speaks to the Wood County Commission during its regular meeting Thursday at the courthouse as Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board PARKERSBURG — Mayor Tom Joyce attended Thursday’s Wood County Commission meeting to discuss the work of Parkersburg’s homeless coordinators Joyce said he wanted to address commissioners in response to recent “chatter” regarding the city and county’s activities regarding the homeless population The city established the civilian homeless coordinator position in the Parkersburg Police Department in 2021 and since that time they have assisted 239 people with voluntarily returning to “where they’re from,” Joyce said Milwaukee and other cities in South Carolina coordinators engaged with 47 homeless individuals Three individuals entered local substance abuse treatment programs and 11 got into the Latrobe Street Mission or Salvation Army of Parkersburg shelters “What we don’t do is pass out water There’s plenty of organizations that do that,” Joyce said “If you don’t want to live like this we’ll help you get some help.” Wood County Commissioner Jimmy Colombo asks a question about the county’s insurance plan during a regular commission meeting Thursday at the courthouse Joyce said the two coordinators carry with them resource lists to put homeless individuals they encounter in touch with organizations that can provide various forms of assistance But he said some individuals do not want to change the way they’re living “If they don’t want to accept our assistance Recent discussions around homelessness have included a town hall meeting organized by Parkersburg City Council members Wendy Tuck and Zak Huffman Joyce took issue with some things he said were discussed at that event including questioning the activities of the homeless coordinators who attended the meeting during the mayor’s presentation Thursday but did not speak addressed commissioners on Monday and provided recommendations from a report composed after a March meeting of community leaders and homeless advocates looking back at the brutal cold snap in January Its recommendations included “formalized plans and increased government involvement.” a woman staying in a tent with her partner and dog died Commissioner Jimmy Colombo noted Parkersburg Police had encountered the woman before and offered assistance but were declined Police Chief Matthew Board said after the meeting that police had spoken to the woman two or three times and she turned down offers of assistance discusses Wood County’s insurance plan during a Wood County Commission meeting Thursday at the courthouse Joyce also commended a cooperative effort between the city the county and Vienna to fund a law enforcement liaison position in the Parkersburg Police Department That individual follows cases through Wood County Magistrate Court and in the last two years has helped refer 75 individuals to the Law-Enforcement Assisted Diversion program which offers treatment and other assistance to low-level commissioners met with Mark Schwendeman of Schwendeman Insurance to discuss the insurance plan for county employees in the upcoming fiscal year Schwendeman told commissioners they sought quotes from 10 providers and determined keeping the plan with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield was the best option The initial offer would have resulted in a 14.5% increase to the county but Schwendeman said they were able to negotiate it down to 9.9% plan design remains the same and their employee contribution remains the same,” Schwendeman said all but $750 of which is covered by the county A $20 monthly surcharge remains in place for spouses of employees who are covered by the county policy rather than an available plan offered by their employer Wood County Commission President Blair Couch administers the oath of office to new deputy assessor Todd Goocey during Thursday’s commission meeting at the courthouse Schwendeman acknowledged this was another significant cost increase following a 37.54% jump with a plan design change for 2023 and a 10.21% increase last year with some changes He said the increase is “primarily due to the claims experience.” Commission President Blair Couch said it was good to keep the increase under 10% in the current climate “I think we are more than satisfied with your service,” he said Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com | https://www.newsandsentinel.com | 519 Juliana St. speaks to Parkersburg City Councilman Zak Huffman while acting as mayor during a mock council meeting April 22 in council chambers at the Municipal Building PARKERSBURG — Nearly 50 public and homeschooled students attended a mock city council meeting recently at the Parkersburg Municipal Building Sow & Grow Together — a group of families with children in public private and home school that try to cultivate educational experiences and share what they learn — teamed with city officials on April 22 to offer the Young Voices event which included a tour of the city building meeting city officials and taking on the roles of council members and mayor in the mock meeting “The students did an amazing job during the mock council meeting,” Parkersburg City Councilman Chris Rexroad said “The students caught on to using Robert’s Rules quickly and made well-thought and informed comments,” he said “A public forum was held for students to bring issues important to them before council.” Participating students came from Parkersburg South High School and Edison Parkersburg City Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl speaks during a mock council meeting April 22 as Councilman Chris Rexroad and students Carley Rash Ainslie Koreski and Elijah Hornbeck and American Sign Language interpreter Ashley KaSarra Adams signs Fulfilling the roles of city officials were: Participants in the April 22 Young Voices event organized by Sow & Grow Together and City of Parkersburg officials pose together for a photo outside the Municipal Building Seventh-grader Hannah Roth acted as a member of the press in a mock Parkersburg City Council meeting on April 22 in council chambers at the Municipal Building Hannah Roth acted as the press representative while Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl filled the 6th District seat and ran the meeting as council president to guide students through the process students and others who participated in the April 22 Young Voices event organized by Sow & Grow Together and the city pose for a photo in council chambers passed away suddenly at WVU Camden Clark Medical Center on Monday she spent over 45 years teaching and nurturing hundreds of children throughout her career Rebecca will be remembered for her tireless efforts in helping her students excel in school and in life Rebecca is preceded in death by her parents She is survived by her brothers Fred Thorpe and several nieces and nephews that she truly adored at Leavitt Funeral Home at 403 Seventh Street in Parkersburg and internment will be at Mount Olivet cemetery Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.leavittfuneralhome.com Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInPARKERSBURG (WTAP) - The next seven days have plenty of off and on showers Most of the showers will be on the lighter side No severe thunderstorms are expected at all nor are any expected for the next seven days Temperatures will get down to a low in the mid-upper 50s with more showers and possibly thunderstorms returning after 5 p.m Temperatures Sunday will look similar to Saturday with small breaks in the clouds possible in the early afternoon Monday and Tuesday will see temperatures remain in the mid 60s and scattered showers in the afternoon on Monday and throughout the morning on Tuesday The reason for so many showers is due to a swirling low that is stalling to our west drawing up the moist air from the south into our area This low will move to our east by the time Wednesday comes around Temperatures will jump for the second half of the week with low-mid 70s expected Wednesday-Friday and slightly higher temperatures heading into next weekend Too much uncertainty exists for showers past Thursday to nail down when showers overall the month went mostly as forecasted at the end of March Temperatures officially had an equal chance of being above or below the normal April has an average high temperature of 66.9°F the average temperature for the MOV in April was 67.6°F We were looking at a normal amount of precipitation for the month which I would say is a little farther above the average than expected See an error in our reporting? Send us an email by clicking here! shakes hands with Randy Walters during a ceremony honoring the 1975 Parkersburg South state championship baseball team at Hank Greenburg Field holds a baseball donated to the team by Wines PARKERSBURG — During the 1975 state baseball championship between Parkersburg South and Tridelphia a random foul ball flew into the stands at City Park and into the hands of a then 11-year-old Greg Eaton nobody knew how important that baseball would end up being After the Patriots defeated Tridelphia 1-0 to claim the program’s first and Eaton had the ball autographed by every player on the South roster Eaton held onto the ball for years before finally gifting it to his 11-year-old grandson when the 1975 team reunited for a special ceremony prior to the Patriots’ April 15 game against Fort Frye Eaton had a discussion with his grandson about how much the ball would probably mean to the players who had signed it The 1975 Parkersburg South baseball team was recognized prior to the Patriots’ game against Fort Frye on April 15 at Hank Greenburg Field The 1975 team is the only group in program history to win the state championship Wines then made the admirable decision to donate the ball back to the program and it will be placed in a display at the high school honoring the state championship team as the team signed another ball for him to keep in place of the one he donated “We worked some deals with him,” laughed Randy Walters The ball Wines ended up with was actually another ball from the state final that South coach Roy McCase had obtained “I had an original baseball from that game at my house that was donated to me by one of the spectators that was there,” McCase said “I’ve had that all these years When people started talking about baseballs I’ve got one from that game.’ I thought maybe we could do an exchange of the baseballs Wines also received a T-shirt signed by all the players and will have his name engraved on a plaque that will appear in the showcase at the school Walters played a major role in getting the 1975 team back together the president of the South baseball boosters and then Walters began reaching out to his former teammates and coaches “Everything kind of fell into place,” Walters said The team got together for a dinner at Der Dog Haus the night before the game Walters said it was surreal feeling being reunited with squad “When you don’t see people for 50 years That’s one of the reasons I wanted to set this up.” Walters’ claim to fame is that he pitched all seven of South’s tournament games that year in Huntington to advance to the semifinals Walters then pitched a shutout against Herbert Hoover in the semis in Charleston as South won 1-0 to move on to the championship game which was also scheduled to take place in the state capital McCase suggested to the WVSSAC that the game be played in Parkersburg at City Park and the championship game took place on June 10 “This actually happened,” McCase recalled “I’m standing there with (SSAC executives) Gordon Eismon and Sam Williams and we’re trying to figure out what to do We’re not making any money on this tournament.’ I’m standing there behind home plate and I’ve got water up to my ankles I’d like to make a suggestion.’ I said ‘Let’s take this final game to City Park in Parkersburg I guarantee you will have a crowd.'” He took the mound against Tridelphia and fired another shutout in front of a jam-packed City Park crowd The start of the game was actually delayed because fans were still trying to get in ‘There’s a lot of people out there wanting to see you play,'” McCase said “By the time the game started you could not see a hole in the fence The fence was totally covered (by fans) all the way around the field.” Nicknamed Randy “No Walk” Walters the South ace finished with a 9-2 record and issued just four free passes all season — though two of those were intentional Walters quickly pointed out that the Patriots’ state title run was a total team effort highlighting the defense behind him as a big reason why he was able to pitch so effectively McCase was joined by Mike Hayden and Dave Butterfield on the coaching staff Ivan Watson (deceased) and Tim Carmichael (deceased) A portion of the proceeds from the Fort Frye-South game last month will go toward new baseball and softball facilities for the Patriots that are set to be part of Erickson All-Sports Facility “South is getting ready to break ground for a brand new baseball field that they’ve never had,” Walters said “Never have had a baseball field that they could call home The night of our ceremony brought a big crowd and the gate money actually went to the new baseball/softball field.” Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park Superintendent Craig Pyles unveiled a life-size painting of Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett on Friday that will sit in front of the historic mansion for visitors to take photos with and to get a sense of who the couple were PARKERSBURG — Local artist Thomas Stahl unveiled a life-size painting of Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday that will give visitors to the historic site a chance to take photos with and to get a sense of who the couple were “I’m very excited about this work to preserve history,” Stahl said I took all the known historical images of them and created the best representation of what they would look like Harman and Margaret were wealthy aristocrats who emigrated to the United States in 1796 The pair bought one of the larger islands that dotted the river and built a Palladian mansion After his duel with Alexander Hamilton in 1804 Vice President Aaron Burr visited the island to solicit the help of Harman to carve out an empire of his own from the newly acquired Territory of Louisiana and the country’s Western region The Blennerhassetts supplied funds and allowed Burr to use their island as his military headquarters until word got out and charges were issued against Burr for treason Eventually both men were arrested but subsequently acquitted by the law Harman never regained his fortunes or his island and died on the Island of Guernsey in the English Channel in 1831 Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park volunteer Stephen Smith talks to visitors about the history of the owners Friday after the park opened the previous day for the 2025 season said the new attraction allows visitors to get a sense of who the couple were “When you walk on this beautiful property you hear the name Blennerhassett repeatedly,” McClung said “But it makes a big difference when you now have a visual image of who they are You can now envision them sitting in the dining room The park opened for the 2025 season on Thursday with sternwheeler rides from Point Park in downtown Parkersburg running from 10 a.m Sternwheeler tickets are available at the Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History at Second and Juliana streets Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children ages 3-12 a guided mansion tour is $5 for adults and $3 for children Horse-drawn wagon rides are also available for $12 for adults and $10 for children Museum admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children Bicycle rentals are available on the island for $2 for 30 minutes or $4 for an hour Children under 15 are required to wear a helmet Local artist Thomas Stahl talks about his life-size painting of Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday Stahl said he used all the known historical images of the pair to create the best representation he could Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com People arrive at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday after the park opened for the 2025 season on Thursday Sternwheeler rides to the island from Point Park in downtown Parkersburg will run from 10 a.m A piano owned by Margaret Blennerhassett sits in the reconstructed Palladian mansion at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday Visitors can see the original piece on the island after the park opened for the 2025 season on Thursday with sternwheeler rides from Point Park in downtown Parkersburg running from 10 a.m Parkersburg South's Macie Forshey competes in the shot put during Friday's Erickson Invitational held at Parkersburg's Stadium Field PARKERSBURG — Here Friday night at the Erickson Invitational which was contested at Parkersburg’s Stadium Field host Parkersburg South received golds from Jordan Foster in the 300 hurdles and Kymani Prince in the long jump 7.5 inches topped the runner-up effort of Parkersburg’s TC Allen Foster also bested a Big Red as his clocking of 40.66 was just enough to nip Jay Bowling’s 41.06 The Big Red boys posted a winning team score of 161 as Williamstown (131) Ritchie County (59.5) and Wahama (49.5) rounded out the top five Landen Deuley crossed the finish line in the 400 with a record-breaking effort of 49.57 which just eclipsed the 2001 effort of 49.62 by Parkersburg South’s Chris Spencer who ran a 51.26 to finish runner-up to Deuley eclipsed 2 minutes for the first time in his career in the 800 The Rebels’ 1:58.62 erased the old record of 1:58.73 set back in 2015 by Big Red Nic Cheuvront left town with high-point honors after amassing 29.25 Parkersburg's Alex Greer takes in the view after clearing 11 feet in the pole vault during Friday's Erickson Invitational held at Parkersburg's Stadium Field Deuley ran the anchor leg to close the meet on the 4×4 with fellow Big Reds AJ Payne The quartet’s clocking of 3:27.94 was a meet record as Warren’s 2019 time of 3:28.19 by Isaiah Kitts Ethan Yost and Justin Lough were erased from the books The only other meet record came in the shuttles where 59.05 had stood since 2018 thanks to the South quartet of Corey Beverage Reece Hunt and Isaac Creel clocked in at 58.28 Williamstown received a pair of golds from Cassie Sites (1600 12:13.81) as well as first-place efforts from Shelby Smith (100 111-5) en route to a 188-149 victory versus the Big Reds Parkersburg South (66) and North Marion (42) rounded out the top five team scores but Ravenswood’s Riley Sotomayor returned to Jackson County with high-point honors (23) on the strengths of wins in the 400 (1:00.16) and 800 (2:26.19) The Silver Knight girls also had first-place efforts in the 100 hurdles from Lily Dillaman (16.36) and in the high jump from Katie Grimm who cleared 4-10 to top runners-up Mya Baruwa of PHS and Point Pleasant’s Evan Barton (4-8) Williamstown’s Christian Hoosier competes in the discus throw during Friday’s Erickson Invitational held at Parkersburg’s Stadium Field Williamstown’s boys had individual 10-point scoring efforts from Carson Brundige in the 200 (23.38) Frank Conner in the 3200 (9:40.44) and in the shot put from Lynken Joy whose second best throw topped teammate Christian Lockhart’s as they had finished with a top respective effort of 50 feet Wahama’s Connor Lambert ran 11 seconds flat to win the 100 while White Falcon teammate Reezin Stitt (19-7.5) was a half inch better than Big Red runner-up Ethan Dela Cruz in the long jump Also topping the field for the boys were Tyler Consolidated’s Amos Kimble (1600 4:31.51) as well as Big Blacks Grant Barton (110H 165-5) while the other girls to taste victory were Big Red Nevaeh Ross in the 300 hurdles (49.1) and South Charleston’s Jateayah Davis in the 200 (28.24) Williamstown’s girls won the 4×1 (Audrey Lefebure 4:24.04) while PHS claimed the 4×8 (Katie Rutheford 10:14.07) and the Silver Knights ran a 1:10.14 with Bridget Doak Addison Blosser and Dillaman to win the shuttles The other winning relays for the boys were Williamstown’s 4×1 (Jakson Kerr 45.00) and the Big Reds’ 4×2 (Payne Williamstown's Cassie Sites closes in on Parkersburg's Morgan Metz as they begin the final lap of the 3200 during Friday's Erickson Invitational at Parkersburg's Stadium Field The Yellowjacket passed the Big Red on the final lap to earn the victory Area boys who also had top-five efforts were Yellowjackets Brundige (2nd 24.17) as well as Ravenswood’s Braydan Rymer (5th 10:24.61); Wirt County’s Kaedon Sees (5th 10:28.39) along with Silver Knight Travis Moore (2nd Local top-five showings for the girls included South’s Prince (2nd 8-0) as well as Yellowjackets Lefebure (4th 97-0) along with White Falcon Destiney Barnette (4th Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com Ritchie County's Jenner Keen competes in the high jump during Friday's Erickson Invitational held at Parkersburg's Stadium Field Williamstown’s Reagan Corbett competes in the shot put during Friday’s Erickson Invitational held at Parkersburg’s Stadium Field Parkersburg South freshman teammates Ashley Cross and Sydney Hatcher look on awaiting a throw as they help out at the shot put during Friday's Erickson Invitational held at Parkersburg's Stadium Field Madison Copeland and Kean Smith display the flags during the LSIC showcase at Parkersburg High School on Tuesday evening PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Board of Education held the last of three LSIC (Local School Improvement Council) Showcase events Tuesday night at Parkersburg High School Board President Justin Raber described the event as a “fair-style” celebration where schools from across the district presented their standout programs and initiatives to the board and community members “This is our third LSIC meeting and showcase,” Raber explained “We’ve already held one at Parkersburg South and another in Williamstown all of the North End schools are here to share the great things happening in their buildings.” fourth-grade teacher Jesse Ice introduced a student-led initiative called the “Smile Squad,” a new program designed to build a positive school climate “Our fourth graders wanted their own leadership opportunity,” Ice said Kathrine Clatworthy dances with her sister Sophia Clatworthy who is the mascot at Jefferson Elementary Center during Tuesday evening’s LSIC showcase “We stand in the hallway and greet people in the morning we try to make it better by saying good morning or giving compliments.” Jules Rodet “I just love helping people smile.” Students involved in speech and debate were also front and center highlighted the program’s academic rigor and social benefits “We compete at state and national levels in events like prose The PHS theater program also took a well-deserved spotlight After battling extensive water damage to their auditorium last year the school’s drama troupe made a triumphant return with a production of “Mean Girls.” The rebuilding effort not only revitalized the program but also attracted new members “We had a huge number of first-timers on stage and behind the scenes,” said Theatre Teacher Lori Zyla “It was a great experience and our community showed up with support.” The choir at Parkersburg High School sings the school song at the opening of the LSIC showcase on Tuesday night The troupe also saw success at the State Thespian Festival and will soon host a thespian showcase to celebrate their year’s achievements and induct new members From creativity on stage to innovation in the lab the showcase also featured advanced STEM projects displayed projects ranging from keychain fundraising items to prototyped robotic components “We design parts using 3D printing to test how they’ll function before building them out of standardized robotics kits,” he explained Jefferson Elementary Center’s principal proudly shared her school’s impressive strides a writing club – some of our students are even publishing their own books,” she said Connor Miller exhibits the Parkersburg High School Robotics Club work during Tuesday evening’s LSIC showcase the school also saw an 11% decrease in chronic absenteeism and recently renovated its gym and library ‘Welcome to JDC: We have a spot for you.’ That’s our philosophy,” said Lowers Jeff James with Perry Forensic gives the opening remarks during a fraud prevention training program at the Wood County Resiliency Center Thursday night PARKERSBURG — The first quarterly training session for financial fraud prevention was held at the recently opened Wood County Resiliency Center on Thursday night In partnership with the Wood County Sheriff’s Department Perry Forensic hosted a training session to better inform local residents of the multitude of ways fraud can occur and how to avoid becoming a victim Sheriff Rick Woodyard began the session by speaking on a few points about the importance of understanding fraud and its impact on the community “I think knowledge is power and I think if we can educate people and get more people to understand how fraud works I think we can eliminate some of the problems we’re having,” he said According to a press release from Perry Forensic a resident in Wood County was swindled out of roughly $15,000 within the past week Fraud is impacting the residents of the county so the sheriff’s department and Perry Forensic are working with the goal to prevent any more fraud victims in the area Wood County Sheriff Rick Woodyard introduces Perry Forensic and the fraud prevention training session on Thursday night “We think it’s really important to serve the community and help educate because there’s so much fraud going on,” said Jodey Altier “We started receiving a lot of calls about fraud and decided that we needed to serve our community.” Altier stated that this is the first training session for fraud prevention at the Resiliency Center and they wanted to see how the community would respond to it roughly 50 community members attended and engaged with the presentation Perry Forensic members Jeff James and Jeff Sandy gave presentations throughout the evening that discussed the statistics of fraud and how members in the audience could prevent it James displayed step-by-step instructions on what to do when a fraud is suspected The victim is encouraged to go to the FBI page and report the crime by following the detailed instructions on the website “People are greedy and always looking for a way to take a dime out of your pocket and into their pocket and they don’t care who you are,” said James Jeff Sandy with Perry Forensic demonstrates to the audience how to use a wallet tracker Sandy also engaged with the audience by showing a variety of ways in which criminals can scam unknowing people into giving them money Attendees were encouraged to ask questions throughout the session to better understand all of the ways that fraud can happen He showed the audience different security items that could be purchased on Amazon that track personal belongings and phones is a great preventative tactic of fraud “It’s important that you or anyone else not become a victim,” said James “So you need to be educated so that you don’t allow this to happen to you.” There are expected to be quarterly fraud prevention sessions throughout the year The members of Perry Forensic encouraged residents to listen closely and pay attention to the information and apply it to their lives Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com Jeff James talks to the audience how to file a fraud claim to the FBI State Superintendent of Schools Michele Blatt speaks with media following her appointment by the West Virginia Board of Education in June 2023 WHEELING – One of Morgantown’s darkest days as a softball team this season came at the hands of Parkersburg South The two schools met for a second time Friday night at Wheeling Park High School for the OVAC Class 5A Championship but only initially due to the black skies above which delayed the first pitch two hours Morgantown turned the tables and defeated the Patriots 3-1 which opened the season with a 10-0 win over the Mohigans with basically the same personnel in the lineup slips to 16-7 after playing its final game as a member of the conference Beginning with the 2025-26 winter sports season all South athletics play under the Mountain State Athletic Conference umbrella “I really don’t know what to expect in the MSAC,” South coach Tim Burch said but yes I will miss coming out here and playing some of these teams in the OVAC “I’m looking forward to playing some of the new teams (from the MSAC).” Mohigans improved to 19-9 and duplicated their OVAC title in the same manner from last year when they won as the No “We played Parkersburg South in our second game of the season – we were facing a very good pitcher and we didn’t do so well,” Morgantown coach Lorri Lipscomb said “Then we went to Myrtle Beach and we faced a lot of good teams It’s all similar pitching down there and I think that helped us get better “These girls have tons of confidence right now They are a very special group of young ladies and they truly care about each other That’s huge – it’s like a reset when somebody makes a mistake and they come back and play harder.” Morgantown blindsided Parkersburg South at the outset when Liz Alsop homered over the left field fence with two outs in the top of the first inning – the first homer allowed by South starting pitcher Anniston Shelton in her first 87 innings of her high school career “I was just trying to start hot and get some energy going for our team,”  Alsop said the first time we played them we weren’t as prepared as we should have been We knew tonight would be a completely new ballgame.  