Local News

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Fans are back at GoMart Ballpark to root on the Charleston Dirty Birds.

The 2024 season got underway with a home game Thursday night. The Dirty Birds never led in the game until the very last moment with a walk off single coming from Delino DeShields in the bottom of the ninth inning. Charleston won 5-4 over the Staten Island FerryHawks.

So, fans had plenty to cheer for while at the ballpark for opening day.

Charleston mayor Amy Schuler Goodwin along with some little league baseball players helped with the first pitches before the game. “America’s Got Talent” winner and Logan County native Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. sang the national anthem.

It also wouldn’t be a Dirty Birds home game without the infamous Toast Man Rod Blackstone. Blackstone was excited to get the season going and see fans back at the ballpark, some of them joining in on his chants during the game.

“It’s good to have baseball back and we have a lot of hope,” he said. “We’re going around saying seasons greetings because that’s what we do, it’s baseballs seasons greetings.”

The hope is for a championship in Atlantic League for the first time since 1990 when the franchise was called the Wheelers. The team is under first-year manager P.J. Phillips who had success as the manager of the Lexington Legends. That team won the league championship in 2021.

“P.J. is a proven winner as a manager,” Blackstone said.

Another group of fans who have seen many years of baseball in the capital city were glad to support their hometown team again. The “Rowdy Alleys” have many years of experience in rooting for the Charleston baseball team, through multiple team name changes and a change of venue.

Megan Knight is a member of the “Rowdy Alleys” but it’s a family affair too with her husband, father and mother in the group as well. They love supporting the Dirty Birds.

“It is a group of fans that started over at Watt Powell Park,” said Knight.

“We love that there’s a local baseball team that we can come down here for,” she added. “We like to support them as much as we can.”

Thursday night’s game was also the first Bark in the Park night at GoMart Ballpark. The team expects to introduce new promotions during 2024 games. There’s also some new food items at the ballpark with a news kids zone and a mini golf course. Some popular features return from last year too including $2 Tuesdays and megablast fireworks on Saturdays.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Hundreds of employees at CAMC are celebrating anniversaries this week including a few with over 50 years of service.

More than 1,200 employees and volunteers are celebrating anniversaries in 2024. CAMC recognizes employees celebrating milestone anniversaries for their years of service starting at five years.

Dave Ramsey

A recognition dinner was held at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center Thursday evening. More than 800 people were expected to attend the dinner.

CAMC President and CEO Dave Ramsey said the milestones that people have been able to reach as a member of CAMC is truly remarkable .

“It’s just a special time where we get to honor the folks that dedicated most of their working life to taking care of all of us,” said Ramsey.

Jeff Greathouse, CRNA, has accomplished an impressive feat of 55 years of service at CAMC. He started in October 1969 as a part-time attendant while he was still in high school.

“I think it’s pretty special,” Greathouse said about his 55 years. “My grandfather worked for a company for 50 years so I passed him up but I’m sure he’d be proud of me.”

The Greathouse family is full of people working in the medical field. He met his wife, a Kentucky native, in the E.R. His daughter is a CRN and his son is an OR nurse. Greathouse aid there’s no other place he’d rather be.

“I grew up here,” he said. “This is home. Charleston, West Virginia is home.”

Seven more employees are celebrating 50 years including Sharon Elmore who currently works as a surgical scheduler. Her love for her job has also grown strong as the CAMC community has also grown across West Virginia.

“We all work together towards the same goal, taking care of patients,” said Elmore.

Elmore started out in patient care. She said she loves helping people work through their pathway. She too started at CAMC while still in high school, just like Greathouse.

“It’s a little surreal because it seems like just yesterday I was starting while in high school,” she said.

CAMC has had a lot to celebrate since the last dinner recognition this time a year ago. Since then, CAMC joined with Mon Health to create Vandalia Health and expand their service across the state. The number of hospitals has also jumped in recent years.

“We went from four hospitals in Charleston and Morgantown and now we have 14 hospitals that we own in our system and three others that we manage,” said Ramsey.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Officials are saying goodbye to a piece of the City of Charleston’s past and setting their sights on the future as they begin to journey further into the $40 billion dollar industry that is sports tourism.

Demolition on the former Macy’s store at the Charleston Town Center Mall has officially begun as to make way for the future Capital Sports Center.

