Officially Retired

Effective at midnight December 31, 2016, I am officially retired.  

After 30 plus years working in the legal field since 1986 (and having worked at least part time continuously since I was 15 back in 1976), I will no longer be engaged in any type of employment and will be whiling my time away in my rocking chair.  I have been asked countless times in the past year as I neared retirement what I will do when I retire.  The simple answer is "not work."  My "bucket list" of leisure and recreational endeavours will keep me occupied.

As many of you know, I did not seek re-election and Joyce Morton was elected unopposed in May, 2016 as the new Family Court Judge beginning January 1,  2017.  I wish her the best and hope the job does not sour her always positive, cheerful, and friendly disposition.

I will keep this blog online, but will only update it occasionally.

Webster Boys' Basketball Ranked 10th in Power Ratings

According to the BasketballNight.com power ratings released on December 30, the Webster County Highlanders boys' basketball team is ranked 10th in Class A out of 49 teams.  Among other factors, the rankings consider a team's win-loss record and strength of schedule.

Click the link below for the power rankings for all three classes:

Power Rankings

Holiday Hoops Tournament Cancelled

The threat of snow has caused the cancellation of the Webster County Holiday Basketball Tournament for December 29 and 30 according to a news release from 102.3 radio.

Will Snow Snub Holiday Hoops?

The Webster County Holiday Tournament scheduled for Thursday and Friday this week faces a threat of significant snow, with forecasts ranging from 3 to 6 inches (or more) beginning Thursday afternoon.

The girls kick off action Thursday with games scheduled at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at Highlander gym.  At 5:00 p.m., the Pocahontas boys play Liberty-Raleigh followed by the 7:00 p.m. nightcap with the Webster boys playing Braxton County.

On Friday, the consolation and tournament championship games will be played with the girls' consolation game at 1:00 p.m. and girls' championship game at 3:00 p.m.  The boys' consolation game with begin at 5:00 p.m. followed by the boys' championship game at 7:00 p.m.

Will Old Man Winter allow these games to proceed?  Or will the forecasters be wrong again?

WVU Football Team Arrives Safely in Florida

Thanks to United Airlines pilot and Webster County descendant Roger Hall, II, the WVU football team has arrived safely in Florida to prepare for their bowl game against the Miami Hurricanes.  The photos below show the United charter jet sitting in the pre-dawn runway at the Clarksburg, West Virginia airport, some of the team boarding the jet (photo taken from cockpit), and the buses awaiting the team in Florida.

WVU Bowl Hopes in Hands of Webster County Descendant

The fate of the WVU Mountaineer football team in its upcoming game against the Miami Hurricanes lies in the hands of a Webster County descendant.

The Mountaineers play in the Russell Athletic Bowl on December 28, 2016, to be televised on ESPN at 5:30 p.m.  Many folks pin WVU's hopes for a win on a combination of a strong defense coupled with good performances on offense by quarterback Skyler Howard and his teammates.

Head coach Dana Holgerson and defensive coach Tony Gibson have drawn up the game plan.  WVU fans are packing for the trip South to watch the game live.  The athletes have finished last minute preparations.

But none of that matters unless a Webster County descendant comes through in the clutch.

Roger Hall, II, is a descendant of lifelong resident Walter Hall of Guardian, and is the son of Roger Hall, I, who lives part time in Webster County.  Roger, II's son is currently a student at WVU.

But it all comes down to the performance of Roger Hall, II.  He is the pilot for United Airlines that will be flying the team to Florida.  Hall will pilot a special charter for the WVU team that leaves Clarksburg on December 26 at 9 a.m. and arrives in Orlando, Florida about two hours later.

If Roger, II does what he has done for the past 30 years of his flying career, WVU will be in warm, sunny Florida ready to blow out the Hurricanes.  Our word of advice for Roger, II as he prepares to fly the team to a bowl victory is this:  "Keep the shiny side up, the dirty side down, and please, stay out of the trees."

Abandoned Nuttallburg WV Coal Town Video

Nuttallburg, WV Click link for video.

Webster Beats Clay 63 - 53

A balanced scoring attack helped the Webster County Highlanders boys' basketball team beat the Clay County Panthers in Clay by a final score of 63 to 53 on Thursday evening.

The game was tight for the first three quarters. Clay led 16 to 13 at the end of the first quarter and by 27 to 26 at halftime. Webster lead 43 to 42 at the end of three quarters and then outscored Clay 20 to 11 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.

Webster had four players in double figures, led by Dalton Gray's 13 points. Dorian Groggs and Hayden Williams each had 12 points, and Bradin Miller chipped in 10 points. Rounding out the scoring for the Highlanders were Tyler Gray and Chase Rose with 6 points each, followed by Mathias Palmer and Cole McCourt with 2 points each.

With the win, Webster improves to 3 wins, 1 loss on the season. They travel next Tuesday evening to play the Midland Trail Patriots.

