RICHMOND, Va. — Jerrod Buford first picked up a paintbrush as a kid, never imagining that same creative outlet would carry him through his darkest days in prison.

Buford, who grew up in Williamsburg, was convicted and arrested as a young man and spent almost a decade behind bars. During that time, he struggled deeply.

“Turning to drugs and alcohol to kind of shadow over emotions,” Buford said. “Looking for acceptance, approval. Not just from my parents, but from friends, from, you name it. I mean, I tried to commit suicide, I don’t even know how many times,” Buford said.

It was inside prison walls that art became more than a hobby.

“Throughout my prison time, I learned, the freedom that I desired, I’ve always had it. I got, I found it, in a box,” Buford said.

More than three years after his release, Buford continues to advocate for art as a tool for healing. He describes his work as a gift he feels called to share.

“I received a blessing from God that just allowed me to display what he’s given me,” Buford said.

For Buford, creating art is also a way of processing his past.

“That’s what art has done for me. It’s given me the ability to look at parts of my life, all parts of my life, and find the good and the negative, learn from the negative,” Buford said.

He shares his story and artwork with a wide audience through social media, including live sessions on TikTok, and holds art classes with new communities.

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Buford said his mission is to help others find their own path toward healing — whatever form that takes.

“What I strive to do is guide this person to just create, man. Don’t care what people think about your creation, you just need to get it out,” Buford said. “Whether it’s with art, addressing your mental health, getting your life right — just do it.”

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BUCKHANNON – The West Virginia Largest Yard Sale is getting even larger, with more participants from Webster County this year.

Cadence Ringer, executive director of the Upshur County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the 2026 West Virginia Largest Yard Sale will take place Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8. Registration for sellers is now open through July 26 at 11:30 p.m. Registration can be found on the Upshur County Visitor Center’s Facebook page.

“It’s been going wonderfully. As of last Wednesday, we had 30 applicants, and they keep coming in by the day. They are slowly trickling in right now, but I know we’ll have a big burst of them right before the deadline to register,” Ringer said. “The date set for the map to go live is July 31. I like to prepare for it a week in advance, to give people enough time to map out their own plan for their shopping that weekend.”

The map showing where all the sellers will be located will be available digitally this year on the Upshur County Visitor’s Bureau website. The map will also include brief descriptions of the items each yard sale will offer.

“On our registration form, I have asked them to list at least five things they’re going to be selling. Once I get them on the map, there’s an option for me to add details, so if they click on the actual location of the yard sale and read the details at the bottom, it’ll give them an idea of what that yard sale will be offering,” Ringer said. “There won’t be any photos or anything, but people can at least get an idea of what each seller will have.”

The yard sale has expanded over the year, from Upshur to Lewis and now to Webster County.

“We decided last year to add Webster County to this and to try and get them going,” Ringer said, but the numbers were low. “This year, we have had quite a few from Webster County, so I’m excited to actually get it spreading into that area as well.”

She said people who go out to shop are all looking for something different, but you can always find a little bit of everything.

“There are people looking for a lot of clothes. That’s what a lot of people prepare for the upcoming school year by going yard saling,” Ringer said. “I’m a yard saler myself, so I go looking for those hidden treasures, and I really think that’s what this is about — finding things they don’t make anymore, or antiques of some sort, some decorations. They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so that’s what it’s about: just finding the treasure.”

Ringer said the event also brings in visitors from outside the area and encourages them to shop and eat at local businesses in Buckhannon.

“I think the most important thing to highlight is that this is a collaboration between the three counties — it drives our economy,” Ringer said. “I know some people see it as annoying that traffic is going on, or that there’s a bunch of people around, but it also gives families the opportunity to buy things secondhand and to prepare for the upcoming school year. Maybe some families can’t afford to purchase new things. It also drives the economic boost for our restaurants and other locations downtown.”

Editor’s note: See World Cup standings and scenarios updated in real time

Ivory Coast is headed to the knockout round at the 2026 World Cup.

With everything on the line Thursday afternoon, the Ivory Coast played perhaps its best match of the tournament so far to lock down second place in Group E and advance to the knockout stage of the tournament. Ivory Coast will head to Dallas where they will play their first elimination match on Tuesday, June 30 against the second-place team from Group I.

SHOP: Ivory Coast round of 32 World Cup tickets in Dallas

While we don’t yet know Ivory Coast’s opponent, we do know that it will either be France or Norway, meaning either way the African squad will have to defend against one of the best goal scorers in the world.

Here is everything you need to know in order to buy Ivory Coast World Cup tickets in Dallas.

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Ivory Coast round of 32 World Cup tickets

As of publication, the cheapest round of 32 ticket to see Ivory Coast in Dallas on Tuesday, June 30 is $895, making this one of the cheapest tickets for the round of 32.

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Ivory Coast Round of 32 opponent

As the runner-up of Group E, Ivory Coast will take on the second-place finisher from Group I. Ivory Coast’s opponent will be finalized on Friday, but given the current standings it will be either France or Norway.

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Ivory Coast World Cup schedule

• Sunday, June 14 – Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador – WIN 1-0
• Saturday, June 20 – Ivory Coast vs. Germany – LOSS 2-1
• Thursday, June 25 – Ivory Coast vs. Curacao – WIN 2-0
• Tuesday, June 30 (Round of 32) – Ivory Coast vs. Group I runner up at AT&T Stadium in Dallas – Shop tickets

World Cup Group E standings