WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Beckley man was taken into custody after a woman reported a violent domestic assault that spanned two days and included physical battery and strangulation According to the Beckley Police Department officers responded to the station on Neville Street after the victim came forward with details of the incident The woman stated she had asked her boyfriend to leave her apartment on April 25 and to stop contacting her and ultimately strangling her with his forearm until she collapsed to the floor The abuse reportedly continued into the following day Police observed visible bruising on the woman’s forearms consistent with her account of the assault Officers then escorted her to the magistrate court where she was granted a Domestic Violence Protection Order the situation escalated again when Haynes was seen waiting outside the courthouse after the order was issued Due to the immediate risk to the victim and the prior assault Haynes was taken into custody without incident He now faces criminal charges of first-offense domestic battery and strangulation and charges will be formally filed in Raleigh County Brett Haynes has been previously arrested for masturbating at a church and stealing a woman’s purse at the Beckley Kroger parking lot.  Lootpress brings you the latest news in Southern West Virginia and around. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.  My NewsSign Out Sign InCreate your free profileSections news Alerts It’s the kind of place where neighbors turn to family Where weekends mean barbecues and Little League games The kind of place where two people can build a beautiful life Michael and Natalie Cochran had done exactly that Natalie told friends she’d been diagnosed with leukemia and needed aggressive treatment One that would end up being just the tip of the iceberg And when investigators got to the bottom of it they would uncover a twisted trail of betrayal Watch the full episode “The Devil’s in the Details” on Peacock now You can also watch on the NBC app or listen to it on our podcast you can watch Michael’s loved ones remember him as a joyful Plus, listen to this week’s episode of Talking Dateline with Andrea Canning and Blayne Alexander, in which they take you behind the scenes of filming the episode. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page WV (LOOTPRESS) — A Beckley man is facing charges after allegedly threatening to blow up a Rent-A-Center store in response to a promotional text message Beckley Police responded to Rent-A-Center on Robert C Byrd Drive following a report of threatening messages Store staff said an automated marketing text was sent to a customer Williams allegedly replied with a message stating “I will blow your f—ing store up if you text me one more time.” When the system responded automatically Williams followed up with “I’m not joking.” Store employees manually opted Williams out of future texts prompting staff to report the incident to police officers interviewed Williams at the police department He admitted to sending the threatening messages claiming he was frustrated by frequent spam texts and had been drinking “In my head it’s just spam… nobody reads that,” and added The case was reviewed by the Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney who found sufficient evidence to pursue charges A warrant for terroristic threats was issued Lootpress brings you the latest news in Southern West Virginia and around Please enter your username or email address to reset your password WV (LOOTPRESS) – A routine traffic stop for expired registration in the 200 block of Main Street on April 21 led officers to uncover suspected prostitution activity According to the Beckley Police Department an officer initiated the stop after spotting a vehicle with registration that had expired since April 2020 and passenger Kylie Dufour were questioned about the stop when a K9 unit arrived The K9 alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle Pettry admitted to officers that he had picked up Dufour earlier and paid her $20 to perform sexual acts in a separate conversation with another officer Both statements were captured on body-worn cameras While no drugs were found during the vehicle search and both individuals were released at the scene officers stated they intend to pursue warrants charging both Pettry and Dufour with first-offense solicitation of prostitution The incident remains under investigation and charges are pending an actor and producer who helped found the Colony Theatre in 1976 and served as its artistic director from 1984 to 2017 I met Barbara Beckley 35 years ago when she came to see a workshop production of one of my plays That play was called Could I Have This Dance, and she got it and it was a wonderful production with rave reviews and many awards, including the American Theatre Critics Association giving the Steinberg New Play Award in 1992 I have since seen that play produced in regional theatres across the country (and Off-Off-Broadway) and Barbara’s production at the Colony was what I call “star-flight”: It just soared every night It just seemingly lifted people up and transported them to another place There was glorious laughter and tears at the end told our stage manager that she once left the theatre started driving home thinking about the play and had to pull over and bawl her eyes out She was the consummate producer; no detail was too small to be overlooked Aftershocks featured a set that was a cutaway of a mobile