WV MetroNews
The Voice of West Virginia
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Owen Music had to find an extra gear late in his outing Monday at Fairmont Senior.
The East Fairmont pitcher had done more than enough to put the Bees in position to win and prolong play in Class AA Region I, Section 1, yet the Polar Bears had already cut a two-run deficit in half and had the tying run on base in the home half of the seventh inning.
With Music’s pitch count into triple digits, the right-handed sophomore knew his time on the mound was limited, and making matters more difficult was that Dylan Ours, who accounted for a two-run single earlier in the game, was in the batter’s box.
But Music maintained his composure and induced a game-ending fly ball to right field for the final out to finish off a 5-4 Bees’ victory at Mary Lou Retton Park that allows the two teams to clash again Tuesday in a winner-take-all sectional title game.
“I went into the game just trying to throw strikes, be efficient and trust my defense,” Music said. “We all work hard and they have my back. I trust them and try to work as efficiently as I can. You can’t let the nerves get to you. You have to trust yourself and the people you’ve been working with all year.”
It wasn’t smooth sailing throughout for Music, who allowed a leadoff double to Cam Peschl on the first batter he faced, and later surrounded Ours’ two-run single with two outs that allowed Fairmont Senior (20-6) to grab an early lead.
“Those two runs in the first inning aren’t what you want, but when you see they’re hitting the ball right off the bat, you know it’s going to be tough and you have to keep digging and fighting,” Music said.
By the time Music came back out on the mound for the second inning, his team had pulled even and restored its confidence. EFHS plated two runs in the top of the second after loading the bases on consecutive singles and a base-on-balls, and a pivotal throwing error with two outs allowed Ian Graffius and Tanner Mayfield to cross the plate with the visitors’ first two runs.
The 2-2 tie stood through the third inning, before East Fairmont (19-9) gained its first lead.
Case Linn drew a one-out walk that helped lead to a go-ahead, run-scoring single with two outs from No. 9 hitter Tristan Boone. It was part of a strong performance for Boone, a left fielder who tracked down several well-struck fly balls and put forth a solid defensive showing.
“Our guys responded and were resilient. They kept plugging away and grinding and he was throwing strikes,” Bees’ coach Joe Price said. “The defense was making plays. Tristan Boone made a couple great catches in left and Ian Graffius made some nice plays. Overall, our guys did pretty well today.”
Ours reached on an error to start the home half of the fourth, but after stealing second base, he got aggressive and was thrown out trying to advance to third when the throw to second got away.
“Two plays and you could see the air come completely out of us,” Polar Bears’ head coach Dave Ricer said. “A couple baserunning errors.”
FSHS starting pitcher Hayden Jones’ outing ended with a one-out walk to Nate Whiteman in the fifth, and relief pitcher Brayden Gorby walked Danny Raddish immediately upon entering, setting up another quality scoring chance for the Bees. However, Gorby hung tough and induced consecutive outs on fly balls to keep his team within one run.
Music worked around a leadoff walk to Gorby in the home half of the fifth by retiring each of the next three batters.
EFHS then scored a pair of critical insurance runs in the sixth which came with the bases loaded and two outs as Nate Whiteman singled to drive in one, with a throwing error on the play allowing the Bees to score a second run for a 5-2 lead.
Jones’ leadoff double in the home half of the sixth led to him scoring on Brock Martin’s sacrifice fly to make it a two-run game.
When Samuel Viani doubled with one out in the seventh and Logan Canfield followed with a single, it allowed the Polar Bears to send the winning run to the plate.
But Music got Jones to hit a fly ball to left that brought in Viani but resulted in the second out, and he polished off the complete game by retiring Ours to extend his team’s season at least one more game.
“Slow things down, regain your composure and let the defense work,” Price said of his message to Music. “Throw to contact and let them make plays behind you. That’s what we’ve preached all year long and that’s what we want him to do. Owen might be a sophomore on paper, but baseball wise, he’s far surpassed that.”