Those behind the effort, city officials and the Kanawha County Commission met for a press conference Thursday afternoon to discuss the next steps and the soon-to-be construction process regarding the projected $80 million endeavor.

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin was also on hand at the event. He provided $2 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to help initiate a foundation in the dollars going towards the project.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin

Manchin said he didn’t think twice about investing in something that will generate an even bigger return on investment, adding that it will be even bigger than what the mall brought in during its heyday after opening in 1983.

“Those who remember when the mall first opened, it was the biggest thing that hit West Virginia, thinking that it was right downtown in Charleston, and the excitement that went on and the amount of revenue it generated, and then you see, it’s gone a life cycle,” said Manchin. “What’s going to happen, fairly soon, is going to be bigger than that.”

The city and the commission has also put in $5 million each for the project and they are currently requesting additional federal direct funding.

Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said state leaders are another potential funding source, as well, because they know the benefits such a major sports facility can bring in.

“The state is doing it better than anybody right now right, they are putting more money into travel and tourism than they ever have before because they see the return on investment, and so, it’s going to be lots of different pots,” said Goodwin.

Commissioner Ben Salango said it’s looking to cost about $60 million for phase 1 of the project alone, which covers a significant portion of demolition and preliminary construction in building the around 196 thousand square foot sports center.

Handling the demolition of the Macy’s building, a big portion of where the new facility will go, is Rodney Loftis & Sons. It’s expected to be an ongoing process of about 6 to 8 weeks in getting the building completely torn down.

Following the demolition process will begin the final steps of the architectural and design planning phase being handled by ZMM Architects.

Preliminary designs include around six basketball courts, twelve volleyball, and around eight pickleball courts. In addition, the indoor complex is expected to house wrestling mats, a fitness center, a turf soccer field, a rock-climbing wall, a main gymnasium, and an aquatic center complete with an Olympic-sized pool.

Three floors of the Town Center’s Parking Garage B is also expected to be torn down to fit the aquatic center into the facility.

However, Salango said property acquisition has been creating a hold-up for phase 2 of the project and it continues to be an issue they are still working on.

He said what they didn’t want to do, though, was to delay all of the benefits coming out of phase 1 while they wait to acquire the property.

Ben Salango

“There’s going to be millions and millions of dollars in economic impact, why delay that for years while we negotiate property acquisition,” said Salango.

The Capital Sports Center Committee is also working with Sports Facilities Inc., a nationwide company who helps design major sports complexes like the one being built in Charleston. Goodwin said they know how to make the endeavor be sustainable.

She said, however, that there is already no concern that the sports center will be a success in the city.

“It will be filled and booked before we really even start building this, because there are already companies and organizations saying ‘when is it going to be finalized because we want to host our tournaments there,” said Goodwin.

Manchin said he is committed to helping see the project through until the very end.

He said there are different areas they can tap into to acquire more funding for the project.

“As the transition is going on, we have different opportunities that we’re able to pull from, so we have to search and look for any opportunity that we have, and there’s quite a few,” said Manchin.

Goodwin said with hundreds of teams and thousands of players from across the country making their way to other state’s sports complexes on a regular basis, sports tourism is the future, and the new facility will give the city and state a major piece of that $40 million industry.

She said there is something known as an anchor facility standard, which means that the facility has the capability of hosting some of the biggest tournaments in the country, and that’s something they are striving for with this sports complex. This means, added Goodwin, that looking into anything from how many basketball courts there are, down to where the locker rooms get placed is an important part of the process in getting there.

Amy Shuler Goodwin

“We will never be able to compete on a national level unless and until we have anchor-level facilities, that means eight basketball courts, that means 16 volleyball courts, and we are a stone’s throw away from the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center where we can book more of those events,” she said.

Goodwin said they plan to unveil different but similar design plans for the complex in the next coming weeks as those plans get finalized.

Salango said the sport center’s economic impact is expected to reach the tens of millions.

“All of these big dollar travel sports will be coming to town, and you combine that asset with the assets they already have at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, you can host some of the biggest basketball and some of the biggest volleyball tournaments in the country,” said Salango.

The entire Capital Sports Center project is expected to take around two to three years to complete.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There’s a new class of National Board Certification teachers in West Virginia.

The West Virginia Board of Education and the Department of Education (WVDE) honored 46 newly certified National Board Certification teachers (NBCTs) from 20 different West Virginia counties at the state Culture Center in Charleston Wednesday. There are also 88 teachers who maintained their certification in the class of 2023.

