State News

NICHOLAS COUNTY, W.Va. — Law enforcement officials close to the scene say a barricade situation has been resolved in Nicholas County.

Officers were in the area of Byron Road near Summersville just after 1:30 Tuesday afternoon for an initial disturbance call with shots fired. West Virginia State Police said by 5:30 p.m., the situation had been resolved.

No injuries were reported. It’s unknown who and how many people were involved in the incident.

The Nicholas County Sheriff’s Office, Richwood and Summersville Police Departments and EMS crews also responded.

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Staff for the West Virginia Public Service Commission recommend a cooperative approach to assuring the residents of Paden City have clean, safe water in the future — although it will require testing for harmful chemicals, improved technology for removing those chemicals and the potential for expensive upgrades.

Staff for the PSC, in a memorandum released today, proposed collaboration among Paden City, neighboring New Martinsville and possibly nearby Sistersville “to provide the the manpower, funding and staff” to complete requirements necessary to comply with federal drinking water standards.

“It is clear that both Paden City and New Martinsville have challenges with water supplies that must be addressed,” PSC staff wrote. “The burden of regulation must be properly addressed by obtaining the needed revenue to ensure safe water into the future for both systems and other nearby systems.”

Parties to the case have 10 days to file responses.

The recommendations by staff came about after the full PSC on March 25 ordered further examination of whether the Paden City Municipal Water Works is a distressed or failing utility.

The PSC concluded that filing an additional report would be reasonable to find potential alternative water sources for the city’s primary or back-up water source.

This is a saga that kicked off last August 16 when the state Bureau of Public Health issued a ‘do not consume’ water order for the Paden City system after three consecutive samples showed negative detectable levels of tetrachloroethylene, also known as PCE.

Residents were allowed to start drinking the water again on Sept. 12 after the state lifted the order.

Last October, staff petitioned the Commission to open an investigation into Paden City to assess whether the utility should be designated as distressed or failing . A month later, the city responded by asserting that the utility is not failing.

During a January public hearing, staff noted that the original contamination had been corrected and that contamination levels had subsided to “far below the EPA allowable minimums.”

Most of the comments in the memorandum released today came from the engineering division at the PSC. Staff had been asked to evaluate any available wells or groundwater sources, whether New Martinsville’s water source is sufficient to help if Paden City needs it, and the timeline for remediation of a Paden City groundwater site that had been designated for federal Superfund.

A significant problem, the engineering staff noted, is that the kind of chemicals that have been bedeviling Paden City are relatively common in other water supplies as well. There are developing technologies to remove those chemicals from drinking water to a safe level, but the full cost and effectiveness is still being evaluated, the staff memo noted.

“While New Martinsville has agreed to supply water to Paden City, testing shows its wells also show levels above EPA allowable limits for PFOAs and other listed regulated compounds,” the staff memo stated.

“While testing does not currently show indications of PCE contamination in New Martinsville, the use of either New Martinsville or Sistersville as an alternate source will have to be re-evaluated based not only on the connection costs but the future clean up costs for PFOAs and other regulated chemicals.”

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — School officials and law enforcement officers are saying that as kid’s lives are increasingly spent online, improving its safety regulations are more important than ever before.

School safety officers, superintendents, principals, teachers and other board members from 15 counties were learning about online threats to children as well as the increased amount in the real-world in Charleston on Tuesday during the regional school safety meetings.

Hosted by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), the conference brought in officials from the FBI and the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security to share information about new technology and programs available for each school system to utilize in helping to protect kids from these virtual and real-world threats.

One presentation being conducted by an FBI representative was highlighting some of the bureau’s community outreach programs available in West Virginia.

These programs included a Teen Academy, Safe Schools Initiative, Active Shooter Training, Opioid Abuse Awareness, and Social Media Awareness. The latter of the programs regarding social media posed a major issue to be discussed Tuesday– how to monitor and protect kids of its usage.

Jackson County School Superintendent, Will Hosaflook told MetroNews that social media has had a huge impact on children’s lives, and it’s important for adults to stay involved.

“I stress this all of the time, especially in Jackson County and to our principals in the county is that parents just have to be so diligent these days with the social media aspect, I mean the digital footprint is so, so important,” Hosaflook said.