Typical Government Waste

In another fine example of wasteful taxpayer dollar spending, outgoing West Virginia Governor Earl Tomblin announced today the award of a Small Cities Block Grant of $1.5 million to the town of Clay for construction of 4.5 miles of new water line to serve only 54 households.

The grant is for $1.5 million but the total project cost is $2.3 million, which translates into over $42,592.00 per household to be served by the project.

If our local political leaders can get their act together, perhaps Bergoo could get $42,592.00 per household for the installation of a community septic system.  This would alleviate the ongoing dumping of untreated, raw sewage into the Elk River by the households along Leatherwood Creek in Bergoo.  

Treating raw waste dumping into the Elk River, which is the water supply for folks in Webster Springs, seems to be more of a pressing issue than 54 households getting public water.

Gang of Turkeys, Excited Gobblers on December 14, 2016

Highlanders Jack Richwood 77-65

Opening tipoff between Webster and Richwood.

The Webster County Highlanders boys' basketball team beat back a fourth quarter rally by the visiting  Richwood Lumberjacks Monday evening by a final score of 77 to 65 at Upperglade.

Webster took its first lead at 10 to 9 late in the first quarter and never surrendered the lead after that. The Highlanders led 33 to 25 at halftime and rolled to a 16 point lead at 61 to 45 with 6:28 remaining in the game.  This seemingly insurmountable lead was due in large part to 5 points scored by crowd favorite senior Michael Malcomb, who also added a block and a steal during this stretch of the game. The 16 point lead was also aided by senior Hayden Williams' two 3 point bombs in the third quarter.

Timeout during fourth quarter action against Richwood.

Richwood did not go away quietly, however, as they mounted a furious rally to pull within 6 points with about 2:30 remaining in the game. Sophomore Dorian Groggs, who led all players in scoring with 24 points, then sealed the win for the Highlanders with six made free throws in a row.

With the win, the Highlanders improve to 2 wins, 1 loss on the season.  They next play at Clay County this Thursday evening.

For the first time this year, senior Dalton Gray, one of Webster's leading scorers from last season, played for the Highlanders.  While he scored 17 points, his shooting percentage was less than normal as he shook off what appeared to be the lingering effects of a high ankle injury sustained earlier this year in practice.

Individual scoring for Webster: Malcolm 5; Williams 19; Groggs 24; Dalton Gray 17; Tyler Gray 4; Mathias Palmer 4; Cole McCourt 4.

Highlanders Race Past Greyhounds

Highlanders getting ready for second half action against Valley-Fayette.

The Webster County Highlanders' boys basketball team notched their first win of the season over the visiting Valley-Fayette Greyhounds by a score of 69 to 58 Thursday evening.

This game for the Highlanders was certainly a Dr. Jekyl-Mr. Hyde performance as Webster raced out to an impressive 47 to 33 halftime lead.  The second half, however, was a slow stalemate as the Highlanders managed only 22 points and Valley tallied 25.  

Webster improved to one win, one loss on the season and they next play at home on Monday against rival Richwood.

The scoring for Webster appeared to be balanced.  In this writer's opinion, Mathias Palmer stood out in scoring, defense, and overall presence under the hoops.  Somewhat of a surprise off the bench in limited action was the strong play of Michael Malcomb, who had at least three perfect assists, strong defense, and a few points.  In addition, Hayden Williams, Bradin Miller, and Dorian Groggs led the fast paced first half attack.  For the second game in a row, the Highlanders were without the play of senior Dalton Gray, who is recovering from an ankle sprain.

Parents of the Year Award Nominees

The list of folks contending for "Parents of the Year Award" continues to grow in West Virginia.

The latest two nominees includes a couple from Boone County who allegedly smoked marijuana and took muscle relaxers before going to bed and while they were sleeping their three year old child was found at 3:00 a.m. wandering the streets clothed only in a diaper in the 30 degree weather.

When police located this couple, they allegedly found the house full of cockroaches and knats over spoiled rotten food in the kitchen, and the house was in generally filthy condition.

Reports say this is the second time in the past few weeks that the child was found unaccompanied outside the house. 

The child (who was treated at the hospital and was found to be suffering from a lung infection and severe ear infection), and another child in the house, are now in Child Protective Services' custody.

Both parents are in jail.

Rocky Start for Highlander Boys Basketball

Information received from our anonymous tipster Richard Rose is that the Webster County Highlander boys' basketball team lost its first game of the season to host Doddridge County by a score of 66 to 37.  The Highlanders have their home opener and next game scheduled for this Thursday against Valley-Fayette.

The girls team opened their season on a similar sour note at Calhoun County, losing 47 to 25.  The girls play Wednesday evening at Gilmer County before returning for their home opener on Friday against Roane County.

Class A All-State Football Team Announced

The West Virginia Sports Writers Association released its Class A all-state football team yesterday and while no Highlander player made the first or second teams, three players were given special or honorable mention.

