BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) -The West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival recognized its 2026 honorees during a ceremony at the Bridgeport Conference Center.

Eight honorees were recognized at the event.

The awards celebrate community members for their accomplishments, service and connection to Italian heritage.

This year’s honorees include men and women of the year, along with recipients recognized for education, community service and their commitment to preserving Italian traditions.

Legacy award recipient

Laura Viglianco, 90, received the Italian Heritage Legacy Award.

Viglianco has been involved with the festival since its early years and hopes the tradition continues for generations to come.

“It’s really grown, and I’m proud of what it’s come, you know, how it’s all come about,” Viglianco said. “I hope it continues for a long time for generations to come to enjoy as much as I ever have.”

Editor’s note: The video for this story will be added once it airs. Please check back for the updated video.

WEST VIRGINIA (WCHS) — Multiple vape shop operators in West Virginia have filed a federal lawsuit claiming parts of the state’s Vape Safety Act violates their constitutional rights.

The lawsuit – filed on behalf of Salah Ahmed Qasem Hasan, Naseem Hasan and Omar Luft against the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration – claims the law, which went into effect July 1 violates their First, Fifth and 14th Amendment rights.

The law, which was approved by the West Virginia Legislature earlier this year, requires licenses, background checks, citizenship and product restrictions enforced by the state Alcohol Beverage Control Administration.

The plaintiffs, who own or manage dozens of retail outlets across the state, said they’re in the country legally with the proper paperwork, but allege the citizenship requirement negatively impacts their ability to operate their businesses and “obtain, maintain, or renew a license under the new law.”

The operators also allege that the law’s 300-foot distance requirement from churches, schools and daycares could force stores to close or lose their leases without a grandfather provision.

The lawsuit, which also includes manufacturer Blue Ridge Extractions as a plaintiff, claims restrictions on product names, packaging, advertising and signage violates free speech and improperly regulates labeling and marketing, which is already governed at the federal level.

The filing is seeking injunctions blocking enforcement of the law.

MN8 Energy, Eos Energy Enterprises and Google have announced a joint project in West Virginia, US, that aims to deliver new clean energy resources to the PJM grid, supporting increasing demand in the region.

The development will combine 86MW of utility-scale solar, 70MW/280MWh of lithium-ion energy storage and 10MW/100MWh of Eos’ zinc-based long-duration energy storage (LDES).

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MN8 will own and operate the facility, which is planned to support Google’s data centres in the area, including a project slated for West Virginia.

The solar component of the project is planned to begin commercial operations in 2028, with lithium-ion storage expected in 2029 and long-duration storage following in 2030.

MN8 has designed the Mammoth Solar project in Kanawha County as an integrated system, pairing both short and long-duration storage to convert intermittent renewable energy into a dispatchable source. This development becomes West Virginia’s first commercial-scale deployment of LDES.

Google advanced energy technologies director Lucia Tian said: “At Google, we’re committed to backing solutions that both serve our data centre capacity needs and accelerate progress toward cleaner, more affordable energy systems.

“This collaboration with MN8 and Eos aims to deploy a smart portfolio of round-the-clock technology solutions to help power our digital infrastructure, while creating meaningful economic benefits for West Virginia.”

Google will purchase the energy, capacity and clean energy attributes from the project, aiming to bring new capacity onto grids where the company operates.

The initiative also forms part of Google’s wider efforts to progress commercialisation of LDES technologies and expand access to reliable electricity alongside increasing renewable integration.

The project is Google’s first to use Eos’ Z3 zinc-based storage system and marks the initial deployment under MN8 and Eos’s previously announced Master Supply Agreement.

The 10MW/100MWh Eos system is designed to provide up to ten hours of storage, increasing the number of hours the combined asset can supply dependable capacity.

Eos chief commercial officer Nathan Kroeker said: “Our work with Google is focused on deploying American-made long-duration storage where it solves real grid reliability challenges.

“Z3 extends the value of clean generation across more hours, strengthens the overall portfolio, and delivers more dependable capacity when it’s needed most.”

Sited on a reclaimed coal mine, the project is estimated by MN8 to involve up to $350m in capital investment.

It is expected to generate around $4m in property tax revenue for the county and local schools during the first 20 years, as well as millions more in the following 15-20 years.

Construction is projected to create approximately 200 jobs, with further employment through ongoing operations.

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