Hosaflook said indulging in the online world can be a risk for anyone with the multitude of hackers and predators that are out there pretending to be someone they’re not, however, he said kids can be particularly vulnerable.

He said there are simple steps parents, teachers, and guardians can take, however, to better protect kids’ online exposure, such as making sure their privacy settings are on , or monitoring exactly who they are talking to.

Hosaflook said Tuesdays’ presentations were eye-opening for school administrators as it talked about just how vulnerable kids can be online.

“What we learned today, especially with the FBI, there are predators out there, there are certain groups being formed that actually prey on our children, get them to send them a picture or something that could possibly be inappropriate and hold that over their head, which causes children to have anxiety and do things that they normally would not do,” he said.

Hosaflook said that Jackson County Schools are already starting to incorporate one new school safety program mentioned during Tuesdays’ meeting.

He said they have partnered with the Cooke Foundation, a national nonprofit organization that addresses various issues in schools and works to meet their needs. On May 20, they plan to join the organization for a social media awareness night where they will present on two parents laying out what to look for regarding their children’s’ social media activity and how to be diligent in making sure they are staying safe online.

Mingo County Schools Superintendent Dr. Johnny Branch said the impact social media has on students in Mingo County is no different.

“We see students who are either victims of social media misuse or abuse, or we see students who are involved in misusing social media to make other people uncomfortable or maybe to hurt someone,” Branch said.

He said by working with school counselors, resource and prevention officers, as well as the state police, the school system has already been trying to boost kids and families’ awareness of their social media activity.

And at each school, Branch said every student is given a device that has filtering software integrated into it to monitor the students’ online activity.

He said there’s so many threats coming from many directions, and it’s sometimes difficult for adults to keep track of everything their child could potentially be exposed to.

“I don’t think parents realize the extent to which people even outside of this country will go to get information on their kids, and will use that to hurt them, to bring them harm,” said Branch.

A fairly new unit that has been around for only about a year now, Brian Brown is an officer with the Capitol Police School Safety Unit. He said online safety is something that has been a concern for kids’ safety for practically as long as the internet has been established, but that concern is only growing.

“I’m a retired state trooper so we saw that a lot with the state police also,” he said. “We have a small Crimes Against Children Unit also in the state police when I was with them, but that’s definitely an area of safety that needs addressed.”

Brown said one of the new groups that’s of particular concern online for kids today that the FBI noted is called the ‘764,’ a violent extremist group who is involved in sextortion and the creation and distribution of child sexual exploitation.

Tuesday marked the first of three more meetings WVDE will hold with the FBI to address these concerns to counties around the state.

Tuesday’s meeting covered Boone, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Mingo, Putnam, Roane, Wayne, Wirt, and Wood counties.

The rest of the school safety meetings will be held in the following locations:

Friday, May 10 – White Palace at Wheeling Park, Wheeling
Barbour, Brooke, Doddridge, Hancock, Harrison, Lewis, Marion, Marshall, Monongalia, Ohio, Pleasants, Preston, Ritchie, Taylor, Tyler, Upshur, Wetzel counties

Monday, May 13 – West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lewisburg
Braxton, Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Summers, Webster, Wyoming counties

Thursday, May 16 – West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (WVSDB)
Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan, Pendleton, Randolph, Tucker counties and the WVSDB

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University and Cabell County Schools are joining forces to get more kids to college.

Marshall President Brad Smith and Cabell County School Superintendent Ryan Saxe announced what’s called the ‘Cabell Commitment’ during a ceremony Tuesday morning at Huntington High School.

Under the agreement, Marshall commits to automatically accept a graduating senior from any Cabell County high school that has a 2.5 GPA or better. It’s the first program of its kind in the state.

Saxe told MetroNews the program will help eliminate barriers, like the cost of applying to college and entrance test results, that can keep kids out.

“It eliminates the financial component of having to fill out the application, getting a specific SAT score on what have you,” Saxe said. “It automatically provides an opportunity for these students in Cabell County to become an automatic son or daughter of Marshall University.”

Smith called the agreement transformational.

