WV MetroNews
The Voice of West Virginia
NEW MANCHESTER, W.Va. — Cleanup was underway Wednesday in the northern panhandle community of Fairhaven after a tornado swept through a very narrow area of Hancock County early Wednesday morning.
“We had a tornado touch down and destroyed about five structures. We did transport one person to the hospital just to be evaluated,” said Mike Watkins, a Dispatcher for Hancock County 911.
The storm was part of a larger system which moved into the area from Irondale, Ohio around 1 a.m.
The area of damage is sparsely populated according to Watkins and included a couple of residential homes, one business, and a farm directly impacted by the storm.
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh had a crew headed to the scene to evaluate the damage and determine the strength of the tornado.
The area of damage is a remote part of Hancock County situated between New Cumberland and Chester.
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Hope Gas has announced plans to purchase Consumers Gas Utility, pending approval from the state Public Service Commission.
Consumers Gas serves about 8,500 customers in Cabell, Jackson, Putnam, Ritchie, Roane and Wayne counties.Hope Gas President and CEO Morgan O’Brien said this acquisition now puts Hope Gas in 38 of the state’s 55 counties. Like the previous five acquisitions, Hope Gas will file plans with the PSC to begin repairs and improvements to the Consumer Gas Utility system.
“Having a more concentrated footprint as we add each of these utilities, our people can be more efficient, we can provide better service, and we can provide higher quality service to these utilities,” O’Brien told MetroNews Wednesday.
In the two years since Hope Gas was acquired from Dominion Energy, investors have poured more than $1 billion into the state. The result has been an increase in Hope Gas employment from 300 to about 500 internally, and another up to 500 are working for contractors doing work to repair and improve the distribution system.
“And we see a lot more opportunities to continue to invest here and help the state move forward,” O’Brien said. “Every time you talk to me, when we spend a dollar, we’ll talk about how many jobs that creates.”
O’Brien said most of the people repairing and replacing the lines are West Virginians and members of the organized skilled trades.
“It’s not just 400 to 500 jobs in West Virginia to replace all these pipes we have, including the acquisitions,” O’Brien said. “It’s the fact that those people doing that work are living in West Virginia and being paid a family-sustaining wage and benefit package.”
Hope Gas will celebrate two years of operations in September on Chestnut Ridge Road in Morgantown. Hope Gas now occupies a portion of the former location of Mylan Pharmaceuticals and has added a state-of-the-art gas control center that improves safety and reliability. The system allows constant monitoring and the ability to make adjustments to the system in times of severe weather or emergencies. The company has also added a call center to serve customers that employs at least 100 local residents.
“Before it actually gets to a critical point, they can send crews out to address it, or they can control a lot of the system electronically from here in Morgantown,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien said adding customers and upgrading systems and technology to increase reliability and safety is the priority as they continue to grow across the state. As the customer continues to grow O’Brien said customers can expect gas to decrease.
“All these really important tools make our service more valuable, and then as we add customers, our product remains affordable for the average person,” O’Brien said.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A state Department of Education review team described Martinsburg North Middle School during a recent visit as chaotic with students going largely unchecked.
After reviewing that report, the state Board of Education voted Wednesday to place Berkeley County Schools under a state of emergency in direct relation to Martinsburg North Middle.
“This is pathetic,” state BOE President Paul Hardesty said. “This should not happen. We are under attack in public education in this state on numerous fronts, incidents like this are like pouring gasoline on the fire we fight back every day.”
State Department of Education Accountability Officer Jeff Kelley delivered the report to the board. He described the on-site visit that took place last month.
“In the majority of classroom observations the team described the environment chaotic, disruptive and occasionally hostile,” Kelley said. “Most classrooms were observed to have a large number of students off-task in an environment that was not conducive to learning.”
Kelley said students were also in the hallways at all times of the day and refused to go to class when directed by teachers.
And that’s just the start.
“The team observed staff members pervasively ignoring student misbehavior, this included a student smacking another student with no redirection from the teacher. Students were observed to be in classes that they did not belong but were allowed to stay,” Kelley said. “At one point a student was observed lying on top of a table with three students sitting under the table, total disengagement with no redirection from the teacher.”
There have been 160 physical fights at North Middle this school year and 23 Title IX violations. A survey of students shows only half of them feel safe.
The school’s student achievement results have been a concern for several years. The most recent numbers show only 24% of students proficient in English and only 6% proficient in math.
Kelley said one parent told them her daughter receives straight A’s but she has trouble reading and writing.
“We want this fixed and we want this fixed now,” Hardesty said. “This cannot be tolerated in a public school system in West Virginia. It just can’t be.”
