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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State school superintendent Michelle Blatt says multiple factors have led to the many consolidations and closures across the state this year,
Michele Blatt
Blatt appeared on MetroNews Midday this week to speak on the issue, as two more districts have schools staring at consolidations due to declining enrollment.
Tonight at 5:30, the Randolph County Board of Education will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed closures of Coalton Elementary School and Midland Elementary

KANAWHWA COUNTY, W.Va. — One person was transported to the hospital Tuesday afternoon after a wreck on the West Virginia Turnpike.
The accident was reported on I-77 North near the 78.5-mile marker in the Sharon area and involved a passenger vehicle and a semi.
The crash shut down both northbound lanes, but one has since been re-opened.
There is no word on the extend of the victim’s injuries.
The post Wreck shuts down lanes on WV Turnpike in Kanawha County, sends one to hospital appeared first on

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — West Virginia University President Michael T. Benson continued his exploration of his new home with extensive visits to Berkeley and Jefferson Counties.
“I’ve been through the eastern panhandle, but this is the first time I’ve been here and actually looked around a bit,” Benson said during a conversation with MetroNews affiliate WEPM Radio in Martinsburg.
Benson visited the Proctor and Gamble facility in Martinsburg, a West Virginia University Agriculture extension farm in

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital has received a transformational gift from Thomas Golisano, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader that will change the name of the institution.
Thomas Golisano
The $28 million gift was announced Tuesday by Golisano with a delegation of WVU Medicine senior leaders at the Golisano Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship in Brighton, New York.
The new name will be WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s.
Officials said the major investment

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Phase 1 of the Huntington Homeless Services Hub is set to open Saturday.
Patrick Farrell
The idea for the Hub first came from Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell soon after taking office in January. He said Tuesday during an appearance on MetroNews Midday he remembers how cold it was and he was getting calls about the city not having enough beds to provide shelter for the homeless.
The idea for the Hub, which has a community dinner and open house scheduled for Tuesday night,

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The trial continues for a Kanawha County man accused of murdering a Jackson County woman and dumping her body in a well near Sissonville.
The second day of testimony in the trial of Michael Smith saw law enforcement, civilian, and expert witnesses take the stand on Tuesday as Smith faces charges of first-degree murder, concealment of a dead body, and using a firearm during a felony for the 2021 death of Cheyenne Johnson.
The state first called Jackson County Sheriff’s

LEWISBURG, W.Va. — Members of the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department Street Crimes unit arrested a Renick man and confiscated multiple drugs at his home.
Greenbrier County Sheriff Bart Baker said an investigation led them to the home of Obie Bennett of Renick, W.Va. A search warrant executed there turned up a large haul of illegal drugs and stolen goods from the Greenbrier County area. Sheriff Baker said his team seized 17 grams of methamphetamine, five grams of fentanyl, 20 grams of