The Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg will be the center of activity Sunday, Monday and Tuesday as the West Virginia Legislative Interims convene in Parkersburg for a series of meetings and tours, highlighting what is happening in the area. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — With the West Virginia Legislature coming to Parkersburg this Sunday through Tuesday, local business leaders and officials are hoping for a memorable trip as many will be taking in a number of local sights.

Lawmakers from across the state will be in Parkersburg to meet regarding a number of issues at the state level. Lawmakers and their staff will also be staying at local hotels and will be taking tours of a number of local attractions and schools.

Tours will include Parkersburg High School, the Wood County Technical Center at Parkersburg South High School, West Virginia University at Parkersburg, the Oil and Gas Museum, Henderson Hall, Blennerhassett Island, Chemours, the Berkshire Hathaway operations in Ravenswood, operators engineer school in Medina, the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport, a walking tour of the Julia-Ann Historic District and more.

Early estimates have over 200 people who will be in the area for the interim session over the three days.

Officials have said it has been over 20 years since an interim legislative session was held in Parkersburg.

The Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg will be the center of activity Sunday, Monday and Tuesday as the West Virginia Legislative Interims convene in Parkersburg for a series of meetings and tours, highlighting what is happening in the area. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley President and CEO Jill Parsons said there are several ways the local community can benefit from this visit. The places lawmakers will be visiting is one way to highlight and showcase the community, she said.

She remembers working at St. Joseph’s Hospital when she was the Marketing Director and a number of meetings were held at the hospital. She also helped drive some people around to get them to different meetings.

Many lawmakers may not have been to the Parkersburg area before and they will be spending some time here, staying at local hotels and eating at local restaurants.

“That will help on the commerce side of the equation,” Parsons said.

Many lawmakers will also be meeting with local officials involved in tourism, education, business and more to get insights on how different concerns can be addressed.

“This is an opportunity to bring people in from all over the state to see a lot of the great stuff Parkersburg has to offer,” said Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Mark Lewis. “Getting them out to Blennerhassett Island is a huge thing so they can see what an amazing gem that is in our state parks system.”

They will also be able to see Henderson Hall, the Oil and Gas Museum and more. The area will be able to show off a number of attractions and hopefully bring them back in the future as tourists and tell others what is available locally.

Lewis commended the City of Parkersburg for cleaning up the area around Point Park and making it look great.

“Everyone has jumped in and Parkersburg is ready to shine,” Lewis said.

Wood County Schools Superintendent Christie Willis said a couple of legislative sessions will be held involving Wood County Schools.

On Monday, a session with the Legislative Oversight Committee on Education Accountability will be held at PHS. The session will begin in the planetarium which will include a short presentation and a tour. On Tuesday, a session with the Committee on Economic Development and Tourism will be held at the Wood County Technical Center at PSHS.

“I want them to see the good things going on in Wood County Schools,” Willis said. “I think there are excellent academic achievements that our county has made that I am hoping is reflected in our presentation.”

The tour of the technical center will highlight the programs they have available to students there, including automotive repair, cosmetology, welding and more.

“We have many offerings over there for them to see while they are at the tech center,” Willis said. “I am looking forward to their visit and I anticipate Wood County Schools is going to shine.”

A lot of activity during the interims will be centered around the historic Blennerhassett Hotel.

Lee Rector, co-owner of the Blennerhassett Hotel, said it will be an honor for them to host lawmakers and be able to show off the 135-year-old historic hotel. He and Wayne Waldeck bought the hotel in 2019.

He highlighted local sights, bike trails and more as well as the Blennerhassett Hotel’s status as the oldest boutique hotel in West Virginia.

Rector said the hotel, along with the Greenbrier, was recently named to a list of the top 10 historical hotels by a Newsweek panelist review and reader’s poll with the Greenbrier in first place and the Blennerhassett in seventh.

“(Legislators) are going to see a lot about the hotel that they didn’t know about,” Rector said.

Tours will be offered of the hotel by Concierge Adam Dotson who has extensive knowledge of the hotel and its history.

“As a business person, I think a lot of our businesses are going to benefit from their trip here,” Rector said. “I know we have been shining and polishing and getting the old girl ready to shine for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.”

They are ready to help put the area’s best foot forward.

“We always pride ourselves in keeping the hotel updated and clean,” Rector said. “We just had to do a little more polishing this time. We really want it to shine.

“With our entire staff, it is all hands on deck. They (the state lawmakers) will know our hospitality and service we offer is second to none in the state.”

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com

Dr. Cornel West, the independent candidate running in the 2024 presidential election, qualified for the ballot in Virginia’s general election, according to a letter sent to West’s campaign by the Virginia Department of Elections. 

“After review, the Department of Elections has reconsidered its decision not to qualify Drs. West and Abdullah and their names will appear on the ballot,” the letter reads of West and his running mate, Dr. Melina Abdullah. 

