WV MetroNews
The Voice of West Virginia
DODDRIDGE COUNTY, W.Va. — Competitive Power Ventures, an electric power generating company, has been approved for a site certification on a multi-billion dollar project planned for Doddridge County.
The project has been in development for several years. CPV chose Doddridge County as the location of $3 billion Carbon Capture Project back in December 2022. Featured will be the CPV Shay Energy Center that will consist of an 1,800 MW combined-cycle natural gas power station with the capability to utilize carbon capture technology. The CPV Shay Energy Center will help supply power to nearly 2 million homes and businesses in West Virginia.
Matthew Litchfield, vice president of External and Regulatory Affairs at Competitive Power Ventures, said being granted the siting certificate from the West Virginia Public Service Commission is a significant milestone in their progress on the project.
“We do still have quite a bit of work to do but this is something we’re celebrating,” Litchfield said. “We’re very thankful to West Virginia and the Public Service Commission for the process and for the approval.”
Litchfield said the project will be designed to include carbon capture technology. He says up to 90% of carbon emissions could be captured at their plant.
“It has been historically challenging to do, however, over the last several years, we’ve seen a lot of momentum building to make this even more economically viable,” said Litchfield.
He noted federal tax credits put in place by the Inflation Reduction Act and support from the state for the project.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently rolled out new rules for power plants to include carbon capture and reduce carbon emissions drastically over the next couple of years. Litchfield said they welcome the carbon capture element and believe that aspect will work for them in their plans.
“This is something we’re excited about pursuing in Doddridge County,” he said.
Construction on the project isn’t expected for a few more years. The project is expected to create up to 2,000 jobs during peak construction and is projected to go into operation later this decade.
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WHEELING, W.Va. — The next mayor of Wheeling will be tasked with combatting issues of homelessness, public safety, infrastructure, economic development and more when he or she assumes office July 1.
The race for Wheeling mayor is non-partisan and is decided on Primary Election Day, May 14.
There are six candidates running for that office including Carl Carpenter, Beth Hinebaugh, Rosemary Ketchum, Denny Magruder, Chad Thalman and J.T. Thomas.
Thalman currently serves as Vice Mayor in Wheeling. He told MetroNews he wants to continue building on what the city has accomplished in the last eight years under Mayor Glenn Elliott’s leadership.
“We’ve taken steps to improve quality of life to focus on public safety, to focus on our neighborhoods, to focus on bringing more investment into the city and more housing into the city. That’s what I would continue to do,” Thalman said.
Elliott is running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate this year against Marine Corps veteran Zach Shrewsbury and ex-coal boss Don Blankenship.
Some candidates like Thomas have never entered politics until now. Thomas was the coordinator of Sports Physical Therapy for 26 years at Wheeling Hospital and now serves as a commercial insurance agent. His father is late Wheeling Central High School football coach Jim Thomas.
“I’ve chosen to get off the sidelines and into the game,” Thomas said. “I want to be the quarterback that leads Wheeling to victory.”
He said his dad, who died 20 years ago, has fueled his desire to lead the city of Wheeling.
“As we stood at his funeral, the line was three blocks long to get in. People would come up to pay their respects and tell us that they wouldn’t be where they are in this community today if it weren’t for his guidance and that resonated with me. It was super impactful,” Thomas said.
Magruder, a former executive director of the Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority who oversaw operations of WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theatre, has also never been involved with politics but said this is a critical moment in Wheeling’s history to step up to the plate especially when it comes to road construction issues.
“I think we need to have a seat at the table with the Department of Highways. That’s extremely important. I think our relationship with those various groups have been fractured a bit and we need to repair them,” he said.
The ongoing Downtown Streetscape Project has caused headaches for downtown Wheeling business owners, but many candidates say completion, which isn’t expected until summer 2025, will help beautify roads and draw in more businesses.
Hinebaugh is a business owner and former law enforcement officer. She said Wheeling is in a prime location for economic growth, situated on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
“We have a lot of entreuprenuers in our area who have small businesses. We need to be supporting all of them like offer incentives, offer ways for them to try and grow their businesses and then we also need to be recruiting other businesses to our community,” she said.
One of the most pressing issues that Ketchum wants to address as mayor is homelessness. She currently serves on Wheeling City Council but said it’s time to step into more of a leadership role to take care of the city’s most vulnerable population.
“We need policies that don’t demonize but support our people. We need public safety, not just for the folks that are housed, but for the folks that are unhoused, and we also need funding,” Ketchum said.
Ketchum was elected in 2020 as the first openly transgender member of Wheeling City Council. She told MetroNews while it would be great to make history as the first transgender mayor in the city, she wants to focus her campaign on improving even more lives beyond her district.