The Mohigans tacked on a second run in the next inning in what would prove to be the eventual game-winning run 9 hitter Madi Stone grounded to the third baseman A throwing error to first base allowed Robinson to advance three bases and increase the lead to 2-0 South’s offense was stagnant for the first three innings as Morgantown starting pitcher Maddie Wisman retired the first 10 batters she faced The junior eventually worked all seven innings – allowing five hits and no walks while striking out nine during that time “Definitely two different games between us and South this season,” Wisman said “We didn’t get our spring trip yet so we weren’t exactly fully prepared We didn’t really come into that game with the right mentality it was 0-0 in like the third or fourth inning so having that home run by Liz was absolutely amazing It gave me so much more confidence on the mound.” The Patriots started to create traffic on the basepaths beginning in the fourth inning with Shelton’s one-out double A Morgantown error on the infield put runners on first and second A fielder’s choice erased the runner at second trying to advance to third base and after a wild pitch Robinson made a running catch toward the infield to end the threat Kailey Lockhart and Shelton both produced a one-out single in innings five and six Morgantown extended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning Robinson reached safely on an infield single and following two of Shelton’s 12 strikeouts didn’t stop at third and managed to advance two bases on the infield grounder then cross home plate who was robbed of a base hit in the second inning when Alsop covered significant ground from center field and dove just before the ball touched the turf for the putout led off the seventh inning with a double to the right-center field gap Kailey Lockhart took the first offering from Wisman and singled to put runners at first and third base With two outs and Shyanne Hays facing an 0-2 count Wisman threw a wild pitch to allow Hatcher to score Hays eventually hit a sky high pop up to Wisman “I told our girls that sometimes someone plays better than you and that was the case tonight I was proud of the girls because they never gave up South played the final five innings without starting catcher Payten Mackey who received a foul tip directly at her face mask for the second time in as many innings.  Payten took a couple of shots,” Burch said “She took one in the beginning of the game and it worried me but she was done for the night after that.” WP: Maddie Wisman 7.0IP 5H 1R 1ER 0BB 9SOLP: Anniston Shelton 7.0IP 5H 3R 2ER 2BB 12SO Parkersburg South (16-7): Anniston Shelton 2-3 CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley owner and lead planner of Little Black Dress Events and Rentals Williamstown Elementary Principal Lee Ann Cumpston and Wood County Schools Superintendent Christie Willis signed paperwork Monday making Little Black Dress Events and Rentals the newest Partner In Education for Williamstown Elementary a Parkersburg South High School graduate and founder owner and lead planner of Little Black Dress Events signed documents Monday at Williamstown Elementary becoming their new Partner In Education Partners In Education is a program started by the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley that aims for partnerships that support students’ growth fosters achievement and deepens community connections “This opportunity came up with the elementary and I was like my heart is always going to still be with the littles just because this is the groundbreaking part of showing them things that they may not be shown in everyday life at their home or whatever,” Sims said all financial backgrounds come through the school as well as others.” Sims said her son attended Williamstown Elementary and is now in sixth grade at the middle/high school She said while he was at the elementary level she was heavily involved with the PTA and other events She said Principal Lee Ann Cumpston approached her last year about becoming a Partner In Education Sims said she wasn’t very knowledgeable about the program and assumed schools could only have one partner and that they wrote big checks “The things that I can bring to the table it’s not necessarily that,” Sims said “I’m not some big company.” She said Cumston informed her that the program isn’t just about writing checks “The more community we can bring into the school the more things that we can expose kids to,” Cumpston said Monday there are kids that come in here from all financial backgrounds and partnerships like this allow us to do special events for our students that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do.” Sims said this was all she needed to know to make the decision to become a partner in education “We talked a lot about STEM during last year and I just wanted to kind of circle back to that and just because my kid isn’t here doesn’t mean that I can’t still be involved in some capacity said the chamber tries to match potential partners with schools that will fit their individual level of participation in the program “She (Sims) thought maybe being a partner was out of the ballpark for her because she couldn’t write a big check like a bigger company could do,” Parsons said and she has manpower that can come into a school that is different from some of the partners that can help more on a financial basis who maybe aren’t able to come into the school and help with the events.” Parsons said the chamber uses artificial intelligence to make better connections with local businesses that will lead to longer lasting relationships “We’re the only county using AI to match schools and businesses,” Parsons said “We want to create long-term relationships that extend beyond just having a child in the school.” She said both potential partners and schools will fill out a three-minute survey listing the levels of interest and needs both are looking for “It might generate two or three ideas of schools and two or three businesses,” Parsons said “Just so that relationships in the partner in education program are long term.” Businesses interested in participating in the Partners In Education program can contact the chamber at info@movchamber.org or call 304-422-3588 it’s about supporting our community’s children and showing them what’s possible,” Sims said | https://www.mariettatimes.com | 740-373-2121 Parkersburg City Council President Mike Reynolds speaks at the start of Tuesday’s meeting in council chambers PARKERSBURG — One person was told to leave Parkersburg City Council chambers after vocally objecting to a statement made by Mayor Tom Joyce Joyce took exception to accusations reportedly made at an April 8 town hall meeting that representatives of the city had been involved in setting fires at vacant houses Joyce said if anyone had evidence of such activity they should file a police report Council President Mike Reynolds asked a police officer to have the man removed criticizing statements the mayor made about homelessness as he went Former member Nancy Wilcox asks Parkersburg City Council to vote against moving an event tent from Southwood Park to the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau welcome center downtown “And then the mayor’s talking about lynching people,” he said before describing the situation with an expletive Joyce said he apologized “if my colloquialism offended anybody.” Reynolds opened the meeting by reminding people of recently changed council rules requiring speakers in the public forum to address only topics on the agenda and saying there should be “no cheering clapping or speaking out of turn.” People who do not observe those rules could be removed or the chambers cleared with a few instances of quiet clapping at first Speakers addressed specific agenda items and occasionally branched off to criticize recent changes to the public forum or Reynolds’ decision last week to remove Councilwoman Wendy Tuck from two committees The final speaker said he was talking about the bird sanctuary and then made a vulgar remark to council members before leaving the chambers Flyers calling for the recall of Parkersburg City Council President Mike Reynolds were placed on some seats in council chambers ahead of Tuesday’s meeting Council voted 6-3 on March 11 to limit topics of discussion in the public forum only to items on the agenda In the first meeting after that rule went into effect Reynolds asked two people to step away from the podium saying they were not following that guideline One of them did not stop until after a police officer told him to leave the podium Reynolds was absent from the April 8 meeting when council members moved to adjourn as a woman continued speaking after Vice President Roger Brown told her she was violating the rule Parkersburg resident Mary Goe later said she was speaking about the public forum announcing Tuck had been removed from the Finance and Personnel committees Reynolds said later that Tuck had made disparaging remarks about the administration and other council members on social media including sharing a post about how to recall members of council He also pointed to Tuck’s questions during and outside of meetings about the city budget saying she should know “how to navigate her way through the budget and how to offer up amendments.” said she only shares information and may disagree with policies but does not attack people personally She acknowledged she makes mistakes but said many times the questions she asks in meetings were posed to her by constituents PARKERSBURG — American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley has an immediate urgent need for volunteer drivers for .. (Court Reports - Photo Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection) CHARLESTON — A Parkersburg man pleaded guilty Monday to being a felon in possession of a firearm in U.S According to court documents and statements made in court possessed a Taurus model PT111 G2 9mm semiautomatic pistol in Parkersburg Enoch knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of 2019 felony convictions for wanton endangerment involving a firearm escape and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle in Wood County Circuit Court Enoch is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31 and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia Lisa G Johnston commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol Firearms and Explosives and the Parkersburg Police Department discusses a proposal to expand the residency requirement for firefighters during a Parkersburg City Council Personnel Committee meeting Wednesday at the Municipal Building PARKERSBURG — The Personnel Committee unanimously referred a resolution expanding the residency requirement for firefighters and an ordinance allowing employees to cash in some of their sick time to the full Parkersburg City Council during a meeting Wednesday the city has required firefighters to live within a 28-mile radius of the Municipal Building Fire Chief Jason Matthews proposed changing the policy to say firefighters must maintain a full-time residence within a 90-minute drive of the Municipal Building The goal is to increase the pool of potential hires after the most recent test yielded 43 applicants The prior test saw 22 of 23 applicants pass and the list was exhausted within 12 months “Several (departments) throughout the state have done away with residency requirements,” Matthews said “I think maybe let’s expand it a little bit and let’s just see what that does.” The department has four vacancies and some of the candidates would not have to move if the full council approves the policy change Fire Chief Jason Matthews discusses a proposal to expand the residency requirement for firefighters during a Parkersburg City Council Personnel Committee meeting Wednesday at the Municipal Building Even if the department had an incident requiring additional manpower to be called in “we’re not going to use everybody all at once,” Matthews said Firefighters would be notified of when they need to report to relieve others with plenty of notice The committee also approved a proposal to allow employees to cash in sick time no more than