Big Hits BG | radioNOVO News WV News Roundup for June 18, 2026

Good morning. We lead with a developing federal case out of Washington, D-C, carrying profound implications for the state. An Afghan national accused of killing a West Virginia National Guard member has officially pleaded not guilty to new charges that make him eligible for the death penalty. Authorities say Rahmanullah Lakanwal is charged with a seventeen-count superseding indictment for shooting twenty-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and wounding Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe while they were on patrol near a Metro transit stop last November. A federal judge announced that capital punishment will be on the table when the case heads to a jury trial, with a mandatory status conference now scheduled for September sixteenth.Closer to home, high-stakes political standoffs are heating up over regional energy policies and local property rights. State lawmakers are clashing following a series of legislative meetings at Canaan Valley Resort. Republican delegates are heavily questioning two massive high-voltage electric transmission line projects proposed to slice through West Virginia. Critics accuse the energy projects of being forced ratepayer subsidies to power a massive data center boom out in Virginia. At the exact same time, state Democrats are demanding swift amendments to a newly enacted data center law, pushing to restore zoning control to local city and county governments to block what they describe as a hostile takeover of community property rights.Meanwhile, emergency medical care is getting a significant technological upgrade in southern West Virginia. The Marshall Health Network and HealthNet Aeromedical Services have officially launched a brand-new, state-of-the-art dual-engine medical helicopter at the Huntington Tri-State Airport. Healthcare officials say the major investment was driven by a critical need across rural communities, noting that the region's challenging mountain terrain makes fast, emergency air transport absolutely vital when every minute counts.State tourism and history officials are also locking in major plans as the historic America two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary approaches. The Semiquincentennial Commission met at the state Capitol complex to finalize community outreach programs across all fifty-five counties. Key initiatives include a synchronized statewide bell-ringing ceremony at noon on July fourth, alongside a massive Capitol city festival featuring the world’s largest portable Ferris wheel.And finally, if you are planning to celebrate the state's official birthday, celebrations are ready to kick off this Saturday at Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park. Festivities marking West Virginia's one-hundred-and-sixty-third year will feature pioneer-era blacksmithing demonstrations, open-fire cooking, and free cake and ice cream for all visitors following a formal midday proclamation.For more news from across the state, download the radioNOVO app. I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News.