Hardesty told Berkeley County School Superintendent Ron Stephens that he doesn’t blame the longtime principal at the school but he blames the county school superintendent’s office and local school board because the school principal received good evaluations for more than a dozen years.
“Where I’m placing the blame is on you and your board. If a person has been there 13 years and got stellar evaluations, you, your secondary curriculum director, yall have not done your job and your board hasn’t done its job in holding you accountable,” Hardesty said.
Stephens, who is in his first full year on the job, said the principal at the school has recently been removed and a former principal in another part of the county is now in charge. He said they’ve started to see some improvements but he said he welcomes the state’s help.
“My plan is to continue to work with the state Department of Education, utilizing our resources and to clean-up North Middle School so the students do feel safe,” Stephens said.
Stephens did add that a full-time school resource officer was recently placed at the school.
State School Superintendent Michele Blatt said the state of emergency will include Berkeley County Schools hiring an on-site school improvement specialist who will work the rest of the school year and into the summer months. A team will come up with an action plan for the state Board of Education to consider for approval at its June meeting.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — County clerks across West Virginia say voter turnout one week into the 10-day early voting period has been steady.
Berkeley County Clerk Tony Petrucci told MetroNews, as of Wednesday, they’ve had around 2,200 early voters.
“We’re probably a little ahead of the game, but I’d like to see more to tell you the truth,” he said, adding that more registered Republicans have cast their ballots compared to Democrats and non-affiliated voters.
Petrucci said early voters have more access to vote in this election. The county has two satellite locations in addition to the Berkeley County Voter’s Registration Office.
“We’re thinking in November the satellite locations will probably be busier than they are in the primary. That might take a little load off the downtown office,” he said.
There are more than 90,000 registered voters in Berkeley County.
Voters are generally more interested in this election because there are more high-profile races on the ballot including president and governor. Ohio County Elections Coordinator Jessica Klinger said there’s also a big mayor’s race in Wheeling that’s drawing voters in locally.
“Those races are important, but I think also too that the mayoral race happening in the city is drawing a lot of attention as well and then several running for each ward,” she said.
The Wheeling mayoral race will be decided in the Primary Election. There are six candidates running for that office. The next mayor will assume office in July.
More than 200 poll workers are ready for Tuesday. Klinger said they’ve been able to generate a lot of interest from young people.
“We had a major turnout from the local high schools of 18-year-old voters who are interested in serving on Election Day, so we’ve really had a good turnout,” she said.
Ohio County has more than 27,000 registered voters. The county saw about 1,000 early voters as of Wednesday morning.
Klinger expects more people to head to the polls on Tuesday.
“I think a lot of folks enjoy voting on Election Day, so I think the turnout is going to be more in-person on Election Day,” she said.
The early voting period ends Saturday.
Polls will open at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7:30 p.m.
MetroNews will provide live, continuous coverage of the election starting at 7:06 p.m. election night and results will be posted in real time on our website wvmetronews.com.
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Today on MetroNews This Morning:
–Two are dead in separate officer involved shootings
–The race for the GOP nomination for Governor is red hot less than a week from election day
–Plans are in place for the future of water for Paden City
–In Sports: WVU baseball ready to welcome Penn State to Morgantown
Listen to “MetroNews This Morning 5-8-24” on Spreaker.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After months of debate, messaging, and a bombardment of ads on radio and television, the GOP race for gubernatorial nomination will be determined next Tuesday.
Polling has shown a competitive primary election race among four candidates with significant track records.
The most recent MetroNews West Virginia Poll of 400 likely voters by Research America shows three-term Attorney General Patrick Morrisey leading with 32 percent.
Next in the race are businessman Chris Miller with 25 percent and former House Judiciary Chairman Moore Capito at 24 percent. Secretary of State Mac Warner follows at 10 percent.
Morrisey has countered attacks from his opponents about his New Jersey upbringing and early career as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., by focusing on the right to life and preservation of the state law mandating single-sex participation in interscholastic athletic events, which Morrisey has called the most important battle he waged as the state’s top attorney.
If elected on day one, Morrisey said he would begin a top-to-bottom review of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Increasing transparency in cases involving child protective services and the needs of the more than 6,000 children in the state foster care system are priorities.
“I want to look for more ways to incentivize people to take these kids home and to make sure they’re in the right place,” Morrisey said. “Look at the overall system financially, how we’re paying for this, and the various forms of adoption tax credits. I think that’s the type of overall approach I support.”
