Paving Lawsuits May Consolidate

Several agencies are suing a paving company over allegations that the companies increased prices by 40 percent and created a monopoly. Charleston, Beckley, Bluefield and Parkersburg are among the citys that filed suits against West Virginia Paving and several of its sister companies earlier this month, and Yeager Airport joined this week. The Gazette-Mail reports the city of Charleston filed a motion to transfer and consolidate all the related cases. The state Department of Transportation and Division of Highways, Kanawha County Commission and City of Huntington also filed their own civil actions. By combining cases, the agencies could avoid extra costs associated with several trials.