June 2, 2020 Grant County Public Information

By Sandria Glasscock, RN

Public Information Officer

June 1, 2020

Grove Street Health Center will conduct community COVID testing on Saturday June 13 from 10 am-4 pm.  This is for anyone, even if no symptoms. Bring ID and insurance cards if you are insured, no copays or deductible. No cost to you if uninsured.  First come, first served. Call Charles Rohrbaugh at 304-897-5915 if questions.  

Grant County Total:   12 (11 positives, 1 probable) 7 have recovered, and 5 are recuperating at home. Multiple contacts have been tested, and are following quarantine guidance.

It is recommended that everyone wear face coverings if in public, especially if you cannot social distance 6 ft away from others.  All businesses that are open are REQUIRED to follow the Governor’s Guidance which outlines social distancing protocol. 

If you have unexplained fever, cough, or shortness of breath or sudden loss of taste or smell please do NOT leave your home. Call Grant Memorial Hospital (304) 257 1026 and press 5 to speak to an ER nurse, or Grove Street Health Center at 304-257-2451 to help determine if testing is indicated.  

If you have a medical emergency and need to call 911, notify dispatch personnel that you may have been exposed or have symptoms of COVID-19. If possible, put on a facemask before emergency medical services arrive or immediately after they arrive. 

GMH COVID tests:   439 specimens have been sent for testing from Grant and surrounding counties; these tests include Day Care workers and pre-op screenings.

There have been 17 positives from GMH. GMH also tested 266 residents and staff from GCRCC in April that were all negative.

Grove Street Health Center: Has tested 36 for COVID from Grant and surrounding counties. 2 Grant County Residents were positive of those tested at the Center. 

WV reported   99,751tests   2,028 positive 76 deaths 

Positive/probable COVID19 cases reported to WVDHHR:  Barbour 9/0, Berkeley 314/11, Boone 9/0, Braxton 2/0, Brook 5/1, Cabell 66/2, Calhoun 2/0, Clay 5/0, Fayette 50/0, Gilmer 10/0, Grant 11/1, Greenbrier 9/0, Hampshire 31/0, Hancock 19/2, Hardy 39/0, Harrison 40/1, Jackson 137/0, Jefferson 184/5, Kanawha 229/2, Lewis 9/0, Lincoln 6/0, Logan 17/0, Marion 51/0, Marshall 30/0, Mason 15/0, McDowell 6/0, Mercer 13/0, Mineral 47/2, Mingo 7/2, Monongalia 133/11, Monroe 7/1, Morgan 18/1, Nicholas 8/0, Ohio 42/0, Pendleton 12/2, Pleasants 4/1, Pocahontas 21/1, Preston 25/5, Putnam 34/0, Raleigh 16/1, Randolph 131/0, Ritchie 1/0, Roane 9/0, Summers 1/0, Taylor 8/0, Tyler 3/0, Tucker 4/0, Upshur 6/1, Wayne 100/0, Wetzel 8/0, Wirt 4/0, Wood 53/3 ,Wyoming 3/0. 

During their May 26 meeting, the Grant County Board of Education discussed future plans, including their hopes to host prom, graduation, facility sanitation to fight COVID-19 and what would happen if the schools were required to remain closed next semester.

One topic that has been heavily requested over the past few weeks concerns a potential prom amid the social distancing requirements. Earlier this month, local parent Rachel Moyers, requested the board find a way to provide prom, pointing to parents who had already purchased dresses and tuxedos and the importance of the event to the graduating seniors.

Visitors to the Grant County Courthouses will now be able to see a piece of original artwork by local artist Doug Veach.

Veach presented copies of the painting he created of the Old Grant County Courthouse to the Grant County commission last week.

However, while printing the second copy of the artwork, a unique flaw showed up, placing an unintended rainbow mark directly over the American flag flying in the image. 

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office recently announced the addition of a second full-time deputy to the Potomac Highlands Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force.

This task force is a federally funded effort that primarily investigates drug-related crimes in the region, with the goal of directly tackling the drug crisis faced by the state.

According to the office, the ability to add the second deputy was due to the Grant County Commission’s willingness to support law enforcement by funding two new deputy positions for the department’s general duties. 

In a release by the department, Grant County Sheriff Brian Ours said both he and the commission see the drug problem in the county as one of the primary issues faced by the community and needs to be aggressively addressed. 

“Having deputies assigned to this task force is one of the best ways to address this problem,” Ours said. “The officers on the task force have the ability to focus solely on drug investigations and further prosecute them through the federal justice system where the penalties are generally far greater than state court. 

Last week, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said he will allow youth sports to resume games with spectators in the stands this summer as he moves to continue lifting coronavirus restrictions. Final stages addressed by Justice for reopening the state included swimming pools, sporting events, movie theaters and bowling allys. 

Earlier this month, a child protective services call ended in the arrest of two Petersburg residents on drug charges.

Gareth Paul Berg and Robin Urich, of 78 Boardwalk Drive, were arrested for possession of methamphetamine following an investigation while assisting child protective services at their shared residence.

Grant County Sheriff’s deputies were requested at the home to assist after a referral was issued to the protective agency for “deplorable living conditions” where a child resides.

More than 1,500 Grant County residents may be voting from home this election cycle as absentee ballots continue to roll into the Grant County Clerk’s office.

With efforts to maintain social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the option to vote via absentee ballot has become a unique highlight of the 2020 primary election. Generally reserved for very specific purposes, absentee voting was opened to all residents earlier this year and letters were sent to registered voters asking if they would be interested in signing up for the system.

Those that were interested, were then sent a ballot to fill out and return to the clerk’s office. The clerk’s office tallies all absentee ballots under the West Virginia Secretary of State guidelines to ensure every vote is properly counted.

However, this does not mean the polls with be empty on Election Day.

Larry Allen Lyons, of Moorefield, was sentenced earlier this month to five years’ probation, with the first three months incarceration, for methamphetamine distribution.

Lyons, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in January.

Lyons admitted to working with others to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine from March 2018 to May 2018 in multiple areas, including Mineral, Grant, and Randolph counties.