once a year at half their regular pay The payout could not drop their accrued time below four weeks Personnel Director Jennifer Schoenhut said the proposal is aimed at addressing sick leave abuse Some employees can use banked sick time to enhance their benefits when they retire there’s little to no incentive not to use up what they have “This is not an uncommon practice in the private sector,” Mayor Tom Joyce said “I don’t think there’s any downside to it.” Councilman Chris Rexroad questioned whether getting paid half-time is enough of an incentive to prevent someone from taking a sick day when they don’t really need one Joyce said paying it at the full rate would be like “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” asks a question during a Personnel Committee meeting Wednesday at the Municipal Building as Chairwoman Sharon Kuhl listens Councilwoman Cathy Dailey said she didn’t mind the policy but cautioned it won’t stop some people from abusing the benefit “There’s a group that’s always going to come to work if they’re dying and there’s a group that’s not,” she said Also approved on a 5-0 vote by the committee was an ordinance that would set a pay rate for the fire inspector as a civilian position and create a new position in the Development Department Matthews said no active firefighters have expressed an interest in the vacant fire inspector position Joyce noted the chief has been performing inspections for several months Rexroad asked if the mayor and fire chief believed they could find a civilian qualified for the job Personnel Director Jennifer Schoenhut discusses a proposed ordinance that would allow employees to cash in a portion of their accrued sick time during a Parkersburg City Council Personnel Committee meeting Wednesday at the Municipal Building “It’s probably more difficult now than it ever has been,” Joyce said adding that retired firefighters or people who have worked for the state fire marshal’s office could fit the bill “I don’t know of anybody that’s angling for this job from the outside but we’ve got to get it posted.” An ordinance approved last year by council allowed the 40-hour-a-week job to be filled by a civilian if no active civil service firefighters took it But it required the civilian rate of pay to be set by council Development Director Ryan Barber said the creation of the housing coordinator position will not add an employee to the department but rather allow for a redistribution of duties after the financial compliance officer retired Some of that position’s duties will go to the Finance Department or be handled by others in Development while the new position focuses on housing issues and programs The legislation is expected to be on the agenda for council’s next meeting on May 13 Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com (Meeting Updates - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection) PARKERSBURG — Parkersburg City Council on Tuesday will consider the first reading of an ordinance making a special downtown zone for consuming and carrying alcoholic beverages available year-round and a pair of resolutions dealing with Southwood Park Tuesday in council chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building The ordinance on first reading expands the dates of the Public Outdoor Designated Area Development Director Ryan Barber said it’s the result of meeting with downtown stakeholders and business owners including the three establishments that held PODA permits last year “Their suggestions were to not limit it to a seasonal event,” he said “They’ve pointed to things like Winterfest … or St The PODA ordinance allows people to purchase alcohol in marked recyclable cups from participating businesses and carry them between businesses between Third and Ninth and One-Half streets Barber said another change in the proposed ordinance would expand the type of licensure required to get a PODA permit so entities like the Parkersburg Art Center and Downtown PKB could participate One of the resolutions would designate a portion of Southwood Park The resolution states that the area “shall remain undisturbed except for bird habitat as approved by the director of public works.” The placement of bird feeders or feeding birds would be prohibited Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said there is already a concrete walkway there and benches and lighting will be returned to the area “It’s just going to be a relaxing appealing place for anyone who wants to go up there and walk (or) just sit up there and relax,” she said would remove the event tent where concerts used to be held in Southwood Park and place it at the Welcome Center at 113 Ann St for use by the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Kuhl said she thinks that’s a great place for it and noted there haven’t been organized concerts in Southwood Park in six years Parkersburg City Council President Mike Reynolds speaks during a March budget meeting as Councilwoman Wendy Tuck listens PARKERSBURG — A Parkersburg City Council member disagrees with the council president’s rationale for removing her from two committee assignments a communication was read from council President Mike Reynolds It said he had replaced Councilwoman Wendy Tuck on the Finance Committee with Councilman Chris Rexroad and named Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl to chair the Personnel Committee “It is a shame that we have a councilwoman who throws the administration and most other council people under the bus in (an) attempt to look better,” Reynolds said a few days after the meeting The email also listed Councilman Dave McCrady as vice chairman of the Personnel Committee Reynolds clarified Monday that Tuck was no longer on that committee either Reynolds said Tuck has made multiple “slanderous” remarks and posts about other council members he said she shared how to recall council members who voted in favor of a rule change limiting public forum topics only to items on the agenda and shared a couple of screenshots of other posts Tuck said she was “shocked” by the announcement of the committee changes and had not been told Reynolds’ reasoning She said she voted for Reynolds to be council president and felt that he ran meetings “professionally until the public was restricted to speaking on agenda items only.” one of three council members voting against that change said she has no problem criticizing actions “But I’m pretty careful not to criticize people,” she said “I think people are probably doing the best they can,” even if she disagrees with them on policy matters One of the screen shots Reynolds shared was a post in which Tuck invited people to come meet her for “office hours” at a local restaurant “This communication is more important than ever can now only speak at City Council about what’s on the agenda or Be threatened with arrest,” her post said “That happened,” Tuck said when asked about it two speakers were told by Reynolds to leave the podium after he said they were not addressing topics on the agenda One was told by a city police officer he could face a trespassing charge if he did not leave as he was being asked to Reynolds said Tuck had “scrubbed” some other posts from her page Tuck said she may remove comments that are unrelated but she had been told by a representative of the West Virginia Attorney General’s office that “neither I nor any elected official can remove comments or block people on my Facebook pages on posts related to city business.” Asked if she had posted anything about recalling council members She said she believes the public forum should be opened up again to any topic but that can be accomplished with another council vote “We don’t have to go as far as recall to change the public forum,” Tuck said Reynolds also said that during the March budget hearings Tuck contacted multiple fellow council members to ask for advice and how to do certain things “She surely should know by now how to navigate her way through the budget and how to offer up amendments,” he said who is starting her second four-year term on council It’s a $34 million budget,” she said “If people think I’m not doing a good job Reynolds said Tuck has never offered up legislation and he “can’t imagine her garnering enough support if she wanted to offer up legislation (as) likely no one would support her.” Reynolds has the authority to make and change committee appointments “although I’ve never seen changes like this after only four months he should have discussed his concerns with me before having it announced at a council meeting where he was not present,” she said This was a serious failure of leadership.” (Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection) PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg Utility Board’s water division will flush water lines this weekend in the city and surrounding service areas today and continue around the clock until the work is completed Flushing will begin on 19th Street and move north on Dudley Avenue and west to the Ohio River a second crew will begin flushing on 19th Street moving east of Dudley Avenue and south toward the Little Kanawha River relief crews should start in the area of City Park and move across the Little Kanawha River to South Parkersburg Work will continue moving south toward Pettyville “Flushing of the water lines is done to remove the buildup of iron and manganese oxides from the lines and to inspect the operation of the fire hydrants in the water distribution system,” PUB Manager Eric Bennett said “Water line flushing helps to maintain the quality of water provided to the customers of Parkersburg’s water system.” Some residents may experience a temporary discoloration of their water while the work is taking place “It is likely that some brown-colored water will enter house connections if water is used at the same time that the flushing is being done in the area,” Bennett said Bennett added it is recommended laundry not be done when the flushing is being done in the area it should be rewashed with a product formulated for iron stain removal such as Iron Out or Red Out Customers who experience discolored water are advised to turn on the cold water and allow it to run until the water clears It is recommended to not use hot water until the water is running clear (Police Reports - Photo Illustration/MetroCreative) PARKERSBURG — Four people were arrested Tuesday after an investigation into a suspected drug-trafficking organization operating in the area the Parkersburg Violent Crime and Narcotics Task Force said assisted by the Parkersburg Police Department SWAT team served three search warrants at 1607 19th St.; 1421 19th St. Agents found about 1.6 pounds of suspected methamphetamine charged with one count of possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine one count of possession with intent to deliver cocaine one count of possession with intent to deliver fentanyl one count of delivery of fentanyl and one count of drug conspiracy More arrests are expected in the future regarding this case The Task Force is composed of investigators from the Parkersburg Police Department Williamstown Police Department and the West Virginia State Police leads a group of protesters in a chant as they walk down a sidewalk during a protest Tuesday in Parkersburg PARKERSBURG — Local protesters marched Tuesday around the buildings of the federal Bureau of the Fiscal Service in downtown Parkersburg to protest the actions of the Department of Government Efficiency and its head Elon Musk A group of over 150 protesters started at Bicentennial Park with a rally and then marched around the buildings on Avery Street and between Market and Juliana streets that house operations for the bureau There had been indications around the community this week that DOGE officials would be in Parkersburg on Tuesday going over operations at those sites The Parkersburg News and Sentinel could not independently confirm if anyone from DOGE was actually on site A representative of the National Treasury Employees Union that represents Fiscal Service employees said he had heard those reports of the visit but confirm or deny the presence of DOGE “I do not know who was in the building,” the representative said Protesters walk past the Bureau of the Fiscal Service building along Third Street in Parkersburg on Tuesday as people protested the actions of the Department of Government Efficiency who were said to have people in the area on Tuesday reviewing systems at the Bureau Messages seeking comment have been sent to Fiscal Service and the Department of the Treasury of which it is a part Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia were on hand at Bicentennial Park handing out signs and rallying people before the march People raised concerns about their privacy regarding their personal information their Constitutional rights and what DOGE would be accessing They said they were concerned about the authority given to DOGE especially under the leadership of Trump’s adviser Musk ACLU of West Virginia Representative Rusty Williams told the crowd that if any one of them walked into that building with a portable thumb drive and tried to take information Protesters gathered outside the Bureau of the Fiscal Service building on Avery Street to protest what they feel is the overreach of the Department of Government Efficiency and its head Elon Musk in regards to the Bureau it is the people who end up having to be the checks and balances,” he said “We are on the verge of a legitimate Constitutional crisis and if we don’t stand together we are going to lose this republic.” As people marched around the Bureau of the Fiscal Service Elon Musk has got to go” and “Give us back our Constitution.” Local attorney Walt Auvil said he was worried about DOGE making significant cuts to one of the largest employers in the area without constitutional authority “The DOGE thing is fundamentally illegal,” he said “The question that we’re going to answer is will that matter “We don’t know