WV MetroNews
The Voice of West Virginia
Today on MetroNews This Morning:
–A trooper is stabbed and the suspect shot in an overnight incident in Lincoln County
–The state Board of Education declares a state of emergency at a Martinsburg school described as “chaos”
–A look at several tight election day races
–In Sports: WVU baseball bombs Penn State
Listen to “MetroNews This Morning 5-9-24” on Spreaker.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — It’s a crowded ballot up and down for the 2024 Primary Election in West Virginia.
Attorney General
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is exiting the office he’s held since 2013 and running for governor. So that opens up the seat for the top lawyer position in state government.
Two Kanawha County residents with long political histories are competing in the Republican primary.
J.B. McCuskey has been been state Auditor since 2016. Before that, he was elected to the House of Delegates in 2012. McCuskey is also the land commissioner, which means his office also deals with all the tax delinquent properties in West Virginia and allegations of local and state fraud.
He said the state is primed for economic growth but that requires taking on “the forces that be in Washington” and regulatory overreach. The attorney general’s office represents state government when it is being sued and also when it files lawsuits.
“If you look around West Virginia, there is an energy as it relates to economic development that we haven’t had in a very long time,” McCuskey said. “We need an attorney general that is willing and able as I am to stand up to these groups of people.”
McCuskey described energy, timbering and farming as driving the state’s economy. He said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s policies often curtail the growth of those economic sectors.
“I will sue any bureaucracy that looks down at West Virginia’s economy and says ‘We want to arbitrarily change the way that you make money and the way that your people live,'” he said.
Stuart has been practicing law for over 25 years. Stuart is a former co-chairman of the 2016 Trump for President campaign in West Virginia and a Trump pick for U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. He was also a state Republican party chairman.
He called attorney general’s role the “most important spot on the ballot.”
“It’s the attorney general that fights for freedom for the people of West Virginia,” he said.
A hot-button topic has been West Virginia’s law forbidding transgender girls from participating on girls sports teams. Last month, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a West Virginia middle school athlete who identifies as a girl should be allowed to compete.
Morrisey has said the state would seek a review from the U.S. Supreme Court. Because he will depart the attorney general’s office at the end of the year, the next attorney general could inherit the case.
Stuart says the state can set a precedent for the rest of the country if the case does get taken up by the Supreme Court.
“Frankly, we were on the front end of taking action with respect in protecting young girls and fairness in competition,” said Stuart.
McCuskey’s take: “The idea that it isn’t important enough that the playing field is both fair and safe for girls is preposterous.”
On the other side, lawyers Teresa Toriseva and Richie Robb will face-off in the Democratic Primary for attorney general.
Secretary of State
Kris Warner says he’s trying to build off of what his brother Mac Warner has done as Secretary of State over the past eight years. Mac, who has been Secretary of State since 2017, is vacating the office to run for governor.
The Warner family has a deep history in West Virginia politics. Kris is former chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party.
“I have fought for the Republican conservative values that we all hold here in West Virginia for the last 35 years,” Kris Warner said. He added, “As Secretary of State, I will follow the letter of the law laid out by the West Virginia Legislature.”
Warner also served as chairman of the Monongalia County GOP. He was appointed by former President Trump to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture in West Virginia. Governor Jim Justice appointed him to lead the West Virginia Economic Development Authority.
Warner said business development is as important a priority for the Secretary of State as keeping elections safe and secure. He’s helped create private business and enterprise centers in multiple counties including Monongalia and Barbour.
“I know something about entrepreneurs and what they are looking for out of state government,” said Warner, who has proposed the creation of the Office of Entrepreneurship if he’s elected Secretary of State.
“This office is about much more than just elections, it’s about business registration and I think that’s what sets me apart from the other three candidates,” he added.
One of those other three candidates is former House Minority Leader Doug Skaff.
