West Virginia
Towboat owner pleads guilty in oil spill along West Virginia-Kentucky border
The owner of a towboat that sank and spilled oil into a river along the West Virginia-Kentucky border pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal pollution charge.
David K. Smith, 55, of Paducah, Kentucky, entered the plea in federal court in Huntington, West Virginia, to discharge of refuse into navigable waters.
Smith owned River Marine Enterprises LLC and Western River Assets LLC. His towboat, the Gate City, sank while docked in the Big Sandy River in January 2018, discharging oil and other substances. The city of Kenova, West Virginia, closed its municipal drinking water intake for three days while regulatory agencies responded to the spill, according to court records.
A November 2017 Coast Guard inspection of the vessel determined it could harm public health and the environment due to the threat of an oil discharge. Officials said at the time the vessel had the potential to spill 5,000 gallons (18,927 liters).
An administrative order required Smith to remove all oil and hazardous materials from the Gate City before Jan. 31, 2018, but Smith admitted he had not complied at the time of the spill, prosecutors said. Smith also said a contractor that was supposed to remove oil from the vessel before it sank could not access it safely due to site conditions.
Smith faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. His companies each face fines of up to $200,000 and five years of federal probation. Smith’s sentencing was set for Feb. 26, 2024.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for more features.
Spring Mills quarterback Max Anderson is taking his recruitment one step at a time but now has some things to consider with West Virginia offering him an opportunity.
Anderson, 6-foot-1, 208-pounds, spoke with inside wide receivers coach Blaine Stewart and the assistant made it clear that the Mountaineers would like for him to join the program.
“He told me the news and how much Rich Rodriguez likes me throwing the ball and that he was proud of my performance throughout the season and just catching up with me,” he said.
The Mountaineers are targeting him as a quarterback and naturally he was fired up about the news. He is coming off a season where he threw for 1,464 yards and 19 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions, while rushing for 1,078 yards and 18 scores.
“I was pumped to get offered by my home state at quarterback,” he said.
Anderson has ties to the West Virginia football program outside of being an in-state native as his uncle Josh Francis suited up for the Mountaineers and he went to plenty of his games as well as more after.
The plan is to make a visit to West Virginia in order to see the school soon and while nothing is set yet he plans to also take a trip to West Liberty.
Anderson is looking for a place where he can play football and earn a degree while growing into a successful person both on and off the field. He has no timeline for a decision.
4-Star 2025 Running Back Deandre Desinor (5’10″/175) has flipped his commitment from West Virginia to NC State.
BREAKING: Class of 2025 RB Deandre Desinor ( @1deandredesinor ) has flipped his commitment from West Virginia to NC State he tells me.
–
Deandre Desinor is a 5’10 (180 LBS) Running Back out of Delray Beach, FL. With a total of 40+ offers Deandre had been committed to WVU since… pic.twitter.com/75Krww0FZL— Steezo (@SteezoDsgn) January 7, 2025
Back on June 4th, Desinor verbally committed to the Mountaineers, but today he decided to join his Atlantic (Delray Beach, Florida) teammate Wide Receiver Teddy Hoffman, who flipped his commitment from FAU to run with the Wolfpack on National Signing Day (December 6th).
ESPN ranks Desinor as a 4-Star prospect, and Rivals ranks him as the #11 All-Purpose Running Back nationally in the 2025 recruiting class.
This season, he rushed for 711 yards and 8 touchdowns, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Desinor also had 28 receptions for 302 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also averaged 30.9 yards on kickoff returns and 16.2 yards per punt return.
Desinor also held offers from Miami, FSU, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Penn St., Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Pitt, UCF, Louisville and others.
West Virginia RB signee Desinor flips to North Carolina State
West Virginia will not have one member of the 2025 class that signed in December join the football program as Coconut Creek (Fla.) Atlantic Community 2025 running back Deandre Desinor has flipped his pledge to North Carolina State.
Desinor, 5-foot-9, 168-pounds, signed with the Mountaineers Dec. 4 but requested his release from the football program sometime after.
That led to North Carolina State making a push and ultimately securing his commitment.
Desinor initially committed to the Mountaineers June 3 following an official visit to campus and remained that way until requesting his release. During his senior season, Desinor rushed for 674 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Mountaineers now have 21 signed commitments in the 2025 class.
———-
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
•Like us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
Cunard’s Alaska 2026 Voyages feature Queen Elizabeth sailing roundtrip itineraries from Seattle
Feeling that wind this morning in AZ? Here’s why the CA gusts are coming here
Arkansas Hoping to Combat ‘Randomness’ from Ole Miss Offense
AIR7 video offers aerial view of wildfires' destruction in LA County: WATCH LIVE
Temperature drops to -31° in Colorado spot, coldest overnight temp in ‘lower 48’ | OutThere Colorado
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Two Friends’ Rush to Save a Pacific Palisades Family Home From the Fire
Trump files emergency petition to Supreme Court to prevent sentencing in NY v. Trump
German politicians rebuke Trump over NATO defence spending demand
As winter storms strike, airlines scramble to de-ice planes and keep them flying
Photos: Pacific Palisades Wildfire Engulfs Homes in an L.A. Neighborhood
-
Business1 week agoThese are the top 7 issues facing the struggling restaurant industry in 2025
-
Culture1 week agoThe 25 worst losses in college football history, including Baylor’s 2024 entry at Colorado
-
Sports7 days agoThe top out-of-contract players available as free transfers: Kimmich, De Bruyne, Van Dijk…
-
Politics6 days agoNew Orleans attacker had 'remote detonator' for explosives in French Quarter, Biden says
-
Politics5 days agoCarter's judicial picks reshaped the federal bench across the country
-
Politics4 days agoWho Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
-
Health3 days agoOzempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
-
World1 week agoIvory Coast says French troops to leave country after decades