the answer to that question yet and that is pretty scary.” Protesters walk past the Bureau of the Fiscal Service building along Third Street in Parkersburg on Tuesday People had issues with the possible actions of the Department of Government Efficiency in regard to the Bureau as organizers believe there were DOGE Officials in Parkersburg on Tuesday Congress created the Bureau of Fiscal Services and a group like DOGE does not have the legal authority to do anything to them you can go to Congress and ask them to do it,” he said One of the attendees to the protest who only wished to be identified as “Charles” also was concerned about DOGE’s authority to be there and looking at records at the bureau they have no constitutional authority to be here; our data’s our data; they are bypassing Congress,” he said then what they need to do is follow proper channels: Write a bill But until he does that all of this is illegal.” It is the people who run the government and without them it can’t work Protesters marched outside the Bureau of the Fiscal Service building on Avery Street Tuesday to protest the Department of Government Efficiency which people felt did not have the authority to be conducting reviews at the Bureau and because of that I just hope we see more people out here protesting the injustices and all the illegal stuff and corruption that this administration’s done in the short three weeks they’ve been in office,” he said Mary Eddy of Parkersburg said she was concerned about friends and family employed at the Bureau “I am concerned about people losing their jobs,” she said “There is uncertainty about jobs at the bureau.” Eddy was concerned about efforts to do away with programs that promote diversity “It is important for us to have our ideas and opinions heard,” she said Protesters marched outside the Bureau of the Fiscal Service building on Avery Street Tuesday to protest the Department of Government Efficiency which organizers of the protest believed were conducting reviews at the Bureau on Tuesday issued a statement saying he was aware of the situation in Parkersburg and that he did not believe the purpose of the DOGE visit was to cut jobs at Fiscal Service not lay off folks working in Parkersburg,” he said “I am aware of the government efficiency team coming to Parkersburg and I’m supportive of their effort to locate wasteful spending,” he said “This building is the accounting for dollars flowing in and out of our treasury; it makes sense why President Trump would look there to locate reckless spending The statement also added DOGE officials would only be on read-only access Former Marietta public school teacher and member of the Democratic Party Betsy Cook also attended the protest Tuesday “They are trying to take away our democracy “We want them to see that not all of us are happy with what they’re doing; (Musk) says he has a mandate but we did not give him that mandate and we do not want him to feel he has that mandate so we have signs all around.” was concerned about the amount of power Trump is exercising “This vast expansion of executive power is unconstitutional and antithetical to everything America stands for,” he said “It can’t be allowed to stand.” Terry Archer of Williamstown compared the peaceful protest Tuesday to protests she attended in the 1970s in support of women’s rights at a time when a woman couldn’t get a credit card without her husband’s signature “What is happening is not democracy; it is a take over by billionaires,” she said “We are the only people left who can fight and we have to stand up for our democracy.” The snow falling in the area probably kept some people away “There was no violence,” she said “We are about peaceful protest.” Requests for comment from the offices of Rep who is co-chairman of the House DOGE Caucus; and U.S R-Ohio; and West Virginia Republican Party Chairman Matt Herridge were not returned by deadline Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board said his department was aware of the reports about DOGE and the protest but no intervention by police was required “It all seemed to be peaceful from a public safety perspective,” he said City Editor Evan Bevins contributed to this story Contact Brett Dunlap at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com and Gwen Sour at gsour@newsandsentinel.com (Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection) PARKERSBURG — The ACLU of West Virginia warned Parkersburg City Council in a letter that it could face legal action over prohibiting speakers at its meeting from talking about individual members “The ability to criticize government officials is part of the foundation of our democracy,” said Aubrey Sparks legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia “Free speech by nature includes criticism of government officials Parkersburg City Council has a choice: They can grow thicker skin or we’ll see them in court.” The public forum portion of council meetings has been a point of debate this year with members voting 6-3 on March 11 to limit topics that could be addressed to items appearing on the agenda The new rule was tested March 25 by two speakers one of whom tried to address a public statement issued about a vacant house fire and the other who linked the date of an upcoming council meeting to the death of President Abraham Lincoln on the same day Council President Mike Reynolds told both speakers they were violating council rules and would be removed if they didn’t stop But the ACLU letter does not take issue with that change noting that council can “impose content restrictions that are viewpoint-neutral” in a limited public forum close or otherwise limit the speech of an individual or forum if the motive or effect of doing so is to suppress a viewpoint,” it said An ACLU-WV representative said it’s his understanding that the organization had been contacted by at least three members of the community concerned about council’s public forum policies He pointed to an article about the March 11 meeting as touching on the matter Reynolds told a resident not to call people out by name after the man said Reynolds made a disparaging remark about him via text message Reynolds and other council presidents have often opened public forums with the admonition that it is not a venue for “personal attacks.” Council rules state that “all remarks shall be addressed to the presiding officer and Council as a body and not to any individual member of the Council.” The ACLU-WV letter says it is the organization’s position that “any policy that prohibits interested citizens from speaking about their council members violates West Virginians’ right to free speech.” Council President Mike Reynolds said he had not seen the letter as of Friday but had asked City Attorney Blaine Myers for an opinion on it Myers said Friday he had not reviewed it yet Residents spoke about their displeasure with how the public forum is run during the city council meetings PARKERSBURG — Parkersburg City Council adjourned its regular meeting Tuesday during the public forum without addressing the business items on its agenda Residents spoke about their displeasure with how the public forum is run but discussion ended when the meeting was adjourned The meeting began with a proclamation from Mayor Tom Joyce recognizing April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Patrick Lefebure talked about the statistics of sexual assault and thanked the council for their support in this awareness “This touches many people who don’t know what we can offer through housing Members from the audience vocalized their disagreements with the premature adjournment of the city council meeting on April 8 Lefebure was joined by a member from the Family Crisis Intervention Center and Westar Child Advocacy Center to get the word out and raise more awareness about these issues and available resources Following the announcements were roughly a dozen people signed up to speak during the public forum council made it clear that the public could only discuss the agenda items Nancy Wilcox and Sue Ellen Waybright made comments in regard to the establishment of the bird sanctuary and relocating the event tent from Southwood Park to the Welcome Center at 113 Ann St “The word sanctuary means safe space and unfortunately under the current circumstances that particular part of the park is not safe because we still have a cat problem,” said Waybright while presenting the council with photos of stray cats around the park Preceding the concerns for the bird sanctuary and relocation of the event tent Jamie McCormick raised his concern for his displeasure on how the public forum is used Mary Goe stands before the remaining council members to express her thoughts on how the public forum should go out of all the things you could and should be working on,” said McCormick economic development or maybe why my trash is never picked up on time anymore.” McCormick was asked to step away from the microphone stating that he was talking about the agenda Trish Pritchard made comments about her approval of a town hall meeting on homelessness that occurred earlier on Tuesday evening and how inspired she felt by the initiatives of Councilman Zak Huffman and Councilwoman Wendy Tuck Mary Goe stepped up to the podium to express her displeasure with the public forum and said there should be a space to express complaints “The reality is people complain because they want to be heard,” said Goe After Goe was asked multiple times to step down or stick to the agenda the council adjourned the meeting during the public forum Local business owner Jamie McCormick was asked to stick to the meeting agenda when describing his dissatisfaction with the bird sanctuary being on the agenda instead of other matters Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Patrick Lefebure wanted to raise more awareness for April 2025 being Sexual Assault Awareness Month The public forum was cut short when a second to adjourn the meeting promptly ended any further agenda discussion PARKERSBURG — The YMCA of Parkersburg will hold its annual Healthy Kids Day from noon-3 p.m The free community event encourages families to start a healthy Healthy Kids Day is part of a nationwide initiative to promote health and well-being of youth and families Healthy Kids Day is an afternoon of activities and opportunities to learn about local resources for youth development Event highlights include an inflatable obstacle course for children and families an EMS vehicle display and safety education from WVU Medicine community resource booths from organizations including the Parkersburg Police Department American Red Cross with information on the free summer learn-to-swim program Downtown PKB and River Valley Medicine & Pediatrics water safety tips and swim program information group fitness demonstrations for all ages and on-site job interviews for YMCA youth development and lifeguard positions “It is so important for kids to stay active over the summer both physically and mentally,” said Criss Welshans Chief Operating Officer of the YMCA of Parkersburg we believe in providing resources for families to create healthy habits community-wide event that encourages families to take advantage of all the great summer activities the Y has to offer.” For more information, contact the YMCA at 304-485-5585 or visit parkersburgymca.org from Parkersburg holds two trout he caught at the 2024 Parkersburg Fishing Derby to noon Saturday at the City Park and Southwood Park ponds PARKERSBURG — The annual Parkersburg Fishing Derby where youthful anglers compete to hook the biggest fish Online registration is underway for the annual fishing derby at the City Park and Southwood Park ponds held for the 44th year since the late Mayor Alvin K “We’re hoping for good weather,” said Bill Vincent director of the Wood County Recreation Commission the derby for kids from 3-14 years old is organized by the recreation commission and Administrative Assistant Kela West Volunteers from the community help with the derby Representatives from the Parkersburg and Parkersburg South High School football teams will be at City Park and Southwood Park Trout from the Mountaineer Trout Farm will be stocked on Wednesday at both parks About 800 pounds of fish will be dumped into the ponds “Four hundred pounds in each pond,” Vincent said Included will be one golden trout for each pond Whoever catches those will receive a special trophy But it’s been three years since a golden trout was caught on derby day “The fishing derby is more than just a chance to reel in a big one,” she said “It’s a fun way for kids to learn patience enjoy simple moments and make lasting memories with family and the community.” Online registration for the derby is underway at https://tinyurl.com/2nxzmnz7 through the end of the week The event is free and participants can also register in person on derby day at 8 a.m T-shirts are $10 if pre-registering and $15 if registering on Saturday morning Those pre-registering have a chance for a lifetime hunting and fishing license Last year’s recipient of the license was Gavyn Davis at Southwood Last year’s grand champion at Southwood Park was Aliyah Burgess with a 17 1/2 inch trout A 32 1/2 inch carp caught by Kaden Dillon was the largest non-trout hooked at Southwood Lucas Richards was the grand champion at City Park with a 17-inch trout Kaden Wright caught the largest non trout at City Park About 300 kids participated in the 2024 derby He expects another large turnout on Saturday “It was really big last year,” Vincent said “It’s a great event for the youth in the area.” The fishing derby is one of more than a dozen programs and events offered by the recreation commission Among those are girls and boys elementary and small fry basketball a free summer camp for elementary-age children the West Virginia Honey festival and the Harvest Moon Festival Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com The Parkersburg South Theatre Department will present “Legally Blonde the