Skaff spent 11 years as a Democrat in the House of Delegates. He was House minority leader from 2020-2023 before exiting the House and switching to the Republican Party.
Skaff believes in his track record as a business owner applies to his campaign for secretary of state. He runs multiple businesses ranging from three employees to about 200 employees.
“I think it takes a business owner to know how to run the business office of the state,” he said.
Skaff said the most important thing he can do to keep West Virginia elections secure is closely monitor the voting rolls.
“Secure our elections, keep illegals out of our state from working, keep illegals out of our state from voting,” said Skaff.
Another Republican in the race is pharmacist Ken Reed of Hedgesville. Reed was elected to the Morgan County Commission in 2016 before heading to Charleston as the elected delegate from the 59th district in 2020.
Secretary of State candidate Brian Wood has been Putnam County clerk for more than 19 years. He has also served as president of the West Virginia County Clerks Association and spent two terms as magistrate in Putnam County.
Thornton Cooper is the lone Democrat on the ballot for secretary of state. Cooper is a resident of South Charleston and spent between 2006 and 2015 serving on the Kanawha County Democratic Executive Committee. He is currently the acting chairman of the South Charleston Democratic Executive Committee.
Auditor
With two-term Auditor J.B. McCuskey running for Attorney General, four Republican candidates are competing to lead the auditor’s office.
One is state Senator Mark Hunt of Charleston. Hunt was a Democrat who served in the House of Delegates starting in 2004. He switched parties in 2022.
Another Republican candidate is House Majority Leader Eric Householder of Martinsburg. Householder was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2010. Before becoming majority leader, he also was House Finance chairman for four years.
Auditor candidate Caleb Hanna departed the House of Delegates to run for the office. The 24-year-old had served as a delegate in the 44th district since 2018. At 19, he was the youngest African-American ever elected to a state office.
And former Jefferson County Commissioner Tricia Jackson is also running for auditor. She served on the Jefferson County Commission from 2020 before being removed for refusing to attend commission meetings. She and fellow Commissioner Tricia Jackson were ordered to vacate their positions by a three-judge panel on May 1.
The Democrat in the race is Mary Ann Claytor, a St. Albans resident who has run for auditor twice before.
Key Senate Races
17 out of 34 West Virginia Senate seats are up for election in 2024.
District 1 includes Brooke, Hancock, Ohio and part of Marshall counties. Incumbent Senator Ryan Weld, a Republican, is facing a challenge from Scott Adams. Weld was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2014. He has served as a prosecuting and as an officer in the Air Force Reserve.
In the Senate, Weld has been majority whip and vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Senator Charles Trump, R-Morgan, chaired the committee but is now running for state Supreme Court.
Adams is a retired state trooper and Iraq War veteran from Wellsburg. He also served as a captain in the Army.
Three Republican candidates – Scott Fuller, Josh Mathis and Dallas Thacker — are competing for the Senate’s 5th District seat, which covers all of Cabell County and a portion of Wayne. Longtime Senator Bob Plymale, a Democrat, is not seeking reelection to the seat.
Delegate Ric Griffith, a Democrat, is looking to move to the other chamber of the state Capitol building. Griffith spent the previous four years as a delegate representing the 19th District. He’s a pharmacist and runs the popular Pumpkin House attraction.
Robert Karnes, a Republican representing counties across a swath of West Virginia’s central mountain counties, is running to defend his Senate seat. His Republican challenger is Robbie Morris, executive director of the Randolph County Development Authority and West Virginia Wood Technology Center.
Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, has two Republican challengers. They are former Delegate Mike Folk and Tom Willis , a businessman and 23-year veteran in the West Virginia National Guard.
Anthony Murray is the lone Democrat in the race.
Also in the eastern panhandle, Senator Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, is being challenged by Delegate Paul Espinosa. Democrat John Doyle, a former delegate, would face the primary winner.
Senator Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha, is being challenged by Delegate Chris Pritt, who has been in the House since 2020. Bil Lepp is running as a Democrat.