home so the audience could see inside the home and the surrounding environment outdoors We had just finished our technical rehearsal and notes overseeing marketing and publicity for the next show She was still there when I was ready to leave and I asked her how long she was going to stay She told me there was one cricket soundtrack for under the trailer on stage right and a separate cricket soundtrack for under the trailer on stage left—and she wasn’t happy with the balance so she was going to stay and refine it until it was just right Barbara knew every subscriber at the Colony—not just their faces and the things that were going on in their lives A subscriber would turn up at the theatre to see a show and Barbara would say something like How’s the kitchen remodel going?” Or she’d say That hip replacement is working wonders; you’re ready to jump the hurdles.” I learned so much from Barbara just from watching her And I owe a great deal to her for many of the successes I’ve had She did that rare thing: She recommended a play She actually stuck her neck out and said a kind word Everyone who saw it said it should be done in New York So we sent it to New York—we “sprayed and prayed,” shipping it to every theatre we could find that had a New York zip code Every one one of those parcels came back saying Barbara Beckley rarely traveled—she was self-sewn to the operation of the Colony—but she happened to be in New York visiting some friends who had an Off-Off-Broadway theatre They had just lost the rights to an all-girl musical and were dismayed we just did one and our audiences loved it.” That was all it took: The Village called us and asked for it It was a huge success and eventually went Off-Broadway to the Cherry Lane and produced around this country and internationally It opened in Belgrade (translated into Serbian) in October 2018 and ran successfully there until the pandemic shutdown in 2020 Our show’s long theatrical life is all thanks to Barbara Barbara instilled an atmosphere of collaborative creativity and respectful There was an integrity level there that was unequaled My daughter got to do a play at the Colony when she was 8 years old Ray was intimately involved: He loved the camaraderie of theatre compared to being cooped up in his study writing novels unforgettable experience with that production; I think it changed her life The lights of all our stages are just a tiny bit dimmer today because we no longer have Barbara Beckley in our world dedicating her life to this discipline and majesty we call theatre Support American Theatre: a just and thriving theatre ecology begins with information for all. Please join us in this mission by joining TCG which entitles you to copies of our quarterly print magazine and helps support a long legacy of quality nonprofit arts journalism ©2025 Theatre Communications Group Each gift is a stitch in the tapestry that celebrates our resilience Donate to TCG! Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Joe graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1988 and attended WVU where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and presented with the Outstanding College Student of America.  Joe has been the owner of Fourney Fasteners since 1996.  Joseph and Cathy Hess Fourney; his sisters: Cindy West (Jim) of Beckley WV); his niece Hannah West; and friends too numerous to list The Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St followed by burial at Sunset Memorial Park Pallbearers will be his lifelong friends Kevin Bahr the family asks donations be made to the Joseph Fourney Family Foundation via Beckley Area Foundation at the following address: Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Topline outcomes from the Phase IIb trial’s core stage are anticipated in mid-2025 Beckley Psytech has completed subject enrolment for the core stage of the global Phase IIb clinical trial of patent-protected BPL-003 (mebufotenin benzoate) aimed at treating individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) The trial is aimed at assessing the safety and efficacy of the therapy’s single medium or high doses of 8mg or 12mg This intranasal formulation of mebufotenin benzoate is administered through a formerly approved nasal spray device dose-finding trial enrolled 196 subjects across 38 sites in six nations These individuals suffer from moderate-to-severe depression and have not responded to at least two previous treatments in the present depression episode Subjects will be followed up for an eight-week period Using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) the centralised and blinded raters will assess the efficacy at different time points Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis open-label extension stage will continue to enrol the subjects to assess the efficacy and safety of the therapy’s second high dose which was administered post the completion of the trial’s core stage Findings from the Phase IIb trial will be combined with data from the Phase IIa trial to support regulatory discussions and planning for Phase III in the second half of this year Beckley Psytech CEO Cosmo Feilding Mellen said: “We are proud of the continued progress we are making with the clinical development of BPL-003 and we are excited to reach this critical milestone in our Phase IIb study “We are encouraged by the promising data from earlier clinical studies of BPL-003 – which have shown that a single dose of BPL-003 can produce rapid and lasting antidepressant effects – and we remain confident in BPL-003’s potential to transform the therapeutic landscape for people living with difficult-to-treat depression.” a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company atai Life Sciences made a strategic investment in Beckley Psytech In November 2022, Beckley Psytech dosed the first subject in the Phase I trial of ELE-101 Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network 2024 at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Funeral service will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 6:00 pm 2024 at Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home Memorials may be made to the family.  