Luke Hardway received special honorable mention and Chase Rose and Jay Stiltner received honorable mention.  The Highlanders finished their season with 6 wins, 4 losses and missed out on the playoffs when they lost their regular season finale 8 to 7 against Clay County.

The full Class A teams can be found at this link: Class A all-state teams

Glenville State College on the Budget Chopping Block

Countless Webster County residents have attended and are presently attending Glenville State College. The College has in the past few years made significant expenditures in upgrades at its campus, particularly with the new multi-use WACO center.

That, however, is not stopping a group of West Virginia state Republican legislators from suggesting that both Glenville and Bluefield Colleges be closed as part of cost cutting measures to balance the state's budget. According to a Cardinal Institute report, the two colleges each serve fewer than 2,000 students but combine to cost state taxpayers $11.8 million annually. The report ranks Glenville and Bluefield as the two least efficient colleges in West Virginia.

Cardinal's report, entitled "Wild and Wasteful West Virginia: Exposing Waste, Fraud and Abuse of Your State Tax Dollars," states:  Today, thanks to virtual education options, there is little justification for throwing good money after bad in an attempt to keep failing colleges afloat. If West Virginia is wise enough to combine, privatize or shutter a few of its least successful schools, students at those institutions would be able to transfer to another state university, if they so choose. If moving or commuting is prohibitive, the impacted students could continue their studies online using the robust virtual opportunities offered by many of the state’s top schools.

With no end in sight to West Virginia's ongoing budget deficits, any cost cutting measures are fair game.

The full Cardinal report can be downloaded at this link: Waste Report

Morris Nets 25 Points to Lead Glenville in Win

Some things never seem to change.

And so it was today, December 3, 2016, at the WACO Center in Glenville as former Webster County basketball standout Brett Morris led his Pioneers to an 82 to 74 win over the Cavaliers of the University of Virginia at Wise.

In his typical manner, Brett, now a senior at Glenville, drained a game high 25 points and added 10 rebounds for his fourth "double-double" of the season.  With the win, Glenville improved to 2 wins, 3 losses on the season.

The video shows Brett tipping in a shot with about a minute remaining in the game to give the Pioneers a 77 to 72 lead.  He immediately followed that up with a monster block on the other end.

Flyer That Got Judge-Elect Callaghan in Trouble

This is the front side of the flyer that resulted in Judge-Elect Steve Callaghan facing a one year suspension.

Although the West Virginia Judicial Hearing Board recommended that Judge-Elect Steve Callaghan be suspended for one year, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals today ordered that he can take office on January 1, 2017 pending a full hearing before the Court on January 10, 2017.  At that time, the Court will decide if Callaghan should be suspended.

It should be noted that the WV State Bar disciplinary counsel had agreed not to file any charges against Callaghan because he made radio ads apologizing for the flyer.  Disciplinary counsel did tell Callaghan that if anyone else complained, they would have to then determine if charges were appropriate.  Judge Gary Johnson's brother, a lawyer in Charleston, filed the complaint which was eventually heard by the Judicial Hearing Board.

Highlander Basketball Season Set to Begin

It is that time of year again for the Highlander boys and girls to hit the hardwoods for their first basketball season as Class A teams.

The girls open their season December 2 at Calhoun County.  Their first home game is scheduled for December 9 against Roane County.

The boys' team, under new head coach Mike Gray, opens play at Doddridge County December 6 and play their first home game on December 8 against Valley-Fayette.

Full schedules posted by the WVSSAC can be found at these links:

Boys Schedule

Girls Schedule

Neighboring Judge-Elect in Hot Water

Judge Gary Johnson lost the election by 220 votes.

Longtime Nicholas County Circuit Judge Gary Johnson lost a close election this past May.

His opponent, Summersville lawyer Steve Callaghan, won the election by a mere 220 votes.

Many blame Johnson's loss on misleading advertising by Callaghan.  Shortly before the election, Callaghan's campaign sent out a postcard suggesting that Johnson was drinking beer with President Obama at the Whitehouse and that Obama and Johnson were conspiring together to kill coal jobs in West Virginia.  The postcard was a total fabrication. 

Steve Callaghan faces a one
year suspension.

Today, the Disciplinary Board of the West Virginia State Bar Association recommended to the West Virginia Supreme Court that Callaghan's license to practice law and his ability to be sworn in as the new judge for Nicholas County be suspended for a period of one year.  If the high court adopts that recommendation, Callaghan will not be able to serve as judge until January, 2018.

Attorneys for the Bar Association wanted a two year suspension.  Callaghan's attorney said the decision violates Callaghan's free speech rights and did not believe any suspension was warranted.

Trail Camera Photos Sunday Before Gun Season Opens

Photos taken by two trail cameras at the Webster-Braxton County border near Route 15.

Brett Morris Collects 1000th Point in College Career

Former Webster County basketball standout Brett Morris scored his 1,000th point in his college career on Saturday as his Glenville State College Pioneer basketball team fell at Shepherd University 89 to 86.