Key House Races
All 100 seats in the West Virginia House of Delegates are open.
House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, of Clay County, is attempting to stay in the House. First elected in 2014, he’s been Speaker since 2018.
Two Republicans in Justin Bordas and Laura McGinnis are also campaigning for Delegate District 62 against Hanshaw.
Delegate Todd Longanacre (R) is not seeking reelection in District 47. Republicans George “Boogie” Ambler, Ray Canterbury and Stephen Snyder are all running for that seat. Kayla McCoy and Roger Vannoy are running as Democratic candidates.
In Delegate District 51, Marshall Clay and Dan Hill are Republican candidates while Robyn Kincaid and Jack Thompson are on the other side of the ballot. Tom Fast (R) held the position since 2022. This year he is seeking to become a Circuit Judge in Fayette County.
Delegate District 57 features Charleston representatives. Hollis Lewis was appointed to the seat in November 2023 to replace former Delegate Doug Skaff who resigned in September and is now a candidate for Secretary of State as a Republican.
Ernest Blevins, Mark Carter and Aaron Neil are running for the seat as Republicans.
The post West Virginia 2024: All the key races for statewide office appeared first on WV MetroNews.
RANGER, W.Va. — A West Virginia state trooper has reportedly been stabbed in Lincoln County and the suspect was shot and killed.
Lincoln County dispatchers say the trooper was in a pursuit with the suspect Wednesday night. An altercation then started along Ten Mile Road in the Ranger area at around 9:30 p.m.
The trooper was stabbed in the neck and then shots were fired at the suspect. Emergency personnel responded to the scene. The trooper is reportedly in stable condition at a hospital.
State Police are investigating.
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— By David Walsh
ONA, W.Va. — Put two of the top Class AAA softball teams in West Virginia in a setting with a sectional title on the line, one can expect there’ll be some drama at some point. Seventh-inning drama to be exact.
First, Lincoln County scores a run on an error in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 3 and delay title celebration for home standing Cabell Midland at a packed Paul Adams Field.
The Knights, with the top of the order up in their at-bat, see the first two batters fly out. Up steps Rebecca Conrad and she launches a pitch from Kyleigh Shull over the fence in center for a walk-off homer and a 4-3 victory.
Now the home team could clutch that Region 4 Section 1 trophy, pose for pictures with happy fans and look ahead to a best of-three series against Region II winner Hurricane, with that survivor securing a berth in the State Softball Tournament in two weeks in South Charleston.
“I feel great. So happy that’s what happened,” Conrad said while holding onto the souvenir ball with a firm grip. “So mad in the top of the seventh. Frustrated. It’s okay. Get in the dugout and come back. Definitely a harder route, but we seem to always pick that way.”
As for coach Herman Beckett’s reaction — “liked to broke my shoulder again,” he said. His left arm hangs in a sling.
Cabell Midland (27-5) recorded three wins in four meetings against Lincoln County this season. The first came in the regular season. The Panthers (23-6) won the first meeting in sectional play, forcing the Knights to win twice. When state softball goes to four classes next season, Cabell Midland will be in Class AAAA and Lincoln County in Class AAA, meaning new foes in sectional play.
“It’s a typical Cabell Midland-Lincoln County team. Couldn’t ask for two better teams,” Beckett said. “Can’t say enough about the resiliency the girls have. They played hard. We weren’t really hitting the ball well the last couple of weeks. Start laying the ball down, stretch them out and get the ball through. We got hits at the right time. That’s the main thing.”
Audrea Watts, who got the win Tuesday in the 10-6 decision where she once enjoyed a 10-0 lead, limited the Panthers to four hits this time.
Becca Pennington belted a double in the first for the visitors and came home on an error for a 1-0 lead. She then belted a solo homer to right in the fifth to cut the deficit to 3-2. Allison Ramey started the seventh with an infield single. Shull followed with a grounder to short, but Quinn Ballengee misplayed the ball, tried for the force at second, but the ball went into right field and Ramy raced home with the tying run to set up the dramatic finish.
