STATE Briefs

Teays Valley accident knocks out phone service

A traffic accident in Teays Valley Thursday morning knocked outtelephone and Internet service for hundreds of Frontier customers.

At around 10:30 a.m., a vehicle struck and destroyed a connectionbox on Mount Vernon Road, which left about 800 frontier customerswithout service, Frontier Communications area General Manager DennisBloss said.

Frontier technicians were on the scene to assess the damage andstart repairs to the system, but Frontier does not expect service tobe restored to all customers until today, Bloss said.

Customers in the following areas are affected: Mount Vernon Road,Oakbridge Drive, Sunset Drive, Seville Drive, Maury Lane, CedarDrive, Hampton Crossing, Aaron's Corner and Bette Lane.

Annual style show to benefit YWCA Sojourners

The 2011 Friends of YWCA Sojourner's Annual Style Show andLuncheon to benefit Sojourners will be held Saturday at theUniversity of Charleston Ballroom, Geary Student Union Building.

Doors open at 11 a.m., the luncheon begins at 11:45 a.m., and theStyle Show starts at 12:30 p.m. Women's fashions will be provided byChico's and Cache, and men's wear will be provided by Kelley's.

This year's event will include a silent basket auction, witharound 40 baskets provided by local businesses and Friends of YWCASojourner's members. Themed baskets, such as gardening, gourmetfoods, books, salon services, beauty and bath, baby, pet, wine,picnic and many others will be available.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased from YWCA's website atwww.ywcacharleston.org or by calling 304-340-3553.

WVU researchers get grant for highway work

MORGANTOWN - West Virginia University researchers have beenawarded a grant for their work in reducing the potential harm ofhighway projects on the environment.

The university announced Wednesday the National Academy ofSciences' Transportation Research Board has awarded a $360,000 grantto the WVU Environmental Research Center.

The center is assisting the state Division of Highways and otheragencies in the planning of highway projects.

WVU says researchers will focus on the 65-mile CoalfieldsExpressway, which would run from Beckley southwest to the Virginiastate line, and the King Coal Highway. The 95-mile King Coal Highwaywould run from Bluefield to Williamson, where it will join theTolsia Highway.

Rahall casts 20,000th congressional vote

U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall has reached a voting milestone in hiscongressional career.

The West Virginia Democrat says he cast his 20,000th vote lateWednesday night. He voted against a climate change amendment thatfailed.

Rahall was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1976.

Well water testing offered in two counties

WHEELING - Health officials are offering to help residents inMarshall and Ohio counties who want to have their well water testedbefore natural gas drilling begins.

For a fee, sanitarians with the Wheeling-Ohio County HealthDepartment will collect water samples. The samples will be sent to astate lab for analysis of compounds such as arsenic and conditionssuch as alkalinity. Testing for metals and non-metals will costmore.

Health department administrator Howard Gamble tells TheIntelligencer that the state recommends well water testing beforeand after gas drilling.

Chesapeake Energy spokeswoman Jacque Bland says the company testsall wells within 2,500 feet of a planned drilling site. She says thetesting offered by the health department doesn't relieve the companyof its responsibility as a producer to sample the wells.

Work begins on Logan flood control project

LOGAN - Work has started on a project to reduce flooding in theIsland Creek basin in Logan.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced in October a $5.8million contract with Heeter Construction Inc. of Spencer for theproject's initial phase.

John McFall of Heeter Construction told The Logan Banner that hiscrew is already at work.

The entire project will create an 80-foot-wide channel along3,600 feet of Island Creek upstream from its confluence with theGuyandotte River. Several major floods have occurred in the creekbasin in the last few years.

Boating activity resumes on Burnsville Lake

BURNSVILLE - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says BurnsvilleLake has reopened to boat traffic following completion of repairs toa damaged water line.

The lake had been closed to boating since December.

Boaters had damaged the water line several times in the pastyear. The line supplies water to residents in the Falls Mill areaand to the Bulltown campground.

The corps said Wednesday the water line has been repaired and re-anchored, although boaters should report any floating section of thewater line in the future to the Burnsville Lake office.

- from staff/wire reports