President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address at the University of Alabama on Thursday evening. WATCHMultiple car crashes reported on Richlands Highway; drivers urged to exercise cautionby Chloe Ettinger Crews are working on multiple car crashes scenes on the Richlands Highway according to the Onslow County Sheriff's Office Motorists are advised to exercise caution while traveling on Koonce Fork Road and Hines Farm Road Pittsburgh Union Progress longtime Pine-Richland coach Kurt Wolfe always finds a way to get the most out of his ballclub — and this year’s team is no different With four WPIAL titles and 275 victories under his belt in two decades at the helm Wolfe is one of the most successful and well-respected coaches in the district But while he always seems to have the Rams in the thick of the championship chase at season’s end they haven’t been to the WPIAL final since 2019 after dropping down from Class 6A to Class 5A Pine-Richland is on a mission to end its six-year championship drought — and with 14 wins in their first 16 games and the postseason just around the corner the red-hot Rams have their eyes on the ultimate prize but we’re also realistic in our expectations,” Wolfe said Our goal is to hopefully make the playoffs and win the section and then win the WPIAL championship and state championship But you have to put yourself in the position to do so.” the Rams have navigated a challenging schedule with relative ease while leaving a handful of quality opponents in their wake But while some coaches choose to rely on one ace pitcher at the front of their rotation Wolfe has the luxury of touting a pair of aces up his sleeve Pine-Richland packs a powerful 1-2 punch in flame-throwing right-handers Keegan Deihl and Drew Boivin Senior closer Tristan Farrar has been lights-out coming out of the bullpen allowing only one hit and zero runs in eight innings of work while freshman Carson King has also been stellar in relief with a 2.33 ERA over 15 innings pitched “We’re blessed to have some nice pitching depth this year and a lot of experience on the mound,” Wolfe said “Farrar and [Deihl] have been there since their freshmen years … We have not let up a lot of runs this year and a lot of that is due to the relationship that our pitching staff and defense has.” Deihl’s fiery passion for the game is on full display every time he takes the mound he holds a record of 6-0 with a 1.72 ERA and 40 strikeouts to 19 walks in 36⅔ innings pitched — and he has still yet to take his first official loss owning an overall record of 16-0 for his career I figured out my slider was always my best off-speed pitch But I have really worked with being able to tunnel it with my fastball,” Deihl said “I matched it with my fastball release point which I didn’t really do when I was younger and that makes it so much harder for hitters to see Then the curveball was pretty much the same thing.” Coming off an injury-shortened sophomore season Boivin is a junior receiving interest from several Power Four schools With a record of 4-1 and a 1.84 ERA to go with 47 strikeouts to 16 walks in 26⅔ innings pitched Boivin is punching out nearly two batters per inning and his mastery of the strike zone has been every bit as impressive as his overpowering stuff “Drew and Keegan work well together,” Wolfe said “I think the boys have done a nice job of attacking hitters and trusting their defense and locating all their pitches.” the Rams have a half-dozen seniors playing key roles throughout their lineup and you won’t find any easy outs from the top to the bottom of the order then he went hitless his entire sophomore season in 15 at-bats and he finally put it all together as a junior receiving first-team all-section honors after posting a team-high .375 batting average with four doubles I tried to swing lefty,” Heckert said “Developing and understanding the mindset that you’re going to fail more than you succeed in baseball is a hard thing That’s what I’ve been trying to put on these younger guys You’re going to fail more than you succeed but it’s how you respond to that adversity.” Heckert is taking his game to a whole new level batting .440 with a team-leading eight doubles and 20 RBIs is second on the team with 11 RBIs while batting .300 with two doubles Both Heckert and Cunningham were standouts on Pine-Richland’s WPIAL championship-winning football team last fall and the two will continue their athletic journeys by playing college baseball together at Frostburg State next year and things will fall where they may,” Heckert said leaving our mark there and winning two championships I think we left the program in a better place than when we started there so this journey isn’t really ending for us.” senior leadoff hitter Anthony Mengine is batting .326 with