Musical” beginning Friday in the school auditorium Dylan Roberts as Warner Huntington III and Zoe Koskey as Vivienne Kensington PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg South High School Theatre Department will present “Legally Blonde the Musical” for two weekends in March There will be a matinee performance on March 16 at 2:30 p.m while March 15 will be the program’s annual dinner theater fundraiser with dinner beginning at 5 p.m All performances will be staged at Parkersburg South High School in the auditorium at 1511 Blizzard Drive The cost is $10 for adults and $8 for students/seniors or at the door for an additional $2 is Paulette Buonofuonte in the Parkersburg South High School Theatre Department production of “Legally Blonde the Musical.” (Photo Provided) Those that would like to see “Legally Blonde The Musical” can purchase tickets online at https://tinyurl.com/34zjknyd “Legally Blonde the Musical” is licensed by Music Theatre International It is an award-winning musical based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the movie by Metro-Goldywn-Mayer starring Reese Witherspoon “Legally Blonde the Musical” was written by Heather Hach with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin It is rated PG-13 and follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes and scandal in pursuit of her dreams Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend Warner dumps her so he can attend Harvard Law Elle ingeniously charms her way into the prestigious law school she quickly realizes her potential and sets out to prove herself to the world “Legally Blonde the Musical” will be presented for two weekends in March Lilly Rice as Brooke Wyndham and Gabe Rice as Emmett Forrest Back from left are Zoe Koskey as Vivienne Kensington and Brianna Stump as Elle Woods More than 140 people attended a town hall on homelessness Tuesday in Parkersburg City Council chambers PARKERSBURG — So many people attended a town hall Tuesday focusing on homelessness that it moved from a large conference room to Parkersburg City Council chambers The event was organized by Parkersburg City Council members Zak Huffman and Wendy Tuck who said after the meeting that more than 140 people attended The panel included a range of local experts who either came out of addiction and homelessness themselves or are working in organizations to get individuals the help and resources they need “My biggest goal with the Mission is for us to help break the cycle of homelessness and it’s not just putting them in an apartment or getting them off the street That’s where you start,” said Natasha Robertson the shelter manager and assistant director at Latrobe Street Mission a West Virginia University student who spends his free-time working as a street missionary Attendees sign in for a town hall on homelessness in the executive conference room at the Parkersburg Municipal Building The number of people who came caused the meeting to shift to council chambers when we see someone who doesn’t look like us we often can react in negative ways out of fear,” said King “The true measure of an advanced society is found in how it treats its most vulnerable.” Other panelists were recovery ministry director at The Gathering church Aaron Hammond and Pastor Melody Smith Anthony Rowe with the Salvation Army of Parkersburg Shane Modesitt with Clean and Clear Advantage Recovery Daulton DuVall with Westbrook’s Connections initiative and Dawn Werry and Beth Little from the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness “The size of this room is evidence that this community isn’t lacking any compassion,” said Baer “We all want to come together with a unified front to overcome the barriers and obstacles that we each face,” Werry said According to a survey done by the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness there are more than 200 homeless individuals in Wood County But members on the panel noted the area only has 40-60 available shelter beds Parkersburg City Councilwoman Wendy Tuck speaks during a town hall on homelessness that she organized with Councilman Zak Huffman Tuesday in council chambers mental and physical health and safety were the topics of discussion amongst the audience Community members wanted to talk about providing people with help and getting them back on their feet in society Pastor Melody Smith with The Gathering church answers questions regarding concerns for the homeless and their access to available resources during a town hall meeting Tuesday in Parkersburg City Council chambers The town hall meeting on homelessness Tuesday in Parkersburg City Council chambers had a question-and-answer format with facilitators and moderators present to maintain the flow of the meeting BELPRE — A certain basket-bearing egg distributor will hop on over to Belpre Saturday after participating in this year’s Mid-Ohio Valley Easter Parade in Parkersburg The Easter Bunny will make appearances on both sides of the Ohio River this weekend as Belpre debuts its own holiday procession “We’ve never had one,” said Carrie Arnold director of the Belpre Christmas Lights Pageant and I have made a pledge to myself to do some more community service … My focus isn’t on the sash and crown or the title My focus is on becoming involved in the community.” Arnold said she’s gotten a great response for the inaugural Belpre Easter Parade with word spread largely through word of mouth and social media “There is always a great turnout for any of the parade events that we’ve been to,” she said “This is just something fun for the whole family.” The parade will assemble behind the football stadium at Belpre High School and travel up Washington Boulevard to Civitan Park About 35 vehicles have registered for the parade While the event Facebook page set a deadline of Sunday to register Arnold said groups that want to participate can still go there to fill out a registration form “If people are interested in participating “We hope to make this a tradition in the future.” Another potential tradition follows in Civitan Park with a Glow Easter Egg Hunt organized by the Belpre Church of the Nazarene Pastor Gary Webb said they had such a strong response — about 400 kids signed up — they had to close registration for this year’s event But they’re already thinking about ways to do it again next year with more kids “We’re trying to do new things to connect with a younger generation here in Belpre,” Webb said “We’re hoping to absolutely do it bigger and better next year and not have to cut off registration for it.” Arnold said one reason the Belpre parade is in the evening is so it didn’t interfere with the 15th annual Mid-Ohio Valley Easter Parade in downtown Parkersburg traveling from 19th Street down Market Street “The weather’s going to be nice so that is a big plus so people can decorate floats,” organizer Kiki Angelos said “We have a huge group of participants.” The grand marshal for this year’s parade is Belpre resident Zach Wigal who was named the United States Auto Club National Midget Rookie of the Year in 2024 Wigal started racing locally at age 7 and transitioned to full-size midgets in 2022 Also participating in the parade will be members of West Virginia University’s cheerleading squad “That is something that our town will really enjoy,” Angelos said There’s still time for groups to join in the festivities Registration begins at noon at 19th Street and Market Street The American flag waves at the federal Bureau of the Fiscal Service office on Avery Street in Parkersburg (WCHS) — The Department of Government Efficiency headed by billionaire and tech giant Elon Musk is expected to head to Parkersburg next week as the bureau continues its attempts to slash agencies despite controversy The news about the arrival of DOGE at the United States Treasury offices in Parkersburg have sparked concern among staff which includes workers for the Bureau of Fiscal Service an office dedicated to managing accounting and payment systems government auditors had to review the CARS system in secure spaces due to the sensitive information it stores An expert said that those who work with the system are briefed about its interest to foreign intelligence agencies The department also drew criticism after halting payments to the U.S an agency that provides diplomatic assistance to vulnerable populations abroad The Piggly Wiggly at 110 Gihon Village in Parkersburg PARKERSBURG — The Piggly Wiggly at 110 Gihon Village was inspected Wednesday and promptly closed until further notice due to a pest infestation The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department inspected the facility on Wednesday and observed chewed food packages present on store shelves The inspection report included three priority and five core violations which is an increase from the last inspection on Feb They noted that the chewed packages weren’t being discarded and “imminent health hazards exist due to mouse infestation,” according to the health department inspection report The report included observations of single-use items in the deli containing feces which were also present near the sink Mice feces were observed on store shelves and the report indicated that evidence of mice was present throughout the entire store Improper cleaning of the facility was observed and included in the Wednesday report multiple inspections were made over the past few weeks 31 an inspection report posted on the health department’s website listed no violations but did note the discovery of “chewed packages of bread and a chewed bag of bird seed Also found droppings on the bottom shelf in the bread aisle.” The report said a follow-up visit would be made in two weeks A follow-up report from an inspection on Feb Those also referenced the presence of “damaged (chewed) boxes of food on the shelves” and that the boxes had not been discarded Five others were listed as core violations which need to be corrected by a date and time agreed to or specified by the health department but no later than 90 days after the inspection The core violations included the presence of areas that showed evidence of mice nesting visible gaps at the back doors that could be sealed or corrected dead mice found in glue traps and a need to clean shelves more frequently to remove mouse droppings including eliminating nesting areas and better cleaning 5 report said follow-ups “will be done every two weeks until further notice to ensure cleaning is being done properly and things are progressing.” The inspection report on Wednesday also required the facility to be corrected within 72 hours a representative from Grant’s Hometown Markets said that they did not wish to comment at this time until more information could be collected about the infestation (WTAP) - Parkersburg Homecoming has new royalty 17 young women from across the Mountain State competed to be the next queens of the Parkersburg Homecoming Festival Pageant The 2025 winners were selected for three categories: PARKERSBURG – More than 150 people engaged in a protest today over a reported visit by representatives of the Department of Government Efficiency to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service offices in Parkersburg But whether anyone from Elon Musk’s initiative aimed at finding and eliminating wasteful government spending was in town has yet to be confirmed National media reports indicate the DOGE representatives were coming to Parkersburg to access a central government accounting system said he had heard those reports but could not confirm or deny the presence of DOGE People carry signs during a protest this afternoon in downtown Parkersburg over a reported visit by representatives of the Department of Government Efficiency to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service offices A protest organized by the ACLU of West Virginia started in Bicentennial Park about a block away from one of the offices Protesters walked from there to the Fiscal Service office off Market Street and on Avery Street Local attorney Walt Auvil was among those participating in the protest Based on actions involving other federal agencies he said he was worried DOGE could end up making significant cuts to one of the largest employers in the area without the Constitutional authority to do so “The DOGE thing is fundamentally illegal,” Auvil said “The question that we’re going to answer is We don’t know the answer to that question yet Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board said his department was aware of the reports and the protest PARKERSBURG — The house at 1208 Ann St in Parkersburg was demolished Thursday following nearly 40 years of vacancy had remained unoccupied and deteriorating for decades before the city pf Parkersburg awarded the demolition contract to Jimmie Harper Construction the team follows state-mandated procedures to control dust and debris including the use of water spray during demolition Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInPARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - All over the country, federal employees have been let go in response to cutbacks being made by the White House and the Department of Government Efficiency workers at the Bureau of Fiscal Service were laid off Its not confirmed this week’s layoffs were part of the federal cuts being made by DOGE and the Trump Administration, however, these layoffs come one week after reports were made of DOGE visiting the Bureau of Fiscal Service The exact number of those being let go has not officially been confirmed I think I can say at this point without any issues That’s just an approximation of about 80 probationary employees,” said Eric Engle NTEU Chapter 190 represents federal workers here in Parkersburg since it was only probationary workers who were let go this week Engle says the local chapter was not able to file any claims Engle did say NTEU National is actively working to help the employees let go will be filing additional litigation when information is received