Wva

  The following appropriations for area fairs and festivals were included in the 2013-2014 budget bill that state lawmakers approved this week, according to the enrolled final version of the legislation posted on the Legislature's website:   Berkeley County Apollo Theater-Summer Program, $1,710 Belle Boyd House, $1,710 Berkeley County Youth Fair, $15,818 General Adam Stephen Memorial Foundation, $15,840 ...

A man wanted as a fugitive from justice in Maryland and in Jefferson County, W.Va., for failing to appear in court on a felony drug charge was captured Wednesday by authorities at a residence off Flowing Springs Road, police said. Bradley Allen Wilt, 31, surrendered to police after initially fleeing on foot in the vicinity of a Gray Rock Road residence where he was found, Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Victor Lupis said Thursday. Wilt was wanted in Jefferson County for failing to appear in court on a felony count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, Lupis said.

One person was killed when a motorcycle and a vehicle collided Saturday at about 8:25 p.m. on Loop Road near Apple Harvest Drive, a Berkeley County Emergency Services supervisor said. West Virginia State Police said further information, including the names of the people involved, was not immediately available.

A bill that would provide support for the operation of MARC commuter train service in the Eastern Panhandle passed Saturday by a 98-1 vote in the House of Delegates on the last day of the West Virginia Legislature's 60-day session. The state Senate later concurred with amendments the House made to Senate Bill 103, which now awaits consideration by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, according to an audio webcast streamed live on the Legislature's website. The bill creates a special fund in the state treasury and requires the state to negotiate agreements with Maryland or the Maryland Transit Administration for the continued operation of the service from Washington, D.C., into West Virginia.

Legislation aimed at eliminating “puppy mills” in West Virginia now awaits the signature of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. The House of Delegates, after a floor debate, voted 66-33 to pass Senate Bill 437, according to an audio webcast streamed live on the state Legislature's website. The vote came with only one day remaining in the 60-day regular session of the Legislature. The session ends at midnight Saturday, but area lawmakers are still hoping to push through legislation to support the MARC commuter train service, among other proposals.

A woman who died Wednesday the after vehicle she was riding in crashed on Apple Harvest Drive southwest of Martinsburg was identified as Charm Marie Edwards of Gerrardstown, W.Va., West Virginia State Police said Thursday. Edwards, 70, was a passenger in a 2000 Ford Explorer that her husband, Bobby Adams, was driving when the crash occurred in the 8000 block of Apple Harvest Drive, troopers said. The accident was reported at 5:11 p.m., emergency officials had said. Edwards, who was thrown from the vehicle, was pronounced dead at 5:45 p.m., troopers said.

Two West Virginia State Police troopers assigned to detachments in the Eastern Panhandle were honored Wednesday for “exceptional performance” of their duties, the agency announced. Cpl. Clayton Ellwanger in Berkeley County was awarded a medal for meritorious service, and Trooper Joe Bush in Jefferson County received a medal for life saving, according to state police. Longtime civilian employee Elsie Coleman, who now serves as Troop 2 clerk at the agency's Charles Town, W.Va., office, received the Superintendent's Civilian Service Award.

A Bunker Hill, W.Va., woman who was convicted of domestic battery in connection with allegations that she and her husband abused children in their custody was placed on probation for five years Thursday in Berkeley County Circuit Court. Christina A. Snyder, 44, was found to be an abusive parent by 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge John C. Yoder, who ordered her to register with the child-abuse registry for 10 years, but suspended a one-year jail term for the probation.  Snyder was acquitted of five felony counts of child abuse resulting in injury at the conclusion of a lengthy trial in February.

The House Finance Committee on Wednesday made significant changes to a bill that would support the operation of MARC commuter train service in the Eastern Panhandle, but the legislation's lead sponsor said it still is “a great bill.” “Getting it out of that committee almost assures passage,” state Sen. Herb Snyder, D-Jefferson/Berkeley, said after the committee voted to pass its amended version of Senate Bill 103. “I'm happy.” ...

At least one person was injured in an accident on I-81 involving a tractor-trailer and two other vehicles on I-81 northbound in West Virginia, a dispatcher for Berkeley County Emergency Services said. Traffic was moving by 7:10 a.m. It had been stalled since the 5:35 a.m. accident, which was just south of Exit 23 to U.S. 11 toward Marlowe/Falling Waters, the dispatcher said. The accident took place in a construction zone where new bridges have been built over U.S. 11 at Exit 23. Traffic was using the newly opened northbound span Tuesday morning.