Virginia

Wheeling Farm Listed as Stop on West Virginia Honey Trail

Published

1 year ago

August 28, 2023

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Wheeling Farm Listed as Stop on West Virginia Honey Trail

photo by: Emma Delk

Eric Blend, co-owner of the Blended Homestead on Oglebay Drive in Wheeling, is thrilled to teach visitors about how they manage the hives at their farm as a stop on the West Virginia Honey Trail. His farm contains 26 hives and over a million bees, with each hive contained in one of the stacks of multi-colored boxes behind him.

WHEELING — The Blended Homestead on Oglebay Drive in Wheeling is putting its name on the map of the West Virginia Honey Trail to bridge the gap between honey farmers and consumers as well as raise awareness for the high-quality honey producers in the state

The West Virginia Honey Trail was born from a collaboration between the Mon County Beekeepers Association and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. When farmers and storeowners who sell locally grown honey register their businesses for the program, they are connected to consumers who can visit their business as a stop on the trail.

As a business on the map, the Blended Homestead will host tours of their farms, demonstrating how they manage their 26 hives and also provide samples of their honey.

Eric Blend, who runs the Blended Homestead with his wife Erica Blend, explained that he decided to join the program because the West Virginia Honey Trail’s goal of bridging the gap between consumer and customer is why he started farming in the first place.

“When this farm began eight years ago, it was because I had a lot of questions about the food I was putting in my body,” Blend said. “I want to help consumers become more knowledgeable about growing their own produce and also introduce them to the local, fresh food resources right here in the Ohio Valley.”

The West Virginia Honey Trail’s objectives also resonated with Blend because the program provides him the opportunity to inform consumers about the chain of local farms that exist in the Ohio Valley.

“I think there’s a negative perception in the Ohio Valley, especially on social media, that there’s no agriculture going on here,” said Blend “But most people don’t go to their farmers market and see first-hand there are a lot of farmers in our area.”

As a stop on the trail, the Blended Homestead will not only host tours of their hives but will also hold classes on how to grow plants. He explained the classes will explore “the soil science” that makes growing produce in the Ohio Valley area unique.

“We’re really excited for the opportunity to teach people what we’ve learned while working on the farm,” added Blend. “I’m always welcome to have people come out and learn about homesteading and how you can better your lifestyle through what you eat.”

Blend emphasized that the Blended Homestead is just “one piece” in a greater puzzle that makes up the local chain of farmers in the Ohio Valley. With over a million bees at their farm, he is thrilled that they are able to make sure the plants in a 2-mile radius of the farm, including the entire town of West Liberty, will be well-pollinated.

“We don’t have enough native pollinators in the area to support people that want to garden because blooms can’t survive without the pollination of bees,” explained Blend. “Helping out local beekeepers like myself helps keep native bee populations thriving so that work in the garden won’t go to waste.”

Blend also highlighted the numerous benefits that consuming local honey has. He noted that those with pollen allergies can help combat seasonal symptoms by consuming local honey, which gives a “good quality dose” of the different blooms that create allergic reactions.

He added that local honey also has its own unique taste compared to what you would find in a store because commercial honey sellers have added sweeteners that create a “consistent flavor” across corporate brands.

“The nectars that bloom are different each harvest, which creates significantly different colors in our honey,” explained Blend. “So when you go to the store and all the honey looks the same versus the different colors we have here, that’s why.”

To host tours that explain the differences between local and store-bought honey and demonstrate the benefits of buying local to consumers is exciting for Blend. While they have already hosted tours for 4H programs and Boy Scout groups, he hopes next Spring they can begin to ramp up the amount of tours they have on the farm.

Blend encourages those interested in learning about their farm or who want to get a taste of their honey to contact them on their Facebook page, The Blended Homestead.

Viewing the West Virginia Honey Trail as “another step” in building a local community of farmers, Blend strives to continue informing consumers about the chain of fresh goods available in the area.

“We’re just one stop of the West Virginia Honey Trail, so I encourage consumers to not only buy local from us but from farmers all over West Virginia,” said Blend. “I’m proud that my small piece of the puzzle is able to help people know where they can get high-quality locally grown products at a reasonable price.”

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Virginia

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

Published

6 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

At 3-0 with marquee victories over #6 Missouri (23-10) and #21 Rutgers (26-11), as well as a second-place finish in the Keystone Open with just a handful of starters competing, Virginia Tech has swept through a tough November and is prepared for a difficult December.

The Hokies, #12 in Flo’s team tournament ratings but top 10 in various dual-meet rankings, are next scheduled for an annual trip to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational, featuring 27 teams, of which 14 are among Flo’s top 25. And then it’s another trip west to Stillwater on Dec. 19 to challenge #5 Oklahoma State in a rare Thursday match.

The early key thus far for the Hokies has been the ability to win the bouts they’re supposed to win and grabbing a fair share of so-called toss-up bouts.

To wit, Tech’s #18 Sam Latona downing Missouri’s #13 Josh Edmond (4-2) at 141, or #25 Rafael Hipolito majoring the Tigers’ #32 James Conway (11-3) at 157 and #15 Jimmy Mullen stopping #20 Seth Nitzel (4-2) at heavyweight.