for all of these folks who have been impacted,” said Engle says she just started with the bureau in January And then not even there 60 days and let go I can’t even imagine some of the ones that I know their one-year probationary period was up on Monday Bragg says the news about the layoffs came after her and her colleagues received a teams invite Tuesday afternoon stating they needed to discuss their employment status there was nothing against us at that point maybe somebody that just was not up to par or not performing the way that they should have been it was just an instant everybody,” added Bragg READ MORE: A comprehensive look at DOGE’s firings and layoffs so far Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce says any job loss leaves an impact on the local economy so anytime jobs go away that that is a bad thing jobs of a highly skilled or highly compensated like most jobs at the bureau of public debt or a job working at sheets or working in a restaurant Jobs are really the backbone of economic development and we need more jobs in the Mid-Ohio Valley and Wood County and certainly in the city of Parkersburg,” said mayor Joyce Mayor Joyce says Parkersburg has been seeing a negative impact from the federal employees being remote workers the past few years “I know from being the mayor for the past eight years the remote work has already had a negative impact on our local economy or the very small city operated parking enterprise those have been negatively impacted over the last five years I think we’ve already felt it here for Parkersburg,” mayor Joyce said Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) says she has been monitoring the situation and has been in contact with the bureau during the recent events “The DOGE and the President are committed to a leaner more efficient government and one that works more efficiently for the taxpayer in the tax dollar Anytime you lose any type of employment in your local community all the things so many people through their work life do for and with their community I keep trying to look at the big picture here in terms of what’s going to work best for all of us while I am concerned about the folks that that in Parkersburg we’re going to wait and see what happens there We’ve been in contact with them pretty much all through this whole thing,” said Senator Capito Bragg says that although she was let go shortly after being hired I was a trainer there and had been there for eight years And took a major pay cut just to go to federal seems like a wonderful position to hold,” Bragg said READ MORE: DOGE expected to visit treasury offices in Parkersburg, reports say the Wood County Economic Development Office wants to let people know they are here to help “What we’re trying to do in this office is make sure we’re sharing any open and available jobs There are a lot of jobs open here in Wood County and that’s what we’re trying to work through right now but also contiguous counties,” said Executive Director Lindsey Piersol The next step is to contact Workforce West Virginia Peirsol also suggests checking out jobcase.com “So you can go on job case and narrow down by distance by job type I also recommend if you’re an employer and you do not have open jobs on job case Something that the state pays for and put your open positions into that platform,” Piersol added Some other local staffing agencies include: Engle and Bragg all say their hearts go out to those who were laid off and anyone who is impacted by the layoffs WTAP has tried contacting the Bureau of Fiscal Service regarding the recent layoffs (WCHS) — The total impact of the Department of Government Efficiency's cuts in the Treasury Department’s roughly 2,000-member workforce remains unclear One of West Virginia’s largest federal operations is in Parkersburg at the Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service where union officials report dozens of employees have been already been fired while others try to justify their value to DOGE an official with the National Treasury Employees Union told Eyewitness News about 80 employees were let go in Parkersburg while nearly 170 more were fired at other out-of-state locations County officials said they have no information on the scope of the cuts and that West Virginia's two U.S senators have been unresponsive their concerns We reached out to our delegation in Charleston and in D.C and asked if we could have a sit down with them maybe by them a pizza from Columbo's and give us the planning or doing,” commissioner David Blair said Shelley Moore Capito spoke to MetroNews regarding the issues "It’s very painful and I hate it for Parkersburg and those individuals that we need the right-sized government,” Capito said “We have trillions of dollars in debt and this is one of the things to get rid of waste fraud and abuse that the president has moved forward on." City officials said the Treasury has never shared information with them and that trend is continuing “This is hitting 50 states and hundreds of communities across the country,” Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce said The national overall impact of the layoffs will likely affect the economy and especially government contractors the issues are more personal for workers who counted on secure employment with the U.S Current and former workers are planning a protest Friday Parkersburg South High School pastry class teacher Duane Nutt hands out baked goods to visitors at the high school Thursday night during the second of three Wood County Board of Education LSIC (Local School Improvement Council) Showcase events PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Board of Education held the second of three LSIC (Local School Improvement Council) Showcase events Thursday night at Parkersburg South High School each school would go to the Board of Education meeting and present individually,” PSHS Principal Maria Francisco said and Williamstown schools to come together.” She said the event featured displays from multiple departments at South She said student council members were also on hand to guide visitors through the exhibits showcasing the wide range of activities available to students especially for our middle school kids coming up next year to see what all is available to them,” Francisco said She said her favorite part of the event is seeing the younger students’ enthusiasm to share their progress and achievements members of the band and ROTC performed the National Anthem Thursday night as the Wood County Board of Education held the second of three LSIC (Local School Improvement Council) Showcase events at the high school the best part is the littles wanting to show you their successes,” Francisco said I also like seeing everybody doing something a little bit different and trying to do what’s best for their school a lot of science and technology being used One of those successes included three second-grade students from Martin Elementary who came together to start a fundraiser for the World Wildlife Fund Myla Sprouse and Nick Brown were on hand to talk about their efforts to raise money for endangered tigers “They’re our teacher’s favorite animal,” Sprouse said Martin Elementary Principal Thomas Wheeler said Sprouse approached him with an idea Members of the Blennerhassett Middle School broadcasting team filmed a segment for their program Thursday night at Parkersburg South High School as the Wood County Board of Education held its second of three LSIC (Local School Improvement Council) Showcase events “She said they make bracelets and have a snow cone machine but it takes a half an hour to make one,” Wheeler said “So we settled on selling the bracelets and we had ice cream sandwiches and popsicles.” “We ran out of bracelets and had to make more the first day,” Sprouse said “I was surprised but it felt really good.” Spouse said with the success she had with the bracelets she plans to do another fundraiser this summer “I’m going to raise money to help pandas,” Sprouse said Director of Secondary Education Ken Cook talks to Parkersburg South High School theater students Zane Van Fossen and Chloe Lesher Thursday night as the Wood County Board of Education held its second of three LSIC (Local School Improvement Council) Showcase events at the high school She said she plans to open a lemonade stand and sell keychains to help her efforts Students from Franklin Elementary were also on hand to talk about their achievements “Our theme this year has been ‘Level Up,'” Principal Stephanie Agee said “The students are really into video games so we wanted to incorporate that.” She said their focus was to improve attendance A leaflet students were handing out said they decreased chronic absenteeism from 28.17 last year to 17.82 this year It said students reading at grade level went from 21% last year to 39% this year and grade level math has increased from 9% last year to 32% this year “We also received a grant from the Highmark Foundation to implement Little Spot Emotional Curriculum in every classroom,” Agee said Martin Elementary second-graders Nick Brown Myla Sprouse and Wrenley Dawkins talked to visitors at the Parkersburg South High School LSIC (Local School Improvement Council) Showcase event Thursday night about their efforts to raise money for endangered tigers The leaflet said counselors do bi-weekly emotional lessons in the classroom The board will hold its third and final LSIC Showcase event next Tuesday at Parkersburg High School at 6 p.m PARKERSBURG — Officers with the Parkersburg Police Department conducted a traffic stop Monday for a general moving violation leading to a major drug seizure and arrest a canine handler responded to the scene and conducted a free-air sniff around the vehicle for the presence of controlled substances The canine alerted officers to the presence of narcotics officers discovered approximately 12 grams of suspected fentanyl along with a substantial amount of U.S was taken into custody and charged with one count of possession with intent to deliver fentanyl officers executed a search warrant at Smith’s residence on Pickering Street The search led to the discovery of an additional one pound of fentanyl and various items consistent with drug distribution The Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force also assisted with the investigation executing a separate search warrant at a hotel in Wood County That search resulted in the seizure of additional controlled substances and U.S The total street value of the narcotics seized is estimated to be approximately $100,000 Smith was arraigned in Wood County Magistrates Court Authorities remind the public that all arrestees are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law (WCHS) — Wood County invested a large portion of its federal COVID funds in a multi-purpose $13 million structure on the site of the former county jail Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Wood County Resiliency Center was accompanied by complaints about how that money was utilized a meeting room big enough to serve as two courtrooms a backup 911 center and smaller conference rooms Some residents have voiced concerns over the move at recent county meetings threatening to take their grievances to the streets as the center was being showed off to the residents of Parkersburg but there has been some controversy surrounding the center Some residents question why it wasn't used a shelter during the recent bitter cold when a woman apparently froze to death in Parkersburg “A lot of concern recently is with the ability to use if for some kind of a natural disaster that we had lately,” Wood County resident Taj Rohr said “It seems like that was what it was sold on originally but for some reason the doors were not unlocked to use that for folks that needed to have a warming station." Rohr filed a Freedom of Information Act request on the project's finances County officials maintain they are proud of their multi-use building which provides enough space to operate in emergencies but insist smaller facilities work better as warming stations "We were prepared to open another building but typically warming centers aren't operated by government agencies,” Wood County Commission president Blair Couch said people: Citizens Against Virtually Everything and they were against this." County officials noted multiple meetings were held over the past four years giving the public an opportunity to provide ideas and feedback on the project W.Va (WCHS) — Protestors gathered in Parkersburg today to rally against the firing of local federal workers as a result of Department of Government Efficiency's attempts to reduce government waste The National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 190 said that over 100 federal employees have been fired so far in Parkersburg Those in Wood County are left trying to figure out the next steps moving forward without their jobs Just trying to figure out like what my family's going to do this greatly affects us," said Jennifer Piggott So we're just trying to figure out how to move forward." Piggott is not alone in her feelings of shock after abruptly losing her job Many of the protestors that were in Parkersburg today themselves had been fired Former and current federal workers were joined by community members to protest against the actions taken against federal employees by DOGE I've been trying to get this job for years working towards getting the experience that I need for it," said Sarah Hughes "It's a position that's supposed to be That's one of the benefits of being a part of the government." The Chief Steward of the National Treasury Employees Union said that these workers being fired is illegal and what DOGE is doing is breaking several laws He also said the reasoning behind their firings based on false information They violated civil service protection law," Engle said "They tried to say in many cases that the firings were performance-based or had cause-based on performance These people that were