daughter of Gerald and Kittie (Hugunin) Quandt She was united in marriage to Robert “Monty” Beckley on September 30 She was known for her holiday jewelry and love of getting her nails done She enjoyed a good dirty joke and a bloody mary She was a trivia buff and found joy in watching Jeopardy Above all she cherished her family and will be deeply missed Those left to honor her memory include her children Dawn (Bryant) Ward and Robert “Jody” Beckley; 11 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren Beckley Psytech's investors are trying to drum up enthusiasm to put fresh funding into the biotech startup as Beckley advances through clinical trials for its new psychedelic-based depression drug a venture firm that backs healthcare and biotech companies and a previous investor in Beckley Psytech is seeking participants for an investment vehicle to put up to $20 million into Beckley Psytech according to an email Noetic sent to prospective investors seen by Business Insider The raise would value the company at $200 million before the additional funding giving Beckley Psytech a post-money valuation of up to $220 million after the fundraise The efforts are ongoing and terms of the deal could be subject to change Noetic Fund didn't respond to requests for comment "We are regularly in discussions with both existing shareholders and potential new investors to ensure the company remains well-capitalized there is currently no term sheet in place with any partner and no active transaction is underway," A Beckley Psytech spokesperson said in an email to BI Beckley Psytech is developing a drug in the form of a short-duration intranasal spray to target treatment-resistant depression and alcohol use disorder United Kingdom-based startup has raised $143 million to date It last announced $50 million in funding in January 2024 from Atai Life Sciences Beckley is one of many companies jumping on the promise of psychedelic compounds for treating depression alongside multiple public rivals such as GH Research and Compass Pathways derived from the dissociative drug ketamine was the first drug approved to treat depression in more than 35 years the Food and Drug Administration has never approved a drug based on classic psychedelics like the hallucinogen psilocybin (Ketamine and its derivatives are not traditionally considered psychedelics though they have many psychedelic properties.) Noetic told prospective investors in its email that Beckley Psytech hopes to go public within 12 months of publishing its phase 2b clinical trial data or otherwise pursue a strategic M&A deal Beckley Psytech spun out of the Beckley Foundation a nonprofit set up in the late 1990s to support studies into psychoactive compounds Beckley Psytech's cofounders Amanda Feilding founder and director of the Beckley Foundation who spent 10 years at the nonprofit as an advisor and executive director launched the startup in 2019 to independently develop psychedelic-based drugs for neuropsychiatric disorders Beckley Psytech's clinical protocol is led by chief science and medical officer Dr who was formerly the chief scientific officer of neuroscience at pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly The startup's first drug is based on the psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT a compound found in the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad The company is also developing a second program to treat major depression disorder using a synthetic formulation of psilocin the psychedelic compound in psilocybin mushrooms Beckley appears to be a bit behind on producing the trial data for its first drug The startup said in March that it had completed enrolling patients for phase 2b of its trial and expected to share topline results by mid-2025 When Atai Life Sciences announced its investment in Beckley Psytech in January 2024 the company said it expected to see published phase 2b data by the second half of 2024 Atai Life Sciences is Beckley Psytech's largest shareholder An official website of the United States government The .gov means it’s official.Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil make sure you're on a federal government site The https:// ensures that you're connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and sent securely was appointed Executive Director of the Beckley VA Medical Center effective June 16 Drexel is responsible for providing exceptional health care to approximately 13,250 Veterans in 11 counties patient-centered care at the Beckley VA Medical Center and two community based outpatient clinics located in Greenbrier and Mercer Counties  He is also responsible for approximately 950 full-time employees and volunteers and manages an annual operating budget of $260,000,000 Formerly the associate director of the Asheville VA Healthcare System in North Carolina George Drexel oversaw biomedical engineering, : Fiscal and Office Information and Technology.  