WV MetroNews
The Voice of West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Public Service Commission has granted a siting certificate for a planned $3.3 billion natural-gas turbine power plant in Doddridge County.
The PSC announced Monday that it’s approved the site at Blandville for the CPV Shay project. The commission decided to cancel a public comment hearing and a two-day evidentiary hearing, both set for next week.
“West Virginia is pleased to welcome yet another business to our state,” PSC Chairman Charlotte Lane said.
Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) announced its plans for the plant in September 2022. The company is taking advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act that expands 45Q federal tax credit for carbon capture.
The plant, which will be called Shay No. 5 after the steam locomotive at Cass Scenic Railroad, will contain an a 2,060 MW combined-cycle natural gas power station utilizing carbon capture technology, CPV said.
“CPV is pleased to announce the selection of Doddridge County and looks forward to working with its leaders to advance this monumental project in the coming years,” CPV Executive Vice President of Project Development Peter Podurgiel said in a news release last fall. “The County has been extremely professional and receptive to the CPV Shay project which represents a key pillar in CPV’s vision for a reliable low carbon future.”
Monday’s PSC news release said CPV is not a West Virginia public utility and has told the commission that the construction and operation of the combined facilities will not impact West Virginia ratepayers. The electricity produced will go to the electricity grid.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the latter part of 2025. The company continues to seek several other required approvals for the plant.
The project will also include a 9-mile, 500-kilovolt high-voltage line that will go to Mon Power’s Flint Run substation.
There will be 1,300 construction jobs and 60 permanent jobs created, CPV has said.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Cabell Midland’s first three batters of the game reached home plate and senior pitcher Jared Nethercutt went the distance on the hill as the Knights defeated St. Albans, 4-1 in the second semifinal of the Mountain State Athletic Conference Tournament.
The second-seeded Knights (18-7) will face Spring Valley (18-8) Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the championship game at GoMart Ballpark.
Nethercutt retired the Red Dragons in order in the first inning and the Knights wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Their first two batters — Landon Nida and Ray Ray Williams — worked out bases on balls and Kenyon Collins followed with a double to open up the scoring.
“That was very important,” said Cabell Midland head coach Tracy Brumfield. “To get that kind of support early in the game, that kind of relaxes a pitcher a little bit. And getting that fourth run was big in the last inning.”
St. Albans answered with a run in the third inning when Brogan Samms drove in Beau Kelly with a run-scoring single. That would be the only run allowed by Nethercutt. He tossed a 5-hitter while striking out seven batters.
“He has been getting stronger as the year has went on.”
Nida made a pair of sliding catches in center field for the Knights to take away base hits in the third and sixth innings.
“He saved our butts a couple times in the outfield. He almost had another where it popped into his glove and popped out. But he made three or four great plays in the outfield.”
The defending state champion Knights split a pair of regular season meetings with Spring Valley. The Timberwolves defeated George Washington, 12-7 in the opening semifinal.
“It is a goal you want to have every year. You want to go out there and win your conference. You want to win your section, region and you want to win your state. That’s what everybody’s goal is. Coming up tomorrow against Spring Valley, it is going to be a tough game.”
Cade Johnson went 2-for-3 for Midland.
Will Curry was effective in relief of Noah Reed for the Red Dragons (18-6). Curry allowed one run and two hits in three innings. He did not walk a batter and he struck out four.
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WESTON, W.Va. — Class AAA No. 2 Bridgeport started Monday’s matchup at Class AA No. 4 Lewis County in the exact fashion it hoped not to — stranding a pair of runners in its first trip to the plate, and then allowing two runs when the Minutemen came to bat.
When LCHS scored twice more in the home half of the second, the Minutemen were in the driver’s seat to claim the Big 10 Conference Championship, which they would have secured with a win.
Instead, Bridgeport answered the call and capitalized on several defensive miscues, while utilizing four shutdown frames from relief pitcher Carson Currey to reel off nine unanswered runs and battle back for a 9-4 victory.
“Here we are down 4-0 and I liked the fight in our kids,” Bridgeport head coach Robert Shields said. “They went up there and had a different approach after we got behind.“
Lewis County (15-5) capitalized on Brayden Carder being hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the first inning, and after Joey Aman’s double to left, Carder and Aman scored courtesy of Trenton Hunt’s two-run single to left.
Bridgeport (24-4) left the bases loaded in the second, then allowed another two-run single from Hunt after the Minutemen made the most of a Tribe error to start the second — Bridgeport’s only defensive miscue of the matchup.
Trailing by four, BHS ran into its final out of the second inning at third base, and starting pitcher Rowen Michaelis ran into more trouble in the bottom of that inning, but induced a pivotal inning-ending double play to second off the bat of Ryder Aman with the bases loaded.
