With the arrival of water from North Carolina and Virginia resulting from Hurricane Helene, the levels of a Southern West Virginia lake will be higher than usual for the next several weeks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a news release Monday.
Bluestone Lake crested Sunday evening at 1493.7 feet, up from its summer levels of 1410 feet, the Army Corps said.
Bluestone Dam helps regulate water from a 4,600 square-mile basin drained by the New River, which starts in North Carolina and crosses Southwestern Virginia before coming into West Virginia.
Flash flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated communities in the southern United States, particularly in Western North Carolina. The death toll from the storm had reached at least 121 by Monday, with more expected as emergency officials reached cut off areas, according to reporting by the Associated Press.
Advertisement
Bluestone Dam is located directly upstream from the city of Hinton, the county seat of Summers County. Hinton city manager Cris Meadows told West Virginia Watch Monday morning that there were no flooding issues in the city.
“The dam did what it was supposed to,” Meadows said. “Unfortunately when it does that, there is a lot of debris behind it that will have to be dealt with at some point.”
The dam is designed and continues to reduce flooding to several downstream communities, including Hinton, Thurmond, Kanawha Falls, Montgomery, Cabin Creek, Charleston, St. Albans, Winfield, Buffalo and Point Pleasant, the Army Corps said. It also reduces flood risks to communities along the Ohio River.
Dam operations did not have an impact on flash flooding upstream in Western North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia, the Army Corps said.
The lake was at 1493.6 feet Monday afternoon and falling slowly, the Army Corps said.
Advertisement
“We do not anticipate opening the crest gates on top of the dam,” the release said. “Huntington District Dam Safety personnel remain on-site to monitor the performance of the dam through this event. “
The West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3) welcome the Maryland Terrapins (10-5) to Kendrick Family Ballpark Tuesday afternoon the first encounter between the two programs since 2023 and the first meeting in Morgantown since 2018. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.
Advertisement
The Mountaineers captured their fourth consecutive series of the season after taking two of the three games from Columbia over the weekend. West Virginia sophomore Matt Ineich and senior Brodie Kresser both blasted grand slams during the series. Ineich lifted WVU in game two with a walk-off grand slam in the 10th in game two, and Kresser ignited a 16-1 rout, capping a six-run second inning in the series finale.
Advertisement
Gavin Kelly leads West Virginia at the plate with a .436 batting average with a Big 12 leading nine doubles. Ineich and senior Paul Schoenfeld has raked in a team-leading 16 RBI apiece, while senior Matthew Graveline has clubbed a team-high three home runs.
On the mound, West Virginia is expected to start sophomore David Hagen. The right-hander has made four appearances on the season, including one start. He last started in the home-opener against Ohio where he pitched two scoreless innings and recorded a strikeout to collect his first win of the season. He holds a 1.00 ERA with five strikeouts on the season.
After starting 3-4, Maryland is 7-1 in its last eight games. The Terrapins won two of three at UNC Wilmington in the season opening series, followed by a midweek win against Georgetown before getting swept at Louisiana. The Terps bounced back with a pair of midweek wins versus Delaware and swept a one-win Wagner team.
Junior Brayden Martin is batting a team-best .443 to go with four doubles and 12 RBI. Redshirt freshman Ryan Costello leads the Terps in home runs (9) and RBI (21) and is third in batting average at .328, while freshman Ty Kaunus has a team-high seven doubles and has .269 batting average.
Advertisement
Maryland is scheduled to start freshman Nic Morlang. The right-hander has four appearances on the season, including four starts. He allowed five earned runs in his appearances, coinciding with his two starts, in six innings of work. In his last two appearances in relief, He’s allowed one earned run on five hits.
Advertisement
West Virginia leads the all-time series 8-5, including a five-game winning streak over Maryland.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a series of parties in Morgantown over the weekend.
Morgantown police officers, West Virginia University Police and state police responded to reports of overcrowded parties, underage drinking, physical altercations and multiple injuries.
Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffie said several citations were issued for open containers and underage consumption.
Advertisement
Two large parties were dispersed and six arrests were made without incident.
None of the reported injuries are believed to be serious or life-threatening.
The Morgantown Fire Department assisted in the operations.
Hancock County, WV — A Weir High School senior has been recognized as the 2026 West Virginia Student Journalist of the Year.
Hailey Hans was selected for the statewide honor after building a journalism portfolio since her freshman year. She also serves as the staff manager of Weir Student Media, where she oversees articles and is in charge of deadlines.
“When I was a freshman I was placed in the journalism one class, and I actually tried to get pulled from the class. But, then after I sat in the class and I learned a little bit, that’s where my love grew and then from there I continued to take classes, I helped pass a law, and I got to these national conventions. Where it just lit a fire inside me,” Hans said.
Hans is planning to attend West Liberty University in the fall to study education with a minor in journalism, with the goal of becoming a journalism teacher. She will now submit her portfolio for the national-level contest.