The letter was exclusively obtained by CBS News. 

The West-Abdullah campaign was previously denied ballot access by the Department of Elections after an issue with the necessary forms required for submission in the commonwealth. 

Sources within West’s campaign tell CBS News this was due to challenges around the validity of their elector forms. 

“The Department has confirmed that the campaign did submit paperwork in April but was not made aware of a new form that would be required after July 1 regarding the electors’ citizenship and residency,” the letter states. 

In a statement to CBS News, the West-Abdullah campaign confirms they received the letter and will appear on the ballot in Virginia. 

“Virginia voters will now have the opportunity to choose a candidate, Dr. Cornel West, who represents their values,” a spokesperson for the West-Abdullah campaign said. 

West now joins former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver, Independent Claudia De la Cruz and Green Party candidate Jill Stein on the ballot in Virginia. 

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy removed his name from the ballot in the Old Dominion after he announced he was suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump. 

The West-Abdullah campaign has tried to gain ballot access in several battleground states. 

Though Virginia is not considered a battleground state by CBS News, the Trump campaign has attempted to put the commonwealth in play this cycle by holding several campaign rallies there. President Biden won Virginia by 10 points in 2020. 

As well as Virginia, West and Abdullah will also appear on the ballots of the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Georgia, and could potentially have minor impacts on the outcome of the presidential race. 

The Arizona Secretary of State’s office said that West failed to file the necessary paperwork by the August deadline. In Nevada, the West-Abdullah campaign missed the deadline to submit sufficient signatures.

The campaign was denied ballot access in Pennsylvania after losing a legal challenge, which found that 14 of West’s 19 presidential electors lacked the required affidavits.

“We’ve already faced a negative outcome at the state level, which is why we’re moving forward with a federal court complaint. Despite this, we’re not at ‘game over’ yet in PA,” said a spokesperson from the West-Abdullah campaign. “We believe the federal courts may provide some relief, as the current system unfairly burdens First Amendment rights.”

The Virginia Cavaliers roll into week two against a much more formidable opponent in ACC foe Wake Forest, who pulled off a 45-13 win over NC A&T. With UVA looking to improve to 2-0, here are our five keys to a Virginia victory on Saturday night. 

Hank Bachmeier commands the slow mesh offense for the Demon Deacons, which hinges on the offensive line that ranked 8th last year in FBS football, allowing their plays to develop. If the Cavaliers want to leave Winston-Salem with a win, it’ll be essential for the defensive line to put pressure on Bachmeier, something they struggled with against Richmond last week. The Cavaliers only recorded one sack against the Spiders, and it came towards the end of the game. Against Wake Forest, Virginia needs to get pressure early and often. 

Wake Forest loses four of the five members from their starting secondary in 2023, and it will be critical for the Cavaliers to take advantage by exposing one-on-one matchups and testing the integrity and chemistry of this group. This will come down to quarterback Anthony Colandrea seeing openings in this defense, making pre-snap adjustments, and trusting his wide receiver corps to make catches in tight spaces. This involves throwing the ball more in the middle of the field on quick slants, something the Cavaliers showed little of last week against the Spiders. 

Winning the turnover battle will be critical for the Cavaliers to get their first road win of the 2024 campaign. Avoiding turning the ball over starts with Colandrea protecting the football and making no careless hero plays that could jeopardize possession. Defensively, it is about making a play similar to the forced fumble by Corey Thomas Jr. last week that shifted the momentum of the game early on in favor of Virginia. Since 2001, teams that have won the turnover battle have won more than 75% of the time, according to the football perspective. 

The Cavaliers rushed for 200 yards against Richmond. To give Colandrea some help, the Virginia backfield, which was outstanding last week, will need to continue to complement the passing game. The lead tailback, Kobe Pace, rushed for 93 yards and one touchdown while averaging over eight yards a carry, and it will be critical the Cavaliers lean on Pace in addition to Jack Griese and Xavier Brown once again against the Demon Deacons. 

Wake Forest’s Taylor Morin had a 73-yard punt return last week. The Cavaliers ranked 90th in special teams in 2022, allowed two blocked punts for touchdowns, and had only 58 touchbacks (second-fewest in the ACC) in 2023. Luckily for the Cavaliers, Daniel Sparks looked good during kickoffs, allowing only one non-touchback in game one. If Virginia wants to defeat Wake Forest, reversing the trend from last season and winning the special teams battle will be critical.

Virginia Football vs. Wake Forest Game Preview, Score Prediction

Virginia Football: Players to Watch in UVA’s Road Matchup Against Wake Forest

VIDEO: Virginia Coordinators Preview ACC Opener at Wake Forest

Virginia Football Injury Report: Hoos In/Out in Week 2 at Wake Forest

Virginia Football Releases Depth Chart for ACC Opener at Wake Forest