“It was a big 4-6-3 double play to get us out of that inning,” Shields said. “Lewis is a very good hitting, aggressive team and to hold them to four runs is a credit to our pitchers.”
Michaelis escape the third with no damage done became even more vital when Mark Biafore laced an 0-2 pitch over the left field fence to start the top of the fourth, cutting the Indians’ deficit to 4-1 in the process.
Biafore’s home run was the start of a five-run inning that featured a costly Minutemen error as well as three BHS batters being hit by a pitch, including Brody Pierce and Ben Bifano, both of which came with the bases loaded and forced in a run.
“Mark Biafore starts with that leadoff home run and everything fell into place,” Shields said.
Leading 5-4 in the middle of the fourth, the Indians removed Michaelis in favor of Currey, who induced two fly ball outs and struck out Hunt in his first inning of work.
“He hits his spots and does a good job,” Shields said.
With all the momentum in its favor, Bridgeport began the fifth with a Conner Blake single, Ashton Curry bunt single and Michael Romano base-on-balls to load the bases.
Kasen Baun was then hit by a pitch to bring in the Tribe’s sixth run, and later in that inning, Romano hustled home from third to score on a wild pitch and Zach Rohrig belted a ground rule double to left-center, scoring Baun with he team’s eighth run.
“We got complacent. We’ve talked for a few weeks about not getting complacent,” Minutemen head coach Tyler Wood said. “We’d won a lot of games and we got a little too comfortable and that’s what we did tonight. We were right there with the foot on the neck and couldn’t press down on it. As far as the energy goes, it has to be there the whole game. It can’t be there one inning and gone the next.”
That was more than enough support for Currey, who retired the side in order in the fifth and sixth innings to keep the four-run advantage intact.
Bifano lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Rohrig with the final run of the game in the top of the seventh, and Joey Aman’s seventh-inning single marked the lone Minutemen baserunner against Currey. He struck out four over his four scoreless innings.
Biafore, Blake and Curry recorded two hits apiece as the trio finished with all but two of its team’s hits.
Joey Aman led all players with three hits and Hunt added two in defeat. Hunt took the loss after allowing eight runs on seven hits and three walks in four-plus innings. He was replaced by Joey Aman, who limited BHS to one run in three innings.
The Minutemen hurt their case with five errors.
“It’s just not having your head in the game and not being present. You can’t be looking ahead or looking back,” Wood said. “You have to be where your feet are at and be present. Right now, we have a lot of guys that are not present.”
The Indians and Minutemen both entered the matchup with one loss in Big 10 Conference play. With the result, Bridgeport takes sole possession of first place in the league and can wrap up the Big 10 championship Tuesday by defeating Grafton.
“It’s something that’s kind of got away from us the last couple years, but we’re not playing for conference championships,” Shields said. “We’re playing for something bigger than that.”
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OSAGE, W.Va. — After more than a century serving Monongalia County and 97 years at its Osage location, the Scott’s Run Settlement House has announced plans to move to the Cheat Lake area.
Executive Director Michael Richard said their new home is the former location of the Cheat Lake United Methodist Church at 750 Fairchance Rd.
“We’re still continuing the same services,” Richard said Monday. “We’re still going to serve all of Monongalia County, but from a much newer location and from a place that makes sure that as we grow as an organization, we can continue to meet the needs of the community.”
The Osage location is a four-story building with limited accommodations for disabled people, according to Richard. He said many programs attract much more traffic than can safely be handled at the Osage location.
“Our current building is not really conducive to what we provide for services now, and there is a need for expansion,” Richard said. “We have six permanent parking spots at our location, and we have programs that bring in sometimes hundreds of cars a day.”
All of the services will relocate to the Fairchance Road location, but for the remainder of 2024, Richard said some services are scheduled to be offered at the Osage location.
“We’re also going to continue to serve food pantry appointments and our senior box pick-ups once a week at our current Osage location for those in the western part of the county for the rest of the year at least,” Richard said.
The move is scheduled to begin on May 25, and Richard hopes it will be done by June 9, and normal operation will begin at the new location on June 10.
“It’s going to be an effort,” Richard said. “We’re going to try to get as many volunteers as we can to help us move the food pantry and other items.”
Programs include a backpack feeding program, home repair, a free and fresh market, and seasonal programs for holidays throughout the year. Richard said many times they are able to connect people to services offered by other non-profits when there are gaps in the programs they provide.
“Even if it is something we can’t help you with, we have a full-time social worker that is able to refer services to other non-profits in the area,” Richard said. “We really want to be a place to help with whatever issues you might have.”
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HUNTINGTON W.Va. — Cabell County EMS say a man stole an ambulance from them in Huntington Monday morning.
Dash cam videos provided by Cabell County EMS show the man, later identified by Huntington Police as Anthony Ray Bell, 37, hop into the ambulance and drive away from the scene where crews had responded to an unresponsive patient at a home on Washington Avenue around 6:30 a.m.
