WV MetroNews
The Voice of West Virginia
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Seedings and schedules are set for the WVSSAC Softball Sectional Tournaments. Double-elimination play begins Monday, April 29 and may continue through Saturday, May 11. Sectional champions advance to best-of-three regional play, which begins Monday, May 13.
(At this time, not all schedules are finalized. The list will be updated. Athletic directors/coaches, please forward any postponement updates/corrections to [email protected]. Thank you.)
Class AAA
Region I
Section 1
Tuesday, April 30
Game 1 – No. 4 Brooke at No. 1 John Marshall
Game 2 – No. 3 Wheeling Park at No. 2 Morgantown
Wednesday, May 1
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Thursday, May 2
Game 5 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser
Friday, May 3
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Saturday, May 4
Game 7 – If necessary
Section 2
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 4 Bridgeport at No. 1 University
Game 2 – No. 3 Preston at No. 2 Buckhannon-Upshur
Tuesday, April 30
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Wednesday, May 1
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Thursday, May 2
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 7 – If necessary
Region II
Section 1
(Awaiting schedules)
Section 2
Tuesday, April 30
Game 1 – No. 3 Hampshire at No. 2 Jefferson
Wednesday, May 1
Game 2 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Washington
Thursday, May 2
Game 3 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Friday, May 3
Game 4 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Region III
Section 1
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 5 Capital at No. 4 South Charleston
Tuesday, April 30
Game 2 – No. 3 Riverside at No. 2 George Washington
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 St. Albans
Wednesday, May 1
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Game 5 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Thursday, May 2
Game 6 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 7 – Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 winner
Saturday, May 4
Game 8 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Game 9 – If necessary, TBD
Region IV
Section 1
Tuesday, April 30
Game 1 – No. 4 Huntington at No. 1 Cabell Midland
Game 2 – No. 3 Spring Valley at No. 2 Lincoln County
Section 2
Tuesday, April 30
Game 1 – No. 4 Ripley at No. 1 Parkersburg South
Game 2 – No. 3 Parkersburg at No. 2 Hurricane
Wednesday, May 1
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Thursday, May 2
Game 5 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser
Friday, May 3
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Class AA
Region I
Section 1
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 5 East Fairmont at No. 4 Fairmont Senior (Best-of-3 opening round)
Tuesday, April 30
Game 2 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Weir
Game 3 – No. 3 North Marion at No. 2 Oak Glen
Wednesday, May 1
Game 4 – Winners bracket final
Game 5 – Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Thursday, May 2
Game 6 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 loser
Friday, May 3
Game 7 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Saturday, May 4
Game 8 – If necessary
Section 2
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 4 Berkeley Springs at No. 1 Keyser
Game 2 – No. 3 Frankfort at No. 2 Grafton
Tuesday, April 30
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Wednesday, May 1
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Thursday, May 2
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 7 – If necessary
Region II
Section 1
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 5 Liberty Harrison at No. 4 Elkins
Tuesday, April 30
Game 2 – No. 3 Lincoln at No. 2 Robert C. Byrd
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Philip Barbour
Wednesday, May 1
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Game 5 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Thursday, May 2
Game 6 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 7 – Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 winner
Monday, May 6
Game 8 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Tuesday, May 7
Game 9 – If necessary
Section 2
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 5 Braxton County at No. 4 Clay County
Tuesday, April 30
Game 2 – No. 3 Lewis County at No. 2 Roane County
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Herbert Hoover
Game 4 – Game 2 loser vs. Game 1 loser at Roane County
Wednesday, May 1
Game 5 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 6 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser
Thursday, May 2
Game 7 – Game 6 winner vs. Game 5 loser
Game 8 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 9 – If necessary
Region III
Section 1
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 4 PikeView at No. 1 Bluefield
Game 2 – No. 3 Wyoming East at No. 2 Westside
Tuesday, April 30
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Wednesday, May 1
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Thursday, May 2
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 7 – If necessary
Region III
Section 2
