The Webster Commentator: April 2016

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Hayes Leads Track Team to Strong Showing at Gazette Relays

Senior Austin Hayes with Coach Steven Nutter at the Gazette
Relays on April 30. Hayes earned the top amount of points (30)
among all Class AA competitors.

Led by senior Austin Hayes, the Webster County boys track team posted a strong third place showing (out of 11 teams) at the Charleston Gazette/Friends of Coal Relays held in Charleston on April 29 and 30.

On day one of the event, Hayes finished second in the 3200 meter run with a time of 9:59.28. Jimmy Lacaria of Bridgeport Senior High School finished first with a time of 9:41.31.

Other performances of note on day one included the 4 x 800 meter relay team of Ben Cochran, Korbin White, Seth Vandevender, and Mathias Palmer who finished 3rd among eight teams and the 4 x 110 meter shuttle hurdle team of Nathan Casto, Ike Hamrick, Seth Vandevender, and Korbin White who finished 2nd among eight teams. Casto also finished 7th out of 14 competitors in the 110 meter hurdles.

At the end of day one, the Webster team was in a three way tie for second place among eight teams that had at least five events scored.

On day two of the event, Hayes was back at it smoking the tracks. He finished first in the 800 meter and 1600 meter races, and he and teammates Mathias Palmer, Ben Cochran, and Korbin White finished second in the 4 x 400 meter relay with a time of 3:43.44. Austin's time in the 800 was 2:04.14 and his time in the 1600 was 4:29.50, a personal career best. Hayes finished the event with 30 total points, the highest of all Class AA competitors.

Other performances of note include Seth Vandevender's 8th place finish out of 18 competitors in the 300 meter high hurdles and Nathan Casto's 4th place finish out of eight competitors in the final round of the 110 meter hurdles. In the 400 meter dash, Ben Cochran and Mathias Palmer finished 6th and 7th respectively out of 19 competitors.

The girls track team did not fare so well, finishing 9th overall out of 11 teams. At least two bright spots for the girls team included a 3rd place finish (out of 11 teams) for the 4 x 800 meter relay team of Courtney Treadway, Courtney King, Sierra King, and Carson Short, and a 3rd place finish (out of seven teams) for the 4 x 400 meter relay team of Amy Perrine, Madison Loughridge, Carson Short, and Courtney Treadway. In addition, Courtney King finished 5th out of 12 competitors in the 3200 meter run and Courtney Treadway finished 6th out of 26 competitors in the 800 meter run.

Full results at: http://runwv.com/TF16/TF16INDEX.HTML

Friday, April 29, 2016

Weather Shortened Buckhannon Track Meet Results

Some partial results from the rain shortened boys varsity track meet at Buckhannon High School on April 26 includes:

Coach Steven Nutter (center) with Courtney

King (l.) and Ben Cochran.

--Mathias Palmer (sophomore) finished 4th in the 400 meter dash with a time of 56.68 (out of 13 competitors)

--Korbin White (junior) finished 6th in the 1600 meter run with a time of 5.16.95 (out of 16 competitors); teammates Quest Babcock (sophomore) finished 9th and Chris Bender (freshman) finished 13th

--Nathan Casto (sophomore) finished 4th in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 18.70 (out of 10 competitors)

--Austin Hayes, Ben Cochran, Mathias Palmer, and Dustin Williams finished 3rd in the 4 x 200 meter relay with a time of 1:43.13 (out of 7 teams)

--Austin Hayes, Ben Cochran, Mathias Palmer, and Korbin White finished 1st in the 4 x 800 meter relay with a time of 8:57.93 (out of 6 teams)

Of the six boys teams in the meet, Webster finished 4th overall on the events scored.

On the girls side of the ledger, senior Courtney Treadway finished 4th out of 21 competitors in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:06.62. Teammates Jordan White and Carson Short finished 9th and 11th respectively. Sierra King, Courtney King, Carson Short, and Courtney Treadway finished 2nd in the 4 x 800 meter relay among six teams competing.

Coach Steven Nutter with senior Austin Hayes at the Gazette
Relays in Charleston, after Hayes finished 2nd in the 3200.

The track teams are currently competing in the Gazette Relays in Charleston on April 29 and 30. According to a recent Twitter post by Coach Steven Nutter, senior Austin Hayes placed second in the 3200 meter run with a sub 10 minute time.

The Quiet Race for Circuit Judge

Judge Jack Alsop

Hiram Lewis

Of all the candidates seeking public office in the upcoming May 10 primary election, the one race receiving perhaps the least attention is that for Circuit Judge of the 14th Judicial Circuit (which includes Webster, Braxton, Clay, and Gilmer Counties).

Two Judges serve in the 14th Circuit. Judge Richard Facemire is running unopposed for one of the two seats.