FSHS had a 7-5 advantage in hits that included four doubles.
All 12 hits in the contest came from 12 different players.
“We hit a lot of fly balls,” Ricer said. “What are you going to do with those? I don’t know if we didn’t take them serious. Music pitched a good game and I’m not going to take anything away from him, but we helped the situation along.”
Jones took the loss after allowing three runs over 4 1/3 innings. He and Gorby each issued three walks, while Jones had one strikeout and Gorby recorded two.
Music struck out three and walked three over his strong 105-pitch performance. It was his second start this season against the Bees’ crosstown rival.
“The first start I was kind of pitching around them and was too worried about getting strikeouts and trying to keep them from hitting the ball,” Music said. “Today I was going straight at them and trusted the guys behind me to have my back.”
The post Music to the ears: East Fairmont pitcher goes the distance, Bees prolong sectional with 5-4 win against Polar Bears appeared first on WV MetroNews.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — It all seemed to come together that May 5th night in 2016 when thousands of West Virginians rallied with then-candidate Donald Trump at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
There was Trump, best known before his unlikely presidential run for his reality show The Apprentice, on a stage in West Virginia where those in the sell-out crowd were completing with him almost every familiar line he delivered during that rally.
Republican political consultant Greg Thomas remembers it well.
“It was exciting. It was awesome. It was the best political event I had ever been to. It’s the best political event I will ever go to,” Thomas said. “I was really proud to be part of that campaign, I thought it was awesome and that’s Trump at his best.”
There was something about that night that seemed to cement the relationship a majority of West Virginians have continued to have with Trump now four years removed from his only term in office. Support that seems just as strong despite Trump’s well-documented troubles.
Why?
Former Wood County Republican Party Chairman Rob Cornelius said it’s simple.
“Biden has proved the other side can’t get the job done,” Cornelius said. “Ninety percent of you are saying you aren’t better off than you were four years ago.”
Thomas sees Trump’s support in West Virginia in three groups.
He said first there are those who liked him eight years ago and still like him today because he is a disruptor. Secondly, there’s a group that don’t care much for his behavior but that like the policies that were produced in his first administration and then lastly, there’s a group, familiar to Cornelius’ description, that don’t like what the Biden administration has done.
“I think you get these groups that keep layering onto each other and that’s why I think his support is higher than it was eight years ago,” Thomas said.
Trump garnered 68% of the vote in the 2016 general election. In reelection bid four years later it was almost identical.
Act of faith
There’s strong support for Trump among conservative church goers in the Mountain State.
“It’s an act of faith,” former Charleston Mayor Danny Jones told MetroNews. “I don’t think people hold something against people forever. He’s vulgar but they just move that part over. People like President Trump because he is enemies with people that don’t like them.”
Thomas said the seemingly mismatched relationship is based on policy.
“It’s the policies. I’m as pro-Trump as anybody but there are things he says that I say, ‘I wish he wouldn’t have said that.’ If you really are a person of faith and you really care about family values, it’s the policies.”
Fairmont State University University Assistant Professor of Political Science Greg Noone said the biggest thing Trump has been able to do is to connect with people who feel like they’ve been left behind or left out of the economy.
“There’s that disaffected feeling that others are rocketing ahead and they’re being left behind,” Noone said. “I think he speaks to that on a gut base level and I think that’s the connection he makes,” Noone said.
Post-Trump
Trump will win West Virginia in November with the national race once again expected to be tight. Some are wondering where West Virginia will look post-Trump, whether that’s in November, four years down the road or eight years from now.
Cornelius called it a heavy lift because it will be difficult for anyone to match Trump.
“Politicians are boring by nature and that are risk averse, Trump is neither one of those things,” Cornelius said.
He said Trump has been popular, especially in 2016, with people who don’t usually vote. Again, he said any further GOP candidate will have a tough time matching that.
