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
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS/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…
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…
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 Klingaman, Alex Echazarreta, Sofia Ebersole, Wikitoria Kowalska, Sierra Shields, Olivia Myers, Kristy Williams, Hannah Case, Nicole Adkins, Devin Townsend, Nicole Giery, Lauren Oskuie, Keisha Young, Cat Arase, Kristin 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 Voss, Kelly 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.
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…
CONTINUE TO READ FULL STORY AT WSAZ.COM
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
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS/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.
In the 18-foot jet boat he uses for muskie fishing, Scott Smith navigates shallow, narrow rivers with ease. The outboard jet drive’s lack of a propeller allows the boat to skim through waters only 2 to 3 inches in depth. John McCoy | Gazette-Mail photo
By: John McCoy, Outdoors Reporter | Posted: June 16, 2018 | Source: WV Gazette-Mail
CLENDENIN — Holding the throttle wide open, Scott Smith steered his boat into a narrow, shallow side channel on West Virginia’s Elk River at nearly 30 miles an hour.
Rough-water waves slapped at the aluminum hull. Smith ducked an overhanging tree limb and threw his craft into a controlled skid that skirted a gravel bar by mere inches.
It was over in seconds. The boat zipped through the shoals and roared into a long, green pool. Smith relaxed and grinned.
George Lesson, Jr., of Elkview, stands by the door of his trailer, which was severely damaged by the June 2016 flood. After he denied a new trailer from RISE, he’s been working to repair the old one. Gazette photo.
By: Lori Kersey, Staff Writer | Posted: June 16, 2018 | Source: WV Gazette-Mail
LESLIE — When John Harris and his family moved into their church’s parsonage, it was supposed to be a temporary solution.
The 40-year-old’s home in Leslie, Greenbrier County, was damaged beyond repair during the June 2016 flood. His church took them in last October, and they signed a three-month lease. They expected to be in a new home built by the state’s RISE program soon after.
RISE first told him he’d have a new house by Thanksgiving, Harris said — then by Christmas, then by February. Four months later, in early June, they were still waiting.
“I feel like I’m abusing the usage of my church,” he said at the time. “I really do. And I really feel like that RISE just doesn’t care.”
Last week, though, Harris got some good news. Soon after Gov. Jim Justice…
By: Mark Curtis | Posted: June 15, 2018 at 5:28 p.m. | Source: WOWKTV
CHARLESTON, W.Va – Governor Justice came out swinging at his Friday news conference with General James Hoyer, the man now in charge of West Virginia flood relief under the “Rise WV” program. The Governor says a brief pause in the program, stopped waste and abuse.
“Hands down millions that we would have thrown away, that we can use for flood victims, and use to help those that need help in every way,” said Gov. Jim Justice, (R) West Virginia.
While the Governor’s office identified over 400 new cases eligible for “Rise” help, critics say it’s not enough. The Town of Clendenin has been…
CLENDENIN, W.VA. – Movie nights are back on Friday evenings this summer at the Clendenin Little League ball field. Concessions will be available from 6:30 p.m. until 15 minutes after the movie starts. All movies begin at 7:00 p.m. Here is the movie line-up and dates for the summer of 2018. Mark your calendars and plan to bring your friends and family to enjoy one of these great movies.
By: Brad McElhinny | Posted: June 15, 2018 | Source: WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice has called a news conference for Friday morning about long-term flood relief.
The governor’s press conference is to start at 9 a.m. Friday. He and Gen. James Hoyer of the West Virginia National Guard had said last week that they would likely provide a Friday update on the RISE flood recovery program.
Controversy has stirred over the past month over…