“This new commitment ensures that deserving students in Cabell County have a direct pathway to a four-year degree without the usual complexities of the application process. Our goal is to make higher education more accessible and to empower local talent,” Smith said. “Ensuring guaranteed college admission is not just an investment in individuals but a commitment to investing in our local community, state, and nation. I commend both teams for their efforts to create this important program.”

Saxe said kids stay away from college for lots of reasons. He said the ‘Cabell Commitment’ will attempt to remove some of those obstacles.

“We want to be able to ensure our students have a path and direction that can help also to keep them right here at home,” Saxe said.

For example, this year 514 students in Cabell County high schools would qualify for the program.

Saxe said he believes the 2.5 GPA requirement is a fair place to land. He said it’s important to get the student into college where all doors are open.

“A specific grade or a defined SAT or ACT score does not define how well you’re going to do in post-secondary instruction. The sky is really the limit,” Saxe said. “We want to continue to inspire students.”

Saxe said it’s another “out of the box” move by Smith and Marshall University which began its ‘Marshall for All’ program nearly two years ago that helps some students get through college debt-free.

“It’s very forward-thinking,” Saxe said. “I am so excited to be able to join Brad Smith in collaborating on this adventure and being the first of our kind (in the state) to be able to provide this kind of partnership between a school district and a flagship university is very special.”

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MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Berkeley County authorities are investigating a homicide.

A body was discovered in a field that was on fire late Monday night.

Berkeley County Sheriff Rob Blair said the discovery happened in the 100 block of Golf Course Road just outside the city limits of Martinsburg.

“We processed the crime scene into the morning hours. The West Virginia State Police came out with their crime scene personnel and gave us a huge hand,” Blair told WEPM Radio Tuesday morning.

The body is being sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, Blair said.

“We will send an officer down with that to collect what evidence we can,” Blair said. “We are asking the public at this point that if they have any information related to this they give the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department a call.”

Blair said investigators don’t believe there’s an active threat to the public in connection with the death.

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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — A former inmate at the federal prison in Hazelton has been sentenced to spend more than six additional years in prison for assaulting a correctional officer.

Dwight Foster, 50, was found guilty earlier this year on charges of assault of a correctional officer involving physical contact and possession of a weapon.

Prosecutors said Foster hit the officer with a fist after a prison-made weapon was found during a search of his cell.

Foster will also serve three years of supervised release once his prison sentence is complete.

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ELKINS, W.Va. — Witnesses to a shooting in Elkins Monday told officers during the investigation they were being harassed by the victim shortly before he was shot and killed at the Heavener Acres Trailer Court.

Melvin Phillips Jr., 62, was charged with murder after he admitted to shooting Mark Wirth, 67.

A witness told police Wirth had threatened them with a knife. When the witness told Phillips he was going to notify the manager of the property, Phillips told him he would handle it himself. At that time, Phillips retrieved a firearm from his residence and shot Wirth, police allege.

While officers rendered aid to Wirth, they did find a small knife near his head.

Police said the murder weapon was found on a trash can lid near a shed.

While being questioned, Phillips said there was an argument and that Wirth was harassing another person on the property before the shooting.

Phillips is being held without bond in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for a dozen West Virginia counties from Tuesday afternoon to Thursday morning with the possibility of heavy rains.

The watch covers Wayne, Cabell, Mason, Jackson, Wood, Lincoln, Putnam, Kanawha, Roane, Wirt, Mingo, Logan and Boone counties.

“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations,” message from the NWS said. “Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Low-water crossings may be flooded.”

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SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Greenbrier County man is dead after an encounter with two West Virginia State Troopers.

According to State Police Major Jim Mitchell, Corporal D.P. Dillon and Corporal J. C. Mann were dispatched to a call in Fairlea at just after 4 p.m. Monday in which a man was brandishing a deadly weapons. The troopers arrived to find the suspect, later identified as Justin Grant. armed with a deadly weapon. State Police would not say what kind of weapon.

“Both of course ordered him repeatedly to drop the deadly weapon and he refused to do so,” said Mitchell. “They tried to use the taser but it was ineffective so the situation continued to escalate and resulted in the shooting of Mr. Grant.”