“It’s hard to find someone that interesting,” Cornelius said.
Thomas said Trump won’t always be there but if he’s reelected then he can get his policies in place that will impact the country for years to come.
Jones said Trump’s popularity, that many West Virginia candidates in this election cycle are latching themselves to, is not going to last.
“I don’t buy into it. It won’t work the next time,” Jones said. “If he doesn’t win this election he’s probably going to prison.”
Prediction
How will Trump do Tuesday?
“Sixty-eight percent,” Jones said.
Thomas said Trump will once again show how strong he is in West Virginia despite his issues. He said a large majority of West Virginians seem to be able to choose policy over person. He said that was on display during that Charleston rally eight years ago this month.
“That was Trump at his absolute best and he has those moments but he has some moments that are not his best. But that’s the thing with Trump–you’ve got to take the whole thing,” Thomas said.
The post Is Trump still as popular in West Virginia as he was in 2016? appeared first on WV MetroNews.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — An inmate at Federal Correctional Institution Gilmer serving a 125 month sentence for mailing threatening communications to officials has been sentenced to additional time for the same charge.
Stephen Elbert Boykin, 52, has been sentenced to an additional 52 months for mailing threatening letters to President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Vice President Kamala Harris. Other letters threatened an Assistant U.S. Attorney in South Carolina, where Boykin was last prosecuted.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons investigated the case.
The post Federal inmate sentenced for mailing threatening letters to elected officials appeared first on WV MetroNews.
WHITE HALL, W.Va. — A Fairmont Senior High School teacher has been charged after allegedly paying a 17-year old student for sex.
Police said, on Tuesday, May 7 around 8 p.m., Ernest Yeager, 33, of Mannington, met a 17-year-old male Fairmont Senior student at the parking lot of the Walmart on Tygart Mall Loop and performed oral sex on the juvenile and paid him $100.
Yeager admitted to the incident in the parking lot and to exchanging nude photos with the student.
Yeager is being held in the North Central Regional Jail on a $200,012 surety/cash bond charged with sexual intercourse against students by school employees.
The post Fairmont teacher accused of paying for sex with student appeared first on WV MetroNews.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A former state DHHR worker who lied to federal investigators looking at possible covid fraud will be on federal probation for one year.
Timothy Priddy, 49, of Buffalo, was sentenced Monday in federal court after an earlier guilty plea.
Priddy told investigators he only approved invoices from a large covid test kit provider in connection with K-12 testing kits once the invoices were verified by two other state workers. He admitted during his guilty plea that what he said wasn’t true.
U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said Priddy certified the K-12 testing program invoices without making any effort to verify their accuracy.
“If he would have simply told us he was too busy and he didn’t have time to do it that would have been a totally different result for him and probably would have been understandable under the conditions of covid, but no, he doubled down and lied about it,” Thompson previously told MetroNews.
Thompson said Priddy was first interviewed in connection with a larger investigation into the test kit purchases. He said Priddy’s decision not to tell the truth has all but deflated that investigation.
“It’s not completely closed but it’s probably not going to go a lot further. His involvement in not telling the truth really curtailed our investigation quite a bit,” Thompson said.
Thompson said there’s no indication Priddy was getting a kickback from suppliers.
Priddy, who had no previous criminal history, faced up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 but he received neither. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston.
The post Former DHHR worker gets probation after lying to investigators about covid testing kits appeared first on WV MetroNews.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The very first helicopter now joins the fleet of seven aircraft at Marshall University’s Bill Noe Flight School.
Marshall President Brad Smith accompanied Bill Noe himself among other university officials in flying the new Airbus H125 turbine engine helicopter onto the grounds of the flight school at West Virginia International Yeager Airport Monday afternoon.
Smith said it’s just another milestone moment at Marshall in welcoming in the new chopper. 
“The fact that we’re accepting our first helicopter in is a testament to the success of the program and the unbelievable potential that lies ahead, it is incredible,” Smith told MetroNews.