four doubles and an on-base percentage of .516 while leading the team with 16 walks senior first baseman Jake Waddell is batting .340 senior third baseman Anthony Annichine is hitting .341 and freshman right fielder Breck Hemphill is hitting .343 “There’s where the depth comes in,” Wolfe said “We have nine guys in our lineup who are not only good hitters that are competing every pitch and every at-bat in every inning “It’s been fun to watch and fun to coach.” the Rams appear to have all the right pieces in place along with the proper culture and team chemistry to make a deep playoff run It won’t be easy in a loaded Class 5A tournament field but it feels like Pine-Richland is long overdue for a trip to the big game — and it’s hard not to like its chances with such a battle-tested group “As good as our offenses have been all those years — and we have had some good offensive teams — it’s been the guys on the mound and the defense behind them,” Wolfe said With Neshannock’s softball team in the midst of an unprecedented dynasty the Lancers’ baseball team tends to get overshadowed around this time of year though — Neshannock has had plenty of success in baseball over the years the Lancers might have what it takes to sweep the WPIAL Class 2A titles in both sports this season Fueled by a loaded lineup featuring three players batting .500 or better 7-3) boasts the highest-scoring offense in the WPIAL at an average of 11.1 runs per game Competing for playoff positioning in the rugged Class 2A Section 2 standings alongside teams like Shenango the Lancers are currently tied for second place in the section — and a massive two-game slate against the Lions is looming large on the final week of the schedule sophomore catcher Luca Mezzanotte leads the team with a .511 batting average followed closely by seniors Jake Rynd and Hunter Wilson at an even .500 Mezzanotte is also tops on the team with six doubles and 23 RBIs with fellow sophomore Ryan Cameron batting .455 with five doubles and 20 RBIs With three WPIAL titles in the past 15 seasons and six overall in program history Neshannock is tied for the fourth-most championships of any WPIAL school And although a decade has now passed since they captured their most recent WPIAL and PIAA crowns in 2015 the Lancers are only three years removed from a trip to the state championship game — and this could be their best chance yet to climb back to the top of the mountain Montour mustering up momentum ahead of postseason push After making the move up from Class 4A to Class 5A Montour encountered a bit of a rocky start this spring while losing four of its first five games veteran coach Bob Janeda has righted the Spartans’ ship just in time for the playoff push 6-4) winning nine of its past 12 games to move into third place in Class 5A Section 4 behind Thomas Jefferson and Baldwin The surging Spartans picked up a crucial 8-3 road win on Wednesday to salvage a split of the season series against the Highlanders as senior Andrew Porto went 3 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs Junior Michael Ivanoff and sophomores Zander Stern and Dalton Young each drove in a pair as well to help Montour take home the victory junior Matteo Weber leads the team with a .487 batting average to go with 2 triples Stern is hitting .314 and Young is batting .368 Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Richland County Baseball Power Poll No though this week's isn't a newcomer to the top spot Let's take a look at where each team ranks SOFTBALL POWER POLL: Race for Richland County Softball Power Poll far from over with three weeks left in regular season The Flames lost both of their games since the last power poll to Central Christian twice they are hitting .163 and have given up 78 unearned runs this season Those are the stats that are telling the story of their season They have one more with Central before a Saturday full of baseball when they host Malvern and Harvest Prep The Tygers went 2-2 since the last power poll with a 3-0 Game 2 win over Crestline before roughing up Toledo Rogers 20-0 They fell to Sandusky 13-3 on Monday and Madison 5-2 on Tuesday but they are inching closer to that 10-win mark no-hitter with 14 strikeouts in five innings The only baserunner came on a dropped third strike Sean Tanner pitched a seven-inning shutout with 14 strikeouts and they hope they lead them to a victory over Madison in Game 2 before hosting Bucyrus on Friday and Mansfield Christian on Monday Madison (2-15)The Rams went 1-2 since the last power poll before beating Mansfield Senior 5-2 on Tuesday The Rams have nine losses by four or fewer runs and one more by five so they are far from getting blown out of games they got over that hump when Grady Spurlock ripped a two-RBI single in the top of the ninth against the Tygers