Moore Capito, son of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, grandson of former governor Arch Moore, former delegate, and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has been criticized for his deep political roots. Capito has the endorsement of current Governor Jim Justice and has called himself a “get it done conservative,” pointing to work on education choices and tax cuts.
“We’ve delivered the most conservation agenda in the history of the state of West Virginia,” Capito said. “And take the ability to bring people together to build consensus in order to get things across the line, and I’ve shown the ability to do that time and time again.”
Businessman Chris Miller has called himself a political outsider who wants to maximize our land, location, and access to natural resources. His mother is incumbent Congresswoman Carol Miller, R-W.Va., and his grandfather was Samuel Devine, a longtime Republican congressman from Ohio.
Business experience, Miller contends, will position the state to reverse the decades-long trend of population loss, increasing the tax base to offset the rising cost of subsidized health care.
“We need to create an economy that thrives. The free market and the incentive mechanism for everyone are what do that,” Miller said. “We grow the population, and it fixes everything — it fixes worker’s compensation modifiers, it fixes health care costs, it fixes funding for the West Virginia Department of Highways, it fixes everything.”
Two-term Secretary of State Mac Warner has said education will be a major priority. Instead of touting record budget surpluses, Warner wants to use some of those proceeds to solve problems in education. Focusing on retaining certified teachers, recruiting additional certified educators, and implementing locality pay policies. He said those steps will help recruitment by signaling to those outside the state that we are serious about education.
“When you solve the education situation, it solves a lot of other problems,” Warner said. “It prepares the workforce for the jobs that are open now in the state; it gives people a chance to fight the opioid crisis and a chance to learn about obesity and those sorts of challenges.”
Huntington Mayor Steve Williams is the lone Democrat on the ballot and will face the Republican winner of next week’s race.
Primary election day is Tuesday, May 14. The early voting period for the primary election started last week and ends on Saturday, May 11.
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The 100-year-old Morgantown City Hall officially reopened Tuesday night following the completion of a two-year, $3.5 million renovation project.
Director of Engineering and Public Works Damien Davis said the renovation was long overdue and now the building is historic yet prepared to serve the 21st century mission of serving the Morgantown community.
“The building before was moldy; it had asbestos insulation on some of the pipes,l and it had an old boiler that leaked,” Davis said. “It was hot in some rooms, cold in others, and it just wasn’t a great building to work in.”
In recent years, the sidewalks that have rooms connected to city hall under them have been reinforced, a new roof has been installed, and the facade of the building has been rehabilitated.
This project replaced windows, installed a new HVAC system, a new elevator, kitchen and bathroom upgrades, new floors, and added a secure entrance foyer.
“They were all things that we did and a lot of money we spent to get the building structurally sound,” Davis said. “But it had nothing to do with improving the quality of life of the workers here, and that’s what this project was about—to improve the quality of life of the people that work in the building.”
The initial contract with Commercial Builders, Inc., was valued at $2.9 million, and over the next two years, $600,000 in additions made the final contract price about $3.5 million.
“We added a few things to the project we weren’t thinking about originally,” Davis said. “We really gutted this whole building, and things popped up.”
Commercial Builders, Inc. was also the company that completed the sidewalk repairs and now this renovation. Davis said the age of the building required many adjustments and changes to accommodate and repurpose some portions of the building. The former plumbing in the structure is now how computer networks and internet access are distributed.
“They did an excellent job; they were excellent to work with the whole time,” Davis said. “Every step of the way, they were right there working, and the supervisor, Kenny Goodwin, went above and beyond everywhere.”
Morgantown Area Partnership President and CEO Russ Rogerson spoke at the event and highlighted the importance of public and private investment in downtown. Investments like these can encourage other investments, and that’s the hope for a downtown in comeback mode.
“Taking care of our properties in downtown is absolutely critical, and I applaud the city for their efforts to continue to utilize this building that has been a long-standing asset to the community,” Rogerson said.
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The testimony by former porn actress Stormy Daniels in the Donald Trump hush money trial got me thinking for the umpteenth time about Evangelical Christians and Trump, given Trump’s behavior.
Daniels testified in detail about her one night stand (Trump denies the affair) with Trump in a hotel room in 2006 just months after Melania gave birth to their son. It’s just one of Trump’s reported infidelities. In a separate case last year, Trump was found liable for sexually abusing a woman.
Trump infamously claimed in the Access Hollywood video that “when you’re a star you can do anything” [to women]. Grab them by the p—-.”
Earlier this year he started hocking Bibles to raise money. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, wrote in his book that Trump, after meeting with prominent evangelicals in 2016, said, “Can you believe that bulls—? Can you believe people believe that bulls—?”
Yet even after those instances and more, most Evangelicals stand with the former president.
