In Around West Virginia: a Tucker County man injures himself with a firework, an Exponent Telegram editor wants to see more police diversity, West Virginia's rank among states in solar capacity, and more.
n A Tucker County man was listed in critical condition after launching a firework in Morgantown, The Dominion Post reports. Paul Spitznogle, 24, of Davis, underwent multiple surgeries at Ruby Memorial Hospital. Spitznogle, who was not a WVU student, held an ingnited firework mortar tube over his head to launch it, then, thinking it had gone off, brought it back down to his chest. It then exploded, resulting in "massive injuries," the newspaper reports.
n Oak Hill city council members want to turn a park into a a destination for outdoor tourism. Monday, council members approved $25,000 toward the purchase of Needleseye Boulder Park, a 300-acre park in the Minden area. The West Virginia Land Trust will help secure the rest, The Register-Herald reports. Council members hope to see the site used for rock climbing and bouldering. The West Virginia Department of Commerce still has to approve a grant for the project to take place.
n Matt Harvey, assistant managing editor for The Exponent Telegram, opines that the Harrison County Sheriff's Department, which has no female or black officers, should focus on recruiting minority officers. He says the Clarksburg Police Department has several minority officers.
"Diversity is vitally important because it exposes agencies to different viewpoints," he writes. "Right now, the main - and one could argue just about the only - viewpoint for the Harrison County Sheriff's Department comes from the perspective of white American men."
n West Virginia ranks 43rd for solar capacity installed as of 2015, The Exponent Telegram reports. While Lynwood "Woody" Ireland, the chairman of the House of Delegates energy committee, said we need to use the resources "available and abundant in our area," David Levine, CEO of a solar energy marketplace, argued that solar power could save West Virginia customers money over time.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.