Clay County Business and Development Authority promotes tourism with new rail bikes

By: Jessi Starkey | Posted: June 20, 2018 | Source: WCHSTV

The Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad was once a vital resource for many who lived in the mountains of Clay County. Built mostly by hand in the 1900s, the railroad hauled coal and lumber. Now, the rail is being used for a recreational adventure for families to enjoy. (WCHS/WVAH)

The Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad was once a vital resource for many who lived in the mountains of Clay County. Built mostly by hand in the 1900s, the railroad hauled coal and lumber. Now, the rail is being used for a recreational adventure for families to enjoy.

“You can’t beat the scenery,” President of the Clay County Business and Development Authority Mitch DeBoard said. “We are operating on 6 miles of the most pristine scenery. You will see otter, deer, bears, squirrels and turkey. You name it you will see it.”

Rail bikes are a popular trend in some states and…

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Cunningham Energy Focuses on Shallow Horizontal Oil Wells in WV

Posted: June 20, 2018 | Source: MarcellusDrilling.com

Cunningham Energy is a small oil driller based in West Virginia. In 2015, Cunningham struck oil in the Big Injun sandstone formation in Clay County, WV (see Cunningham Strikes Oil in West Virginia’s Big Injun Territory). In 2016, Cunningham announced they would target another shallow formation, the Weir Sand formation, a few layers below the Big Injun (same group of rocks called the Mississippian system), once again looking for oil (see Cunningham Using Horizontal Drilling to Target Weir Sand in WV).

Cunningham issued a press release two days ago to announce that its Lions Paw 4-Well Pad, in Clay County, is now producing at a rate of 10,000 plus barrels of oil per month. Normally we don’t cover news from conventional drillers, but Cunningham is interesting for a few reasons. While the rock layers Cunningham targets are…

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Kanawha flood recovery committee phasing out operations

Susan Jack, director of the Greater Kanawha Long-term Recovery Committee, talks with volunteers on a job in Clendenin last year. The committee is phasing out when it runs out of money within a few weeks and Jack will work for a Christian mission organization. Kenny Kemp | Gazette-Mail file photo

By: Lori Kersey, Staff Writer | Posted: June 19, 2018 | Source: WV Gazette-Mail

A committee set up to help Kanawha County recovery in the wake of the June 2016 flood is running out of money and phasing out.

John Ballengee, interim chairman of the Greater Kanawha Long-Term Recovery Committee, estimates the panel has enough money to handle 10 to 15 more needs in the next 60 or so days, depending on the cases that are presented.

“While we continue to fund unmet needs with the funds we still have available, we’re probably not going to continue that when our funds dry up,” Ballengee said.

Ballengee said that when the committee was very active, about a year to 18 months after the flood, it had volunteers from as many as 40 agencies. It employed a director and some case managers, he said.

The committee’s director, Susan Jack, still intends to continue flood recovery work, though. Jack will work as a consultant for Praying Pelican Missions, a domestic and international Christian missions organization. The group is setting up a space in the former Clendenin Church of God building, Jack said.

Lonnie Maley, the Appalachian region operations coordinator for Praying Pelican, said…

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Mayor Clendenin sheds light on letter to Governor Jim Justice

CLENDENIN, W.Va. – Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with the Town of Clendenin’s mayor, Shana Clendenin to go deeper into the letter she hand delivered to Governor Jim Justice on Wednesday, June 13, 2018. In addition, she copied and hand delivered the letter to the following state officials to inform them of the difficulties the Town of Clendenin had experienced when reaching out asking for assistance from the State of West Virginia.

Below is the two page letter by Mayor Shana Clendenin which provides a detailed account and timeline of her attempt to request help from employees with the West Virginia State Office of Emergency Management including Director Jimmy Gianato, House Speaker Tim Armstead, and members of the Justice Administration over the past year.

I invite you to listen to my interview with Mayor Shana Clendenin where she provides a detailed firsthand background of the challenges she and her administration has been faced with since taking office in July of 2017 as a result of the 2016 Flood. Also, the mayor gives us an update on the 1st Annual Clendenin Homecoming Festival that kicks off on Friday.

Extension Approved for Clay Rails Project

By: Alyssa Meisner | Posted: June 19, 2018 at 5:55 p.m. | Source: WOWKTV

CLAY COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – UPDATE 6/20/18:

Since 13 News first told you about the issues with the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad Trail, the State Emergency Management Office has reached out to the Clay County Business Development Authority.

Mitch DeBoard told 13 News the office said the extension for the project has been sent to FEMA and approved. However, the change order was never sent to FEMA and cannot be located in the Emergency Management office.

DeBoard said he hopes the project can start moving forward.