fired performed admirably merit systems law has been routinely violated in their firing." DOGE has said its purpose is to make federal services more efficient as well as reduce the amount of waste on behalf of the government Engle said that these cuts were not necessary and are in fact making the jobs of the workers that are left more challenging "Our jobs are much more difficult to do now There is no efficiency being accomplished here," Engle said "There are no taxpayer savings being accomplished here There is no waste fraud and abuse being rooted out here Those are things that we do as federal employees That's not something that Doge in this administration does The community level affects of these cuts such as livelihoods being lost and economic repercussions may soon be seen by the communities that house federal offices People are losing their livelihoods," Engle said They've got elders that they're taking care of Engle said that the National Treasury Employees Union is working with the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Office of Special Council to reinstate the employees who lost their jobs and to prevent future unneeded cuts A sign designating the Al Smith Stage hangs on the event tent at Southwood Park Wednesday Parkersburg City Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said the daughter of the late Smith gave her blessing for the tent to be moved PARKERSBURG — Parkersburg City Council narrowly voted to move a tent covering the stage in Southwood Park to a new location although two former council members offered to organize concerts at the park this summer During the public forum at Tuesday’s council meeting former Councilwoman Nancy Wilcox asked members to vote against a resolution authorizing the relocation of the event tent to the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau’s welcome center at 113 Ann St She said she was willing to organize entertainment there from June to September at no cost to the city other than emptying the trash receptacles “There’s no reason to move that out of there,” Wilcox said Summer concerts at Southwood began in 2013 with the organization citing low attendance Wilcox said it took a little time for the concerts to build an audience but at one point they were drawing 300 people Members of Parkersburg City Council listen during the public forum at Tuesday’s council meeting at the Municipal Building Parkersburg resident Dan Stevens said he supported moving the tent “Nobody wants to sit there because of the heat and the direct sunlight,” he said of the stage area at Southwood Stevens said he understood an amphitheater was planned for the park said she likes the amphitheater idea but wants the tent and stage to remain in place while it’s being built Nancy and I want to do Music in the Park in Southwood,” she said Parkersburg City Council voted 5-4 Tuesday to authorize moving the event tent in Southwood Park to the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau welcome center downtown An amendment proposed by Councilman Zak Huffman to leave the tent in place for a year failed in a 5-4 vote with Councilwomen Wendy Tuck and Cathy Dailey and Councilman Chris Rexroad joining him in voting for it The original resolution passed by the same tally Wilcox and Lynch both pointed out that the tent had been donated to the city by the family of the late Mayor Al Smith Kuhl said Smith’s daughter had given her blessing to move the tent Another resolution dealing with Southwood Park that drew comments in the public forum would establish the boundaries of a bird sanctuary across Belmont Road from the pond Parkersburg resident Brian Hayden said the city had already been declared a bird sanctuary years ago and called the resolution “superfluous and gratuitous.” “I am aghast at the lack of competence in bringing this bill before the council,” he said Parkersburg resident Ellisha Seabolt questioned the focus on a bird sanctuary “when we have human beings sleeping under our bridges.” Dailey asked if it was redundant because of the previous sanctuary legislation Mayor Tom Joyce said the primary goal was to have something on the books saying nothing could be built there to facilitate stormwater drainage in the area Kuhl said some people have mentioned concerns about feral cats in the area of the stage She said she’s been working with the people who feed the cats on a plan to safely remove them The bird sanctuary resolution passed unanimously Another unanimous vote authorized transferring $150,000 in Community Development Block Grant money originally designated to support construction of a new community health center to the residential assisted demolition program Coplin Health Systems informed city officials the project has been put on hold for 2025 An ordinance expanding the Public Outdoor Designated Area to year-round passed 8-1 on first reading where people can purchase alcohol in marked recyclable cups from participating businesses and carry them between businesses between Third and Ninth and One-Half streets in downtown Parkersburg is currently in effect from April 1 to Oct a historic preservationist with Designing Local reads responses to questions posed about the former G.C Murphy building during a discussion at the Downtown PKB offices following a tour of the building Tuesday a bowling alley and even a trampoline park were among the suggestions offered for what could go in the former G.C Murphy building by people who toured it this week The City of Parkersburg’s Urban Renewal Authority accepted the donation of the building at 714 Market St Requests for proposals were sought and a few prospective developers toured it but no concrete proposals were submitted city Development Director Ryan Barber said opened the doors to the 70,000-square-foot space to seek input from members of the community as to what they thought the facility could and should be People could walk through all three levels of the building which in more recent years housed office space for Highmark West Virginia about two dozen folks gathered in the Downtown PKB office down the street to share their thoughts and impressions Vienna resident Ginger Miller said she came partly out of nostalgia chats with city Development Department financial compliance officer Lisa Cullum Murphy building in downtown Parkersburg during an open tour of the city-owned facility “It was full of merchandise and clothes so you didn’t see all of this,” she said her family owns Curtis Miller Insurance in Parkersburg “I want the City of Parkersburg to thrive,” she said said she’s excited for the future of the downtown area “We want to make coming downtown an event again,” she said Murphy building on Market Street in Parkersburg during a community visioning session Tuesday Parkersburg City Councilwoman Wendy Tuck said the building is so big it would almost have to accommodate multiple uses “It’s amazing,” she said it’s got to have a way of paying for itself “I hope people can put their heads together and come up with some good ideas,” Tuck said Parkersburg residents Steve and Angie Schofield came in part because a company Steve works for had done some design work related to the building in the past “I think it’s wise,” he said of the approach the city is taking Word of mouth is strong in this part of the world.” Parkersburg residents Steve and Angie Schofield walk on the second floor of the former G.C Murphy building on Market Street in Parkersburg Tuesday The city opened the building for tours to get input from community members on potential uses for it The tour and discussion were facilitated by representatives of Designing Local a Columbus-based architectural firm that has contracted with the Main Street West Virginia program “I think the best takeaway is people getting to rethink what this space could be,” said Jasmine Metcalf “We’re really trying to think about how this is going to serve downtown Parkersburg.” On the wall of one of the first floor spaces Murphy building on Market Street in downtown Parkersburg on Tuesday participants gathered at the Downtown PKB office to discuss their thoughts * “Venues for special events for 100+ people Parkersburg resident Sue Ellen Waybright writes a response to a question about the former G.C Murphy building in downtown Parkersburg during a tour of the building on Tuesday * “Living spaces (apartments and condos) Downtown PKB Executive Director Amanda Stevens said she appreciated the turnout “I was thrilled to see that that many people cared enough to actually come out and take part in the discussion and the tour,” she said The public’s input will be compiled and included in a summary that can be provided to prospective developers Many grants and other funding sources require public input so Tuesday’s activities will be beneficial in that regard as well Barber said the city does not intend to own the building forever and is seeking “a successful partnership with a real estate developer.” Some fixtures remain on the second floor of the former G.C Cables hang from the ceiling on the first floor of the former G.C Murphy building in downtown Parkersburg during a community visioning session Tuesday (WTAP) - A homeless woman was found dead in Parkersburg after allegedly consuming alcohol with her partner deputies with the Wood County Sheriff’s Office and other first responders were dispatched to a wooded area located at Lakeview Center in Parkersburg but now homeless living in a shelter in the wooded area stated that a female was unresponsive at that location Deputies say they discovered Danielle Johnson An investigation found that Renn and Johnson had been partners for over eight years Renn said that they had both drank a lot of alcohol the previous night before going to bed He advised authorities he woke up and discovered Johnson missing from the shelter around 1 a.m The report says he then went outside and found Johnson lying in the snow stating she was too intoxicated to walk back to the shelter so he helped her back inside to get her warm Renn told authorities that when he woke up Although this incident is still under investigation deputies say they did not see any obvious signs of foul play Johnson was transported to the West Virginia State Medical Examiner for further examination Deputies noted that it is believed that alcohol and weather temperatures played a role in her death An examination of the shelter revealed they did not have any heat source This incident is still under investigation WTAP will provide updates as we receive them See an error in our reporting? Send us an email by clicking here! A Parkersburg Police cruiser crashed into the side of the Jimmy John’s building Wednesday night PARKERSBURG — Two Michigan men were arrested and one Parkersburg Police officer was injured Wednesday evening following a car chase that ended with a cruiser striking a downtown building in Parkersburg was charged with fleeing with reckless indifference resulting in bodily injury officers discovered that Reed had an active felony warrant in Cabell County for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance (fentanyl) Following arraignment Thursday in Wood County Magistrate Court was taken into custody and charged with possession of marijuana Harmon was also arraigned in magistrate court Thursday and released on $1,000 cash bond on the possession charge Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board said the investigation remains ongoing The vehicle crash aspect of the incident was being handled by the Wood County Crash Team The officer involved in the crash was transported by ambulance to a local medical facility for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries where he was treated and released Reed was also taken to a medical facility as a precaution Board said the incident occurred Wednesday night when about 6 p.m officers of the Parkersburg Police Department observed a vehicle linked to an ongoing narcotics investigation The vehicle was seen traveling at a high rate of speed on 30th Street near Birch Street in a residential neighborhood and the suspect vehicle initially pulled over traveling the wrong way on one-way streets and reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph on Route 50 The pursuit ended at the intersection of Market and Fifth streets when the suspect vehicle was involved in a crash with a Parkersburg Police cruiser the police vehicle struck a building located at 422 Market St. attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended a short distance from the crash scene Board said the Parkersburg Police Department would like to extend its gratitude to the Wood County Sheriff’s Department and Camden Clark EMS for their assistance in the incident the fleeing charge Reed faces is a felony offense punishable by 3 to 10 years in a state correctional facility This graphic image was created on Canva software the Parkersburg Art Center will hold its second annual Poetry and Art event in the Main Gallery at 6 p.m PARKERSBURG — Poets and artists will join in sight and sound Saturday at the Parkersburg Arts Center 15 local poets and 22 local artists come together to unveil their collaborative masterpieces which were then chosen by artists who crafted original artworks inspired by the selected poems The creators will meet at the Art Center to share their work with poetry readings and art presentations A piece by artist Homaira Khatun will be featured at the second annual Poetry and Art event Saturday at the Parkersburg Arts Center Organizers commended the support of West Virginia Central Credit Union and sponsor Farnsworth Law Office the art and poems produced through the collaboration will be displayed in the Art Center Reception Gallery starting in early May The exhibition is a celebration of the bond between poetry and visual art Artist Nathaniel Brown will be featured at the second annual Poetry and Art event Saturday at the Parkersburg Arts Center which were selected by artists who created original artworks inspired by the selected poems