Morris, who holds Webster's all time highest career point total and single game scoring records, tallied 13 points to go over the 1,000 point mark.  Morris also grabbed 12 rebounds in the game against Shepherd.

Wearing the familiar #23 (his high school basketball uniform number), Glenville State College Pioneer senior Brett Morris scored his 1,000th point in his college career this past Saturday (photo from GSC athletic department website).

Greedy Oil & Gas Company Loses Case before WV Supreme Court

In a rather complex case involving how much an oil and gas company must pay the mineral owners in royalties, the West Virginia Supreme Court ruled today in favor of the mineral owners.

Three private individuals owned about 75 percent of the oil and gas rights under certain property in Doddridge County.  The oil and gas has been leased to various companies since 1906.  Presently, the lease is held by EQT Production Company ("EQT"), a company who has been in Webster County for the past several years buying up oil and gas leases.

Under West Virginia law, when a lease is as old as is the one in this case (dating back to 1906), the oil and gas company must pay the mineral owners a royalty of one-eighth of the value of the oil and gas extracted regardless of what the old lease may have said.  In this case, greedy EQT tried to get around paying the mineral owners their full one-eighth royalty by deducting from that one-eighth royalty all types of post-production costs incurred after the oil and gas was extracted (such as refining, transporting, etc.).

The West Virginia Supreme Court ruled against EQT, concluding that the mineral owners are entitled to their one-eighth royalty without any deductions.

The full text of the Court's opinion can be found at this link: Gas Companies Lose

Mountain Valley Pipeline Dealt Huge Defeat by WV Supreme Court

The proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline project slated to run through Webster County and to generate as much as $1.6 million in tax revenue to the County in its first year of operation lost a major case today before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

MVP surveyors had sought to enter private property without landowner permission to conduct pipeline surveying.  A Monroe County Circuit Judge ruled that MVP could not enter onto private property without the landowner's permission because the MVP project does not serve a public purpose.  Only government or certain private entities vested with the power of eminent domain can enter without permission.  For eminent domain to apply, the project must be for a public purpose.

Today, West Virginia's high court agreed with the Circuit Judge.

The implications of the high court's decision may doom the pipeline project.  Since the Court agreed the pipeline only serves the private financial interests of the MVP, and serves no public purpose as the State gets no benefit from the pipeline, landowners who do not want the pipeline can refuse to let surveyors on their property.  In addition, landowners cannot be forced to consent to the pipeline being built on their property since the MVP will not be vested with the power of eminent domain to force landowners to do what they want.

Whether this puts a stop to the pipeline remains in doubt.  MVP's only option now is to re-route their proposed pipeline through landowners who consent and do not object.  This is good news for private landowners as they can ask for a better lease price or simply tell MVP to take their pipeline elsewhere.

Click here for the full text of the Court's opinion:  Pipeline Loses

Write In Candidates Fail Again

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Time and time again in Webster County, write-in candidates attempt futile campaigns against candidates whose names appear on the ballot.  And guess what?  The write-in candidates keep losing by large margins.

Last night was no different.

Three time candidate Johnny Sandy, who previously lost to Sheriff David Bender in 2012 and earlier this year in the primary election to Dave Cutlip, attempted a write-in campaign against Cutlip in yesterday's general election.  And, wait for it.... strike three occurred.  Sandy lost to Cutlip in a landslide, 1,724 votes for Cutlip to 891 for Sandy.

Similarly, first time candidate Torli Bush ran a write-in campaign against incumbent House of Delegates member Dana Lynch.  Bush barely registered and Lynch coasted to victory over Bush with about 10 percent of the vote, and  Lynch's closest competitor was perennial Republican candidate Duane Borchers, followed by a Mountain Party candidate.

In the past 25 years in Webster County, the only time a write-in candidate actually won was when the write-in candidate was facing another write-in candidate, but never against a candidate whose name appeared on the ballot.

And so history keeps repeating itself with these futile write-in campaigns.

Webster Early Voting Totals Near 15%

Of the 5,917 registered voters in Webster County, 908 voters (or 15.35% of the total) cast an early ballot at the Webster Courthouse (the early voting period ended November 5).  The 908 early votes easily surpassed the 599 early votes cast in the May, 2016 primary election (the general election early voters represent a 51.5% increase over the primary early voters).

On Top of Old Smokey

The Webster County Courthouse's 19th century coal furnace heating system reared its dirty, smokey head today causing coal fumes to infiltrate much of the courthouse. 

Attempts at lighting the old coal furnace failed today, leaving some in the Courthouse a bit chilly this morning.  In addition, the fire alarm frequently went off to the enjoyment of those involved in court proceedings in both the Circuit and Family Court.  