“National Board Certified Teachers exemplify the ideas of continuous learning and development in the profession,” said Michele L Blatt, State Superintendent of Schools. “Their dedication to education and their students provide credence to academic achievement.”

Melinda Monks from Kanawha County

The lone honoree from Kanawha County this year is Melinda Monks. She has been a special education teacher for about 12 years. For 10 of those years, she taught in intellectual disabilities at Bridgeview Elementary before switching over to Montrose Elementary and doing resource support. Monks said it was vigorous process to get certified but well worth the time and effort.

“National Board Certification is the top of the top for educators,” she said. “It means you’ve gone the extra mile with your professional development to become the best teacher you can and you get recognized for that.”

Reaching nationally board certified status is a process that could take as long as three years to complete. The wait time for applicants to hear if they’ve become certified could take another nine months. The credential is voluntary, but does present an opportunity to become more advanced in teaching.

Becoming board certified was important for Monks because of how much she cares about the students in her classroom and allowing them to get the proper education that they deserve.

“I love my position because I really believe in the kids of West Virginia and I think they need increased support to really be successful,” said Monks.

Superintendent of Cabell County Schools Dr. Ryan Saxe said becoming board certified is an important achievement and there are so many who have done that in his county and in the state.

“We’re blessed to have so many nationally board certified teachers right here in West Virginia teaching our students,” Saxe said.

Dr. Ryan Saxe

According to Saxe, there are close to 60 national board certified teachers in Cabell County. There are a total of 1,218 NBCTs in West Virginia. The state ranks 14th in the country for the percentage of NBCTs and 17th for the number of newly certified teachers.

“What it does to enrich the opportunities for our students because of the skills that these teachers have is something we are truly blesses by,” said Saxe.

The state incentives teachers who reach this certification. Nationally board certified teachers are also given an annual $3,500 salary supplement provided by the WVDE. Most counties, including Cabell County, may match that contribution from the state or support NBCTs with bonuses.

“These educators are walking away over the next five years with a very significant supplement to their income,” Saxe said.

The WVDE provides mentors to assist those pursuing the NBC and also reimburses the fees that are associated with the application process.

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — A professional truck driver from Charleston conquered the West Virginia Trucking Association’s Annual Truck Driving Championship over the weekend yet again.

Larry Gorby, a driver for XPO, was named Grand Champion of the event Saturday in Parkersburg. Gorby has been a professional truck driver for 33 years and has participated in the WV Truck Driving Championships 23 times. He’s won his class of competition six times and the Grand Champion Award now and impressive three times.

Professional truck drivers completed a number of tests to show off their knowledge and skills relating to truck driving. 36 professional truck drivers representing multiple West Virginia-based motor freight companies took part in the driving competition

“The purpose of the Truck Driving Championship is to give trucking professionals the opportunity to test their driving and safety skills against their West Virginia peers,” said Traci Nelson, President of the West Virginia Trucking Association. “The competition mirrors what professional truck drivers must do day-in and day-out to maintain safety records unmatched by any other segment of the driving public.”

The association also recognized drivers for their 2023 safety accomplishments in an awards ceremony Saturday.

Ronald Schoonover, of Elkins, WV, was honored with the WV Professional Driver of the Year Award. In his 40 year career, Schoonover, who drives for Houff Transfer, has driven over 4 million miles with no accidents.

Guy Barry, of Inwood, who also drives with Houff Transfer, earned the West Virginia Public Service Commission Driver of the Year Award. Smith too has driven for 40 years with over 4 million miles logged and no accidents.

Other winners were:

