In Around West Virginia today: funding for road repairs, a decline in lead paint poisoning, a city councilman pleads guilty to sex crimes, and more.
n The Federal Highway Administration is awarding $7.3 million to the state for road and bridge repairs on federally owned highways in 19 counties due to weather-related damage, according to The Register-Herald. Counties selected include Pocahontas, Webster, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Boone, Braxton, Clay, Cabell, Lincoln, Logan, Jackson, Roane, Wood, Brooke, Marshall, Mingo, Pleasants, Wayne and Wetzel.
n West Virginia ranked 47th on this year's United Health Foundation's America's Health Rankings, mainly due to lifestyle choices like drug abuse and obesity, according to MetroNews. The state is ranked 50th for drug deaths, because we have the highest rate in the nation, but first for infectious diseases.
n From 1997 to 2013, the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program detected that elevated blood levels in children in West Virginia under the age of 6 dropped from 2.26 percent to .37 of the population, MetroNews reported. Lead poisoing can cause behavior and attention problems, trouble with hearing, and reduced IQ. Families in poverty are often disparately affected because of the cost of remediating a home.
n A Lumberport councilman pleaded guilty to sex crimes against children, according to The Exponent Telegram. David Junior "Snuffy" Markley pleaded guilty to first degree sexual assault and sexual abuse by a person in a position of trust.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.