At one time in the not too distant past, the Courthouse had a $350,000.00 rainy day fund set aside to cover the anticipated costs of a new modern heating and air conditioning system, but declining revenues and the ballooning jail bill wiped out that fund a few years back.

Air Mail Football Delivery

Highlander Football Season Comes to Disappointing End

On Friday night, the stars were aligned for the Webster County Highlander football team to grab a playoff spot with a win against visiting Clay County.  All four teams that Webster needed to lose tonight for Webster to move into the 16th and final playoff spot did in fact lose.  Unfortunately, so did the Highlanders, 8 to 7, and with the loss, their season and playoff hopes came to a crashing end. Webster led tonight's game 7 to 0 until Clay grabbed and 8 to 7 lead in the fourth quarter.  With time running out, the Highlanders drove to the Clay 3 yard line, but a penalty and a muffed snap on a potential game winning field goal sealed the Highlander's fate, and Clay took over on downs and ran the clock out.

Highlander Football Team Ranked 19th

The Webster County Highlander football teams enters its final regular season game (this Friday at home against Clay County) currently ranked in a tie for 19th with three teams in the battle to be one of the top 16 teams in Class A to make the playoffs.  A loss eliminates Webster from the playoffs while the win gives the team a chance at the 16th spot.

Early Voting Numbers High

As of Noon, Tuesday, November 1, 2016, a total of 526 voters cast their ballots for the November 8, 2016 General Election.  According to County Clerk Eva Green, the 526 early votes are more (at this point in the early voting) than were cast in the primary election earlier this year. Only 599 early votes were cast during the entire early voting period in the primary election.  Early voting at the Webster County Courthouse continues through November 5, 2016.  

Webster's Path to the Playoffs

According to the prognosticator on wvtailgatecentral.com, the Webster County Highlanders have a narrow path to make the playoffs.  

Currently, with their win last night, Webster should move up from 21st to 20th place in the battle to be one of the top 16 teams that make the playoffs.  

To move into the 16th slot and a berth in the Class A playoffs, the following results must happen:

1.  Webster beats Clay next Friday (a loss eliminates Webster conclusively).

2.  16th ranked Tyler Consolidated loses next week to 9-0 St. Marys.

3.  17th ranked Clay-Battelle loses next week to 1-8 Madonna.

4.  18th ranked Mt. View loses next week to 7-2 Summers County.

5.  19th ranked Bishop Donohue loses next week to 7-1 Wheeling Central.

The Highlanders need to take care of business against Clay and then see if the cards fall in their favor.

Highlanders on Four Game Win Streak

The Highlander football team won their fourth straight game to improve to six wins, three losses on the season after beating Tygarts Valley 50-28 Friday evening.  

Webster plays its final home game of the season against Clay next Friday "for all the marbles" with a possible playoff berth at stake.  While a loss next week ensures Webster's season will come to an end, a win does not necessarily mean a playoff berth but will depend on the results of other teams ahead of Webster in the rankings.

WV High Court Rules Drunk Driving on Private Property Illegal

Today, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals decided that if you are drunk and drive a motor vehicle anywhere in the State, whether on public or private property, you can be charged with DUI and lose your driver's license.  Previously, a person could only be charged and lose their driver's license if the drunk driving was on a public highway.  Today's decision overruled the prior law.  The full text of the Court's opinion can be found here:  Drunk Driving on Private Property Case

Highlanders Projected to Remain Ranked 21

Based on computer rankings by wvtailgatecentral.com (which uses the same mathematical formula as the WVSSAC rankings), the Highlander football team will remain ranked 21 out of the 44 Class A teams despite their victory Friday against Calhoun County.  

Only the top 16 ranked teams make the playoffs.  Under all possible scenarios, Webster County must win its final two games to finish with seven wins, three losses on the season, to have any chance at the playoffs.  The Highlanders play at one win, seven loss Tygarts Valley next Friday followed by their final home game against Clay County (currently with three wins, five losses) in two weeks.

Rain Soaked Highlanders Prevail at Calhoun County

The constant rain dampened only the Highlanders margin of victory as they prevailed Friday night against the host Calhoun County Red Devils by a score of 16 to 0.  Webster improves to five wins, three losses on the season and will likely move up in the rankings as at least one team ahead of them lost.

Highlanders Inch Closer to Possible Playoff Berth

After their two most recent wins improving their record to four wins, three losses on the season, the Webster County Highlander football team is now ranked 21 out of the 44 Class A teams.  Webster moved up from 24th place to 21st place in the battle to be one of the top 16 teams to qualify for the playoffs.  The Highlanders have three regular season games remaining.  They play at Calhoun County and at Tygarts Valley before returning home for the regular season finale against Clay County.

Former Webster Coach Enjoys Continued Success

Steven Nutter (left, back row) is shown here with the St. Mary's cross country teams he now coaches after leaving Webster County this past Spring.

Former Webster County high school coach Steven Nutter is continuing his successful ways in his new job as head coach for the St. Mary's Blue Devils cross country teams.

