WV MetroNews
The Voice of West Virginia
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Seedings and schedules are set for the WVSSAC Baseball Sectional Tournaments. Double-elimination play begins Monday, May 6 and may continue through Saturday, May 18. Sectional champions advance to best-of-three regional play, which begins Monday, May 20.
(This list is not yet complete and will be updated as more schedules are finalized. Athletic directors/coaches, please forward any updates/corrections to [email protected]. Thank you.)
Class AAA
Region I
Section 1
Tuesday, May 7
Game 1 – No. 4 Brooke at No. 1 Morgantown
Game 2 – No. 3 John Marshall at No. 2 Wheeling Park
Wednesday, May 8
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Thursday, May 9
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Saturday, May 11
Game 7 – If necessary
Section 2
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 4 Preston at No. 1 Bridgeport
Game 2 – No. 3 Buckhannon-Upshur at No. 2 University
Tuesday, May 7
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Wednesday, May 8
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Thursday, May 9
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 7 – If necessary
Region II
Section 1
Tuesday, May 7
Game 1 – No. 4 Spring Mills at No. 1 Martinsburg
Game 2 – No. 3 Hedgesville at No. 2 Musselman
Wednesday, May 8
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Thursday, May 9
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Saturday, May 11
Game 7 – If necessary
Section 2
Tuesday, May 7
Game 1 – No. 3 Hampshire at No. 2 Jefferson
Wednesday, May 8
Game 2 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Washington
Thursday, May 9
Game 3 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Friday, May 10
Game 4 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Saturday, May 11
Game 5 – If necessary
Region III
Section 1
Tuesday, May 7
Game 1 – No. 5 South Charleston at No. 4 Riverside
Wednesday, May 8
Game 2 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 St. Albans
Game 3 – No. 3 Capital at No. 2 George Washington
Section 2
Tuesday, May 7
Game 1 – No. 4 Princeton at No. 1 Greenbrier East
Game 2 – No. 3 Oak Hill at No. 2 Woodrow Wilson
Wednesday, May 8
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Thursday, May 9
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Saturday, May 11
Game 7 – If necessary
Region IV
Section 1
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 4 Lincoln County at No. 1 Cabell Midland
Game 2 – No. 3 Huntington at No. 2 Spring Valley
Tuesday, May 7
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Wednesday, May 8
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Thursday, May 9
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 7 – If necessary
Section 2
Tuesday, May 7
Game 1 – No. 4 Parkersburg at No. 1 Ripley
Game 2 – No. 3 Parkersburg South at No. 2 Hurricane
Wednesday, May 8
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Thursday, May 9
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Saturday, May 11
Game 7 – If necessary
Class AA
Region I
Section 1
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 5 Oak Glen at No. 4 North Marion
Tuesday, May 7
Game 2 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Fairmont Senior
Game 3 – No. 3 Weir at No. 2 East Fairmont
Wednesday, May 8
Game 4 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 5 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Section 2
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 4 Berkeley Springs at No. 1 Keyser
Game 2 – No. 3 Grafton at No. 2 Frankfort
Tuesday, May 7
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Wednesday, May 8
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Thursday, May 9
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 7 – If necessary
Region II
Section 1
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 5 Liberty Harrison at No. 4 Elkins
Tuesday, May 7
Game 2 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Philip Barbour
Game 3 – No. 3 Lincoln at No. 2 Robert C. Byrd
Wednesday, May 8
Game 4 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 5 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Section 2
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 5 Braxton County at No. 4 Clay County
Tuesday, May 7
Game 2 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Lewis County
Game 3 – No. 3 Roane County at No. 2 Herbert Hoover
Wednesday, May 8
Game 4 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 5 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Region III
Section 1
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 4 Bluefield at No. 1 PikeView
Game 2 – No. 3 Westside at No. 2 Wyoming East
Tuesday, May 7
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Wednesday, May 8
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Thursday, May 9
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 7 – If necessary
Section 2
Tuesday, May 7
Game 1 – No. 4 Liberty Raleigh at No. 1 Nicholas County
Game 2 – No. 3 Shady Spring at No. 2 Independence
Wednesday, May 8
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Thursday, May 9
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Saturday, May 11
Game 7 – If necessary
Region IV
Section 1
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 5 Poca at No. 4 Point Pleasant
