ELKINS – A former City of Elkins employee is behind bars after he allegedly threatened the mayor and President Donald Trump, leading to city offices being locked down Wednesday, police said.
Christopher “Ben” Curtis, 44, has been charged with threats of terroristic acts. He is being held in the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail on a $100,000 cash bond.
According to the criminal complaint, filed by Deputy Connor D. Waldron of the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, on Wednesday he responded to the

ELKINS — Randolph County woman faces a felony drug charge after a police chase over shoplifting allegedly led to the discovery of multiple controlled substances and a “full confession” regarding drug distribution.
Hollie Marie Wickline, 48, is charged with one count of possession with intent to deliver, a felony. She is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $30,000 cash-only bond.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Deputy S.R. Schoonover with the Randolph County

CHARLESTON — Educational leaders in West Virginia kicked off a campaign emphasizing that public schools are the foundational heart of communities, providing essential services that extend far beyond traditional academics.
Members of the West Virginia Association of School Administrators, representing superintendents in all 55 county school systems, announced the official launch of the “I Love West Virginia Public Schools” campaign during an event Tuesday morning at Herbert Hoover High School in

PARKERSBURG – The large plumes of black smoke radiating from the Peoples Cartage warehouse site off of Camden Avenue since early Sunday were gone by mid-morning Tuesday as fire crews continued to douse hot spots at the scene.
“The fire is approximately 95% extinguished,” said Wood County 911 Director Dale McEwuen. “What they are doing now is they are checking some hot spots where they know some heat is still coming from.
“They are going to get into those spots and put the fire out there in those

BUCKHANNON — An Upshur County man faces a felony charge for allegedly being on drugs when he caused a head-on collision that sent two people to the hospital.
Trey Amadeus Johnson, 27, is charged with one count of driving under the influence of controlled substances or drugs causing serious bodily injury, a felony. He is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond.
According to the criminal complaint, filed by Trooper C.C. Jones with the Buckhannon

ELKINS – On Saturday, the City of Elkins celebrated America’s 250th Independence Day with a variety of activities including the Fourth of July Parade. Despite pop-up thunderstorms in the area, the parade began around 5 p.m. in downtown Elkins, starting on South Davis Avenue and concluding near Randolph Avenue.
This year’s parade featured decorating contests in multiple categories, including ATV/UTVs, bikes, performance groups and floats. Participants took part in the parade to display their hard

CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Board of Education voted unanimously during its monthly meeting on Wednesday morning to release Randolph County Schools from its State of Emergency status.    
Randolph County Schools was originally placed in a State of Emergency for a six-month period in June 2025 because of its inability to balance the 2026 budget. The state BOE then voted to extend the State of Emergency status for another six months in January of this year.   
On Wednesday, after West Virginia

ELKINS — More than 1,800 homes have been without power in the Elkins area today, with some possibly being without electricity until this evening, according to Mon Power.
Around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Mon Power reported that approximately 1,895 customers were without power. According to Mon Power’s website, power is expected to be restored by 6 p.m.
The cause of the outage is “pending investigation,” Mon Power stated.
An Inter-Mountain reporter observed the traffic light at the intersection of 11th

PARSONS – A Tucker County woman’s home was deemed a total loss and she was transported by Health Net to Pittsburgh for treatment after an explosion at her residence on Friday.
Tucker County emergency personnel responded to a 911 call for a structure fire at 8839 Holly Meadows Road in the St. George area or Parsons on Friday. Tucker County Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin White, who also serves as Parsons Volunteer Fire Department Chief, was the first to arrive at the scene and said

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Community Calendar is reserved for nonprofit, civic organizations. Unless otherwise noted, events listed should be considered free and open to the public. Entries appear in chronological order as space allows.
TUTORING: Kump Education Center is offering a four-week summer tutoring program. Any elementary aged student who needs help with reading is welcome. There is a cost. Students will meet with individual tutors one hour each week, through July 15. Call 304-801-3372 with