Prior to being named Associate Director for the Charles George VA Medical Center Drexel was the Executive Assistant to the Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) Director and Deputy Network Director VISN 6 manages an integrated health-care network of seven medical centers five large health care centers and 37 outpatient clinics with a $4.2 billion-dollar budget and 20,000 employees providing healthcare to 412,000 Veterans Drexel developed strategic plans and performance measures and was responsible for implementing initiatives throughout the network Drexel served as the Acting Associate Director at the Hines VA in Illinois and as the Assistant Medical Center Director for the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville he began his VA career serving in Strategic Planning for the Salisbury VA Health Care System in Salisbury Drexel led several teams of executives and service leaders in developing long and short-term strategic goals He was responsible for completing on time and within budget two of VHA’s largest lease projects – the construction of health care centers in Kernersville and Charlotte Drexel spent 15 years with Daimler of North America as a corporate trainer between 2005 and 2010 and a vehicle electronics technician from 1995 to 2005 Second Marine Division) from October 1991 to 1995 Drexel earned a Master of Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University and a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Catawba College He holds certifications as a VHA Lean Black Belt and is a certified VHA Coach and Mentor and Lean Facilitator members of the Beckley Common Council held the first reading of an ordinance that would change the start time of regular council meetings from 6:30 p.m Common Council meetings would still be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.  The ordinance would give council members the “opportunity to enjoy more of the evenings instead of being here at a later time,” File continued.  “It also should be convenient to the public,” File added “There is a period of time before 4:30 or 5 and 6:30 that a lot of people don’t have time to fix dinner This will allow them to do that after these meetings are over but it’s basically for the convenience of all parties Council Member Sherrie Hunter noted that those who attend Raleigh County Board of Education meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month would not be able to attend both meetings if the ordinance is approved.  “I think that 6:30 works better for the general public,” Hunter said.  the first reading of the ordinance was passed – Hunter was the only council member to vote against the ordinance’s passage.  The ordinance must be read a second time before it would take effect which will be held during the next council meeting in May members of the public will get to voice their opinion on the ordinance.  Additionally, during Tuesday’s meeting, council held a second reading, with public comment, of an ordinance to allow free two-hour parking in uptown Beckley.  Only one person spoke during public comment to state that this ordinance should have originated from the city’s parking commission instead of Common Council.  Members of council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance which became effective immediately following passage.  Common Council members recognized Woodrow Wilson soccer player Coby Dillon for being named as the West Virginia Sports Writers Association’s “West Virginia Boys Soccer Player of the Year.”  “There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of young men that are playing high school soccer,” Hunter said prior to awarding Dillon with a Certificate of Achievement there’s only one West Virginia High School Soccer Player of the year The next meeting of the Beckley Common Council will be held on May 13 at 6:30 p.m West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey has signed over 200 new bills into law – Join us Friday May 9th from 5 to 7pm at Academy Park in Lewisburg The following Death Certificates were filed in McDowell County between April 28 and May 4: Filed April 28 2025: The following Marriage Certificates were filed Get stories thatempower and uplift weekly Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" — The Beckley Travel Plaza is now open Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston and Executive Director of West Virginia Parkways Authority Jeff Miller announced the grand opening of the Beckley Travel Plaza Other amenities offered are increased restroom facilities and separated vehicle and tractor-trailer fueling options The travel plaza will also highlight the Tamarack Artisan Shop which is designed to support a variety of travelers Its strategic location ensures easy access for those traveling to and from destinations across the state and beyond “I’m truly blown away by how this plaza has turned out—it’s even more than we imagined,” Gov no one would’ve dreamed West Virginia would be featured in top travel guides or become a top tourist destination people from all over the world are coming to experience Almost Heaven We needed to update our travel plazas to match the excitement and energy of our visitors This isn’t just a pit stop; it’s our opportunity to show off the beauty and spirit of West Virginia This plaza represents everything that’s happening in our state—growth Millions of travelers will pass through here and take a piece of West Virginia with