Hayla Norris and Baylee Smith had run-scoring singles in the home team’s third. In the fourth, Ellie McCormill reached on a single. Sabrina Rose then put down a bunt, beat it out and McCormill sprinted from first to third on that play. When Rose tried to steal, she was thrown out, but McCormill raced home.
“That comes from experience playing the game,” Beckett said. “When the throw goes down, she knows to go. Take the chance. People don’t realize how fast she is. She’s gotten a lot faster this year from last year.”
Beckett had to tip his cap to Watts’ effort on the hill.
“Drea comes back and pitches her heart out,” he said. “Lincoln County’s such a well-disciplined team. They’re in any game they play. We had the top of the lineup. To beat a team of that caliber is gigantic. That’s the most confidence we’ve had all year. Kids were confident they could win the game.”
“I liked our enthusiasm. It was there all day. We wanted it,” Watts said. “It (error for a run in the seventh) happened. Can’t do anything about it. Come back and that’s exactly what we did. Definitely not my best day, but it was better.”
Lincoln County coach Tommy Barrett said fans got treated to a show once again.
“Two of the best teams in West Virginia in one region, what do you expect?” Barrett said. “We came out on the short end tonight. We hit the ball, we executed, they executed a little bit better. We contained the one and two hitters (in seventh). Conrad is) a tough out. She’s in the three hole for a reason. We tried to work her away, but one got away. The pitch was right there, she squared up and knocked it out of the park. This was a state championship game played right there. This region here has tough softball. They beat us twice. It’s what it is. It’s part of the game. Our kids worked very hard.”
Lincoln County senior Josie Bird, a long-ball threat, once again didn’t get to swing the bat as Beckett ordered intentional walks for her each of her four times up.
“Respect,” Barrett said, “but it makes it tough when they contain Josie.”
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I am proudly wearing the “I voted early” sticker handed to me by a friendly poll worker. My wife and I always early vote at the same location in Monongalia County, and all went smoothly Wednesday. We were in and out in just a few minutes.
West Virginia’s early voting began with the 2002 Primary Election, and I cannot recall the last time I voted on Election Day. Like many folks, I’m busy on Election Day so early voting is a matter of convenience. I also hear from some voters that say, after being deluged with advertisements, they just want to put the election behind them.
Early voting ends Saturday, and you can check with your county clerk for locations and times. Here are some notes about early voting—and turnout in general—so far, through Tuesday, May 7th:
–41,479 West Virginians voted early over the first six days. That is nearly as many people as voted early in the 2020 Primary, but that election was delayed for a month because of Covid. This year’s early vote totals may not exceed 2022, when 58,644 individuals voted early.
–More Republicans than Democrats cast ballots through the first six days; 13,314 Republicans, 10,135 Democrats, 4,450 Independents/no party affiliation and 2,181 voters have asked for the ballot from another party.
–Independents or voters with no party affiliation represent 25 percent of all registered voters, but so far they make up only 11 percent of the early voters.
–Kanawha County has had the most early voters through Tuesday—3,993—and that makes sense because it has the most registered voters of any county. The early voter split in Kanawha is pretty even: 1,640 Republicans and 1,604 Democrats.
–It does not appear as though early voting has led to greater participation in West Virginia. General Election turnout in presidential years in West Virginia averaged 53 percent in the four elections between 1988 and 2000, before West Virginia allowed early voting. In the five General Elections in presidential years since then, turnout has averaged 51 percent. That suggests early voters are individuals who were going to cast ballots anyway; they just do it earlier now.
—46 states have some form of early voting. The four that do not are Alabama, Connecticut, Mississippi and New Hampshire. Voters in the Granite State take their politics seriously. Their turnout has averaged 67 percent in the last seven General Elections during the presidential cycle, which is among the highest in the nation. The top spot for turnout typically goes to Minnesota or Maine. Hawaii has had the lowest turnout in presidential elections in five of the last seven cycles.