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 4 Liberty Raleigh at No. 1 Shady Spring
Game 2 – No. 3 Nicholas County at No. 2 Independence
Tuesday, April 30
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Wednesday, May 1
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Thursday, May 2
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 7 – If necessary
Region IV
Section 1
Tuesday, April 30
Game 1 – No. 5 Nitro at No. 4 Sissonville
Wednesday, Mary 1
Game 2 – No. 3 Point Pleasant at No. 2 Poca
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Winfield
Thursday, May 2
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Game 5 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 6 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser
Saturday, May 4
Game 7 – Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 winner
Monday, May 6
Game 8 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Tuesday, May 7
Game 9 – If necessary
Section 2
(Awaiting schedules)
Class A
Region I
Section 1
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 5 Paden City at No. 4 Magnolia
Game 2 – No. 6 Valley Wetzel at No. 3 Cameron
Tuesday, April 30
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Wheeling Central Catholic
Game 4 – Game 2 winner at No. 2 Madonna
Wednesday, May 1
Game 5 – Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Game 6 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 4 loser
Thursday, May 2
Game 7 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
Game 8 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 9 – Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 loser
Saturday, May 4
Game 10 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Section 2
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 4 Williamstown at No. 1 St. Marys
Game 2 – No. 3 Tyler Consolidated at No. 2 Ritchie County
Tuesday, April 30
Game 3 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Wednesday, May 1
Game 5 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Thursday, May 2
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
If necessary, TBD
Region II
Section 1
Tuesday, April 30
Game 1 – No. 5 East Hardy at No. 4 Tucker County
Wednesday, May 1
Game 2 – No. 3 Moorefield at No. 2 Petersburg
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Pendleton County
Thursday, May 2
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Game 5 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 6 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser
Saturday, May 4
Game 7 – Game 6 winner vs. Game 5 loser
Monday, May 6
Game 8 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Tuesday, May 7
Game 9 – If necessary
Section 2
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 5 Tygarts Valley at No. 4 Clay-Battelle
Tuesday, April 30
Game 2 – No. 3 Trinity at No. 2 South Harrison
Game 3 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Doddridge County
Wednesday, May 1
Game 4 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Game 5 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Thursday, May 2
Game 6 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser
Friday, May 3
Game 7 – Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 winner
Saturday, May 4
Game 8 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Monday, May 6
Game 9 – If necessary
Region III
Section 1
(Awaiting schedules)
Section 2
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 5 Richwood at No. 4 Webster County
Game 2 – No. 6 Pocahontas County at No. 3 Charleston Catholic
Game 3 – No. 7 Meadow Bridge at No. 2 Midland Trail
Tuesday, April 30
Game 4 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Greenbrier West
Game 5 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 6 – Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Wednesday, May 1
Game 7 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 5 loser
Game 8 – Game 6 winner vs. Game 4 loser
Game 9 – Winners bracket final
Thursday, May 2
Game 10 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 11 – Game 9 loser vs. Game 10 winner
Saturday, May 4
Game 12 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 winner
If necessary, TBD
Region IV
Section 1
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 5 Van at No. 4 Man
Game 2 – No. 6 Huntington St. Joseph’s at No. 3 Tug Valley
Game 3 – No. 7 Tolsia at No. 2 Sherman
Tuesday, April 30
Game 4 – Game 1 winner at No. 1 Buffalo
Game 5 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 6 – Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser
Wednesday, May 1
Game 7 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 5 loser
Game 8 – Game 4 loser vs. Game 6 winner
Game 9 – Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Thursday, May 2
Game 10 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Friday, May 3
Game 11 – Game 9 loser vs. Game 10 winner
Saturday, Mary 4
Game 12 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 winner
Game 13 – If necessary
Section 2
Monday, April 29
Game 1 – No. 6 Hannan at No. 3 Gilmer County
Game 2 – No. 5 Wirt County at No. 4 Calhoun County
Tuesday, April 30
Game 3 – Game 2 winner at No. 1 Wahama
Game 4 – Game 1 winner at No. 2 Ravenswood
Game 5 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
The post 2024 WVSSAC H.S. Softball Sectional Schedules appeared first on WV MetroNews.
