Putnam County is still successfully preparing for the upcoming election, despite a recent setback with its ballot.
The Board of Ballot Commissioners removed candidate Troy Sexton from the ballot after the West Virginia Supreme Court ruled Sexton ineligible to run for magistrate due to his previous misdemeanors involving moral turpitude, Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood told commissioners at their meeting Tuesday.
The ballot commissioners approved the new ballot and sent the proofs to the printer, Wood said. He hopes to get the ballots by March 25 for absentee voting. He reminded the public that early voting starts April 27 and runs through May 7.
"We feel like we're in a good place right now," Wood said.
The Putnam County Clover STEMS presented to the county commission as part of their preparation for their trip to the 2016 North American Championship for Lego robotics. The Putnam County team is the only West Virginia 4-H team to compete at the competition at Legoland in San Diego.
The team competes in the First Lego League, and will compete against 66 other teams from around the world in San Diego.
The four students who make the team are trying to raise $15,000 to cover the cost of their trip and registration fees for the competition. So far, they've been able to raise $5,000 through their GoFundMe Web page.
Assistant County Manager Jeremy Young presented three grant applications for the Justice Assistance Grant, Court Security Fund and Victim of Crime Act. The Court Security Fund would allow the Courthouse to buy and install security cameras outside the back of the building.
With the grant for the Victim of Crime Act, the prosecutor's office would be able to fund a part-time victim advocate.
Reach Laura Haight at laura.haight@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @laurahaight_ on Twitter.