Around West Virginia today includes stories on a jury finding a former Summers County commissioner guilty of embezzlement, plans moving forward to revive downtown Clarksburg and a human rights act in Martinsburg, and more.
n A jury on Thursday found former Summers County commissioner Jerry Berry guilty of embezzlement, according to the Register Herald. Berry served on the board of Three Rivers Travel Council and was given control of the group's money to handle marketing services. Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ash, who was appointed special prosecutor, told jurors that Berry deposited the group's money in a bank account in his son's name and used about $11,000 improperly. The Summers County jury deliberated about two hours. Berry faces between one to 10 years when he's sentenced March 4.
n Clarksburg City Council members will continue their plans to restore a downtown theater, the Exponent Telegram reports. The city purchased the Robinson Grand Theater in 2013 for $430,000. After Thursday's vote, council will have approved spending about $800,000 on the restoration. The space will eventually serve as a regional cultural center as part of the city's plan to revive downtown.
n Martinsburg is close to passing a Human Rights Act that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to its list of protected groups, according to an article in The Journal. Council members voted unanimously Thursday to pass the act after listening to residents for nearly an hour. Before it would take effect, another vote will be taken during a Feb. 11 meeting.
n A judge denied to set a bond amount Thursday for a Beckley woman charged with suffocating her baby. Ariel Bennett and her husband, Andrew, are both charged with gross child neglect creating significant risk of serious bodily injury or death, according to WVVA news. The couples' 5-month-old baby girl died in November after Ariel Bennett allegedly slept on top of her.
Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.