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Photo gallery from Martinsburg’s 11-1 win over Grace Academy.
(Photo gallery courtesy of Christopher C. Davis/@EP_BigCameraGuy)
The post Photo gallery: Martinsburg defeats Grace Academy, 11-1 appeared first on WV MetroNews.
BENWOOD, W.Va. — Sunday marks another Workers Memorial Day in the United States.
On April 28, unions of the AFL-CIO observe the day as a way to remember those who have become ill, hurt or died while on the job. Union members not just in West Virginia but all across the country choose the day to honor lost workers and also call for a safe work environment for all.
More than 50 years ago, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, creating Workers Memorial Day, with a mission of promising every worker the right to a safe job, viewed as a fundamental right.
“We must fight and continue to push forward to organize a safer workplace,” said Andy Walters, Secretary Treasurer of the West Virginia AFL-CIO. “A safe job is a fundamental right.”
Sonny Oakland, President of Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler Central Labor Council, says they will always remember the ones who were killed or hurt from a workplace hazard and continue to push for better workplace safety laws.
“It’s a right to go to work but it is also a right to come home safe,” said Oakland.
The West Virginia AFL-CIO took the time Sunday to read the names and ring a bell for the 20 West Virginia women and men who lost their lives in the workplace last year at the 36th annual Workers Memorial Ceremony. The event was put on by the Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler Central Labor Council. The ceremony took place in Benwood, WV, where the tragic Benwood Mine Disaster happened 100 years ago.
“We’re here to honor those who have gone before us through their sacrifice,” Oakland said.
On April 28, 1924, two explosions claimed the lives of 119 men at the Wheeling Steel & Iron Corporation mine in Benwood . There were no survivors. To this day, it is still the third worst mining disaster in the history of West Virginia.
The Benwood Mine Disaster Memorial is made up of three large stones that stand at the Boggs Run Road site to commemorate the 119 coal miners killed in the explosion.
The AFL-CIO hopes one of these years that they won’t have to see workers die while on the job.
“It’s the wish of the AFL-CIO to have a year where we won’t have to ring the bell,” said Oakland.
The keynote speaker for Sunday’s ceremony in Benwood was United Mine Workers Association President Cecil Roberts. He said the labor movement has been a huge driving force in the United States for many years.
“The safest jobs in America have a union,” Roberts said.
According to Roberts, 14 people die every day in the United States while on the job. When it comes to occupational illness, around 100,000 people die in a year in the country. Roberts said the fight will always continue to make sure every worker in America has a safe place to do their business.
“It’s black lung, it’s brown lung, it’s white lung, it’s cancer,” he said. “We’re going to honor those who’ve passed but we need to learn from what happened too.”
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(Photo gallery by Teran Malone)
GRANVILLE, W.Va. — After being swept last weekend at Texas Tech, the Mountaineers rebounded in the best way possible in their penultimate conference home series of the season. West Virginia defeated Baylor, 13-4 on Sunday to take all three matchups against the Bears while improving their Big 12 record to 14-7.
“We didn’t sugarcoat it last weekend. We were awful. Sometimes that’s what you need. Everybody needs a good slap in the face occasionally to wake you up. That’s what that sweep last weekend did. Baylor threw some good arms at us. We weren’t the same team this weekend as we were last week,” said WVU head coach Randy Mazey.
“It is so hard to sweep anyone. But to sweep people in the Big 12 is extremely difficult.”
“It happens in baseball,” said WVU center fielder Skylar King. “You just have to pick your head up and get going to the next.”
“You go out to West Texas on the road where it is tough to play,” said WVU right fielder Benjamin Lumsden. “It is easier to play at home. It is baseball. You can go out and win or lose any day. This week, we prepared really well. We had a great week of practice. It showed this weekend.”
West Virginia collected a dozen hits and they also benefitted from some charity by the Baylor pitching staff. Seven Bears combined to walk eleven batters and they hit five WVU batters.