Again, there is still time to early vote, and if you have not done it before, you will find it is convenient. But for traditionalists, the polls will open at 6:30 Tuesday morning and remain open until 7:30 p.m. Live continuous coverage of the election results begins at 7:06 Tuesday night on MetroNews and results of statewide races will be posted on our website wvmetronews.com.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Over 500 people have now graduated from Jobs & Hope West Virginia.
The program’s 500th and 501st graduates were recognized Wednesday, Sierra Mullins and Joshua Shane McCoy. Gov. Jim Justice and members of Jobs & Hope WV congratulated Mullins and McCoy during a ceremony at the State Capitol.
“It all began with a dream I had for a better life for West Virginians grappling with addiction,” Gov. Justice said. “Now, Jobs & Hopes has shattered so many records it’s unbelievable.”
What started as “Jim’s Dream” in 2019, Gov. Justice wanted to help those struggling with addiction to overcome their challenges and secure employment in the state of West Virginia. Jobs & Hope WV was then launched in October 2019 as a comprehensive program to assist those fighting substance use disorder. Those in the program can go through career training that ultimately leads to a job.
There have been 508 total graduates of the Jobs & Hope program with 1,619 active participants and 5,293 employed participants.
Both Mullins and McCoy started their journey with Jobs & Hope WV in 2021. Mullins began her path in January 2021 and eventually found employment at Peer Solutions. She shared part of her experience and how Jobs & Hope changed her life for the better. Mullins first heard about Jobs & Hope through the Harmony Ridge Treatment Center.
“A lifeline promising a path to a brighter future,” Mullins said. “I have embarked on a journey of self-recovery and growth.”
Joshua’s journey with Jobs & Hope WV began in March 2021. He’s now employed as a Heavy Equipment Operator with Orders Construction. McCoy has stumped his addiction and has found success in his new career. He thanked everyone from the program, Recovery Point and his colleagues.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without Jobs & Hope,” he said. “I want to thank my family because I’m actually able to be there for them today and that means more to me than anything in the world.”
Gov. Justice called Mullins and McCoy “heroes” for the challenges that they have overcome.
“You got to keep on being heroes because it’s not going to be easy,” he said. “We’ll always have setbacks but we see lives changing.”
Jobs & Hope West Virginia has 23 transition agents positioned across the state that help in peer recovery services, regional support networks, workforce development, vocational training, and higher education opportunities.
Jobs & Hope has also helped 1,811 people attain their drivers license. 1,326 other individuals are no longer on SNAP benefits.
Those interested in signing up for the Jobs & Hope WV program can find more information at jobsandhope.wv.gov.
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GRANVILLE, W.Va. — Wind often aids hitters in their quest for power at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
While that was not the case Wednesday when West Virginia welcomed Penn State, one could hardly tell.
The Mountaineers hit six home runs, including three in a six-run first inning as their offense led the way in an 18-7 seven-inning win against Penn State before a crowd of 3,748.
“This game was about practice yesterday. We had a great practice yesterday and kind of went back to some fundamental stuff offensively that we’d kind of got away from,” West Virginia coach Randy Mazey said. “Kudos to our players — they committed to what we were trying to teach them in practice yesterday and carried it over into the game, which isn’t all that easy to do. You live and die by the homer I guess with this team. We hit some this past weekend, but we didn’t pitch well enough to overcome it.”
Making his first career start on the mound, freshman Chase Meyer overcame two walks to work a scoreless first, and when he came back out to pitch the second, the Mountaineers (29-18) were in complete control.
Logan Sauve hit the first pitch thrown by Penn State (21-21) starter Mason Butash over the wall in left-center field, and it was a sign of things to come.