to pull off the dramatic win The Rams hope to complete the series sweep of Mansfield Senior before heading to Norwalk on Thursday and Clear Fork on Monday Crestview (5-10)The Cougars went 2-1 since the last power poll with a 6-5 win over New London an 8-7 loss to Northmor and a 12-2 win over Mapleton The Cougars are 1-5 in one-run ballgames this season Jeb Workman had a hit and two RBIs and closed things out in the seventh inning on the mound Brayden Parrigan was the player of the game with three hits and four RBIs If the Cougars can start winning those close games They have Mapleton once more this week before closing out the week at home against Lucas on Thursday and Edison on Friday The Minutemen entered last week in the Ohio Cardinal Conference race but after getting swept by Wooster an 11-0 loss to Hiland and a 9-7 loss to Ashland to push their losing streak to five games and drop them to .500 for the year They have Ashland once more this week before traveling to Clear Fork on Friday and hosting Big Walnut on Saturday The Warriors went 2-2 since the last power poll beating Pleasant 20-0 before falling to Clyde 4-1 and Norwalk 9-5 and rebounding with a 7-6 win over Marion Harding Jaren Holden hit a grand slam in the win over the Spartans and is now hitting .478 with 22 hits and 20 RBIs in just 14 games Dean Kearns ripped a walk-off 2-RBI double in the win over Harding The Warriors get Harding once more this week for a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference series as they prep for another huge series next week against Shelby Lucas (8-5)The Cubs make a return to the top four this week after winning both of their games since the last power poll They earned a split with Central Christian that put them in a position to win a Mid-Buckeye Conference championship After beating Colonel Crawford 15-3 in nonleague action on Monday to claim at least a share of the MBC championship Ray Caudill had a hit and two RBIs while Brady Anschutz tossed a gem on the mound The Cubs now turn their focus to prepping for the postseason with a trip to Crestview on Thursday and to Hillsdale for games with the Falcons and Clear Fork on Saturday Plymouth (8-5)The Big Red had just two games since the last power poll They beat Mapleton 13-3 with Lex Grose having a day with three hits Paul 6-1 on Tuesday for a massive Firelands Conference win The Big Red has a big stretch of games coming with one more against St Paul this week before hosting Buckeye Central on Friday and possibly making up the second game with Mapleton the Whippets fell to Clear Fork 6-0 after the Colts scored six in the bottom of the sixth to send the Whippets off with a loss Quinton Albert had three hits in that game and continues to mash hitting .385 with 20 hits The Whippets get Clear Fork one more time before traveling to Bellevue on Monday and beginning their MOAC series with Ontario next week The Colts are back on top of the standings this week after going 2-0 since the last power poll They beat Marion Harding 10-0 before shutting out Shelby 6-0 Jay Jackson had two hits and five RBIs with a home run to lead the way offensively Garett Hotz was a one-game wrecking crew with a hit and two RBIs while throwing a complete-game shutout They have another one with Shelby this week before hosting Lexington on Friday playing Hillsdale and Lucas on Saturday and hosting Madison on Monday The Richlands Cajun Market is set to host its annual gumbo competition on Saturday allowing visitors to taste and vote on gumbo from 15 competitors retired from the Marine Corps and opened the market three years ago on Wood Drive off Highway 111 "We run 300 plus people through the gumbo competition so everyone that comes through gets to taste all 15 competitors' gumbo." everything we have is certified Cajun and are made or produced in Louisiana So we have everything from boudin and sausages to gumbo The winner of the eight-gallon gumbo competition will receive a $200 prize sampling the creations is free for attendees Onslow County — Multiple fire crews responded to a single-story structure fire Saturday afternoon in Richlands right behind Richlands High School just after 1:00 pm Crews arrived on scene quickly to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the barbershop portion of the home The blaze was contained and did not enter the main part of the residence according to Richlands Fire Department Chief The owner of the home informed News 12 staff that he was not home at the time of the fire and the cause of the fire remains under investigation Black Swamp Volunteer Fire Department and the Onslow County Sheriff's Office provided assistance This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is known Update Feb.16 10:15 a.m.: A spokesperson with Virginia Department of Emergency Management