The contested race for the other seat pits incumbent Judge Jack Alsop of Webster County against Clay County attorney Hiram Lewis. Judge Alsop was admitted to the West Virginia State Bar in 1977 and has served as Circuit Judge since 1996. Lewis was admitted to the bar in 2001 and has run for office in 2000 (State Senate), 2002 (U.S. Senate), 2004 (WV Attorney General), 2006 (U.S. Senate), and 2008 (WV Attorney General) and lost all five times.

Webster County Employment Picture

According to WorkForce West Virginia, the top 10 employers in Webster County at the end of 2015 were:

1. Webster County Board of Education

2. Brooks Run Mining Company*

3. Webster County Memorial Hospital

4. J.C. Hamer Company

5. Cogar Enterprises

6. Seneca Health Services

7. Allegheny Wood Products

8. Northwest Hardwoods

9. Webster Nursing & Rehabilitation Services

10. Webster County Senior Citizens

*Brooks Run Mining Company has since shut down

As a State, West Virginia is the only state in the United States where less than half of its adult population works. The statewide unemployment rate in March, 2016 was 7.2%; Webster County's unemployment rate was 8.4%. West Virginia has 17.4% of its population on disability benefits, compared to about 10% nationwide.

Full statistics at: http://lmi.workforcewv.org/DataRelease/CountyRelease.html

Thursday, April 28, 2016

People Leaving Webster County by the Bucket Full

According to the United States Census, Webster County's heyday occurred in the 1940's when over 18,000 people were residents of the county.

With one exception, it's been all downhill since then.

From 1940 to 1970, the population decreased to 9,809. Webster saw a bump in population to 12,245 in 1980 but by the time of the 2010 Census, Webster's population stood at 9,154.

By Census estimates, in 2015, Webster now stands at 8,755 residents. About 23 percent of Webster's population lives below federal poverty levels.

In its history, Webster has voted Democratic in every presidential election except in 1972 (when the county voted for Nixon over McGovern) and in 2012 (when the county voted for Romney over Obama).

Write-In Candidate for Sheriff

Sheriff candidate Barney Fife is shown
here with his campaign manager, Gomer
Pyle, both of Mayberry R.F.D.

It was bound to happen.

With all the muckraking, personal attacks, and negativity in some of the local elections, a new candidate for Sheriff has emerged. Former Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife of Mayberry R.F.D. has filed as a write-in candidate in the upcoming election.

Fife is running a no holds barred campaign with the enlistment of Gomer Pyle as his campaign manager. Fife certainly holds the advantage with name recognition and stellar law enforcement experience. He also has the endorsement of former Sheriff Andy Taylor.

A recent poll conducted by Aunt Bee has Fife well ahead.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Mountain Valley Natural Gas Pipeline Project Update

The MVP project crosses the western half of Webster County with its mid-point near Erbacon.

In the Fall of 2014, representatives of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project made a presentation in Webster County at the Webster Springs Municipal Building to inform residents of the proposed pipeline. In October, 2015, the MVP filed its formal request for approval with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Approval is still pending.

This natural gas pipeline project is for a buried 42 inch pipeline that begins in northern West Virginia and ends in North Carolina. The pipeline is projected to cross most of the western half of Webster County from Lower Lick Run near Replete to Camden on Gauley.

Proponents of the MVP project tout its economic benefit to Webster County in the form of estimated personal property tax revenue in its first year of operation (set for late 2018) in the range of $1.4 million, with depreciating revenues in following years.

The project has hit one major stumbling block when in August, 2015, Monroe County Circuit Judge Robert Irons ruled in favor of property owners who were seeking to stop MVP surveyors from entering their properties to survey for the pipeline's location. Judge Irons ruled that the MVP project failed to establish that the project would provide sufficient public use to justify entering private property without an owner's permission. It is not clear whether that ruling was appealed. MVP can simply go around the objecting property owners onto property where the owners do consent.

According to the project schedule, construction is slated to begin in December, 2016 (see below).

The Mountain Valley Pipline project map showing its path across West Virginia into Virginia.

Austin Hayes: Cross Country/Track Threat

Webster County High School's cross country and track programs were in the limelight during the 2014-15 school year due in large part to the accomplishments of Brettley Harris, now a freshman at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Harris was the Class A-AA cross country champion and runner-up in the Class A-AA men's 3200 meter race at the State Championships.

This year, quickly following on Brettley's footsteps is Highlander senior runner Austin Hayes.

Austin Hayes at a cross country meet.

Hayes, who was most recently ranked the top long distance threat in Class A-AA, has improved his performances each year of his high school career under the guidance of Cross Country and Track coach Steven Nutter. In his cross country career (a race of 5,000 meters), Hayes registered these improving times: 2012, 9th Grade, 20:47.84; 2013, 10th Grade, 17:13.35; 2014, 11th Grade, 16:42.4; and 2015,12th Grade, 16:38.1. His time of 16:38.1 this past Fall gave Hayes a fourth place finish in the WVSSAC Class A-AA State Championship, just 27 seconds behind the first place winner.