That trend continued at Tech’s Moss Arts Center match against #21 Rutgers when Latona used a late takedown to defeat Joey Olivieri 7-5, #4 Lennox Wolak pinned veteran Jackson Turley at 174 and #9 Andy Smith slipped past #17 John Poznanski 4-3 at 197.

Hokies coach Tony Robie only took a few regulars to the Keystone Open in Philadelphia and, led by championship efforts by #1-ranked Caleb Henson at 149 and heavyweight Hunter Catka, Tech placed second behind Lock Haven. Latona placed third at 141 and Sam Fisher did the same at 184.

Robie opted to use the Hokies’ roster as freshmen Dillon Campbell (125), Matt Henrich (157), Luke Robie (157) and Jack Bastarrika (133) competed as did redshirt juniors Jackson Spires (165) and Ty Finn (174). Spires placed second.

Who’s Ready For Change?

With legislation on the NCAA’s table affecting scholarship and roster limits — unlimited scholarships and a roster cap — as well as revenue sharing, some college wrestling programs likely have a serious dose of trepidation while others are confident they can deal with whatever happens.

Virginia Tech sits in the latter category.

“I have no concerns whatsoever about that,” Robie said earlier this month. “I think a lot of it probably will happen. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad for the sport; that’s not really for me to say. What I will say is you have to adjust with what the rules are and what the landscape of college athletics looks like, and that’s what we intend on doing.

“Is it good for the overall health of the sport of wrestling? The kid that’s the 35th kid on your roster? Probably not. But I think definitely there were probably some things that needed to change; the pendulum was starting to swing significantly the other way. At some point, it’ll probably start to go back to the middle.”

Robie said all anyone can do is wait for the final decisions.

“We have some contingency plans based on what we think is going to happen and we’ll move forward with our plan and try to execute it,” he said.

A Pretty Good Gig

Robie, in his eighth year as head coach, has been at Tech since 2006 and as each season passes, the commitment and enthusiasm remain the same.

“Well, you get to do what you like to do. And it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to coach wrestling for a living and be a part of a pretty good program, and work with some great people and try to affect the lives of the kids in your program,” he said.

“I think anybody would want to do that. For me, I’m not young anymore. I turned 50 … who knows how long I’m going to do it, but I’m going to give it the best I can while I’m doing it and hopefully continue to improve as a program and try to try to help these guys as much as possible. But it’s good, Virginia Tech’s a great place to work, it’s a great place to live. I’ve got a great staff and it makes my life pretty easy.”

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Virginia

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

Published

14 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

With the game of year looming this weekend, members of the Virginia football team were made available to to the media after practice on Tuesday morning to talk about the regular season finale against Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash on Saturday night in Blacksburg. Watch the video below to hear what UVA senior safety Jonas Sanker, graduate tight ends Tyler Neville and Sackett Wood Jr., and graduate defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter had to say ahead of the Virginia Tech game:

Sanker is the team’s leader in tackles with 89 total tackles and also leads the ACC in solo stops with 60 unassisted tackles. He has racked up 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an interception as part of a strong senior campaign that should earn Sanker some serious consideration for a First-Team All-ACC selection.

A transfer from Harvard, Tyler Neville is Virginia’s second-leading receiver with 35 catches for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Sackett Wood Jr., meanwhile, has recorded three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown this season. Between the two of them, Neville and Wood have combined to appear in 83 college football games and make 48 starts.

Saturday will be the 55th game in the five-year career of Jahmeer Carter, who has started nearly every game for the last four seasons at Virginia. This season, Carter has 30 total tackles, including nine solo stops, two tackles for loss, one sack, and a pass defender. For his career, Carter is up to 131 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss.

Saturday night will be the first time Virginia plays at Lane Stadium in front of fans since the 2018 season, as the 2020 edition of the Commonwealth Clash was played in front of only 250 fans due to COVID-19 restrictions and then the 2022 Virginia vs. Virginia Tech game was canceled due to the shooting tragedy at UVA.

Virginia is seeking its first road victory at Virginia Tech since 1998, as the Hokies have won the last 11 Commonwealth Clash games played at Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech has won 17 of the last 18 overall games against Virginia and leads UVA 61-38-5 in the all-time series that dates back to 1895.

Both Virginia and Virginia Tech bring a 5-6 overall record into the regular season finale and both need to win the game in order to reach the six-win threshold required for bowl eligibility. There is only one other game this weekend between FBS teams who are battling for bowl eligibility (Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan). Virginia and Virginia Tech played each other for bowl eligibility at the end of the 2014 season.

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Virginia

Virginia Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Night results for Nov. 26, 2024

Published

21 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 26, 2024, results for each game:

Mega Millions

Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

05-22-24-39-42, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 7-3-0, FB: 2

Day: 7-2-1, FB: 5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 1-6-6-8, FB: 5

Day: 7-4-5-8, FB: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 0-5-4-9-9, FB: 2

Day: 6-9-5-3-2, FB: 0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash4Life

Drawing everyday at 9 p.m.

04-11-13-30-39, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash Pop

Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.

Coffee Break: 04

After Hours: 05

Prime Time: 06

Rush Hour: 09

Lunch Break: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash 5

Drawing every day at 11 p.m.

12-22-31-38-44

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

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This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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