Grant County’s former ambulance director has filed a lawsuit claiming he was removed from the position due to whistle-blower retaliation and discrimination following an incident in which an ambulance driver illegally pulled a concealed firearm and physically punched a suspect during a domestic violence incident.

Robert Funk worked as the county’s Director of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) since August 2017 until February 2024 when he was removed from the position.

In the first section of his complaint, which was filed last month in the Grant County Circuit Court, Funk described an incident in 2020-21 when Grant County Ambulance was contacted by Grant Memorial Hospital and requested a mental hygiene patient be transported out of the county. After the transport, Funk contacted the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services and was advised not to transport mental hygiene patients in the future.

Read more: Former ambulance director files suit against the county, claims retaliation (Issue surrounding a...

 Grant County Schools will be hosting the Charleston Clay Center’s Clay2Go Outreach Exhibit, a large exhibit that offers interactive education and experience with scientific concepts.

Grant County Superintendent Mitch Webster said he saw the exhibit on display in another area and was impressed with the scientific interactivity and quickly began working to bring it to Grant County.

“There was a long wait list and a lot of work that goes into something like this, but I came back and went to Ms. [Linda] Carlson and asked if she would take this on and get it arranged, and she did, and I greatly appreciate that,” Webster explained.

Read more: Interactive science exhibit comes to Grant County from Charleston

 The Grant County Commission received alarming news last week when they were informed that Grant County Ambulance had not billed nearly 500 ambulance runs last year, resulting in more than $300,000 in lost revenue for the department.

According to information shared by Mark Arnold, a representative of Grant County Ambulance, it was recently discovered by management that 477 runs were not billed or were billed improperly by the department from July 2023 to December 2023.

Read more: County learns of $300,000 mistake in EMS billing

 A local peer recovery coach and counselor was honored yesterday as a “Beacon of Hope” in the community, being awarded the 2024 Beacon of Hope award during a ceremony at Grant Memorial Hospital by the Mosaic Group.

Roger Dodd works not only with the Potomac Highlands Guild and the Russ Hedrick Resource and Recovery Center but also serves as a first contact for those hospitalized from overdose at Grant Memorial Hospital and Potomac Valley Hospital in Keyser.

“Roger’s commitment to patients is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Marla Oros, the CEO of the Mosaic Group. “He embodies the essence of a peer recovery coach, tirelessly dedicating himself to guide individuals on their path to recovery from substance abuse. Roger’s role is not just about providing support, it’s about promoting health and preventing harm. He stands as a guardian for those who may have lost their way.”

Read more: Peer recovery counselor honored as a ‘Beacon of Hope’ in the community

 South Branch Career and Technical Center’s annual Veterans Day event will feature speaker Jessica Dawn Lynch, a former United States Army soldier who served the country during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Lynch is a West Virginia native who enlisted in the military at just 18 years old.

While in Iraq, on March 23, 2003, Lynch was serving as a unit supply specialist with the 507th Maintenance Company when her convoy was ambushed by Iraqi troops during the battle of Nasiriyah.

Read more: Iraq War veteran and POW to speak at SBCTC

 The Grant County Office of Emergency Management and 911 (OEM) is encouraging residents to enroll in a new alert system that will notify them of drinking water alerts, such as boil notices, that could impact their home.

The system has been discussed by the Grant County Commission and is aimed at providing important notices while also respecting citizens’ privacy and time. It recently completed local testing and is officially available to the public.

Nixel is an alert system that can be utilized by organizations to provide community-wide warnings for everything from severe weather and dangerous conditions to criminal activities, severe traffic and missing persons. 

“This is an opt-in if people would want to get drinking water alerts,” explained Peggy Bobo- Alt, the director of the Grant County OEM.

Read more: OEM encourages residents to enroll in drinking water alert system (Receive boil advisory alerts...

 Domestic violence is one of the most common violent crimes that passes through Grant County’s court system.

Over the past few months, one dangerous charge that has been appearing multiple times is strangulation. This is charged anytime a person “strangles, suffocates or asphyxiates another without that person’s consent and thereby causes the other person bodily harm or loss of consciousness.”

One of the more recent charges stem from an incident on June 14, when officers with the Grant County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to a dispute at Shobes Trailer Drive in Petersburg.

Read more: Violent domestic dispute turns into charges

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