Merf Radio | radioNOVO News WV News Roundup for July 10, 2026

Good morning. Turning to news from across the Mountain State.The first major federal class-action lawsuit has officially been filed following last week's massive commercial warehouse fire in Wood County. Attorneys representing local residents filed the suit in federal court against corporate entities Peoples Cartage and Total Distribution Incorporated, seeking class-action status on behalf of all citizens forced to shelter in place. The litigation claims extreme corporate negligence allowed thick smoke, toxic ash, and heavy soot to spread into nearby residential neighborhoods when the fire reignited on the Fourth of July. Governor Patrick Morrisey stated the state will withhold further comments until its independent environmental investigation concludes.Meanwhile, a massive economic development project is bringing more than one hundred twenty new full-time manufacturing positions to the Mid-Ohio Valley. Governor Morrisey announced a twenty-million-dollar investment from PowerFlo Solutions, which plans to transform the former Hino manufacturing plant in Williamstown. The facility will be utilized to produce specialized electrical equipment for modern data centers and artificial intelligence operations.In public safety news, a Cabell County man faces multiple felony charges following a violent double stabbing on Evans Street in Huntington. Police officers arrested fifty-three-year-old John Thomas Hodge after discovering two victims suffering from severe wounds inflicted by a large machete. Both individuals remain hospitalized, though their injuries are currently described as non-life-threatening.In Ohio County, Governor Morrisey has officially appointed Shane Stack to the West Virginia House of Delegates to represent the fourth legislative district, filling the unexpired term of former Delegate Bill Flanigan.And in sports, West Virginia football head coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the media at Big Twelve Football Media Days, confirming a larger program budget allowed his staff to completely rebuild the Mountaineer roster through the transfer portal. Rodriguez stated returning sophomore Scotty Fox and Oklahoma transfer quarterback Michael Hawkins will compete directly for the starting job during upcoming fall camp.For more news from across the state, download the radioNOVO app. I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News.