Power failure causes water loss, boil advisory issued

IRONTON — An early morning power failure left many Ironton residents without water this morning, prompting school closures.

Ryan Watts, water superintendent for the city, said there was a loss of power to an automatic valve on clearwell No. 2, which controls the water to the reservoir. He said the water outage likely affected most of the residents in Ironton.

As a result, Ironton City and Ironton Catholic schools were closed Tuesday.

By 8 a.m. Watts said water was beginning to fill the reservoir again and water was back on for most residents.

There is a boil water advisory in affect until further notice. Residents are encouraged to boil any water used for drinking and cooking.

 

Military program manager pleads to fuel theft

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A Hurricane man has admitted to stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of diesel fuel from a Putnam County military facility.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin says 42-year-old Matthew Todd Brock pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Huntington to theft of government property.

Brock was hired in September 2010 as the program manager for the Naval Special Warfare Command program in Red House. Goodwin says that for two months in 2012, Brock used a government-issued credit card to put more than $5,600 worth of fuel into his personal vehicle and those of relatives.

In addition, Goodwin says Brock sold nearly $15,000 in stolen diesel fuel from the Naval Special Warfare Ops Stock program in Red House.

Brock faces up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced Nov. 18.

 

W.Va. Broadcasters Hall of Fame to induct 9 members

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Longtime West Virginia Public Broadcasting announcer Frank Stowers is among nine people named to the West Virginia Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

The other inductees are Jack Kane, Ralph Allen, Charles Bailey, Shirley “Kitty” Bocock, the late Tom Hicks, Kay Murray, Emil Varney and George Woody.

Stowers has served as a staff announcer for West Virginia Public Broadcasting for 27 years. He began his career as an announcer at WHIS Radio in Bluefield after World War II. He also worked for Union Carbide in Charleston in human resources from 1956 until he retired in 1985.

An induction ceremony will be held Oct. 12 at the Museum of Radio and Technology in Huntington. The event is invitation-only.