Nutter, who led the Highlanders' success in track, cross country, and boys' basketball, coaches both the boys' and girls' cross country teams at St. Mary's.  Recently, the Blue Devils' boys team placed first to win the Little Kanawha Conference Cross Country Championship held at North Bend State Park in Doddridge County on October 13.

Out of the 12 boys' conference teams, Webster placed a distant 11th behind St. Mary's.  Highlander senior Brent Wamsley turned in Webster's best time, finishing 39th out of the 90 boys' runners in the meet.

Also, of the seven girls' teams competing in the LKC championship, St. Mary's finished third, and Webster County was sixth.  Highlander senior Sierra King placed 23rd out of the 62 girls who competed for Webster's best finish in the meet.

Another Lopsided Win for Highlanders

For the second week in a row at Highlander field in Upperglade, the Webster County football team rolled their opponent, this time by a score of 43 to 6 against the winless Ritchie County Rebels. 

Webster put up 36 first half points in a game which junior varsity players saw significant playing time.  Kicker Jared Romano was perfect in five point after touchdown kicks and Webster made a two point conversion on their other touchdown. With the win, the Highlanders improve to four wins, three losses on the season.  Webster travels to Grantsville next Friday to play Calhoun County. 

At halftime, the team and fans honored a fan who has attended every home football game for the past 40 years since the school opened at Upperglade.

Video below shows punter Michael Malcomb with a nice kick.

Sex Offender's Jury Conviction Upheld by WV Supreme Court

WARNING:  The Court's opinion includes graphic details of the sexual assault, summarized below. If you are easily offended by such details, you should leave now.

Today, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals upheld the guilty verdict and sentencing of a Webster County man convicted of first degree sexual abuse and sexual abuse by a parent.

According to the opinion of the Court, a father was accused of molesting his seven year old child. The primary evidence against the father was his own statements that he gave to investigating State Police officers.  In those statements, the father admitted to masturbating in bed while the child was also in his bed, and/or that he was teaching the child how to masturabate.  The State also presented the testimony of a psychologist who said the child exhibited signs of sexual abuse.

The father testified that the police beat the statements out of him.  He claimed he was hit in the eye when he would not give a statement to police.  He said his booking photo would show his swollen shut eye, but at the trial the booking photo showed no such thing.

After the jury convicted the father of the two crimes, he was sentenced to concurrent terms of 5 to 25 years and 10 to 20 years, for an effective sentence of 10 to 25 years.

The Supreme Court found no error in the trial, in the jury's verdict, or in the sentence handed down by the Circuit Judge.

The full text of the Court's opinion can be found at this link:

Court Opinion

Highlanders Ranked 24th Out of 44 Class A Teams

After their lopsided win against Meadow Bridge last Friday, the Highlanders improved to an even 3 win, 3 loss record and are currently ranked 24th out of 44 Class A football teams according to rankings released by the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission.  

The WVSSAC rankings determine the top 16 teams that will qualify for the playoffs.  In its remaining four games, the Highlanders face three Class A schools currently ranked below them and one Class AA team.  A sweep of the remaining four games could land Webster County with a high enough ranking to make the playoffs.  

The Highlanders face the Ritchie County Rebels this Friday at Upperglade with a starting game time of 7:00 p.m., with homecoming festivities preceding the kickoff at 6:00 p.m.  The weather is currently forecasted to be clear with game time temperatures in the mid-fifties.

Glenville Basketball Team Includes 3 from Webster County

Former Webster County Highlander basketball players Robbie Cogar (#21 on far left), Hunter Given (#22 fourth from left), and Brett Morris (#23 sixth from right) will play for the Glenville State College Pioneers this upcoming season.

The 2016-17 men's basketball team for the Glenville State College Pioneers includes three former standouts from the Webster County Highlanders. Seniors Brett Morris and Hunter Given are joined by incoming freshman Robbie Cogar as the Pioneers get ready to open their 2016-17 season next month.

Supreme Court Justice Tired of WV Being Raped

"I, for one, am tired of out-of-state companies coming in and raping our state and not providing the citizens their fair share."

So said West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Robin Davis today during arguments over whether the Mountain Valley Pipeline ("MVP") can force landowners to allow their surveyors onto private property to survey for their proposed pipeline.

MVP lawyers argued the surveyors would cause no damage to landowner's property.  Landowner lawyers argued that the MVP serves no public purpose as no West Virginian would have access to even the first drop of gas flowing through the proposed pipeline and therefore MVP has no right of eminent domain.

MVP's proposed pipeline crosses Webster County from north to south and could generate (if MVP claims are to be believed) as much as $1.6 million in personal property taxes in its first year of operation.

A decision by the high court is expected within 60 days.