said there have been over 100 rescues so far in VA as a result of flooding in the past 24 hours Original story:Heavy rains Saturday swept through Virginia The National Weather Service issued a flood emergency alert for Tazewell County along the Clinch River and flood warnings throughout Southwest Virginia about 60 people were evacuated near the Clinch River according to Richlands police chief Ron Holt Holt said weather predictions are forecasting water levels on the Clinch to continue to go down Swiftwater rescue teams from Virginia Beach and Bristol are on site assisting local fire and rescue departments at Riverview Elementary School and Grundy Presbyterian Church are open as shelters Both Tazewell and Buchanan counties are near the Kentucky and West Virginia State lines, which also experienced life threatening flood situations. One man has died in Kentucky in the floodwaters, according to the Associated Press Other counties across Southwest Virginia faced flood warnings and road closures as a result of flooding It's not known at this time how many residents across the Commonwealth have been affected by flooding A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management said they are "actively involved in gaining situational awareness of current flooded areas and our teams are on the ground and engaged in supporting local responses." 19,000 people across Virginia are without power as of Sunday morning, according to the website poweroutage.us. Richlands baseball has hosted the Touchstone Energy Classic over Sprng break featuring the Onslow County Schools and a few outsiders for what some coaches call the districts World Series As the hosting Richlands Wildcats and Jacksonville Cardinals wrapped up the first day in thrilling fashion scoreless through three and a half until Marcus Branthoover with a skipper down the third base line gets past the 3rd baseman and Wildcats up 1–0 head to the 6th inning Cardinals Vasco Sutton with a deep knock into left field for the go ahead 2 RBI single then right after that Carter Moore with a deep blast into center as the Cardinals came back to win 5–1 for first year head coach Josiah Zamora who used to play at Southwest Onslow Cardinals play tomorrow at 4:00 in the winners bracket earlier in the day Southwest Onslow took on Clarke County from Virginia Logan marks snagged a great catch at third base as the highlights were the rest of the way on the offense eight in the 4th as the Stallions run-ruled the Eagles 15–1 Swansboro won in extra innings 4–3 against Northside Jacksonville in 8 and McMichael run ruled White Oak 11–1 Second round games start at 10 am tomorrow in the WNBA draft NC States Saniya Rivers went 8th overall to the Connecticut Sun the senior star scored over a thousand career points midway through the year this season against Virginia Tech averaged 12 points and nearly 7 boards per game And will head up to chilly north where the Suns 28–12 record will only grow with the Wilmington native Aziaha James was the final pick of the first round heading to the Dallas Wings and shell join number one pick Paige Bueckers The senior Wolpfack averaged 17.9 points per game and just about five rebounds per contest Her fluid downhill movement and elegance near the glass will be a great boost for Dallas this year A Richlands home was deemed a total loss but all residents were able to escape after a fire late Sunday night crews found a two-story home with heavy fire conditions All occupants were outside of the residence upon emergency crew arrival a smoke alarm activated and alertered the residents to the fire and Onslow County Fire Marshall's Office The Red Cross has been called in to assist occupants with their needs A fire investigation into fire has been determined Unintentional/Accidental at this time Onslow County — A Richlands man is facing multiple charges after driving through a Homecoming Parade last Friday The Richlands Police Department say 38-year-old Johnathon Warren was charged with felony flee to elude arrest unsafe movement and possessing an open container Officials say the incident occurred on October 11 around 4:15 p.m while streets were closed off for the Richlands High School Homecoming Parade Officers say a vehicle operated by Warren approached the intersection of Wilmington Street and Hargett Street and proceeded to drive around a marked police car after being told to stop Warren turned in the parade line up on Hargett Street They say he continued traveling down Hargett Street until he came to the intersection of Hargett and Academy streets Warren hit an occupied parked vehicle while attempting to turn onto Academy Street Warren was taken into custody and remains at the Onslow County Jail under a $8,000 secured bond Two women have been charged after a special needs 5-year-old child