Baylor’s (19-23, 9-12 Big 12) first three runs came by a pair of home runs from Cole Posey. His two-run homer in the second was followed by a solo shot in the fourth. Those home runs were sandwiched around a two-run blast from Parkersburg South High School graduate Grant Hussey.
Trailing 4-2 in the fifth inning, the Mountaineers scored the final eleven runs in the game with three in the fifth, five in the seventh and three more in the eighth.
Aidan Major collected the win on the mound for the Mountaineers. He moved from his usual Friday night starting spot and allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
“It would be nice to settle on something but as I stand here right now, I can’t tell you what we would do next weekend just yet,” Mazey said. “We have to see how everybody feels and evaluate everything. But we pitched good enough to win three games.”
WVU’s bullpen secured the final ten outs from Gavin Van Kempen, Max Yehl and Hambleton Oliver.
Hussey went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Hedgesville High School graduate Kyle West, Lumsden and King each had multi-hit games.
West Virginia (26-16) will face the Pittsburgh Panthers at PNC Park Tuesday night.
“It is something our kids will remember the rest of their lives, getting to play in a major league park and one of the most beautiful ones at that, and play against Pittsburgh in their home city,” Mazey said. “They had a bye weekend in the league this weekend. So there’s a good chance they are going to line up some weekend pitching for us on Tuesday.”
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The state Department of Agriculture is working to increase food production, maintain forests and waters and create jobs.
State Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt said they have used abandoned mine lands in many cases to establish businesses like Buzz Foods in Charleston. The company operates the Appalachian Abattoir, distributing locally produced meats to area consumers.
Also, Appalachian Botanicals produces a wide range of lavender-based products made by West Virginians and grown on abandoned mine lands.
“The largest lavender farm is east of the Mississippi River, and part of that is on abandoned mine lands as well, and these are all agriculture businesses,” Leonhardt said last Friday on MetroNews “Talkline.”
Morgantown-based Mountaintop Beverage, a maker of shelf-stable dairy products, moved into a 330,000-square-foot facility last year that currently employs more than 200 people. CEO Jeff Sokal said the location for the facility is ideal with access to markets and raw products, but the workforce has been extremely productive.
“There are really good business reasons in terms of logistics for the types of products we produce, but really it’s the people,” Sokal said. “We’ve got a fantastic team of people.”
For Leonhardt, this is a type of business that can sustain farms and industry while providing a wage to raise a family and a tax base for the state and local community.
“Manufacturing in the agricultural world is actually a recession-proof business,” Leonhardt said. “This economy we’re in has been pretty great, but we know it’s not sustainable. But these businesses that the West Virginia Department of Agriculture has been working on since I’ve been there have been producing recession-proof jobs.”
Starting up a manufacturing facility with state-of-the-art aseptic equipment is no easy task. According to Sokul, the local workforce has taken ownership of the work and has made the start-up a relatively smooth process.
“We have a level of talent here we have not seen in other places. People are as dedicated to what we’re doing as we are,” Sokal said. “Providing careers for these folks and not just jobs is important.”
The arrival of Mountaintop Beverage at the Morgantown Industrial Park is also gaining attention from outside the state.
Part of the agreement to bring the company to the park was to add access from I-79 at Harmony Grove to remove truck traffic from surface streets in Westover. When the project got bogged down in federal red tape, the state stepped in to fund a new crossing over the Monongahela River for interim access until an interstate exit was constructed. The new access is expected to be complete by 2027.
“That upper part of the industrial park has opened up because of our project, with the exit coming and the bridge coming,” Sokal said. “There are several other businesses of large size that are looking to locate in that industrial park; we’re going to have to start creating more employees.”
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West Virginians — let’s say quintessential state residents Toby and Edith, for example — have gotten a jump toward improving broadband connectivity after the state became one of the first three approved to unlock millions of federal dollars.
That doesn’t mean state residents with poor or zero internet access will gain it right away. But this week’s announcement that West Virginia can start drawing down $1.2 billion is a major step toward progress in a state where connectivity has been an uphill battle.