Tuesday, May 7
Game 2 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Winfield
Game 3 – No. 3 Nitro at No. 2 Sissonville
Wednesday, May 8
Game 4 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 5 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Section 2
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 5 Mingo Central at No. 4 Chapmanville
Tuesday, May 7
Game 2 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Scott
Game 3 – No. 3 Wayne at No. 2 Logan
Wednesday, May 8
Game 4 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 5 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Class A
Region I
Section 1
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 5 Magnolia at No. 4 Paden City
Game 2 – No. 7 Hundred at No. 2 Madonna
Game 3 – No. 6 Valley Wetzel at No. 3 Cameron
Tuesday, May 7
Game 4 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Wheeling Central Catholic
Game 5 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 6 – Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Wednesday, May 8
Game 7 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 5 loser
Game 8 – Game 6 winner vs. Game 4 loser
Game 9 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Thursday, May 9
Game 10 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 11 – Game 10 winner vs. Game 9 loser
Saturday, May 11
Game 12 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 winner
Monday, May 13
Game 13 – If necessary
Section 2
Tuesday, May 7
No. 4 Ritchie County at No. 1 Williamstown
No. 3 St. Marys at No. 2 Tyler Consolidated
Wednesday, May 8
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Thursday, May 9
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Saturday, May 11
Game 7 – If necessary
Region II
Section 1
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 6 Clay-Battelle at No. 3 Doddridge County
Game 2 – No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 4 Trinity
Tuesday, May 7
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 2 Tygarts Valley
Game 4 – Game 2 winner at No. 1 South Harrison
Section 2
Game 1 – No. 6 Paw Paw at No. 3 Pendleton County
Game 2 – No. 5 Tucker County at No. 4 Petersburg
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 2 Moorefield
Game 4 – Game 2 winner at No. 1 East Hardy
Region III
Section 1
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 5 Mount View at No. 4 River View
Game 2 – No. 6 Montcalm at No. 3 Greater Beckley Christian
Tuesday, May 7
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 James Monroe
Game 4 – Game 2 winner at No. 2 Summers County
Wednesday, May 8
Game 5 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Game 6 – Game 2 loser vs. Game 4 loser
Game 7 – Winners bracket final
Thursday, May 9
Game 8 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Friday, May 10
Game 9 – Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 winner
Saturday, May 11
Game 10 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner
Monday, May 13
Game 11 – If Necessary
Section 2
Game 1 – No. 7 Webster County at No. 2 Midland Trail
Game 2 – No. 6 Meadow Bridge at No. 3 Greenbrier West
Game 3 – No. 5 Pocahontas County at No. 4 Richwood
Game 4 – Game 3 winner at No. 1 Charleston Catholic
Region IV
Section 1
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 7 Van at No. 2 Tug Valley
Game 2 – No. 6 Tolsia at No. 3 Buffalo
Game 3 – No. 5 Huntington St. Joseph’s at No. 4 Sherman
Tuesday. May 7
Game 4 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Man
Section 2
Monday, May 6
Game 1 – No. 6 Hannan at No. 3 Gilmer County
Game 2 – No. 5 Wirt County at No. 4 Calhoun County
Tuesday, May 7
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 2 Wahama
Game 4 – Game 2 winner at No. 1 Ravenswood
The post 2024 WVSSAC H.S. Baseball sectional schedules appeared first on WV MetroNews.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Special needs students from across Kanawha County were in Charleston Friday to put their athletic skills to the test.
Kanawha County Schools held their annual Exceptional Spring Games at Laidley Field.
Megan McCorkle, assistant superintendent for special education and student support with KCS, said the event gives students the opportunity to compete in games and win prizes that they normally wouldn’t be exposed to.
“Often times they are not participants in other events that we hold so this is something that is very special for them. This is a way that they can celebrate themselves. This is something that their families can come to and feel the success of everything that they have put into their kids,” she said.
George Washington High School senior Timmy Smith was excited to bring home a gold medal after playing baseball with his coach and other classmates.
“My teacher is the head coach of George Washington High School,” he said. “I like throwing the ball.”
Herbert Hoover High School special education teacher Amy McVicker has been teaching students with disabilities for 19 years. She said her class looks forward the Spring Games each year as a way to celebrate their success.
“It makes their year. They come to school every day and they do what they can do and when we get to reward them with something like this, you can’t ask for anything better,” McVicker said.
.@KCBOE is holding its annual Exceptional Spring Games at Laidley Field in Charleston today for special needs students.