Highlanders Rout Meadow Bridge 54 to 6

The Webster County Highlander football team improved to an even three win, three loss record with a rout of the visiting Meadow Bridge Wildcats by a score of 54 to 6 Friday evening.  The Highlanders racked up 19 first quarter points and exploded for another 22 points in the second quarter enroute to a 41 to 6 halftime lead.  The Wildcats only score came on a kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter.  Despite intermittent rain during the game, Highlander fans stayed supportive throughout the game.  Meadow Bridge dropped to one win, six losses on their season.  The Highlanders play next Friday at home against Ritchie County, who are winless in seven games this season.

West Virginia Drug Laws Out of Whack

West Virginia legislators need to take a hard look at penalties for some of its state drug laws.

A person convicted of selling one small marijuana cigarette faces a penalty of not less than one but not more than five years in prison, and/or a $15,000.00 fine.  A person convicted of selling 100 marijuana cigarettes faces the same exact penalty.

1 Joint

Vs.

100 Joints 

Same Penalty

Who's the real drug dealer who needs to be in prison?

Highlanders on Three Game Skid

The ninth ranked Class A Summers County Bobcats proved too tough for the visiting Webster County Highlanders who suffered their third loss in a row by a score of 41 to 6 Friday evening in Hinton.  

The Highlanders' record now stands at two wins and three losses.  They return home Friday, October 7, to host the Meadow Bridge Wildcats.  The Wildcats sport a one win, five loss record this season.

Hacker Valley Leads County Schools in Performance

According to recent test results released by the West Virginia Department of Education, students at the Hacker Valley Elementary School lead all county schools in proficiency in math, science, and reading.

For the 2015-16 school year, a minimum of 60% to a high of 71% of Hacker Valley students met the proficiency standards in the various subjects. In contrast, students at the Webster Springs Elementary School scored a low of 17% to a high of 31% proficiency and students at the Glade Elementary School scored a low of 25% to a high of 36% proficiency.  The Webster County High School range in proficiency in the three subjects from 14% in math, 28% in science, and 42% in reading.

If nothing else, these results confirm that the smaller class sizes enjoyed by the Hacker Valley school leads to better test results by the students.

Full results can be accessed at this link: Test Results (click the "State Assessment Results" tab on upper right and then put in Webster County and its schools for results)

Heading to the Summers County Football Game?

For those Highlander fans planning to travel to Hinton to attend Webster's football game against Summers County this Friday evening, you owe it to yourselves to budget in an extra hour or more to visit one of West Virginia's top natural sites.

Sandstone Falls is located about eleven miles from the Summers County High School.  Click the link below for a view of Sandstone Falls and the New River:  Video of Sandstone Falls

The school and the football field is located on Route 20 (on the right between the road and the New River) about two miles before reaching downtown Hinton.  The easiest way to travel to Hinton is to take Route 19 South from Summersville to Interstate 64 (use the North Beckley exit off of 19 South to avoid toll road). Route 19 South will lead you to Interstate 64 East toward Lewisburg.  On 64 East, take the Sandstone/Hinton exit (update: this exit is closed so take exit 143 and follow detour route) and travel South on Route 20 toward Hinton.  Once in Hinton, continue through the downtown to the long bridge over the New River and immediately at the end of the bridge turn right (going down river) and travel about nine miles to the Sandstone Falls parking lot.  The road along the New River to the Falls provides many picturesque sites along the way (this road turns into a narrow lane and one half, so exercise caution).

Case at WV Supreme Court May Decide Webster County's Future

Webster County's financial future may be dependent on a case from Monroe County, West Virginia that will be argued at the West Virginia Supreme Court on October 11.

Webster County is effectively bankrupt.  It has an approximate $3 million annual budget and owes over $1.5 million to the Regional Jail Authority.  Coal severance revenues which once accounted for 20 percent of tax collections (i.e., about $600,000.00 per year) is now non-existent as there are no operating coal mines in the County.

Short of drastic budget cutbacks and employee layoffs, the County has no realistic way to pay the jail bill, let alone its day to day operating expenses.  County officials are seriously considering the filing of a bankruptcy unless they can enter into a reasonable repayment plan with the Jail Authority.

One possible bright spot in Webster County's financial future is now on hold and may be decided by the West Virginia Supreme Court based on a lawsuit brought by two landowners in Monroe County.

That Monroe County case involves the Mountain Valley Pipeline ("MVP"), which is slated to dissect Webster County from north to south.  MVP has promised the County as much as $1.6 million in tax revenue during its first year of operation (originally slated to begin in 2018).  This type of annual tax revenue would obviously solve the County's budget crisis for the next several decades.

However, the pipeline project encountered a major obstacle in Monroe County.

The Monroe County landowners sued MVP to stop them from surveying for the pipeline on their property.  The landowners argued to a Circuit Judge that MVP had no right to trespass on their property because the pipeline project is not for a public purpose.  Since the project is for the private profit of MVP, the landowners argued that MVP has no right of eminent domain to force the landowners to consent to both the survey as well as the eventual construction of the pipeline crossing their property.