Grant was transported to the Greenbrier Valley Medical Center and was pronounced dead.

Neither Dillon nor Grant or any other individuals were injured in the incident. The investigation by the State Police into the fatal shooting is ongoing.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A 43-year entertainment venue in downtown Charleston has closed its doors.

The owners of Park Place Stadium Cinemas announced on Facebook Tuesday that it closed its doors at the end of business Monday.

“This decision wasn’t easy, but unfortunately, declining business and the high cost of necessary upgrades have made it unavoidable,” the message said.

The owners, the Hyman family of Huntington, thanked their patrons who have watched movies at the Washington Street East location since 1981.

“We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who has been part of our journey. Your support, laughter, and shared moments have made the Park Place Cinemas an enduring part of the Charleston community,” Park Place said.

Owner Derek Hyman told MetroNews it’s a tough business.

“We are not unique. This is something that is happening in the theatre business. There are other theatres closing down. We have theatre we closed in Cincinnati just last week,” Hyman said.

Covid hurt Park Place but also competition, Hyman said.

“They (number of patrons) dropped off recently because of covid but they also dropped off when Marquee (Southridge-based Marquee Cinemas) put the loungers (lounge chairs) in their theatre and we’d have to do the same thing which would be quite expensive,” Hyman said.

He said putting the specialized chairs in Park Place’s 11-theatres would cost about $1 million. Hyman said he’s still waiting on a profit from a $2.5 million renovation they company did in 1999.

“Whether or not we got all of the money back—it would be close. I could probably done just as well putting money in the Stock Market,” he said. “But that is what needed to be done at that time and unfortunately every 20 years or so someone comes up with a new idea and we have to go out and spend a million dollars to do.”

Good memories

Park Place was the first theatre with more than two screens to make its way to the state’s Capital City. There was a two-screen theatre at Plaza East on Charleston’s East End and a multi-screen theatre in Kanawha City.

St. Albans resident Amy Young remembers frequently going to Park Place when she was growing up.

“A lot of good memories here back in the day,” she said outside the theatre Tuesday. “When you came here was a big treat to come see movies and I can remember as a kid coming to see cartoon films, theer was one with a little mouse called Fievel (The American Tail) and I really like that movie. I don’t know why I remember that one.”

South Charleston resident Daniel Mead saw ‘Return to the Jedi’ at Park Place in 1983. He said he hates to see it close.

“It was a great place to have a date and it was just enjoyable to watch the movies back then,” Mead said.

Both Mead and Young are hopeful recent updates in downtown Charleston will attract something else in the space.

“It is sad to see it close considering all of the work they are going to put into the mall for the youth (Capitol Sports Center). I could see that revitalizing places like this downtown,” Young said.

Future buyer?

Current owners said they hope someone will buy the property and reopen it.

“As we say goodbye, we hold onto hope that a new operator will see the potential in the Park Place and bring it back to life. We believe in the power of community and the magic of the movies, and we hope to see the lights of Park Place shine once again.” the Facebook message said.

Hyman said they’ve checked around for some possible buyers but they’ve had no takers. It said it would probably take a while considering the current climate.

A statement from Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said the city will begin looking for a new tenant.

“The City has made improvements to the theater space over the last couple of years, including major improvements in the garage.

“It is our understanding all of the movie-related equipment will remain, so we are hopeful another operator will be interested in locating downtown. Foot traffic and business have both increased in this area and are expected to continue increasing with the construction of the Capital Sports Center and major improvements in the Business Improvement District. We are hopeful to find a partner that shares our vision for the future of our Downtown,” Goodwin said.

The End

Hyman said he’s sorry he had to close Park Place abruptly Monday night but that was the best way.

“If we had told our staff they would have all disappeared and had jobs within a week or two. The managers are all getting severance pay and the regular people are getting a couple of weeks of pay,” he said.

Hyman was a teenager when his father opened Park Place in 1981. He would later take over the business. He said it’s been a good life. Hyman said he hopes Park Place will be remembered for the good times it provided for movie-goers and how it helped downtown Charleston. The biggest accomplishment?

“I would say bringing hundreds of thousands of people downtown for years and years,” he said.

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