In Around West Virginia today: drug treatment for addicts in prison, enrollment declining at community colleges, a woman in the running for WVU Mountaineer, and more.
n The House of Delegates passed a bill to provide inmates suffering from addiction with Vivitrol, a drug that blocks the effects of opiates. West Virginia Public Broadcasting spoke to Delegate Chris Stansbury, a Republican from Kanawha County who sponsored the legislation.
"It really behooves us to help those people now, while they're incarcerated, give them an opportunity to get clean and stay clean on the outside and become productive members of society again," he said.
n While enrollment at West Virginia's community and technical colleges is decreasing, more people are graduating from the colleges. Enrollment spiked during the recession in 2009, but has declined since then, according to The Register-Herald. The newspaper reported that schools are trying to boost enrollment by offering retraining opportunities for former coal miners.
n A Hazelton penitentiary inmate could face the death penalty, The Exponent Telegram reports. Federal grand jurors returned a murder indictment against Marrico Sykes, 36, on Tuesday. He allegedly killed inmate Zakii Wahiid, 60, by attacking and strangling him.
n West Virginia Public Broadcasting spoke to Savannah Lusk, who would be the third female Mountaineer at West Virginia if she is selected. She is currently one of four finalists. She is also a first-generation college student.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.