@580WCHS pic.twitter.com/gTyywUH19w
— Carrie Hodousek (@CarrieHodousek) May 3, 2024
Students got to participate in running, walking, jumping, softball, baseball, as well as hands-on craft activities, face painting, a sensory village and more. McCorkle said the event has grown over the years.
“We have expanded it so much that it’s not just athletic events,” she said. “Even if you are not a runner and you can’t throw a ball very well, there are things here that they would love and enjoy doing.”
Some students were in Charleston for the first time because they go to school in different parts of the county, McVicker said.
“They get to come here and they get to participate in things that normally they probably wouldn’t get to participate in. We have kids that live out in Clendenin or Elkview and they don’t always make to Charleston to do these kinds of things,” McVicker said.
McCorkle said the event also teaches students about real-life situations at large events.
“You get to teach them different skills. Often times crowds like this can be very intimidating and overwhelming for our students. It allows our teachers to prepare them for events in life that do have crowds,” she said.
High school marching bands and cheerleaders took part in Friday’s event. Each school was featured with a banner in a parade that took place before the games.
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FAIRMONT, W.Va. — FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary Mon Power is preparing to begin award negotiations with the U.S. Department of Energy for up to $5 million through the Rural or Remote Areas program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to enhance reliability for customers in four counties.
Spokesman Will Boye said this project was submitted with 659 other concept papers in 2023 and made it through the federal review process to the final negotiation phase.
“Fifty-nine of those were moved to the full application phase, and then 19 projects were selected to begin final negotiations, so we’re very glad to have this opportunity,” Boye said.
The project will rebuild lines in Pocahontas, Braxton and Clay counties and complete a two-mile substation connection in Grant County. Boye said over the past year, they have included input from more than 500 municipal and non-profit organizations in the plan.
“This project that we’ve applied for funding for would help rebuild more than 23 miles of powerlines in those counties, connect a two-mile line, and result in enhanced reliability for the customers in those four counties,” Boye said.
The project will also create adjacent circuits that can be used as a backup to restore service for customers when repairs need to be made due to an outage.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to move forward with these projects, rebuild these lines, and create a backup power feed for these customers,” Boye said.
Over the next two months, FirstEnergy officials and 18 other organizations will be negotiating their way to the final award.
“We’re hoping we can complete the award negotiations in 30 to 60 days, and if that goes smoothly and the funding is awarded, we would move forward with construction in 2025,” Boye said.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County civil jury has awarded the widow of a Belle Chemical Plant worker $15 million in connection with the December 2020 explosion that killed her husband.
The six-member jury announced the award Thursday following a wrongful death trial that stretched over two weeks before the jury and Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers.
Tina Gillenwater, of Hurricane, sued the plant owner at the of the explosion, Optima Belle, chemical company Clearon Corp. and others for the death of her husband, John Gillenwater.
Gillenwater, 42, was working at the plant the evening a new drying process was being used to remove water/moisture from chlorinated dry bleach. Clearon contracted with Optima to perform the process.
Attorney Scott Segal, who represented Tina Gillenwater in the case, said the jury agreed the explosion that rocked that part of eastern Kanawha County should have never happened.
“The chemical companies should have realized that loading 8,800 pounds of dried chlorinated bleach into this type of dryer was 100-percent guaranteed to cause an explosion,” Segal told MetroNews.
The explosion occurred at 10:02 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2020. The force of it blew Gillenwater out of the building where the dryer was located and destroyed the building.
Segal said the jury listened intently to technical testimony. He said the trial ended up being the companies pointing fingers at each other. In the end, the jury found $10 million in damages under the state’s wrongful death statute. Clearon was found most responsible at 70% and Optima at 30%.
“The most important part of the trial was who the jury found to be the most responsible for not realizing that doing what they were doing was 100% guaranteed to cause an explosion that night and that explosion was almost the equivalent of two tons of TNT,” Segal said.
The jury also awarded $5 million for Gillenwater’s conscious pain and suffering. Segal said
“He was conscious for an hour and fifteen minutes after the explosion with horrible, horrible injuries that the jury had to listen to,” Segal said.
Gillenwater left behind his wife and two children. Segal said the trial was less about their suffering in the hours after the explosion and more about how they have used the tragedy to make them stronger.
“This is a deeply, deeply, special and very religious family and they used their faith not only to grieve but to come back strong,” Segal said. “This family can now move on to continue rebuilding their lives in the incredible way the jury heard that they crawled out of the darkest hours of this night to be some of the most wonderful human beings walking this earth today.”