West Virginia’s first seven batters went on to reach, including JJ Wetherholt on a single, while consecutive base-on-balls created a bases loaded opportunity for Sam White, who singled to left to drive in a pair.
Grant Hussey worked the third walk of the inning and Brodie Kresser immediately followed with a grant slam to left-center for a 7-0 advantage.
“The guys on our team have unbelievable juice. We have guys that can hit the ball far,” Kresser said. “I’m not one of them, but I guess I can run into it. Even if it is windy, our guys can put the ball in the air and make it fly. It’s pretty cool to see.”
Butash was relieved by Ben DeMell after recording his first and only out, but DeMell’s outing began in the same fashion as that of the Nittany Lions’ starter, with Skylar King connecting for a home run into the right field bullpen to make it 8-0.
The Mountaineers wasted no time adding to their advantage in their second trip to the plate, which began with Reed Chumley’s 427-foot home run off the scoreboard — his team-leading 13th long ball of the season.
White followed with a home run of his own to right, which made it three home runs against DeMell in a six-batter span.
Kresser’s single and a Ben Lumsden double allowed WVU to add to its comfortable advantage later in the second as the home team plated separate runs on a King sacrifice fly and Sauve single to leave PSU with a 12-0 deficit.
“I know one thing — we’ll take the field Friday with confidence,” Mazey said.
However, the Nittany Lions broke through in a big way offensively in the third to put a scare into WVU.
During that frame, PSU amassed five of its nine hits, and utilized a Bobby Marsh single to bring in its first run, before Tayven Kelley brought in a pair with a single to right-center. That marked the end of Meyer’s outing, which covered eight outs. He was replaced by Bryce Amos, who faced three hitters and failed to record an out as the Nittany Lions drew closer by scoring a fourth run on a wild pitch, two on Joe Jaconski’s single and again on a J.T. Marr single that trimmed the WVU advantage to five.
“We needed a game just like this,” Mazey said. “We didn’t need them to score seven in one inning, but we needed some guys to start swinging the bat and it’s good to see that, and we needed some guys that pitched to pitch.”
Any thought of PSU coming closer to completing a rally, however, was largely put to rest in the home half of that inning as the Mountaineers scored three runs with two outs — one each on Hussey’s double, Kresser’s single and Lumsden’s single, all of which came off Will Perkowski.
West Virginia got its sixth and final home run in the fourth when Wetherholt belted a 439-foot shot to right that made it 16-7.
“The reason this is not an easy park to hit home runs in is because the wind is swirling a lot sometimes,” Wetherholt said. “With no wind, it’s a normal park and the ball carries and it doesn’t get affected. Pretty much all of us have enough power to get it out to any field, but when wind is blowing in a certain direction, it kills homers. No wind is perfectly fine with me.”
Ellis Garcia, pinch-hitting for King, made the most of his opportunity in the fifth and drove in two with a double that pushed the lead back to double figures.
After Tommy Beam worked a scoreless fifth and sixth, Aidan Smith followed suit in the seventh, enabling WVU to finish off the victory early as a result of a 10-run mercy rule.
In addition to driving in five runs, Kresser was 4-for-4.
“We really emphasize on hitting off speed up the middle and hitting balls up the middle. The middle is where you make your money and you’re going to win a lot of games when you hit up the middle,” Kresser said. “I didn’t change too much. Kept my approach and saw it well.”
Wetherholt added three hits and Sauve, White, Hussey and Lumsden had two apiece in what marked the Mountaineers’ ninth straight home win (their last home loss came back on March 30 against Oklahoma State).
“We couldn’t do that if it wasn’t for the fans and people in the community,” Mazey said. “Asterisk on those last nine wins for the atmosphere the community has created.”
Meyer was credited with the win after allowing five runs in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked five.
Maxx Yehl threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings and was the first of three consecutive WVU relievers to log a scoreless outing.
Butash fell to 1-4 after being charged with seven runs.