was taped to a desk earlier this month according to the Richlands Police Department (WCYB) — Two women have been charged after a special needs 5-year-old child was taped to a desk earlier this month was charged with two felony counts of cruelty to a child and failure to report child abuse by a mandatory reporter on Thursday Police said Short has been released from a magistrate on a $5,000 bond The Richlands Police Department said on February 10 that it was made aware of allegations of child abuse occurring at Richlands Elementary School specifically occurring in special education classroom The allegations of abuse were reported to the Department of Social Services on February 7 by school employees Immediately after receiving the report on February 10 members of the Richlands Police Department Command Staff contacted the Commonwealth's Attorney with the allegations and began to investigate investigators with the Richlands Police Department and the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office interviewed multiple witnesses and employees of Tazewell County Public Schools and reviewing evidence collected at Richlands Elementary School it became clear that 41-year-old Jessica McCoy had assaulted and committed acts of abduction related to her treatment of a 5-year-old boy Multiple witnesses saw McCoy tape the victim to a desk for prolonged periods of time February 4-7 McCoy was charged with two counts of abduction and two counts of child cruelty was sentenced to 360 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for the production of child pornography Suniga will also have to pay $74,000 in restitution to nine victims On Feb. 24, 2023, Suniga was arrested and charged with 10 counts of Second-Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. According to court documents and other information presented in court Suniga was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after receiving two cybertips related in which Google reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children one of its users had uploaded nine images and videos of child pornography also known as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) Agents with HSI obtained the internet protocol (IP) address associated with the Google Drive account and then obtained search warrants for the email accounts associated with the IP address and determined they belonged to Suniga The search of Suniga’s email resulted in the discovery of several images and videos of a minor victim that appeared to have been produced by Suniga Believing a child to be in imminent danger agents executed a search warrant at the residence associated with the IP address Suniga admitted to taking images constituting child sexual abuse images of a child in his residence as well as possessing images of child sexual abuse unrelated to that child A digital forensic examination of his email account and his digital devices revealed numerous images and videos Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S The Department of Homeland Security Investigations and Onslow County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case Marine Corps Air Station New River has officially adopted Richlands Elementary School as part of the Adopt-A-School program The school hosted a special event this afternoon to celebrate the beginning of this partnership expressed his enthusiasm about the adoption Richlands Elementary is the 33rd school to be adopted by a military unit through this program The Adopt-A-School program aims to foster relationships between military units and local schools providing support and resources to enhance educational experiences - An investigation is underway after a drive-by shooting in Richland left one child injured officers were called out to respond to reports of possible gunfire at the Orchard Hills Apartments around 4 a.m They say several individuals living at Orchard Hills called 911 to report that their apartment had been hit in a drive-by shooting noting that a 10-year-old child had been struck by the gunfire Numerous shell casings were found in the parking lot outside the location as well as multiple bullet holes that struck the apartments and a nearby residence Authorities say a child inside the gunfire-riddled apartment had sustained two gunshot wounds and was transported by medics to a nearby hospital The child was treated for their injuries and was released from the hospital a short time later A canvass of the area and nearby residences revealed no additional injuries This incident remains under ongoing and active investigation Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Richland Police Department through the non-emergency dispatch phone number at 509-628-0333 or at their website We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time