“My hope is that during those interviews we’re able to pivot and talk about West Virginia and exactly why bold, excited and diverse leadership is not just possible in places like West Virginia, but is necessary in places like West Virginia,” Ketchum said.
A new exempted homeless site owned by the city has been labeled a “temporary fix” by Catholic Charities West Virginia. While the city has provided portable toilets and dumpsters for the site, Ketchum said there needs to be year-round services to help people get back on their feet.
“We need to be talking with our elected officials at the state and federal level about additional funding particularly geared toward mental health services,” she said.
Magruder said homelessness often leads to other crimes in the city.
“When you have spin-off crime and you have garbage at on-site situations existing, that becomes a problem. That’s something I’d want to focus on immediately,” he said.
Thalman said he voted for the latest public camping ban which allows the city to designate one or more managed camps within city limits for homeless individuals.
“I just happen to disagree with the idea that anybody should be able to camp anywhere at any time, for any reason, without permission and without rules,” he said. “I want to be compassionate, and I want to help people, but sometimes I think we go too far. We enable people and enabling is the opposite of helping.”
During a mayoral debate last month organized by The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register and WTRF-TV, Carpenter said he was the “unknown, unconnected and unfunded” candidate of the six running for mayor.
The 10-day early voting period in West Virginia runs through May 11.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Early voting isn’t setting any high turnout records in Kanawha County more than a third of the way through the 10-day period.
As of Friday evening, only 1,676 registered voters had cast ballots in Kanawha County, which is just a little more than 500 voters a day in the first three days.
“That’s all—it’s been very slow all over,” longtime Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick said. “I thought It would slower than usual but not this slow.”
Going into Saturday, 713 Democrats, 659 Republicans and 247 non-affiliated voters had voted in Kanawha County.
The county is expected to be a key one in several races on May 14 including the race for the GOP nomination for governor.
Kanawha County set an early voting record in the November 2020 General Election when a total of 22,535 in-person votes were cast. Nearly 2,500 ballots were cast on Oct. 31, 2020 alone.
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WEIRTON, W.Va. – Rayna Hoover homered twice and drove in four runs, powering Weir to a 12-4 win over rival Oak Glen in the Region 1, Section 1 Championship Game.
It is Weir’s first sectional championship since 2018.
Hoover ended the game the same way she started it. Hoover blasted a two-run homer over the left field fence in the bottom of the first inning to give the Red Riders an early 2-0 edge. She went yard again in the bottom of the fifth inning. This two-run homer gave Weir an eight-run lead, ending the game.
“I thought we had to play another inning and then I was at home plate and everybody said the game’s ending and I thought ‘well, that’s convenient,’” said Hoover.
The junior finished the game 3-for-3 with two homers and four runs batted in.
“Rayna came up big again today,” said veteran Coach John Leary. “She’s been carrying us in the postseason. She got us started off early with a two-run homer and then walks it off, which was kind of appropriate.”
While Hoover led the offense, pitcher Eliza Utt battled the Oak Glen bats and a steady rain shower throughout the afternoon. Utt allowed four runs on seven hits.
“She’s been a workhorse and no matter what’s going on with her, she just battled through it. She doesn’t let things bother her. She’s been really good at working through stuff. She’s a tough kid and a mentally tough kid,” said Leary.
Hoover’s two-run homer in the first inning gave Weir the early 2-0 lead but Oak Glen plated the next four runs. Sophomore Danica Holden hit a solo homer in the top of the first, then the Golden Bears pushed three runs across the plate in the top of the third. Addison Smith’s RBI single tied the game 2-2. Oak Glen took a 4-2 lead, scoring on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.
“I struggled at first. It was raining and I couldn’t get a good grip,” admitted Utt. “The rain didn’t really bother me, I was just a little frustrated. After I settled down and realized what was going on I did pretty good.”
Weir roared back with eight runs in the bottom of the third. Hoover led off the inning with a single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases. Elle Maley broke the game open with a line drive into left-center field that drove in two runs. Utt added an RBI single, while the Red Riders took advantage of Oak Glen miscues to take a commanding 10-4 lead.
Weir ended the game in the bottom of the fifth on Hoover’s tenth homer of the season.
“These kids have been tough-minded,” said veteran Coach John Leary. “There have been a lot of games, where we’ve been down multiple runs. They don’t seem to care and they just battle and battle and battle, even if it’s chipping away or if it’s one big inning, they’ve really been resilient.”
Weir is moving on to the regionals for the first time in six years and doing so without any seniors on the roster.
“We’re a really young team. I think we’ve done a lot more than anybody expected us to this season if I’m being honest,” assessed Hoover. “I feel like we’re the underdogs or whatever but I really like the atmosphere on this team.”