The matchup marked either the fourth or fifth to last home game for Mazey, who will retire at the conclusion of this season.
WVU is set to welcome Kansas State for a three-game series starting Friday and is attempting to add what would be a final home game for Mazey on Tuesday.
“You guys keep reminding me and so does my wife. I don’t want this to be about me,” Mazey said. “If it becomes about me, that’ll be a huge distraction. I want it to be about the kids, the fans and the community and just do what we do. When I’ve coached my last game, it can be about me because it doesn’t affect this year’s team anymore. As long as this team is playing and playing well and has a chance to do something, it needs to be about them.”
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LOST CREEK, W.Va. — Three multi-run innings and a shutout from junior pitcher Layton Wageman have the South Harrison Hawks in position to advance to the regional round of the Class A playoffs. The Hawks defeated Tygarts Valley, 7-0 in the winners bracket final of the Class A Region II, Section 1 Tournament.
“You get a couple days off. We’re still going to practice. But at the same time, we are not in those high-stress, high-level situations,” said South Harrison head coach Frank Tate. “We didn’t get to this point last year. We got put in the losers bracket last year and had to fight our way out. So it is always nice to get to that championship game where someone has to beat you twice.”
Wageman needed just 94 pitches to post the complete game victory. He allowed just four hits, did not walk a batter and he struck out ten. Wageman retired the last ten batters he faced.
“Anytime he goes on the mound, we have a chance to win. He gave up a triple right there off the bat. He bore down and that’s where he ended up. I have the utmost faith in him when he is out there,” Tate said.
“His curveball wasn’t working for about the first four innings. He just couldn’t get a feel for it. Then it started working.”
The Hawks (22-11) broke open a scoreless stalemate with a three-run third inning. South added two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings to break the game open.
“We played really clean, for the most part, behind [Wageman]. We had two huge two-out hits that ballooned the lead from three to five. We talked about it all year, situational hitting. You can make an out and still do something productive, get the runners home when you have to. Both Corey [Saltis] and Layton came through with two huge hits with two outs.”
Dane Tate led the Hawks at the plate. He went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three runs batted in and a walk.
“He takes after his old man. He works hard. I’m going to give a shutout to our assistant principal. He worked with him a little bit today. Adam Belcastro got him locked in. Every time Adam works with the kids, they get locked in.”
Wageman added two hits for the Hawks. Gabe Ferrell reached base four times and scored twice.
South Harrison will host the opening game of the sectional championship round Saturday at 1 p.m. They need just one win in two games to advance to regionals.
“We are knocking on the door of the school record for wins that we accomplished [in 2021]. I told them that the sky is the limit for them. We have been Jekyll and Hyde at times this year. But we have played our best baseball I think in the last couple games.”
Tygarts Valley (16-7-1) will host an elimination game Friday. They will face the winner of Thursday’s Trinity-Doddridge County game.
Jaxon Drennen, Kendall Armstrong, Austin Teter and Jacob Wamsley collected base hits for the Bulldogs. Starting pitcher Adam Woods allowed three runs [two earned] in three innings.
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ELLENBORO, W.Va. — Photo gallery from the Class A Region I track and field championships at Ritchie County High School.
(Photos by Teran Malone and Jeremiah Howell)
Girls team results:
| 1. | Williamstown | 196 |
| 2. | Tyler Consolidated | 86.5 |
| 3. | Ritchie County | 73 |
| 4. | St. Marys | 72 |
| 5. | Magnolia | 69.5 |
| 6. | Wheeling Central Catholic | 68 |
| 7. | Valley (Wetzel) | 47 |
| 8. | Weirton Madonna | 29 |
| 9. | Paden City | 24 |
| 10. | Wood County Christian | 15 |
| 11. | Cameron | 10 |
| 12. | Hundred | 9 |
Boys team results:
| 1. | Williamstown | 133 |
| 2. | Wheeling Central Catholic | 100 |
| 3. | Magnolia | 90 |
| 4. | Ritchie County | 87.5 |
| 5. | St. Marys | 75.5 |
| 6. | Tyler Consolidated | 64 |
| 7. | Valley (Wetzel) | 59 |
| 8. | Wood County Christian | 29 |
| 9. | Cameron | 23 |
| 10. | Weirton Madonna | 15 |
| 11. | Paden City | 2 |
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Nurses in Charleston are being honored for their hard work amid Nurses’ Week and an ongoing shortage of them coming into the field.
