partial remedy out there, but time will tell.

We'll see what happens.

And finally, High School Sportsline airs following the CityNet Statewide Sportsline tonight.

They're going to get you ready for Week 8. of the high school football season.

And by the way, you'll be able to get updated high school football or Metro News high school football power rankings right now at wvmetronews.com.