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GLEN DALE, W.Va. — Photo gallery from Morgantown’s 18-10 win at John Marshall in the Class AAA Region I, Section 1 Championship game. The Mohigans will face University in the regional round.
(Photo gallery courtesy of Robert Ovies Sports Photography)
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MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Photo gallery from Martinsburg’s 4-1 win over Jefferson.
(Photo gallery courtesy of Christopher C. Davis/@EP_BigCameraGuy)
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MINGO COUNTY, W.Va. — West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt has filled a vacancy on the Mingo County Board of Education.
On Friday, Blatt announced the appointment of K. Steven Kominar, who will serve on the board effective immediately. The vacancy came from the resignation of James Baisden in March.
“This appointment is important to the children, families and educators of Mingo County, and Mr. Kominar will serve faithfully to support the education community,” said Blatt. “He is a valued member of the community and will be an asset to the Mingo County Board.”
Previously, Kominar was a board member of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, the Coalfield Community Action Partnership and the Mingo County Adult Education program. He was also the executive director of the Mingo County Redevelopment Authority for three years.
Kominar is a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force. For 30 years, he was a business manager at Lee Sartin Trucking Company in Kermit, West Virginia. He also served nine terms in the West Virginia House of Delegates. Kominar represented District 20 from 1995 until he resigned in December 2011.
“I am truly honored that Superintendent Blatt has placed the trust in me that I can provide continuing service to my county,” Kominar said. “While this is an appointment that I will fill until the voters elect a permanent board member, I will approach this position as I have in the past – with compassion and a desire to promote Mingo County.”
Kominar has been a resident of Mingo County for 38 years. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and an MBA from Ohio State University. His term on the Mingo County Board of Education will expire in November 2024.
“I am grateful for him stepping into this role to ensure continuity in school operations,” Blatt added. “We know Mr. Kominar will provide expertise and make decisions based on the needs of our students.”
Kominar has children and grandchildren who graduated or are currently in school in the county.
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EMMITSBURG, MD — Two fallen West Virginia firefighters will be honored this weekend in ceremonies in Maryland as a part of National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) will host the 43rd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend Saturday night and Sunday morning in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Eighty-nine firefighters died in the line of duty in 2023 and 137 firefighters died in previous years.
“National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend is a time for our nation to pause and reflect on the heroic efforts and selfless service of the fallen firefighters we are paying tribute to this year,” said NFFF CEO Victor Stagnaro. “We will always remember the bravery, commitment, and sacrifices of each of these 226 heroes and their families.”
The following West Virginia firefighters will be honored:
Forester/Wildland Firefighter Cody Mullens, 28, of the West Virginia Division of Forestry. Jones was fighting a wildland fire in Fayette County on April 13, 2023 when a tree fell and killed him.
Firefighter Ronald “Ron” Strosnider, 75, of the Capon Valley Volunteer Fire Department in Wardensville. Strosnider was responding to an emergency medical call at a residence on October 20, 2023 when he became ill at the scene. He went into cardiac arrest while being transported to a hospital. Strosnider’s cause of death was determined to be sinus bradycardia.
Each firefighter will have their name inscribed on a bronze plaque to give them a permanent place in the National Memorial. More information about the 226 firefighters being memorialized can be found on the 2024 Roll of Honor.
The National Fallen Firefighters Candlelight Service is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday and will be hosted by Fire Captain Garon Mosby of the St. Louis Fire Department.
The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service is Sunday at 10 a.m. and will be hosted by actor Jeremy Holm. Thousands of attendees are expected at Sunday’s Memorial Service.
The NFFF will live stream both events on the NFFF’s website, firehero.org, and on their YouTube channel and Facebook page.
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BEVERLY, W.Va. — A man is facing multiple charges after allegedly threatening to shoot two people in Randolph County.
West Virginia State Police in Randolph County said troopers responded to a residence on Main Street in Beverly on Thursday after receiving a call of a man “pointing a firearm.”
The victims told troopers that Justin Lewis, 35, of Beverly, came into the apartment with a large black handgun, pointed it at them and said “he would shoot them both.”
Troopers later conducted a search warrant at Lewis’ residence in connection with a prior incident. During their search, troopers say they ended up finding 5.84 grams of methamphetamine located in a “cylindrical tube.” They also found small clear bags and a set of scales.
Lewis has been charged with wanton endangerment and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. He’s currently held in Tygart Valley Regional Jail on $100,000 bond.
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GLENVILLE, W.Va. — With Williamstown starting pitcher Carson Hill struggling to locate the strike zone early in Friday’s Little Kanawha Conference Championship against Gilmer County, Yellowjackets’ coach Levi Maxwell felt he could wait no longer to call on a reliever.
The decision couldn’t have worked out better.