Marshall collaborated with Airbus Helicopters and Loft Dynamics in the functionality and design of Airbus H125.
It makes the eighth aircraft to join the fleet that is already made up of six Cirrus planes and one Piper Seminole. And Smith said this isn’t the last aircraft that Marshall plans to acquire.
“Our entire aviation program is based on advanced air mobility which means fixed-wing planes, it also means helicopters and it also means drones, so you’re going to see a fleet of all kinds of flying aircraft with Marshall’s ‘M’ on it,” he said.
Along with the helicopter, the flight school also welcomed in a new virtual reality simulator designed for flight training during the unveiling ceremony Monday at the school’s hanger.
Smith said the Airbus H125 is the safest, most advanced helicopter to train in. He said it’s multi-functional so it will easily be able to navigate West Virginia’s rugged terrain.
Marshall’s Chief of Aviation Operations Nancy Ritter said it wasn’t just a big day for the university but for the growth of aviation in West Virginia as a whole.
She said they are happy they can be a major contributing factor in that growth.
“The object of bringing the helicopter in here is to better serve the citizens of West Virginia and the surrounding area by providing them with line-of-sight opportunities into aviation that didn’t exist before Marshall really decided to pave the way for aviation in West Virginia,” Ritter said.
Ritter said there is currently a crucial need for helicopter pilots in the country as well as around the world.
She said they want to ensure they are providing the same opportunities for flight school students to acquire their helicopter ratings in the same way they do their airplane ratings.
Ritter said they also hope to encourage more students to become helicopter pilots to fill the need.
“Helicopters are so important for aeromedical services, particularly in a state like West Virginia that has terrain and weather-associated risks, we count on pilots to fly helicopters in for rescue and just to make sure that we’re all safe,” she said.
She said training courses for the new helicopter will get underway for students as soon as possible.
Ritter said the flight school already has several students who are waiting to transfer their airplane ratings into helicopter ratings. She said it’s important to give them multiple options to choose from.
“We believe in providing the ultimate number of choices to our students and there is no one training path that is right for everyone, but I think it’s incumbent upon everyone in higher education to make sure we offer a bunch of different pathways to best serve the students’ needs,” Ritter said.
The post Marshall University’s Bill Noe Flight School welcomes first helicopter appeared first on WV MetroNews.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A now former West Virginia University student from Charleston has been arrested and charged following an alleged on-campus assault back that happened last November.
Shawn Higginbotham, 19, allegedly choked, punched, and slapped a woman who had tried to wake him up when he was intoxicated.
The WVU Police Department was called to a report of a domestic incident in Dadisman Hall on Nov. 6, 2023 at 3 a.m.
Officers did note a bruise on the victim’s neck during the investigation.
Higginbotham was arrested and charged with strangulation. He was booked into the South Central Regional Jail Saturday.
WVU officials said Higginbotham is no longer a student.
The post Now former WVU student charged in November campus assault appeared first on WV MetroNews.
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Three people were injured when a passenger car went through the front of an eye care office in Martinsburg Monday afternoon.
Martinsburg Fire Department Battalion Chief Jason Hoover said the car rammed into the building housing MyEyeDr. on Foxcroft Avenue. at around 2 p.m.
“We arrived on the scene and there was a vehicle into the building. The occupant of the building was trapped and someone was trapped in the vehicle, as well,” Hoover said.
The person in the building was taken to a hospital by emergency helicopter. Two other people in the building were taken by ambulance.
Hoover said the driver refused treatment.
An investigation into what caused the crash is underway.
Panhandle News Network Reporter Luke Wiggs contributed to this story.
The post Car slams into eye care business in Martinsburg appeared first on WV MetroNews.
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — Fifteen high school juniors in West Virginia have been named as semifinalists in the West Virginia Scholar program.
The program, now in its 17th year, includes a four-year scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon. One of the semifinalists will be selected for the scholarship valued at approximately $160,000.