First Place Straight Truck: John Thompson, Hurricane, WV, FedEx Freight

First Place 3-Axle Tractor Semi-trailer: Mike Roberts, Eleanor, WV, XPO

First Place 4-Axle Tractor Semi-trailer: Larry Gorby, Charleston, WV, XPO

First Place 5-Axle Van: Ernest Adkins, Huntington, WV, Walmart Transportation

First Place Tank Truck: Brett Thompson, Ripley, WV, Walmart Transportation

First Place Flatbed: Justin Moody, Beckley, WV, Walmart Transportation

First Place Twin Trailers: William Adkins, South Point, OH, FedEx Freight

First Place Sleeper Berth: Jordan Jordan, Henderson, WV, Walmart Transportation

First Place Step Van: Brandon Wuletich, Caldwell, OH, FedEx

Pre-Trip Inspection Award: William Adkins, Southpoint, OH, FedEx Freight

Rookie of the Year: Ernest Adkins, Huntington, WV, Walmart Transportation

Team Champion Award: XPO

First-place drivers now get the chance to compete in the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championship, also known as the Super Bowl of Safety, which takes place August 21-24 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Four major, award-winning musical headliners will take the stage at this year’s 2024 Charleston Sternwheel Regatta.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Sternwheel Regatta Commission and Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin announced this year’s line-up for the five-day event, which kicks-off Wednesday, July 3 and goes through Sunday, July 7 along Charleston’s Kanawha Boulevard.

Shaggy

The groups and artists set to perform at year three of the newly-revived Regatta include top reggae artist, Shaggy, the Emmy-winning Beatles tribute band, The Fab Four, Eddie Montgomery of the country group Montgomery Gentry, and a cluster of 90s hip-hop artists part of the ‘I Love the 90s Tour’– Vanilla Ice, Treach of Naughty by Nature, Tone Loc, and Young MC.

Goodwin said it takes months of planning just to build-up a strong musical line-up for the Regatta.

“A lot of agents work with different artists, and so we tried to get a couple that we wanted to see and put our feelers out, it actually just starts with what we knew worked and what we know will work,” Goodwin said.

Shaggy will kick-off the four days of music that’s part of the Regatta on Wednesday, July 3. He is among the top three streamed reggae artists of all time on Spotify, behind Bob Marley and Sean Paul. Shaggy has sold over 40 million albums with 8 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including hits such as, ‘Boombastic,’ ‘Angel,’ and ‘It Wasn’t Me.’

On Thursday, July 4, there will be a British invasion to take the stage for Independence Day. The Emmy award-winning Fab Four features note-for-note renditions of Beatles’ classics from ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ to ‘Hey Jude,’ along with three costume changes between sets.

Eddie Montgomery, the surviving member of Montgomery Gentry is expected to light up the crowd with country favorites such as ‘My Town’ and ‘Hillbilly Shoes’ on Friday, July 5.

The Fab Four

Finally, on Saturday, July 6, Vanilla Ice, Treach of Naughty by Nature, Tone Loc, and Young MC will take the stage all at once to perform hits from a decade gone-by with their ‘I Love the 90s Tour.’

Goodwin said with accommodating the musical tastes of over 200,000 people, she and the Regatta Commission always try to bring in a variety.

She said it was quite a unique experience to see moms and their kids dancing and singing along to the songs when one of last year’s top headlining performers, Flo-Rida took the stage.

Goodwin said the variety in last year’s line-up seemed to appeal to everyone, basing it off the response they got from the crowd, which she said is something her and the commission kept in mind when putting together this Regatta’s line-up.

“The crowd tells us, and our constituents tell us what they want by showing up, and investing in their time, and quite frankly, their expendable income, so if you’re spending a Saturday night with us and you’re spending money, then what we’re doing is working,” she said.

Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau Director and CEO, Tim Brady said the music helped contribute to the $37.2 million return on investment the city brought in with last year’s Regatta, as well as the $31 million the year prior in 2022.

“Over two years, an economic impact of $68.7 million,” Brady announced at Wednesday’s press conference.

After being discontinued in 2009, city officials agree that the Regatta has made a significant comeback when it made its return in 2022.

Brady said beyond the revenue, the five-day event has also left quite a cultural impact behind.

Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry

“This event has a great economic impact in our community, it also has a great community impact in general, because it gives us a sense of pride in place, showing that we’re proud of where we’re from here in Charleston, West Virginia,” Brady said.

Last year, the event brought in a total of 220,000 people from across the state and surrounding states.

Goodwin said not only has the Regatta brought in the bucks for the city and the region, but it went into directly supporting around 7,000 jobs that make up the area’s business landscape, as well.

“This means our hotels, this means our restaurants, this means supporting that entertainment and sports community, that hub that I talk about,” Goodwin said. “It means people saying, ‘I need more help, I need more staff, so not only hiring, but also sustaining the amount of jobs we have here.”

A full schedule of Sternwheel Regatta events can be found here.

RIPLEY, W.Va. — Health department officials say that while the measles risk might be on the rise following a nationwide uptick– including the first case recently being found in West Virginia in 15 years– they say there are steps one can take to protect themselves from the disease.