Brody Bowyer entered with one out and the bases loaded, and the Titans went on to score that inning on a sacrifice fly, but could never muster offense against Bowyer, whose stellar work over 6 2/3 innings helped key the Yellowjackets to a 10-1 victory at Glenville State’s Kenny Greenlief Field.
“Brody’s a guy we’ve been going to a lot more lately,” said Maxwell, who touched on the importance of a recent win Bowyer earned against Toronto (Ohio) as a confidence boost. “He’s been throwing strikes and keeping guys off balance and he puts zeroes up. I tip my cap to Brody.”
The Class A No. 1 Yellowjackets improved to 24-3 and claimed a conference championship after finishing runner-up each of the last three seasons.
Were it not for the Bowyer’s outing, a similar outcome may have been in store. Hill walked three of the game’s first four batters, and was removed with one out before Jacob Stewart could bat.
Stewart brought in Brody Brockleman on a sacrifice fly to give No. 4 Gilmer (23-4-1) the early lead, but the Yellowjackets recorded an inning-ending out at second base to conclude that play and keep their deficit at one.
“It’s always a game of a different out at a time. We toyed with the idea of sacrificing, but they’re really good on the corners and just a good fundamental team,” Titans’ coach Tony Conrad said. “We needed to hit the ball. We didn’t perform to our ability and we needed to hit that kid while he was in the game before they got him out of there. Once they made the switch, give the kid credit. He did what he did, so do I credit him or discredit us? It’s one of those 50/50 things, but overall, we had an uncharacteristic night for our team.”
Still, Titans’ starting pitcher Christopher Junkins was sharp early, and after retiring WHS in order on three fly balls to start, Junkins escaped trouble in the second and induced a ground ball to third off the bat of Jenner Burge to strand two in scoring position.
Brockleman doubled with one out in the third for one of Gilmer’s three hits off Bowyer, who recorded one of his three strikeouts facing Colton Hall with Brockleman at third to end the inning.
“I’m trying to strike some people out, but don’t give up free bases and win the game with the defense behind me,” Bowyer said.
WHS pulled even in the home half of that frame courtesy of a Maxwell Molessa double to right, which the West Virginia University signee drove in teammate Wyatt Powell on.
The game stayed tied at 1 until the bottom of the fourth. Hill singled with one out and was at third with two outs and Burge in the batter’s box. He came off third base in aggressive fashion and made the most of an opportunity that he saw, darting for the plate as soon as Titans’ catcher Dayne Murphy sent the ball back to Junkins, whose threw home, but not in time to stop Hill from scoring the go-ahead run.
“Carson does an excellent job on the bases. I told him be alert, be ready and if it’s there, take it,” Maxwell said. “We trust our guys to make the right decision and he made a great decision to steal that bag. It put us up a run and we’d been struggling a bit, but that momentum got us going.”
On the play, Hill suffered an injury to a finger that forced his exit from the game, but before putting the momentum squarely on his team’s side.
“As a pitcher, getting ahead is huge. That’s a selfless play by Carson to score that run,” Bowyer said. “That’s a game-changer.”
The Titans came unraveled in the bottom of the fifth as their 2-1 deficit grew to four runs. Powell scored the first run of the inning on an error after drawing a leadoff base-on-balls, and after Braylon Mercer took over for Junkins with runners at the corners, WHS scored twice more — on a Luke Ankrom sacrifice fly and Wyatt Siley’s single, which brought home teammate Ty Ott.
“We got caught off guard on a delayed steal of home, and from there, we went downhill a little bit,” Conrad said.
Through a Brockleman single and a walk, GCHS had two on in the sixth, but Molessa made a nifty stop on a ball off the bat of Stewart, and fired to Parker Schramm at third base for a force out to end the threat.
Williamstown put the game out of reach with a five-run sixth that began with an error and consecutive walks. Molessa followed with a two-run single to right off Brockleman, and the Yellowjackets added three more runs, scoring first on Ott’s groundout to second that brought home Powell and later when a wild pitch allowed Molessa to come home from third and Sam Terry sent a ground ball to second that allowed Dylan Pucella to score.
“You like to score in the first inning, but sometimes it doesn’t happen. It was one run and we minimized damage that inning,” Maxwell said. “We have guys that can swing the bat. I’m not in a sense of panic. We put up a 5 spot and that’s huge late in the game. Just proud of the guys.”
Molessa had two of his team’s five hits and drive in three runs, while scoring twice. Williamstown drew seven walks.
Bowyer walked just one batter over his efficient showing.
“Brody’s been a bulldog and he’s not really afraid of a bigger situation, because he’s been in a couple of them,” Maxwell said. “He was throwing strikes. That’s all we can ask for and to play defense and be able to put runs up. This year, we’ve done an excellent job of playing seven innings.”
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