In the days after the explosion, MetroNews spoke with Teays Valley-based River Ridge Church where John Gillenwater was a member.
“He had a way, even though he didn’t know you, that you walked away feeling or maybe even knowing, that he saw you, that he recognized you and you felt calmer and he was about to pass along that joy that was inside him. He was an incredible individual,” River Ridge Executive Pastor Chad Cobb told MetroNews at the time.
Segal credits the six-member jury and one alternate for being very attentive during the trial.
“They were focused the entire time,” he said.
He also said Judge Akers ran the trial efficiently.
The post Kanawha County civil jury awards family $15 million following death caused by 2020 Belle plant explosion appeared first on WV MetroNews.
In the stretch run for the Republican primary for West Virginia’s next governor, three-term Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is in the lead over close competitors Moore Capito and Chris Miller, according to the most recent MetroNews West Virginia Poll.
Of likely Republican voters and independent voters who will request a Republican ballot, Morrisey had 32% of the vote, according to today’s release of the West Virginia Poll.
Miller, a businessman and son of Congresswoman Carol Miller, was next with 25 percent. Moore Capito, former House Judiciary chairman and son of Senator Shelley Moore Capito, was very close to that with 24 percent.
Two-term Secretary of State Mac Warner polled at 10 percent. The remainder of those polled were either undecided or favor some other candidate who was not listed as an option.
Morrisey’s support has held steady through months of polling, said Rex Repass, president of Research America, which conducted the poll. There has been some fluidity among the positioning of the other candidates.
“He really hasn’t changed. In our polling, he’s been around 31-32 percent this year,” Repass said of Morrisey.
“On the other hand, you’ve got some volatility with the other two contenders. You’ve got two candidates kind of biting at the heels of Patrick Morrisey.”
The poll was built on 407 completed surveys conducted online and by telephone from April 24 to May 1. Respondents were screened and qualified as registered Republicans and independents who plan to request a Republican ballot for the May 14 primary. Participants described high interest in the primary election and said they are likely to vote.
Respondents in all 55 West Virginia counties were included in the West Virginia Poll, which is sponsored by The Health Plan.
The overall confidence interval was +/- 4.9 percentage points.
Voting is already underway. The early voting period for the primary election started on Wednesday and ends on Saturday, May 11. West Virginia’s primary election is May 14.
The only Democrat in the race for governor is Huntington Mayor Steve Williams.
This is the second time in the past month that MetroNews has polled the Republican primary for governor. A poll released April 11 showed Capito and Morrisey running neck and neck — with Morrisey at 31% and Capito at 29 percent. Chris Miller came in with 16% support while Mac Warner was at 12 percent.
Throughout the past few weeks, voters have experienced an advertising blitz.
As of the most recent state reporting deadline for fundraising, campaigns for Morrisey, Miller and Capito each had more than a million dollars available to spend.
Miller’s campaign reported spending a whopping $2.7 million during the period. Miller has loaned his own campaign a little more than $3 million.
Overlapping that time, the MetroNews poll shows a bump in support for Miller.
“I think the most interesting data in this edition of the West Virginia Poll is the increase in support for Miller,” Repass said. “And that’s predominantly represented by strong conservatives in our sample.”
The latest poll shows that among likely voters who describe themselves as conservative, Morrisey has support of 33% compared to 27% of conservatives favoring Miller.
“When you look at the campaign that both Morrisey and Miller have waged, they’re both appealing to the same block of voters. But Miller has gained ground with that block of strong conservative Republicans,” Repass said.
A poll released last week by Coalition for West Virginia’s Future, a pro-Capito group, showed Capito at 31 percent, followed by 23% for Morrisey, 14% for Miller, 13% Warner and 18% undecided.
Capito got a key endorsement during the last few weeks when two-term Gov. Jim Justice officially backed his campaign. Since then, Capito has made several public appearances with Justice.
“In my view, the endorsement has not had an impact at this point,” Repass said. “The campaigning with the governor, who is obviously popular, could still have an impact on the election.”
The post Poll: Morrisey leads in home stretch with Miller and Capito in the hunt appeared first on WV MetroNews.
Today on MetroNews This Morning:
–Appalachian Power now says that April 2nd storm and tornado outbreak caused north of $30 Million in damage
–Senator Capito calls for severe punishment for anti-semitic activities on college campuses nationwide
–Tech students in Kanawha County are signing to go straight to work after completion of programs at the high school level
–In Sports: WVU basketball gets a big man out of the portal
Listen to “MetroNews This Morning 5-3-24” on Spreaker.
