West Virginia
Local farm taking the leap into agritourism
ALDERSON, WV (WVNS) — Agritourism is booming in the Mountain State according to the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.
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Agritourism is any activity in any field of agriculture that is open to the public for entertainment or education.
The Alderson Strawberry Festival is a returning staple of interest here in West Virginia. Sunset Berry Farm has been the largest supporter since the start.
Now, in an age where tourism has become a billion-dollar industry in the state, according to West Virginia Tourism, Sunset Berry Farm has decided to make the turn into agritourism. Co-owner Jennifer Gilkerson said it is time.
“Sunset Berry Farm has decided to dive right into agritourism. Tourism all over West Virginia is huge right now, it’s just exploding,” said Gilkerson. “And so agritourism is also exploding right now and so it just seemed like the way to go right now.”
The state is now home to 38 Christmas tree farms, 27 U-pick farms, and over a dozen different farm stay/day visit farms.
Sunset Berry Farm already qualifies as a U-pick farm for their amazing strawberries! The opportunities for agritourism are endless.
Gilkerson said Sunset Berry Farm is going to start by focusing on the aspect they know best.
“We’ve been doing our Alderson Strawberry Festival for several years now and that’s been an amazing success, so we’re building on that and we’re going to add several more festivals to our program.” explained Gilkerson.
This includes the Monroe County Peach Festival coming up at the end of August, the West Virginia Watermelon Festival at the beginning of September, and the Sunflower Festival towards the middle of September.
Sunset Berry Farm is receiving a bit of help from another agritourist farm for their Peach Festival.
Orr’s Farm, in Martinsburg will be providing a large load of peaches to assist with festival produce. Gilkerson said switching up the focus of their farm will allow them to focus on fun!
“We really want to sort of specialize more in family entertainment and we want to be a destination for families with children to just get out of the house and explore West Virginia and just have a good time.” said Gilkerson.
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The next time you are looking for a day trip that would be fun and educational for the whole family, take a look at agritourism. You never know what you will end up enjoying!
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Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.
Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble
Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State
Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana
First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati
Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall
Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State
How is this even possible?
Short answer? I don’t really know.
My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.
Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.
If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.
The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.
The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.
At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.
Buckle up, Upshur County. Starting Friday, March 6, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will step up seatbelt enforcement as part of a statewide Click It or Ticket campaign running through March 23.
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) announced the high-visibility mobilization as a warm-up to the national seatbelt campaign in May. The goal is to ensure every occupant — front seat or back, driver or passenger — is buckled on every trip.
“During this mobilization, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will be out in full force. They will be strictly ticketing drivers who are unbuckled or who are transporting children not properly restrained in car seats,” said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP.
The numbers behind the campaign are sobering. In 2023, 40% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in West Virginia crashes were unrestrained. The state’s seatbelt usage rate has also slipped — from 91.9% in 2024 to 91.6% in 2025.
Rural drivers face elevated risk despite a common assumption that country roads are safer. In 2023, 65% of the state’s traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, compared to 35% in urban centers.
Under West Virginia law, wearing a seatbelt is required. A citation carries a $25 fine, though McNeely says the real point isn’t the penalty.
“Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” he said. “A ticket is a wake-up call. It is far less expensive than the alternative — paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.”
For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WCHS) — A West Virginia man accused of threatening to attack President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers was federally indicted this week.
Cody Lee Smith, 20, of Clarksburg was indicted on two counts of threats to murder the president, one count of influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder and one count of influencing a federal official by threat of murder, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Smith is accused of making a series of public posts on Instagram encouraging and threatening the murder of Trump, those who support him, Israelis and “all government officials,” the news release said.
The indictment also alleges that Smith sent a direct message via Instagram to Donald J. Trump, Jr., stating he would kill his father by cutting his “jugular.”
In a phone call with the ICE tip line, Smith also threatened to kill ICE agents in Clarksburg and employees staffing the tip line.
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Smith faces up to 5 years for each of the presidential threat charges and faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts.
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