Jackson County Health Department Administrator Amy Haskins talked to MetroNew’s affiliate WMOV Radio out of Ravenswood following the the first discovery of measles in the state from a patient in Monongalia County on Monday– the first reported case in West Virginia since 2009.

The case is part of a global and national rise in the virus this year.

Amy Haskins

In the latest update, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that there have so far been 125 cases of confirmed measles reported this year, which is up significantly from 2023.

Haskins told WMOV that measles is one of the most contagious diseases out there, and is spread easily when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes.

She said steering clear from anyone who is having raspatory issues would be the first step in preventing one from contracting measles, adding that could also pose a little bit of a challenge right now.

“Of course, we are even in seasonal allergy season, so that’s going to be somewhat difficult to do and hard to determine exactly what it is that those around you might be sick from,” Haskins said.

According to the World Health Organization, the virus can affect anyone, but is most common in children. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a rash all over the body, WHO reports.

Haskins said another strong preventative measure one can take against measles is washing hands and cleaning off surfaces in the home, as she said the measles is one illness that can linger on surfaces for quite a longtime, as well as in the air.

However, Haskins said the best preventative measure against the virus of all– making sure you are updated on your vaccine.

She encourages anyone who may have not received a measles shot in a longtime to get one again.

“We are in the population of a lot of adults who may only have one vaccine, but that has since changed, and there are two vaccines that are recommended,” said Haskins. “So, if you’re in that age group that may have only had one vaccine, we recommend

that you try and get that second vaccine.”

Director of the Kanawha County Health Department and Emergency Room Physician at Jackson General Hospital, Dr. Steven Eshenaur also got on with WMOV Radio regarding measles

Dr. Steven Eshenaur,

prevention.

Eshenaur said that if you have at this point only had one measles vaccination, health officials consider you under-immunized, meaning you may not have antibodies to measles should there be an outbreak.

He said it’s important for people to check with their local health department for their medical record if they have not received a measles vaccine in a number of decades.

“Have them pull the medical record from the West Virginia Immunization system, they may or may not have a record on you, but that is one way you could possibly check,” he said.

Eshenaur added, though, that another way to check is at a hospital or clinic where you know you had received the first shot, even if the specific medical provider is no longer there.

He said, however, don’t worry if you may have forgotten that you had already received a second measles shot and get one again, as there’s no harm in getting an extra.

“We have had many individuals when I was in the military as a physician that could not produce a record,” Eshenaur said. “They thought they may have been immunized, but the military immunized them for measles, mumps and rubella, and the adverse-reaction rate is exceptionally low.”

The WHO said the measles vaccine averted 57 million deaths from 2000 to 2022, but vaccine rates for the virus have gradually dropped over the years.

They said in 2022, 83% of children in the world received one dose of the vaccine by their first birthday– the lowest since 2008.

JEFFERSON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County woman is charged with malicious wounding after sheriff’s deputies say she shot her husband during an argument.

Cora Collins (WVRJA)

Deputies said Cora Collins, 38, called Kanawha County Metro 911 at just before midnight Tuesday and reported the shooting.

The man, 39, was suffered a gunshot wound to the groin. Authorities said he’s now in stable condition and his injuries are non-life threatening.

Collins is being held in the South Central Regional Jail on $15,000 cash bail.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — It won’t be long before we know the musical acts for the 2024 Charleston Sternwheel Regatta.

On Wednesday, the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta Commission and Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin will announce the headline performers for this year’s Regatta on Wednesday at 1 p.m. from the Four Points by Sheraton Charleston on Kanawha Boulevard.

Last year’s lineup included a mixed bag of genres delivering memorable performances. The 2023 Regatta had rock band Better Than Ezra, hip-hop artist Flo Rida, soul band Kool & The Gang and country singer Jo Dee Messina.

The city brought in $37.2 million in revenue last year from the Regatta. In 2022, the city raked in $31 million. Also, over 220,000 people from neighboring cities and even other states attended the Regatta in 2023.

Recently, the Kanawha County Commission approved a $100,000 funding request from the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta Commission to help with this year’s event.

The 2024 Regatta will again fall on the week of the Fourth of July. The first day of the five-day event is Wednesday, July 3 and goes till Sunday, July 7.

A complete schedule of the rest of the events for the week can be found at charlestonregatta.com.