“It is somewhat dependent on where you live, the applications that will address that target region and target project area,” West Virginia Economic Development Mitch Carmichael said this week.
“But without this funding, you could be Toby and Edith and never have broadband access. So this does enable it, and we’re within a very fast timeframe.”
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved Kansas, Nevada and West Virginia’s initial proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative.
The designation will enable the states to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program.
Of the three initial states, West Virginia will draw down the most:
- Kansas: $451.7 million
- Nevada: $416.6 million
- West Virginia: $1.2 billion
The BEAD program is a $42.45 billion state grant program authorized by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The states were allocated funding to deploy or upgrade high-speed internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.
So there is still a lot more work ahead, but officials celebrated the milestone.
“It’s a huge deal,” said Evan Feinman, director of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program with the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
“There’s no two ways about it. This has been a problem that has really made economic development, has made education, has made access to healthcare, a real challenge to folks who work in urban centers in West Virginia. This is the day that we’re going to start to really solve that problem, close the digital divide and make sure we can get every West Virginian online.”
In a conference call with reporters, Feinman described the hard work, motivation and organization of West Virginia officials. “Everybody we talked to was extremely motivated to get this problem solved for West Virginia,” he said, focusing his comments on the state Office of Broadband.
“It is the case that it’s one of the finest broadband offices in the country, and they just consistently do really, really excellent work.”
Feinman said West Virginia “took a pretty unique approach that it took me a while to get my head all the way around — target regions comprised of different sub-target areas and a really aggressive approach toward making sure low-income folks in West Virginia were going to be able to take service and afford it.
“So it really required a lot of thinking, hard work and late nights and a clear understanding that this was a shared endeavor.”
Kelly Workman director of the state Office of Broadband, acknowledged this is a major step but availability won’t be immediate.
“With a $1.2 billion program, you can imagine that there must be a very detailed plan for execution. So the plan is approved,” she said. “The second part of this is we have to detail the budget.
“There’s a deployment phase. Once we ensure that we can reach all the unserved locations in West Virginia, we can move on to non-deployment activities. So, we’ve proposed some non-deployment activities related to workforce. We’ve proposed $50 million for workforce development related to the broadband industry to carry out this massive infrastructure program.”
Carmichael emphasized that as the program is carried out, “It will reach every address, every single address or you don’t get any of it.
“This is a monumental leap forward to get every single address. And we’re doing it post-haste. As fast as you can move it.”
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HAMLIN, W.Va. — A baseball dugout and a storage facility at Lincoln County High School were set on fire sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning.
According to the Hamlin Volunteer Fire Department, the structures are considered to be a total loss. The storage facility was used to store lawn care equipment.
State Police and the State Fire Marshall’s Office are now investigating the blaze.
Anyone with information that could lead to identifying who set the structures on fire is encouraged to contact local authorities.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Republican candidates for state Attorney General say that would appeal a federal court’s decision on the state’s trans students sports law to the U.S. Supreme Court like current Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says he’ll do.
State Auditor J.B. McCuskey and state Senator Mike Stuart, a former federal prosecutor, disagree with the recent opinion from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that says the state’s law banning transgender girls from participating on girls sports teams unfairly discriminates against Harrison County student Becky Pepper-Jackson.
Stuart, who has two daughters, said if the fight isn’t taken to the U.S. Supreme Court transgender groups will push for the appeal court’s opinion to be recognized statewide and not just in the Pepper-Jackson case.
“All these radical trans groups, all of these radical lefty groups, what are they going to do? They’re going to force us to apply this across the state,” Stuart said last week on MetroNews “Talkline.” “We’re going to set precedent for the rest of the country on this issue because we were frankly on the front end.”
McCuskey, who also has two daughters, said he wants them and other girls across the state to experience the positive and negatives of sports but not the unfairness that allowing biological boys to play girls sports would bring.
“To be able to participate in sports in a way that they learn the invaluable lessons of fair play, competition and that losing can truly be the best way to learn how and why you need to advance,” McCuskey said during a recent “Talkline” appearance.