The post MetroNews This Morning 5-3-24 appeared first on WV MetroNews.
GLENVILLE, W.Va. — Faced with an early deficit, one big swing of the bat and four shutout innings to follow allowed Gilmer County to reach the Little Kanawha Conference Championship game. The Titans defeated Tyler Consolidated, 5-3 in the second LKC semifinal to set up a matchup against Williamstown Friday at 5 p.m.
WVU signee and senior pitcher Bryant Yoak kept the defending LKC champions off the scoreboard in four of his five innings on the mound. Yoak struck out nine batters and allowed four hits on 81 pitches.
“He had several pitches working. His changeup was as nasty as can be. His slider was working,” said Gilmer County head coach Ben Hall. “Of course it never hurts when you can rare back like he does. I thought he did really well keeping batters off balance all night. That’s a good hitting team.”
“I mixed in my main three pitches,” Yoak said. “My sinker was on. My changeup was on. And my curveball was on for the most part too. I was able to locate that on 3-2 counts and that’s huge for a putaway pitch.”
The Titans (23-3-1) scored a pair of runs in the second inning before Tyler (18-11) answered in the third. A two-run double from Ethan Clark and a run-scoring groundout by Owen Westbrook gave the Silver Knights a 3-2 lead.
After relinquishing the lead, Yoak stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the frame. He delivered a bases-clearing double to put the Titans back on top, 5-3.
“To be able to go back out there with a cushion, that’s a big relief off my shoulders,” Yoak said. “It showed we could buckle down in big situations.”
“It shows our resilience,” Hall said. “If we are going to make a run at this thing, which I think we can, we’ve got to beat good teams like that. We can’t let people get ahead of us and fold up tents. I thought the guys did a great job of staying together as a team, manufacturing runs, playing small ball when needed. And it never hurts with two strikes to hit a bases clearing double.”
Yoak was relieved by Kolten Holbert in the sixth inning. After retiring the side in order in the sixth, Tyler put two runners in the scoring position in the seventh inning with two men out. Holbert collected his fifth strikeout to end the game.
“That’s a freshman coming on the mound and he is going to be a guy to watch for,” Hall said. “Kolten Holbert has just been lights out all year. Every time we ask him to do something, he does it.”
The Titans and Williamstown will meet for the first time this season in the final. The Yellowjackets defeated South Harrison, 7-2 in the first semifinal.
“Williamstown is very loaded. This is a big matchup. This could be a matchup we see in Charleston if we both make it. We have to come out [Friday] and play our baseball. We can’t get caught up in who they are. At the end of the day, it is us versus us.”
“It would mean a lot,” Yoak said. “I have never been in the Night of Champions. I would love to bring it home.”
Reese Davis went the distance on the mound for the Silver Knights. He allowed three earned runs, five hits and he struck out eight batters.
Yoak and Brody Brockleman each had two hits for the Titans.
MetroNews will publish an additional story on Yoak this weekend.
The post Gilmer County holds off Tyler Consolidated, 5-3 to secure a spot in the LKC title game appeared first on WV MetroNews.
Actions have consequences.
Former Jefferson County Commissioners Tricia Jackson and Jennifer Krouse have learned that the hard way. (Read more from Brad McElhinny here.)
The two refused to attend any of the commission meetings between September 7 and November 30 last year as a protest of the slate of three candidates nominated by the Jefferson County Republican Executive Committee to fill a vacancy on the five-member commission. (Jackson is a Republican. Krouse was a Republican at the time, but she has since switched her registration to the Mountain Party.)
Krouse complained in a Facebook post that none of the three was a “true conservative.” Their protest meant the commission did not have a quorum and therefore it could not fulfill its legal obligation to appoint a replacement or take any other official action.
County business ground to a halt for nearly three months.
Vacant positions went unfilled. The county emergency services agency could not renew its maintenance contract for radio services, which endangered public safety. Grant applications sat idle. A county developer could not retrieve a $1 million bond he had posted even though all requirements were met. (The county ended up paying $18,000 in legal fees to the attorney for the developer.)
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Harvey took legal action to try to remove the delinquent duo from office. A three-judge panel heard testimony consistently reinforcing the argument that Jackson and Krouse failed to do their sworn duty even as they continued to be paid—nearly $9,000 each in salary, plus benefits.