____________

It’s been almost two years since deadly 2016 floods destroyed the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad trail. But the Clay County Business Development Authority is still struggling to get funding sorted out to repair the area.

The rail line once hauled coal, but now carries kids and tourists to see Clay County. Only 6 of the 18-mile stretch is open because of the serious damage after the 2016 floods.

“The #5 bridge completely destroyed…

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Deputies say missing 35-year-old Elkview man found safe

Kanawha County deputies say Jeffrey Allen Young has been found safe. (Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office)

By: Anna Taylor | Posted: June 19, 2018 | Source: WVAH

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said a missing Elkview man has been found safe.

Jeffrey Allen Young, 35, was reported missing on Monday, but deputies said Tuesday that he has been located and is OK.

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office says…

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Clay FFA team captures national title

FFA team L-R: Darren Ray, Isaac Childers, Clarissa Keiffer and Samantha Hicks. Kelsey Flinn Photo

Posted: June 19, 2018 | Source: Clay County Free Press

The Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter at Clay County High School has done it again!

For years now, our FFA students have been in the news finishing top in their class in contests that deal with farm management and other genres dealing with wildlife, plants, soil management and grassland conditions.  Earlier this year, students from CCHS competed in the West Virginia Grassland Evaluation Contest at WVU Jackson’s Mill.  This contest, as well as the national contest, was developed due to the need for better knowledge of grassland management.  This is a serious need in our country due to the ever growing problems of pollution and wise uses of grassland will improve water quality and the overall health of a population.  Productive land will benefit people in the country as well as the city.

For a person to survive, there are two needs – fresh water and food. Without proper land management of grass lands and forests, our ability to survive becomes problematic. Our food and  water supplies are essential, always have been and must be protected.  At Jackson’s Mill, students pitted their abilities against…

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Lady Huskies Finish Season at No. 5 in Nation in Final MaxPreps Poll

By: Tom Mauldin | Posted: June 19, 2018 | Source: MaxPreps

Madison of Virginia goes wire to wire in winning back-to-back state titles and claims National Champion honor.

Madison (Vienna, Va.) ran the table on the 2018 season in dominating fashion: 28 wins in 28 games, trailed twice the entire season, won another state title and ran its two-year win streak to 42.

The Warhawks, who won their state championship game 9-0 over 21-7 Manchester (Midlothian) behind pitcher Alex Echazarreta’s no-hitter, are the 2018 MaxPreps High School Softball National Champions.

“It’s special,” coach Jim Adkins said. “To do what these girls accomplished really is amazing. (I’m) really proud of what they’ve done the past two seasons. It just doesn’t get any better than this.”

The Warhawks edged No. 2 Neshoba Central (Philadelphia, Miss.), which finished 34-0 and won the state 5A championship, for the national crown.

“There were no down moments this season,” said Adkins, Madison’s fifth-year coach. “Team camaraderie was great, the parents were great, the administration, etc. Everything was just perfect. As a coach, you dream of a perfect season and this would be it.”

It’s the second-straight year Madison has won the Virginia 6A (the state’s largest enrollment classification) championship. In winning the state 6A title in 2017, the Warhawks went 28-1 and won their final 14 games. Their last lost was 4-3 in eight innings and happened 14 months ago. Adkins said his team had no weak spots, one through nine in the lineup could hit and the pitching of All-American Echazareta was dominating.

How dominating were the Warhawks in 2018? Consider the following:

• They won 16 games by 10 runs or more and played a single one-run game.

• They batted .413 as a team.

•  They scored 283 runs, averaging 10 runs per game, while allowing just 26.

• Eleven players scored 10 or more times.

• Nine players had 20 or more hits and four had 40 or more.

• Eight players homered led by Kristin Giery with 12 and Echazareta’s 11.

• Nine players drove in 15 or more runs.

The Warhawks had it all. They committed just 11 errors (a fielding percentage of .976) and opposing batters managed a meager 0.62 average against Echazareta and Giery. They were caught stealing just three times in 59 attempts.

Madison, which is ranked No. 5 in the MaxPreps computer poll, started the season ranked No. 1 in the Virginia/Maryland/Washington D.C. area by the Washington Post. The Warhawks were ranked No. 52 in MaxPreps Xcellent Preseason Rankings. Interestingly, Neshoba Central was ranked No. 50.

Adkins said he set the 2018 schedule to be as challenging as possible and to go unbeaten was a bit surprising. Madison, which has an enrollment of 2,000 students, defeated teams from four states and won the Myrtle Beach Grand Strand Tournament in late March by a combined 36-5 margin. All five wins were lopsided.

“We knew we had a good team coming,” he said. “We only lost one senior from a year ago, had seven seniors. We knew we had the makings of a special season.”