WATCH: Two dash cam videos provided by Cabell County EMS shows the moment an ambulance was stolen Monday morning in Huntington. Story: https://t.co/leCIeRSyEA pic.twitter.com/biNOL6x57d
— Eyewitness News (@wchs8fox11) April 29, 2024
According to Cabell County EMS Director Gordon Merry, the ambulance was missing for around 15 minutes and endured some minor damage after crashing into a home in the 600 block of Division Street West. No one was injured in the incident.
Huntington police are now investigating. They say Bell is wanted for felony stolen auto and several misdemeanor offenses.
Anyone with information about Bell is asked to call 911 or Huntington Police Department’s anonymous tip line at 304-696-4444.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A six-run deficit was erased by a pair of productive innings for Spring Valley as the Timberwolves advanced to the championship game of the Mountain State Athletic Conference Tournament for the second consecutive season. Trailing 7-1 in the fourth inning, Spring Valley scored the final 11 runs to defeat top-seeded George Washington, 12-7 in the semifinal round at GoMart Ballpark.
The Patriots (15-11) chased Spring Valley starting pitcher Grant Stratton after he retired just seven batters. GW scored three times in the third inning and four more in the fourth.
“I didn’t like our energy,” said Spring Valley head coach Austin Pratt. “Credit GW, they came out and hit. Grant is our best and they came out and got a lot of key hits. They found a lot of holes and they barreled a lot up. Grant didn’t have his best stuff and I probably brought him back on too short of a rest. But I am proud of our kids for battling.”
Freshman pitcher Jake Van Arsdale entered the game in the fourth inning and kept the Patriots off the scoreboard the rest of the way. He tossed four innings of scoreless relief. Van Arsdale allowed three hits and struck out three batters.
“Jake is a ninth grader and I have tried to get him accustomed to some big innings. He’s got the stuff to do it and he competed today. He had a huge hit too when he got in the lineup. He’s going to be a special kid.”
In the decisive fifth inning, Spring Valley (18-8) scored nine runs and sent 14 batters to the plate.
Garrett Wagoner led the Wolves at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI.
Spring Valley won their first MSAC title in over two decades last year. They look to complete the title defense Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Cabell Midland.
“It was huge last year to get it for the first time in 22 years. To do it back-to-back would be even better. Our guys are motivated. Hopefully they come with some energy early and we don’t have to battle back. We can compete for seven innings and see what happens.
Abe Fenwick led the Patriot attack, going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles. Chuck Kelley also added two hits. In relief of starting pitcher Eli Smith, Bryson Hoff struck out five batters and allowed one run in three innings for GW.
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A Huntington man is charged with first-degree arson for allegedly setting fire at a residential house in Huntington.
Thomas Dayton McGill was arrested Friday, April 26, by a West Virginia State Fire Marshal investigator. The fire occurred that day at around 12:30 p.m. in the 1100 block of 6th Avenue. McGill was seen running away from the location and was apprehended in an alley about one block away from the fire.
McGill is being held at the Western Regional Jail on a $10,000 bond.
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A million more dollars are being added to help complete renovations on a beloved and historical Huntington landmark.
President and First Lady of Marshall University, Brad and Alys Smith joined Senator Bob Plymale Monday afternoon to announce their contribution of $1 million towards the ongoing renovations of the 96-year-old Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.
Plymale, also President of the Board of Directors for the Keith-Albee, told MetroNews that the couple’s contribution brings them even closer to completing the three-phase, around $30 million renovation project.
He said it’s the largest gift from individuals they have received for the project after they started soliciting donors to help fund it.
“We are just very pleased that they thought enough of the Keith-Albee and were generous enough to make this kind of gift, we can’t thank them enough,” Plymale told MetroNews.
He said these are the first major renovations done to the theater since it was established as a 5013C in 2006, adding that not many more renovations were done to the building even prior to that when it opened for the first time on May 7, 1928.
Plymale said the Smith’s contribution will help bring a major chunk of the architectural engineering and renovation project to fruition after shutting down the theater in December of last year to complete the work.
He said it mainly goes towards a complete paint job within the building.
“We have completed the scaffolding for the main auditorium for the painting, this is historic painting back to the way it looked when it first started,” he said.
Plymale said they have been compiling historic tax credits to be used as funding for the project from all of the donors who have contributed so far.
He said previously, the board of directors received funding from the state, the Appalachian Regional Commission of $1.5 million, and $250,000 from U.S Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito’s offices.
Plymale said they have already completed phase 1 of the historic tax credits and are in the process of completing phase 2. He said these tax credits are a main source of funding that gets the job done.