The evidence was overwhelming, and the three-judge panel hearing the case left no doubt in their scathing decision:
This Court therefore FINDS the Respondents willfully ignored this duty, prioritized their own agenda over the needs of the citizens of Jefferson County, and weaponized their deliberate and intentional refusal to attend meetings and appoint a fifth commissioner in order for the Respondents to advance their own agenda.”
The Court concluded that their actions clearly constituted “deliberate, willful and intentional refusal to perform their duties as Commissioners.”
And so Krouse and Jackson have been booted off the Commission. Interestingly, Jackson is running for the Republican nomination for State Auditor, so her name is on the May 14th Primary Election ballot.
Commissioners take a simple, but meaningful, oath when they assume office to “faithfully discharge and perform the duties of the county commission… so help me God.” Krouse and Jackson violated the letter and the spirit of their oath. They put their personal agenda, which was hazy at best, above the greater good of the county. Appropriately, they have been removed from office.
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KEARNEYSVILLE, W.Va. — U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Alex Mooney was joined by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at a rally in Kearneysville, Thursday evening with hundreds of people from the Eastern Panhandle in attendance.
Over 300 were in Jefferson County for the rally at the RSD Horse Auctions in Kearneysville. Mooney and other candidates for office in West Virginia are in the final stretch of their campaign before the Primary Election May 14. The 2nd District U.S. Congressman was thankful for Cruz’s support.
“It means a lot considering he has a race of his own but he needs help,” said Mooney.
Cruz, who is in a key race to keep his seat in Texas, talked about why he made the trip to the Mountain State.
“I’m supporting Alex because I know who he is,” Cruz said following Thursday’s campaign rally. “He’s walked the walk.”
Cruz said Mooney is not one to make empty promises while on the campaign trail. He called Mooney a warrior.
“Alex has been standing and fighting for the people of West Virginia while in Congress,” said Cruz.
Congressman Mooney says he’s has been narrowing the gap between himself and the front-runner for the U.S. Senate seat Governor Jim Justice. Mooney took more jabs at the governor, again calling him a Democrat.
“He’s just like Joe Manchin, he’s Joe Manchin 2.0,” Mooney said. “He’s Democrat-lite and voters don’t want that anymore from Republicans.”
Cruz said with longtime U.S. Senator and Democrat Joe Manchin not running, “it’s a very different race.” He said rather than elect a candidate who could go toe-to-toe with a Democrat in the General Election, the focus now is on electing the candidate who will fight for conservative values.
“He will keep his word that he will faithfully fight to defend the constitution, to defend out nation, to defend freedom,” Cruz said.
Other Eastern Panhandle colleagues showed up to support Mooney including State Treasurer Riley Moore, who gave remarks, and Jefferson County Senator Patricia Rucker.
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GLENVILLE, W.Va. — Williamstown junior Parker Schramm tossed a complete game and he added three hits to help the Yellowjackets reach the Little Kanawha Conference Championship game with a 7-2 win over South Harrison at the Sue Morris Sports Complex.
Schramm allowed six hits, walked three batters and struck out six.
“He was throwing strikes. He was battling for us. He got a couple double plays so that always helps,” said Williamstown head coach Levi Maxwell.
“Anytime you can save a guy and the guy can throw the whole game, that’s huge. Parker has been a guy we have counted on throughout the season and he did a great job today.”
Four of Williamstown’s first six batters scored in the first inning. Luke Ankrom, Carson Hill and Wyatt Siley all delivered run-scoring hits in the opening frame.
“When we score four first in a game, we are doing really well. That’s a good cushion to start out with. We took advantage of some of their miscues.”
South Harrison cut their deficit in half in the third inning. Back-to-back RBI singles from Seth Gain and Gabe Ferrell pulled the Hawks within 4-2. However, a two-run single from Carson Haines in the fourth inning and a run-scoring single from Ty Ott built a five-run lead for the ‘Jackets.
Williamstown (23-3) will face the host team Gilmer County (23-3-1) Friday at 5 p.m. in the LKC Championship game. The Titans defeated defending league champion Tyler Consolidated, 5-2 in the second semifinal.
“We haven’t won it [the LKC] since I have been here. It would be huge for us and it would give us some momentum that we need.”
South Harrison fell to 20-11. Ferrell and Zane Harlow each had a pair of base hits for the Hawks.
WVU signee Maxwell Molessa and Hill each had two hits for Williamstown.
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