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This Hour: Latest West Virginia news, sports, business and entertainment

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ALDERSON EMBEZZLEMENT

Ex-Alderson town worker sentenced for embezzling

UNION, W.Va. (AP) - A former Alderson employee will spend at least a year in prison for embezzling money from the town.

Media outlets report that Jacalyn Villars received a 1 to 10 year sentence from Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Robert Irons.

Villars entered a Kennedy plea in March to embezzling more than $1,000 from the town. Under the Kennedy rule, a defendant doesn't admit guilt.

She was sentenced Monday.

Monroe County prosecutor Justin St. Clair says Villars has repaid some of the money.

TRAIN FATAL

Homeless woman killed by train in New River Gorge

GLEN JEAN, W.Va. (AP) - The National Park Service and CSX are investigating the death of a homeless woman who was hit by a train in the New River Gorge National River.

The park service said Tuesday that a freight train hit the woman Monday afternoon as she walked along the CSX mainline railroad tracks during a heavy rainstorm. The woman had covered her head with a blanket.

The park service says in a news release that engineers tried to brake the train and sounded horns. But the woman didn't react in time.

Park service rangers are seeking the woman's identity. The victim was a black woman who was about 50 years old.

SCHOOL VANDALISM

20 Wayne High students barred from grad ceremony

WAYNE, W.Va. (AP) - About 20 Wayne High School students are barred from the school's graduation ceremony because of a senior prank that damaged the building.

Media outlets report that the Wayne County Board of Education suspended the students from school property at a special meeting Monday night. The graduation ceremony will be held at the school Wednesday evening.

Board member Vickey Boyd says the students will receive their diplomas.

West Virginia State Police say the students broke windows to get inside the building, then smeared deer carcasses and poured deer urine in several rooms.

No charges will be filed against students who agree to a pre-trial diversion, which could include community service.

ORGANIC SHEEP FARM

Organic sheep farm tucked away in Jefferson County

HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. (AP) - While working as a registered nurse, Charles Barton took on a second career as a sheep farmer.

In 1994, he bought a Jefferson County farm and inherited the sheep on it.

Today, Barton still has his job in the medical field while operating Good Faith Farms, where his more than two dozen sheep have 10 acres of pastures to roam freely.

The Journal reports that last October, the sheep farm was certified as organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Barton says the sheep eat organic hay and must be butchered at a location with organic credentials. That means driving more than 60 miles to Woodstock, Va., to have his meat processed.

INMATE ESCAPE

Inmate escapes from Beckley Correctional Center

BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) - Authorities are searching for an inmate who escaped from the Beckley Correctional Center.

Media outlets report that 30-year-old Joshua Greenwood was unaccounted for during a headcount at 10:15 p.m. Monday.

Greenwood was serving a 1 to 10 year sentence for grand larceny in Cabell County.

FELMAN CUTS

Felman to temporarily idle furnace at W.Va. plant

NEW HAVEN, W.Va. (AP) - Felman Production LLC plans to temporarily idle 1 of 3 electric arc furnaces at its ferroalloys plant in New Haven and lay off union workers.

The company says in a news release that several management and contract positions already have been eliminated.

Felman attributes the cuts to a decline in silicomanganese prices and increasing manufacturing costs. The company says the furnace could remain shut down until market conditions improve.

The furnace will be idled on May 31 and layoffs will begin June 3. Felman didn't say how many workers will be laid off.

The plant employs more than 200 members of the United Steelworkers. The company and the union agreed on a new 42-month contract in January.

Felman is a subsidiary of Miami-based Georgian American Allows Inc.

MEDICAL BUILDING

New medical building planned in Jefferson Co.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Ground has been broken for a new medical office building in Jefferson County.

University Healthcare Jefferson Medical Center and University Healthcare Physicians plan to build the 11,200-square foot building in Charles Town.

University Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine and WVU Urgent Care will move from their current location in Ranson to the new building. The building also will house the hospital's physical therapy services.

Morgantown-based University Healthcare says a groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held Monday.

The project will cost more than $3 million. It's expected to be completed by December.

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