Clean Power 2.0
Morrisey promised last week the state would fight the federal EPA’s newly-approved Clean Power 2.0 plan that says coal fired power plants have to capture their emissions or close.
McCuskey and Stuart have both made it a point of their campaigns to criticize the federal government for its policies on clean air and other issues.
Stuart has said his legal experience, especially as U.S. Attorney, that will help him stand against Washington.
“You need somebody like me who can fight back against these guys, who knows how to win, who knows how to get injunctions and fight back,” Stuart said. “When they punch you need someone who punches back harder.”
McCuskey goes as far as to say that Washington doesn’t want West Virginia to grow and prosper.
“If they really wanted to see West Virginia to succeed they would have figured out a way to say, ‘Look, we’re going to help you build three new gas power plants. We’re going to help you mine more coal to help you fuel your coal-fired power plants and we’re going to make you a partner in this,'” McCuskey said.
He said he, like Morrisey, won’t hesitate to take take the federal government to court.
“I will sue any bureaucracy that looks down at West Virginia’s economy and says ‘We want to arbitrarily change the way you make money and the way that your people live,'” McCuskey said.
Down the stretch
Stuart said he’s being outspent by McCuskey in the campaign but he said that’s nothing new. He said he defeated incumbent state Senator Ron Stollings two years ago after being outspent. Stuart said there’s no bigger race in the May 14 election than the race for Attorney General.
“This is important. The most important spot on ballot,” Stuart said. “It’s not governor, it’s attorney general.”
McCuskey said he’s held statewide office for the last eight years and state residents know what he’s been able to accomplish in the state Auditor’s Office. He said it will translate down the the hall at the AG’s office.
“I have a track record of building an office that is tax-payer centered and understands the exigent needs of people as they call into state government,” McCuskey said.
Wheeling attorney Teresa Toriseva and Former South Charleston Mayor Richie Robb are seeking the Democrat Party’s nomination in the attorney general’s race.
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CROSS LANES, W.Va. — A West Virginia coach says she’s proud two of her gymnasts have qualified for the USA Gymnastics championships scheduled for next month.
“For West Virginia, just like any sport, our population is smaller here in our state so when we can athletes to this level, it just shows the dedication of the athlete,” Susan Brown, owner of Revolution Gymnastics in Cross Lanes, told MetroNews.
Sophia Fala, a junior at George Washington High School, will compete in the 2024 Women’s Development Program Level 9 Eastern Championships in Myrtle Beach, SC from May 2-5.
Emma Mason, a senior at Teays Valley Christian School, will head to the 2024 Women’s Development Program Level 10 National Championships in Daytona Beach, FL the week after that from May 10-12.
Brown said Abby Rice, a senior at Hurricane High School, qualified for the national championships last year. She placed second on the uneven bars during a competition at State College, PA earlier this month.
The gymnasts train about 20 hours a week in addition to outside cross training, Brown said.
“They’re super dedicated. They’ve basically been doing this all their lives,” she said. “Every aspect about their life is so goal-oriented from their academics to their cross training to their injury prevention. Gymnastics is not seasonal. It’s a tough sport and it takes a special kind of kid to be dedicated.”
Mason has been doing gymnastics since she was 18 months old. Fala hit the mats at 8-years-old.
Both girls will have routines they’ll perform at their national competitions next month.
“This is artistic gymnastics. They’re competing in the All-Arounds, so it’s the traditional Olympic events you would know: the vault, the bars, the balance beam and a floor exercise,” Brown said.
Mason plans to compete with the University of Georgia next season.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A man was killed in a two-car crash Saturday afternoon in Charleston.
According to Charleston police, Stanley Burkes, 63, of Charleston, was driving east on Kanawha Boulevard near the area of the Moose Lodge at 4:52 p.m. when he turned left on East Point Drive into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Burkes died at the scene, police said.
The driver of the oncoming vehicle suffered minor injuries. A passenger in that vehicle was uninjured.
The investigation into the crash continues.
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