A Pew Research Poll released in March found that 67 percent of White Evangelical Protestants have a favorable view of Trump. That must hold true in West Virginia, where at least 40 percent of residents say they are Evangelicals and Trump has won by 40 points in the last two elections.
How is it that deeply religious individuals can support someone whose actions are so antithetical to their beliefs?
Tim Alberta, a journalist, author of the book “The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory,” son of an Evangelical preacher and a practicing Christian himself, says many Evangelicals who support Trump see him as a mercenary.
“They [Christians believe] are under siege, that Christianity is under attack in this country, in the culture [from] the Godless left,” he said in an interview with CNN. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“If you believe the barbarians are at the gate, you might just be willing to turn to a barbarian to do your fighting for you,” he said.
Brad Sherman, an Evangelical Republican state legislator in Iowa, said of Trump in an NPR interview back before the Iowa Caucus, “He’s brash; he’s a fighter. That’s who we need right now in the political arena, in the environment that exists. You gotta be tough.”
Another Evangelical, Shelley Buhrow, told NPR, “Have you read the Bible? Many people in the Bible were married multiple times and they didn’t always do the perfect thing.”
This attitude is a dramatic shift from a few short years ago. Republicans, conservatives and Evangelicals were critical of Bill Clinton because he had an affair with Monica Lewinsky and lied about it. Back then, character mattered.
James Dobson, one of the leaders of the Christian right, said at the time that he was “alarmed [at] the willingness of my fellow citizens to rationalize the President’s behavior even after they suspect, and later knew, that he was lying. You can’t run a family, let alone a country, without character.”
Evangelist Franklin Graham, in an op-ed in Wall Street Journal following the Clinton-Lewinsky affair, wrote, “If he (Clinton) will lie to or mislead his wife and daughter, those to whom he is most intimate, what will prevent him from doing the same to the American people.”
But that feels like such a long time ago now.
Perhaps Evangelicals see Trump as the modern day version of King David who united the tribes of Israel. He had many wives and concubines. He sent Uriah, one of his generals, to die in battle so he could have his way with Bathsheba.
However, David did eventually confess, repent and was humbled. Maybe that is what Evangelicals are waiting for from Trump. If his past behavior is any indication, I wouldn’t count on it.
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— Story by Luke Wiggs
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — In the fifth meeting of the season for Jefferson County’s premier softball programs, seven innings were not enough to pick a winner as Washington walked off Jefferson 4-3 in 9 innings.
CARLY CROWDER WALKS IT OFF TO WIN THE SECTIONAL FOR WASHINGTON!! #wvprepsb@MetroNewsPrep pic.twitter.com/1ZAiQAIXkN
— Luke Wiggs (@LukeWiggs4) May 8, 2024
“I am beyond thrilled, beyond proud, and beyond excited for these girls.” Washington head coach Amanda Orkoskey said. “They really earned it and battled to the end.”
Things almost started unceremoniously for Jefferson. After Washington starter Chloe Constantino retired the first two batters in the top of the first, Becca Munslow thought she was the third, trotting back to the dugout after a swing and miss. Munslow was then reminded by the home plate umpire that she had only offered at the second strike of the at bat.
After reapplying the batting gloves, Munslow ripped a double into right field that kick started a Jefferson two-out rally. Kalee Dalton singled, putting runners at the corners who were both driven in by a Brooke Allen double. Allen was then plated by a Grace Dodson single. Jefferson led 3-0 after the middle of the first inning.
Washington scored for the first time with some small ball in the bottom of the second. Morgan Cave walked to begin the frame and advanced to second on a groundout to the pitcher. Chloe Crowder then beat out an infield single with two outs allowing Cave to score from second base.
Washington produced again in the bottom of the third. Gabby Bibb led off the inning with a single and Carly Constantino was struck by a pitch. Both came around to score on three consecutive passed balls, tying the game at 3.
Both pitchers settled in at this point with Constantino dealing eight straight scoreless frames to end the game, retiring the last seven batters she faced, and striking out 12 on 143 pitches. Despite the loss, Munslow worked just over eight frames allowing four runs and striking out four.
“Once we got past that first inning I really had faith in her.” Orkoskey said about her starter. “She’s a work horse, a beast out there fighting through nine innings.”
In the bottom of the ninth, Cave reached via a lead off walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. On a grounder back to the pitcher, Munslow threw to third in an attempt to retire the lead runner, but the ball was dislodged from the third baseman’s glove and allowed Cave to reach. Carly Crowder then singled just inside the left field line to give Washington the victory and sectional title. The Patriots advance to take on Musselman in a regional championship series next week.