them.” the Parkways Authority approved the expenditure of $152 million spread over three fiscal years to revamp the Turnpike’s travel plazas Plans were based on the results of a 2021 survey of Turnpike travelers the West Virginia Parkways Authority approved a contract for around $122 million with Paramount Builders LLC of St Albans to demolish and renovate the Beckley and Bluestone travel plazas “On behalf of the WV Parkways Authority board members and staff we are extremely excited and proud to open this world-class facility to the traveling public,” Miller said “This facility will showcase West Virginia to millions of people and it will transform what it means to provide safe and modern roadway facilities rich with amenities to the traveling public on a national level The WV Turnpike remains committed to providing the best user experience possible on our roadway for their commitment to provide our vision for this facility and to the contractor for bringing this phenomenal facility to life.”  The opening of the Beckley travel plaza and Bluestone travel plaza represent a significant investment in the state’s infrastructure and economy The Bluestone travel plaza is set to open around mid-January For information about the travel plazas click here BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Shady Spring man was arrested Sunday, April 13, at the Howard Johnson hotel on Harper Road after police responded to a third-party report of a possible domestic disturbance Authorities were alerted by an anonymous caller who reported hearing threats of violence and coercion coming from one of the hotel rooms The caller stated they overheard a man telling a woman “You won’t get your clothes or phone back until you have sex with me and if you scream like that again I will kill you.” officers made contact with a man identified as Raymond Gilman in Room 218 Gilman was asked to step outside while officers checked the room officers found a woman who was unclothed and covered in blood She appeared emotionally distressed and told officers that Gilman had physically assaulted her She also claimed Gilman shoved a washcloth in her mouth to muffle her screams and forcibly removed her clothing She stated she was not free to leave the room and feared for her life Gilman was taken into custody and transported to the Beckley Police Department During a recorded interview with detectives He also acknowledged placing a washcloth in her mouth and later said he understood that his actions were wrong While preparing Gilman for transport to the Southern Regional Jail officers discovered a bag containing a crystal-like substance which Gilman identified as crystal methamphetamine A field test confirmed the substance was meth and additional quantities were found hidden in his clothing during a secondary search at the jail The total weight of the drugs was approximately 8.97 grams—equivalent to about 90 doses Gilman now faces multiple charges including second-degree sexual assault and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance dropped charges and re-indictments – as well as a new prosecuting attorney – a murder trial is finally underway for a former Beckley pharmacist and convicted criminal Natalie Cochran Cochran is accused of murdering her husband Prosecutors allege that Cochran killed her husband because he started asking questions about a Ponzi scheme she was operating Prosecutors accuse Cochran of poisoning Michael with insulin a jury has heard two days of testimony from various witnesses including a trooper that investigated the Ponzi scheme a hospice nurse and the Cochrans’ friends and neighbors a witness testified that they dropped off a flu package The witness said he attempted to wake Michael up and claims Natalie was hesitant to get her husband the care he needed at the time Natalie Cochran pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and multiple other charges in 2021 in relation to the Ponzi scheme, which defrauded multiple investors – including her husband’s parents – of millions of dollars She was sentenced to 135 months in prison in that case Testimony in the current case is expected to continue Friday and Wyoming Counties are proud to announce an Open Town Hall for the southern West Virginia region with our federal elected officials as invited guests This important event will take place on Saturday Members of the public are encouraged to attend and participate in this open forum with the Town Hall officially starting at 3 p.m. This event provides an opportunity for citizens to engage directly with their elected officials and discuss issues that matter most to their communities The Town Hall will feature invited speakers Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice as well as Representatives Carol Miller and Riley Moore Their presence underscores the importance of fostering open dialogue and collaboration between public officials and the communities they serve please contact the Democratic County Executive Committee of Raleigh County a 19-year-old engineering student at Virginia Tech Bautista was a first-year student in the College of Engineering He was also a member of the Galileo living-learning community in Pritchard Hall which is known for promoting academic success and fostering a close-knit environment among engineering students Bautista’s family expressed deep gratitude for the support shown by the university community as all his friends and family describe him,” the family said “We were blessed to have him for 19 years and will miss him dearly We can never express enough how extraordinary our son was Thank you for all your prayers and displays of affection for José.” Virginia Tech officials acknowledged the difficulty of losing a member of the Hokie community and emphasized that support is available to students and staff affected by Bautista’s passing the area’s newest independent bookstore welcomed shoppers and book lovers to its grand opening last Saturday Burm Booksellers occupies space in a century-old historic uptown building which provides the perfect setting for patrons discover a whole new world of reading and listening Step back into the enchanting world of reading a book and discover your new favorite spot to relax Burm Booksellers has something for everyone.  