Five Warhawks have signed or committed to play at the next level: Echazareta (Purdue), Emily Klingaman(Stanford), Cat Arase (MIT) and sisters Kristin Giery (signed) and Nicole Giery (committed) with Boston College.

Echazareta not only went 24-0 with a 0.59 ERA and 237 strikeouts in 141 innings, but she also batted .495 with 11 homers and 41 RBIs. The older Giery hit .490 and led in homers (12) and RBIs (43). Klingaman led the team in hitting (.597) and runs (39). In all, six players batted over .400, including Nicole Adkins (.413), Nicole Giery (.522) and Kristy Williams (.400).

Though there was no in-season talk about going unbeaten, Adkins said a pivotal moment was coming back to beat highly ranked Bishop O’Connell (Arlington).

“When we came back to beat them and their All-American pitcher (Kat Sandercock), who is headed to Florida State, we knew it was a possibility,” said Atkins. “But with a schedule as tough as ours, we knew how difficult it would be.”

The only other time they trailed during the 2018 season was in the state quarterfinals when South County (Lofton) led 2-1 going into the bottom of the sixth and the Warhawks scored five to win 6-4.

“We started the season with a target on our back and never talked about going unbeaten,” said Adkins. “We had no team mottos. Of course, a goal of every team is to go unbeaten, but we truly took this one day at a time. We asked the players to ‘get better every day.’ ”

And they did.

No. 2 Neshoba’s title was its seventh straight and the Rockets will enter the 2019 season with a 39-game winning streak. Californians San Marcos and Norco finished Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, and Hoover (Clendenin, W. Va.) rounds out the Top 5.

Shawnee Heights (Tecumseh, Kan.), ranked No. 14, has a two-year winning streak of 50 in a row — the longest of any team in the Top 50.

Final 2018 MaxPreps Xcellent 50 National High School Softball Rankings

1. (Last week 1) Madison (Vienna, Va.), 28-0
MaxPreps National championship team includes Emily KlingamanAlex EchazarretaSofia EbersoleWikitoria KowalskaSierra ShieldsOlivia MyersKristy WilliamsHannah CaseNicole AdkinsDevin TownsendNicole GieryLauren OskuieKeisha YoungCat AraseKristin Giery and Abby Bolinger.

2. (2) Neshoba Central (Philadelphia, Miss.), 34-0
The Rockets won their sixth straight state 5A title.

3. (3) San Marcos (Calif.), 28-2
The Knights won the San Diego Section Open Division title and finished the season with an 18-game win streak.

4. (4) Norco (Calif.), 29-3
The Cougars finished the season with 10 straight, including 8-2 over Gahr to win the California Southern Section Open Division title.

5. (5) Hoover (Clendenin, W. Va.), 33-0
The Huskies repeated as state AA champions.

6. (6) Tualatin (Ore.), 30-0
The Timberwolves won the state 6A title.

7. (7) Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.), 33-2
The Cards closed the season with 15 wins in a row and the Kentucky state championship.

8. (8) New Palestine (Ind.), 30-1
The Dragons finished the season with 20 wins in a row and won the state 3A title.

9. (9) Keystone (La Grange, Ohio), 34-0
Keystone won the state D2 championship game.

10. (10) Coral Springs Charter (Coral Springs, Fla.), 30-2
The Panthers won the state 6A title.

11. (11) Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.), 25-1
The Timberwolves won the state 4A title.

12. (12) Champion (Warren, Ohio), 31-0
The Golden Flashes won the state D3 championship and have won 39 straight.

13. (13) Clovis (Calif.), 31-2
Clovis won the California Central Section D1 title.

14. (14) Shawnee Heights (Tecumseh, Kan.), 25-0
The T-Birds won the state 5A title and have won 50 in a row.

15. (15) Sun Prairie (Wis.), 29-0
Maddie Gardner allowed just one earned run in six postseason games.

16. (16) White Knoll (Lexington, S.C.), 32-2
The Timberwolves won the state 5A championship.

17. (17) Prince George (Va.), 23-1
Prince George captured the state 5A title.

18. (18) Hurricane (W. Va.), 25-3
Won its fourth-straight state 3A title.

19. (19) Bentonville (Ark.), 31-3
Bentonville captured the state 7A championship.

20. (20) Ouachita Parish (Monroe, La.), 33-4
The Lions won the state 5A title.

21. (21) Severna Park (Md.), 27-2
The Falcons won the state 4A title.

22. (22) Atascocita (Humble, Texas), 35-7
The Eagles won the state 6A title.

23. (23) Masuk (Monroe, Conn.), 27-0
Junior Sam Schiebe pitched a two-hit shutout while striking out 14, in leading Masuk to the state L title. She walked one and allowed just two balls to be hit past the infield.