A Monroe County Circuit Judge sided with the landowners.

The Circuit Judge correctly ruled under West Virginia law that MVP could not survey the pipeline on the landowner's property without their consent unless the pipeline project was for a public use.  Based on the testimony of MVP's own experts, the Judge found that not a single West Virginia resident will ever have access to the gas from the pipeline.  The Judge ruled that the pipeline project is for the sole private profit of MVP and they could not therefore force consent from the landowners.

MVP has now appealed that decision and it will be argued before West Virginia's high court on October 11.

If the high court upholds the Circuit Judge's injunction, MVP will have to find a new route around those Monroe County landowners.  Such a ruling would also mean that any other landowners along the pipeline's proposed route could refuse MVP from surveying and/or constructing the pipeline on their property.

If the Circuit Judge's decision is upheld and MVP encounters too many hostile landowners along the proposed route, the whole project could be scrapped and all the potential tax revenue will be gone.  As a result, this decision could have major financial implications for Webster County's future.

Read the Monroe Circuit Judge's Decision here:  Injunction Issued Against Pipeline

Read the argument of the MVP here:  Full Argument of Pipeline

Read the argument of the landowners here:  Full Argument of Landowners

Click here for the MVP website regarding claimed economic benefits for Webster County:  MVP Website

Highlanders Fall at Notre Dame

The Webster County Highlander football team lost 21 to 12 at Notre Dame this evening, falling to an even 2 win, 2 loss record.  They head to Hinton to play Summers County next Friday evening.

Baseball Player with Webster Connection Suspended

Mariners' catcher Steve Clevenger

The major league baseball team Seattle Mariners suspended catcher Steve Clevenger today for the rest of the season for tweets he posted to his Twitter account critical of protesters in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Clevenger, who has relatives living in Webster County, posted the following tweets:

Black people beating whites when a thug got shot holding a gun by a black officer haha shit cracks me up! Keep kneeling for the anthem!

BLM (Black Lives Matter) is pathetic again! Obama you are pathetic once again! Everyone should be locked behind bars like animals!

Clevenger has since issued the following apology:

I grew up on the streets of Baltimore, a city I love to this very day," Clevenger said in a statement first released to Fox Sports. "I grew up in a very culturally diverse area of America and I am very proud to come from there. I am also proud that my inner circle of friends has never been defined by race but by the content of their character. Any former teammate or anyone who has met me can attest to this and I pride myself on not being a judgemental person. I just ask that the public not judge me because of an ill worded tweet.

I do believe that supporting our First Amendment rights and supporting local law enforcement are not mutually exclusive. With everything going on in the world I really just want what is best for everyone regardless of who they are. I like many Americans are frustrated by a lot of things in the world and I would like to be a part of the dialogue moving forward to make this a better world for everyone. I once again apologize to anyone who was offended today and I just ask you not judge me off of a social media posting. Thank you and God bless everyone.

Abandoned Dog Update

In reference to the story below about the abandoned dog posted yesterday, the Braxton County animal control officer was able to pick up the dog late last night and the dog is now at the Braxton Animal Shelter in Sutton. According to shelter staff, the dog has very sore feet, lending credence to the animal control officer's opinion that it was a bear dog that was run to near death and broke down because of it.

WCHS Ranked 21 Out of 44 Teams

Heading into an away game against Notre Dame this Friday, the Webster County Highlander football team is ranked 21 out of 43 Class A schools in the most recent West Virginia Secondary Schools Athletic Commision ratings.  

The Highlanders sport a 2 win, 1 loss record, while the Irish of Notre Dame at Clarksburg have a 1 win, 3 loss record.  The top 16 teams in each class will qualify for the playoffs.

Throw Away Society & Pets

Recently, a number of posts have been appearing on social media websites where owners of pets are giving away their pets for a number of reasons (i.e., "we no longer have time for this pet" "I'm moving" "we have kids to take care of", etc.).  Sadly, many of these pets have been in the "care" of their owners for several years.  Now, those pets are being tossed to the curb, figuratively and literally.

Today, the dog observed in the accompanying video was seen at 9:00 a.m. next to a gray, full sized pickup truck at a wide spot at the Braxton-Webster county line on Route 15.  It was assumed this was a bear dog waiting for its owner to return (the dog bear season is in this week in Webster County and this appears to be a bear dog type).  An hour later, the dog and the truck were at the same spot, with no person in site.  Then, at 7:00 p.m. this evening, the truck was gone but the dog was still at the same wide spot.  The person who abandoned this dog built a makeshift shelter and left bread for the dog (as seen in the video).  The dog is injured and can barely stand.

This is a sad commentary on the state of our throw-away society.  

T&L Hotdogs Grand Finale Cruise In Car Show

Photos are from some of the 200 plus antique and classic cars who cruised in for the T&L Hotdogs Grand Finale Cruise In Car Show in Clarksburg on September 17, 2016 (click photo for larger version).