Charleston Area Medical Center held a ceremony and luncheon in celebration of the national week recognizing the impact the sector of healthcare workers has on people’s lives Wednesday where they presented 80 nurses with the Award of Excellence in Professional Nursing.
This year’s theme was “Nurses Make the Difference” to honor various roles of nurses and the quality level of care that each one brings to the table.
CAMC Chief Nursing Officer Heidi Edwards said award recipients are nominated by peers and nurse leaders, which she said is truly a reflection of how it goes to those who exemplify skill and professionalism in the field.
“It’s the most incredible feeling to feel like you’re able to give back for a day for all that they give throughout the entire year,” Edwards said. “This award really does epitomize nursing from an excellence standpoint, from a value standpoint, how they care, how they nurture, and everything that nurses do.”
The 80 award recipients Wednesday covered RN’s and LPN’s throughout CAMC’s entire five-facility system, including Memorial Hospital, General Hospital, Women’s and Children’s, Teays Valley and Greenbrier Valley Medical Center as well as all of their ambulatory locations.
According to the West Virginia Hospital Association’s workforce report last year, the nursing field in the state began seeing shortages prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020, and CAMC has not been immune to those scarcities.
The association said nursing professions have a vacancy rate of 19.3% and a turnover rate of 26.3%.
However, Edwards said by honoring nurses at events like Wednesday’s is another step in helping to alleviate the shortage.
“As far as from a recruitment standpoint we do a lot of things for recruitment, but we have to remember retention as well, and by recognizing those that work with us who exemplify excellence and care for our patients every single day should be recognized, and this just gives us the opportunity to do that,” Edwards said.
Edwards said, however, that their recruitment efforts to attract more nurses and medical staff to the hospital has overall been going very well.
Rachel Persinger was one of the Registered Nurses at CAMC being presented an award Wednesday.
She said she was honored to receive the award, and after debating being a teacher, a lawyer, and a dental hygienist, she discovered that nursing was her true calling.
“I went to college at West Virginia Wesleyan and I went through their BSN and MSN program and I just kind of fell in love with the career of being a nurse, and I enjoy my patients and I enjoy CAMC, so it has just truly been a fulfilling career for me,” Persinger said.
Persinger said that they always welcome potential new recruits into CAMC if they’re interested in shadowing a nurse to get an idea of what the job entails.
She said they currently have job positions available that doesn’t require a nursing license, so this helps people decide if nursing is something they can really see themselves doing in the long run or not.
“If they like it, they can go through nursing school and CAMC can help them with tuition and then they can get a job with CAMC, so everything’s kind of set up, but they’ve got to get their feet wet first,” she said. “So, yes, there is an ongoing nursing shortage, but if people are interested then they just need to come knocking on our door and we’ll welcome them in.”
And Persinger said there has been at least one way they have made dealing with the shortage of nurses work for the past few years.
“We support each other, here at CAMC we support each other and we make it work, so that’s a really big blessing that has been there for me is getting the support from the administration, from a leader and my coworkers, there’s never a shortage of help,” said Persinger.
Edwards added that nurses are very special people who leave a significant impact on the lives of others.
“If you’ve ever been in the hospital, if you’ve ever been sick and you know the way a nurse makes you feel and you never forget your nurse, that’s the difference that they make, because they’re your one advocate, they’re the person who’s with you the entire time,” said Edwards.
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