24. (24) Pinnacle (Phoenix), 31-6
Won state 6A title and 18 of its last 20 games.

25. (NR) Escanaba (Mich.), 31-3
State D2 title winner.

The Next 25

26. Decatur Central (Indianapolis), 32-4

Lead by pitchers Karli Ricketts (Butler signee) and Kenzee Smith, the Hawks won the state 4A title and their final 14 games. Smith and Ricketts combined for more than 300 strikeouts in a little over 200 innings and 16 shutouts.

27. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 33-2
The Huskies were Arizona large school state runner up.

28. Canyon (New Braunfels, Texas), 29-2
The Cougs finished second in the state 6A tournament.

29. Forney (Texas), 33-6
Won its final 25 games to claim the state 5A title.

30. South Granville (Creedmoor, N.C.), 28-0
Won the state 2A title as seniors Megan White and Brianne Coleman combined for two dozen homers and more than 100 RBIs and freshmen pitcher Brooke Bowling went 26-0 with a 1.78 ERA.

31. Huntingtown (Md.), 23-1
The Hurricanes recorded 10-0, 15-0, 5-0, 6-0 and 5-0 wins at the state 3A tournament.

32. Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 34-3
Won state D2-AA title.

33. St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.), 27-2 
Won the non-public state title.

34. Maple Lake (Minn.), 28-1
Maple Lake won the state 2A title.

35. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 28-4
California’s San Diego Section runner-up.

36. Fairhope (Ala.), 45-7
Led by eighth-grader Alea Johnson (15-1, 155 strikeouts in 105 innings and 48 RBIs), the Pirates won the state 7A title.

37. Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.), 32-4
The Lancers won the state 4A championship.

38. Sheridan (Ark.), 30-3
The Yellowjackets won their final 22 games and the state 6A title.

39. Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.), 23-5-1
Behind All-American Danielle Williams, the Dons won the California North Coast Section championship.

40. Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.), 26-5
Won the state 8A title.

41. Rock Island (Ill.), 32-5
Captured the state large school championship.

42. Strafford (Mo.), 29-0
Won state championship and outscored opponents 337-29. Zoey Mullings homered 12 times, batted .600 and had a 0.52 ERA.

43. Great Falls (Mont.), 22-0
Won state AA championship.

44. Spanish Springs (Sparks, Nev.), 33-3

Won state large school title.

45. Bonney Lake (Wash.), 26-2
Won final 14 games and state 3A gold.

46. West (Torrance, Calif.), 30-3
Won California Southern Section D3 championship.

47. Pembroke Pines Charter (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 26-5
Captured state 7A title.

48. Marist (Chicago), 31-4
Juniors Alexis VossKelly Walinski and Angela Zedak have combined for 48 homers with Voss leading the way with 18. They have combined for 88 extra base hits and 170 RBIs.

49. Pendleton (Ore.), 25-3
Led by senior Lauren Richards (state 5A Pitcher of the Year, the Buckaroos won the state 5A title. Richards was 26-2 with 227 strikeouts.

50. Artesia (N.M.), 29-4
State 5A winner.

New bridge opens for neighbors in Elkview community

By: WSAZ News Staff | Posted: June 18, 2018 at 7:37 p.m. | Source: WSAZ

ELKVIEW, W.Va. (WSAZ) — Residents of one Elkview community have a little less to worry about when they travel up Bats Branch Road.

Community members, Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) representatives, and others cut the ribbon on a new bridge that will help residents get where they need to go.

The bridge was put together by VOAD. Community members say this bridge will serve more than nine families up Bats Branch Road just outside of Elkview, West Virginia.

Before, neighbors say…

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Kanawha deputies: Driver of stolen vehicle who ran from scene after pursuit sought

Kanawha County deputies say Joseph Robert Taylor, 25, of Charleston is being sought on a warrant charging him with possession of a stolen vehicle and fleeing from an officer.

By: Jeff Morris | Posted: June 18, 2018 | Source: WVAH

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said the driver of a stolen pickup truck is being sought after he ran away from the scene after being pursued by a deputy.

Joseph Robert Taylor, 25, of Charleston is being sought on a warrant charging him with possession of a stolen vehicle and fleeing from an officer, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

On Sunday, a deputy saw a stolen pickup truck pass his patrol vehicle. He pursued the truck, which was stolen last Friday from Cooper’s Creek near Elkview, across the Big Chimney bridge, then to Sanderson, where the driver got the truck stuck in a large mud hole.

The driver fled on foot and the passenger was detained. Deputies with K9s came to the area but were unable to locate the driver.

Anyone with information on the location of Taylor is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 304-357-0169, email us at tips@kanawhasheriff.us, or submit a tip anonymously on the sheriff’s office website at www.kanawhasheriff.us.