In Around West Virginia: 600 bags of heroin are intercepted, Lewisburg's economy is a bright spot in southern West Virginia, and a Rainelle tattoo artist said his work helps ease his PTSD.
n The Mountaineer Interdiction Team found 600 bags of heroin during a traffic stop in Clarksburg, according to The Exponent Telegram. The Mountaineer Interdiction Team specifically focuses on slowing the flow of illegal drugs into the region and is made up of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the West Virginia State Police, the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District and local law enforcement. Nyzhon Nesheke Bell, 18, of Pittsburgh, was jailed on an fugitive warrant. He was wanted out of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on charges of aggravated assault with a gun and possession of marijuana. Jeremy James Lyle, 20, of Pittsburgh, was charged with obstructing an officer and possession of marijuana. Police said charges for a gun found in the vehicle and the heroin would be considered by the U.S. attorney's office.
n Lewisburg is the only incorporated town in southern West Virginia to see a significant population increase over the last five years, The Register-Herald reports. The population increased from 3,835 to 3,949. U.S. Census estimates for 2015 released Thursday also show that West Virginia no longer has a city with a population over 50,000. Charleston is still the largest city in the state, but the population dipped to 49,736.
n A Rainelle tattoo artist said learning the art has helped him with his PTSD, according to the Mountain Messenger. Shawn Manning, a 41-year-old Air Force veteran, said he needed "something to refocus me, since I didn't want to be on prescriptions that caused me to be a zombie." He began constructing Patriot Tattoo Studio and Design (PTSD) in August of 2015.
"There have been times when the stress of having a business is overwhelming," Manning said. "But when I'm tattooing a piece on a customer, it's just me and the skin. Nothing else matters. Then when the customer looks at their completed tattoo for the first time, the emotions they have, and me knowing I gave them a piece of my soul, in making an idea a reality. That is where my happiness comes from."
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.