“You have to qualify for them, and because we’re in a historic district, the Keith-Albee qualifies for that, therefore, of this $30 million, roughly 30 to 35 percent will be able to be utilized with historic tax credits,” he said.
Plymale said the building has always been used as a way to experience and celebrate performing arts in the City of Huntington, with it first being used for movies and Vaudville entertainment.
He said it was a dream of its founders, the Hyman family, to provide the city with a “jewel,” as they called it, to embrace performing arts and carry it forward. Plymale said the significant gift the Smiths have bequeathed to the preservation of the Keith-Albee is a testament to that dream.
“With all of the things that are going on that Brad and Alys are a part of, in terms of transforming Huntington and Marshall University, the innovation district, all of these things add into this,” Plymale said. “You need to have entertainment in a quality of life, and this is one of the things the Keith-Albee does for the region.”
He said their contribution will go a long way with not only helping to complete phase 1 and phase 2, but possibly even phase 3 of construction.
Plymale said they plan to hold an increased number of musicals, Broadway shows, comedy acts among other favorite performances again once the renovations are officially complete sometime between May and August of next year.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — It’s just about two weeks away until thousands of cyclists and fans hit the Capital City.
Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Tim Brady told MetroNews that they are working hard to prepare for the first-of-its-kind event to the area, the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships.
For six-days, May 14–19, various routes will be opened up throughout the city to welcome in professional and up-and-coming athletes from across the country and around the world to make their mark in the pro cycling industry, with some even vying for a spot in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Brady said the main aspect of what the prep work has entailed has been finding enough volunteers to help monitor the crowds along the race routes.
He said the volunteers will be known as Course Marshals and they will be placed throughout the race course routes during the week of the event. Brady said their sole role will essentially be maintaining a safe environment for everyone involved.
“The Course Marshals will help to block intersections to make sure no one is trying to cross the street when the race is coming through, they will be at certain points where vehicular traffic is blocked and make sure people don’t try to drive out on the course,” Brady said.
The race will take place across four different categories: Time Trials on Tuesday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 15; the Criterium, Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17; and the U23 and Elite Road Races on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19.
Brady said each race will begin and end at Haddad Riverfront Park along the Kanawha Boulevard.
The Time Trials, while they are the Olympic-qualifying race, will just make a circle from the boulevard to Patrick Street, Daniel Boone Park and back, with each participant racing against the clock.
The Criterium will be a little more in-depth course, making its way throughout the downtown district of Charleston, but the biggest, most challenging event will be the 13-mile weekend Elite Road Races.
For its course, competitors will go across the South Side Bridge, and ride up Bridge Road and down Louden Heights and back to the boulevard. They will then make their way to Wertz Avenue, then onto Oakridge Drive and Greenbrier Street before once again returning to the boulevard.
The U23 category will make the same route but without the Bridge Road, Loudon Heights portion.
Brady said this event is going to have a huge impact on the city, from the thousands of visitors it will welcome in for the week, to helping to raise the city’s profile as a cycling destination, and volunteers will get a chance to play a big part in that.
“To me, volunteering is a point of community pride,” Brady said. “We want to show Charleston in the best possible light, we want everybody that comes to enjoy themselves, have a great time and see great cycling, and those volunteers are a key component to that.”
Brady said they will also need spectators to help in supporting the participants and the race, as well.
He said the Road Races, with similarities to the Tour de France, will be the primetime to come out and watch the event.
Brady said the main areas to watch from are City Center at Slack Plaza, the Shops at Bridge Road, and the start and finish line at Haddad Park.
He added that any of the climbs and decent areas will also be an exciting place to watch– such as the Bridge Road climb and the Loudon Heights decent, and the Wertz Avenue climb decending down Oakridge and Greenbrier. Brady encourages people who live in those areas to really show their support.
“Decorate your yard, invite your friends over, decorate your house, be a part of the event, contribute to the environment that we’re creating for the cyclists and fans when they come to town,” he said.
Detours will be in place for every race route.
Brady said the main areas of concern for traffic jams are the weekend race courses, but he said rolling closures in those areas will help traffic flow smoother and should only hold drivers up for a few minutes as the race passes through.
“If you think about it, with Bridge Road and Loudon Heights, when the race is on that side of the river we can flow traffic on the Wertz, Oakridge, Greenbrier side and then vice-versa, so while there will be some closures and there will be some delays, there won’t be as many hard closures that I think people are worried about,” Brady said.
Those interested in being a Course Marshal volunteer for the event can register here. You can also visit USA Cycling to learn more about the event, as a whole.
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A retired West Virginia University Police Department K-9 has died due to complications from cancer.
Ginger was a golden retriever who served for 12 years in explosives detection and security at large events in Milan Puskar Stadium and the Coliseum.
Ginger died this month after retiring recently. She was named the K-9 of Excellence by the Governor’s Office and the American Kennel Club in 2016.
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