WVRC Media, the parent company of MetroNews, is partnering with Wesleyan to provide the scholarship that includes free tuition, fees, and room and board.
Each finalist will next go through a personal interview process and a review by the sponsors. Online voting for the students begins May 31 and will end June 11.
The winner will be announced at a luncheon at West Virginia Wesleyan this summer.
The sponsors for the 2024 West Virginia Scholar Program include Greer Industries, Friends of Coal, West Virginia Hospital Association, ZMM Architects & Engineers, the West Virginia Farm Bureau and West Virginia Wesleyan College.
The 15 semifinalists in alphabetical order are:
Sydne Alexander, Winfield High School
Maggie Conrad, Wirt County High School
Trey Dorsey, Nicholas County High School
Hayden Funk, Webster County High School
Kelly Flynn, East Hardy High School
Ava Gorrell, Tyler Consolidated
Madison Lawson, Bluefield High School
Jayla Lynch, Oak Hill High School
Olivia Miller, Grafton High
Catherine Milliman, Hedgesville High School
Colby Nichols, Tyler Consolidated
Jayleigh Persinger, Midland Trail High School
Brynna Pyle, Webster County High School
Rayna Schnopp, University High
Jasmine Zirkle, Buckhannon-Upshur High School
The post Semifinalists named for West Virginia Scholar Program appeared first on WV MetroNews.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — One longtime Kanawha County poll worker says there’s nothing like being a part of the effort in ensuring people are performing their civic duty of getting out to vote.
Kanawha County resident Carol Gallion said she’s been working the polls on Election Day for many years now and it’s a service she loves to do. Gallion told MetroNews why she loves serving as a poll worker so much.
“I think it’s because people want to vote and use their voting privileges’, families, some who are older and even younger ones, they’re happy to vote and they love the little stickers,” she said.
Gallion was among the other poll workers picking up the supplies they’ll need for Tuesday’s big Primary Elections at the Voter’s Registration Office in Charleston the day ahead.
She said she will be at voting precinct 142 at Sharon Dawes Elementary School in Cabin Creek. It’s one of the 184 precincts and 154 voting locations around Kanawha County.
As one of the many locations that have had to combine multiple precincts together around the county, Gallion said she expects her precinct will have quite a good turnout coming out to vote tomorrow.
“We have a lot of voters, even a lot of them after work they come, some of them come early, the very first ones before work, then after work and all day long, we stay busy,” Gallion said.
Workers at Voter’s Registration were not only handing out the supply packages for poll workers Monday in preparation for the big day, but they were also loading the necessary equipment onto trucks to send out to the various precincts to get set up.
Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick said the day seemed to be going as smoothly as it could, despite the fact that they had a few poll workers quit. She said she is hopeful no one decides to quite on Election Day at least as it’s more difficult to find a replacement on such sort notice.
“We hope everyone shows up tomorrow, because we have to open up at 6:30 and they’re supposed to be there at 5:30, that gives us a little bit of time in case somebody doesn’t show up we can send someone out,” McCormick said.
McCormick said, however, people getting cold feet and backing out of being a poll worker is nothing new as it happens all of the time.
She said there a couple of people who quit due to family emergencies among other various reasons, but they try to be prepared the best they can when this does happen.
“We have a couple of people who had to go to the hospital, so there’s things that happen, and we try to have alternates all along so we can, you know, fill in the slots, but it’s hard keeping enough poll workers, it takes close to a thousand for us to open up on Election Day,” she said.
McCormick said it has been somewhat of a long process getting this point, but she thinks it will all go well.
“Early voting picked up the last few days, and you know, for early voting, it was very slow at first, but I think tomorrow will probably go pretty smooth,” said McCormick.
Early voting wrapped up on May 11. Polls on Election Day Tuesday open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
The post Preparations underway in Kanawha County ahead of Election Day appeared first on WV MetroNews.