Burm Booksellers has over 16,000 books and over 2,000 records available online and in store.  The selection expands daily with a warehouse containing about 7,000 books and 2,000 records waiting to be curated.  Amid the books and vinyl are choice selections of vintage items Burm Booksellers specialty collection includes a vast selection of books on firearms The diversity of the fiction collection also contains popular genres: mystery Burm Booksellers non-fiction collection holds common genres: autobiography Burm Booksellers invites guests to leave the present ordinary world behind and return to the days of cultured sophistication and impeccable literature and music We invite all book and music lovers to join us in exploring these timeless treasures Hours of operation: Thursday & Friday 8:30 am-2:00 pm Saturday 9:00 am-5:00 pm and by appointment.  Parking is available in the second lot behind the building [From Prince Street turn right on Piney Ave second large lot on the left or From Prince Street turn right on North Heber St For more information on Burm Booksellers, check out our website, burmbooksellers.com and follow us on Facebook West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) District 10 will host a public meeting from 4 p.m at the Ghent Volunteer Fire Department to address community concerns about the Beckley Z-Way project. The meeting will include a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session Topics expected to be discussed at the public meeting include pothole repair a combination of two separate construction contracts is designed to alleviate congestion on US 19 through the communities of Beaver – It will be a lovely day in Beckley on Friday as the long-awaited unveiling of the Bill Withers sculpture is set to take place.  The unveiling and dedication ceremony is scheduled for Friday at the Intermodal Gateway located along Neville Street The event also marks the opening of the Bill Withers Plaza a soul music icon known for his songs “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean on Me,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,” and more was a Raleigh County native born in the small coal town of Slab Fork in 1938 He was the son of a miner and a maid.  where he ultimately landed a recording contract before making musical history in the 1970s.  Bill Withers was a 2007 inductee of the WV Music Hall of Fame a 2015 inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame It was during his induction into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame where he spoke about how much his community “I think one of the great opportunities in life is when you are allowed to do what you love and then have people from your home come together and validate you by letting you know that they love what you do,” Withers said in his acceptance speech.  and I am of this place,” Withers continued saying that it was in Beckley where he met a man selling newspapers who became the first person who didn’t laugh at him for his stutter a little man named Virgil Miller,” Withers stated but you can’t leave West Virginia – it kind of follows you around.”  Hightower crafted the Withers sculpture as well as other notable sculptures including the Katherine Johnson sculpture located at West Virginia State University and the Hal Greer Sculpture located at Marshall University.  Other events for the day include comments from Withers’ wife a performance of “Lean on Me,” by the Beckley-Stratton Middle School choir The plaza will be the site for the annual Bill Withers Festival Bill Withers was posthumously honored with Beckley’s “Hometown Legend” award Withers’ family friend and Director of the WV Music Hall of Fame Michael Lipton shared something Bill had told him years ago while the pair were working on a documentary together “The challenge is to get young people who grow up in places like West Virginia to take the limits off of themselves and realize there’s no magic that somebody else has in the world that they don’t.” WEST VIRGINIA (LOOTPRESS) – Big Lots is making a return to West Virginia with six stores set to reopen tomorrow as part of a larger national effort to revive the brand The move is part of a broader plan that will see 132 stores reopened across the South and East The first wave of openings begins this Thursday following the reopening of nine stores earlier this month The initiative stems from a deal between Big Lots and Gordon Brothers Retail Partners through which Variety Wholesalers is acquiring hundreds of Big Lots locations while keeping the original branding intact West Virginia locations reopening Thursday include: The company says it’s enthusiastic about restoring these stores and bringing back familiar shopping options to communities across the state