“Musselman has a great program, proud of them for coming out of that section.” Orkoskey said. “Some celebrating tonight but its time to keep rolling and get that regional title back.”
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WHEELING, W.Va. — After squandering a chance to secure a sectional championship Monday in a one-run loss to Magnolia, Wheeling Central had no choice but to move forward.
The alternative was a successful season coming to an end prematurely.
With a renewed focus at the plate, the Maroon Knights pushed across a pair of runs in both the first and second innings to help set the tone, then capitalized on extra opportunities to score six runs with two outs in the fifth and prematurely bring an end to a 10-2 victory against the Blue Eagles at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex.
“Kudos to our girls for picking it up and making adjustments in the box,” Maroon Knights’ head coach Buck Davidson said. “We hit a lot of them to right field, so she must’ve been pitching us on the outside part of the plate and instead of pulling them and hitting weak grounders, we were letting it travel.“
Tuesday’s result allows the Maroon Knights (19-5) to prolong their season as Class A Region I, Section 1 champion. Wheeling Central will face St. Marys in a best-of-three regional series next week with one of four spots in the state tournament at stake.
Having scored one run in consecutive contests and seven over three postseason games, Central produced the exact start it desired. Pitcher Josie Frizzell kept Magnolia (14-12) from scoring and the Maroon Knights wasted no time taking the lead, utilizing a double from Maddie Miehle to bring home Bella Rine, who had reached by drawing a base-on-balls.
Following a second walk and a wild pitch, the Maroon Knights doubled their lead when Frizzell sent a ground ball to third that brought home Brooklyn Edge.
Errors in consecutive at bats to start the home half of the second inning allowed the Maroon Knights to up their lead to three, and the advantage grew another run in that inning when Rine sent a ground ball to short that amounted to the second out but enabled teammate Olivia Stephens to come home.
“The girls really stepped up their game at the plate today hitting line drives,” Davidson said. “Even the ones that are hit at you, when you hit them that hard, they’re hard to field.”
Jessa Anderson’s home run to right field with one out in the third got Magnolia on the scoreboard, and later that inning, the Maroon Knights stranded a pair of runners against Blue Eagles’ pitcher Mallory McDiffitt, who kept the home team from scoring in that frame for the first time in the contest.
Wheeling Central’s only error of the outing came with two outs in the fourth and directly led to the Blue Eagles’ second run.
Following a second consecutive scoreless innings from McDiffitt, Magnolia threatened to tie the game in the fifth.
Anderson led off with a single and Haiden Bland accounted for one of her own with one out. Both players were in scoring position with one out, before Frizzell struck out Alyssa Littleton and Madeline Delaney to keep her team’s two-run lead intact.
“She did really well,” Davidson said of Frizzell. “She hasn’t been feeling well the last two days, so hopefully get her rested up and ready to go.”
Frizzell wouldn’t throw another pitch.
Instead, a two-out error in center in the bottom of the fifth allowed Ava Hanson to reach second base and Trina Baker to score from third, upping Central’s lead to 5-2.
Magnolia came undone after the miscue, and Rine’s single to center brought in Stephens with the sixth run, while another error on that play allowed Olivia Kiaski to touch the plate.
Rine scored her team’s eighth run on Magnolia’s fifth and final error, before Frizzell hit a sharp single to center to score Miehle and Edge and bring an end to the matchup.
“We give up that big inning sometimes and it always comes back to bite us,” Magnolia head coach Danny Anderson said. “A couple balls we didn’t make plays on. Our pitcher is battling a back that’s a little tight and she struggled hitting her spots.”
Rine and Miehle had two hits apiece to account for half of their team’s total. Both of Miehle’s hits were doubles.
“It helped that they made errors and we were able to capitalize on them, but that’s what you’re supposed to do in games like this,” Davidson said.
Frizzell struck out five and walked a pair while scattering five hits.
Anderson and Bland had two hits apiece to combine for all but one of the Blue Eagles’ hits.
“We struck out 14 times yesterday and I was kind of surprised we struck out that many times, but we did a lot better job putting the ball in play,” coach Anderson said. “Some of our balls were at ’em today and yesterday they had a lot of at ’em balls where they hit the ball hard, but right at somebody. We made the plays yesterday and today we didn’t.”
McDiffitt allowed eight hits and walked four while striking out one. Central struck out only once against the Blue Eagles over the final two games of sectional play.
“Wheeling Central is a good hitting team and we knew yesterday that because they put the ball in play, they’re eventually going to find holes,” coach Anderson said. “They found those holes today and that’s the difference in the game.”
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