In his track season in 2016 so far, Austin's notable finishes included a first place finish in the 800 meter race with a time of 2:03.92 and a third place finish in the 3200 meter race with a time of 10:07.52, both at the Harry Green Invitational held at Bridgeport High School on April 16, 2016.

Austin's personal best times are:

400m - 59.22

800m - 2:03.50

1600m (in) - 4:41.27

1600m - 4:31.91

3200m (in) - 11:18.28

3200m - 10:07.52

5K (xc) - 16:38.12

Austin Hayes (far left), Coach Nutter (center), and Brettley

Harris (center right).

Austin doing some "high water" training.

Primary Election Night Coverage Source

On primary election night, May 10, 2016, the Commentator will post updates of the results in selected local elections for Webster County. Races that will be posted include: Sheriff, Magistrates, and Circuit Judge. Results will be posted here long before any other local news source.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Early Voting for May Primary Election Begins April 27

Early voting for the May 10 primary election begins at the Webster County Courthouse on Wednesday, April 27, 2016.

Three offices in particular in Webster County are being hotly contested, being the races for Sheriff and the two Magistrate positions.

Early voting at the Courthouse begins Wednesday, April 27.

Four candidates are seeking to be Webster County's new Sheriff after current Sheriff David Bender surprised many people by not seeking a second term (which he was virtually assured of winning had he decided to file). The four candidates for Sheriff are David Cutlip, the chief of police for Webster Springs, David Morris, a former Webster County deputy sheriff, Johnny Sandy, and David Vandevender, a current Webster County deputy sheriff.

In the Magistrate race, former Webster County Commissioner and business owner Victor McClure is opposing incumbent Magistrate Richard Robertson. Reports have it that at two meet the candidate forums, McClure and Robertson exchanged heated words over the issues of the County's $1.5 million jail bill and the Magistrates' work schedule. The other incumbent Magistrate, John Stone, is being opposed by coal miner Ryan Bruffy and deputy county clerk Daniel Lehman. Both Stone and Robertson were first elected in 2008 and then re-elected in 2012.

Early voting occurs at the County Clerk's office on the first floor of the Courthouse. Voters have the option of a traditional paper ballot or an electronic voting machine.

Joyce Morton to Serve as New Family Court Judge

Family Court Judge-elect Joyce Morton plans
to have her cat, Sir Rudy Poopsalot, with her on
the bench when her terms starts January 1, 2017.

Longtime Webster County lawyer Joyce Helmick Morton will become the new Family Court Judge for the Webster-Pocahontas County district. Morton is running unopposed in the upcoming May 10 election and her eight year term will begin on January 1, 2017. Judges are now elected on a non-partisan basis in the May primary election, with no election in the Fall general election.

Morton, who is married to Michael Carpenter, is originally from Sand Fork in Gilmer County, attended Gilmer County High School, studied at Glenville State College, and received her law degree from WVU. Prior to her short-lived "retirement," Morton was a partner in the law firm of VanNostrand & Morton, and worked for the Milan Pushkar trust.

WV Supreme Court Upholds Julia Surbaugh Conviction

On April 13, 2016, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals upheld a jury's guilty verdict in the Julia Surbaugh murder case.

After being convicted of first degree murder for

the second time by a jury, the West Virginia

Supreme Court of Appeals upheld her conviction

and life without mercy sentence on April 13, 2016.

Surbaugh was accused of murdering her husband on August 6, 2009. Her first trial was held in 2010. She was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Surbaugh appealed that conviction and in 2010 the Supreme Court reversed the conviction and sent the case back for a new trial on the sole basis of the trial court’s failure to instruct the jury on the use of good character evidence.

In 2014, the second trial was held with Judge Richard Facemire again presiding. The result was the same: guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life without parole. One of the central issues in Surbaugh's appeal was her claim that even if the jury believed she fired the three shots into her husband's head, that he later died because of medical malpractice and not the bullet wounds. When the Supreme Court issues its recent decision, they disagreed, stating that:

"If a person inflicts a wound upon a person who thereafter dies, it is not a defense to a criminal homicide charge that medical care in the treatment of that wound contributed to the victim’s death. Only medical care that is shown to be the sole cause of death will operate to break the chain of causation and relieve the defendant of criminal responsibility."

The Court found that the evidence did not show that the medical care was the sole cause of death, but that death would not have occurred but for the shots fired by Surbaugh.

The full text of the Court's April 13, 2016 opinion can be found at this link:

http://courtswv.gov/supreme-court/docs/spring2016/14-0890.pdf

The Webster Commentator