West Virginia
Blackwater River included on America's Most Endangered Rivers list for 2024 – WV MetroNews
DAVIS, W.Va. — One of West Virginia’s best known and most scenic waterways has been included on this year’s list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. The Blackwater River in West Virginia is number ten on the list compiled and released today by the American Rivers organization.
In their announcement, American Rivers specifically noted the plans for construction of Corridor H through through the Tucker County towns of Thomas and Davis as the chief reason for the inclusion of the waterway on the endangered list.
“The Blackwater River is threatened by the currently State-preferred (but not yet adopted) route for a major four-lane highway, known as Corridor H, that would cross all of the river’s headwater streams
with major construction activity at each. This route was designed 30 years ago, with little thought to preserving the Blackwater River’s unique cultural, historic, and environmental integrity.” wrote the organization in a press release.
Judy Rodd is the longtime Executive Director of the Friends of Blackwater. She believed it was a significant development for their push to persuade the Federal Highway Administration to adopt what is often called the “northern route” for the Thomas and Davis section.
“This is a national group looking at the problems created by the mega-highway being built in the headwaters of the Blackwater River,” said Rodd. “It’s beloved by West Virginians and is a significant part of the tourism economy.”
The West Virginia Division of Highways and local advocates for the Corridor H project have maintained the current route, which would go between the two towns, is the most economical and appropriate route. However, the Federal Highway Administration in a notice of intent earlier this year allowed for an examination of not only the preferred route, but also the northern route.
Rodd said to her organization it’s an important shift in the analysis of the plans for the highway by the federal agency.
“It divides the historic towns of Thomas and Davis, with a big four-lane which is ridiculous in this day and age when the Biden Administration is saying, ‘We don’t want to divide towns anymore and make it difficult for people to visit each other,” said Rodd.
She added the other concern is environmental, which was what attracted the attention of American Rivers.
“It cuts over top of the North Fork of the Blackwater, which is the entry way to the Blackwater (Canyon). It cuts over top of the rail-trail, over top of a water treatment system we’re installing and over top of the Loop Trail which is a new venture. Then it cuts over five major waterways which feed into the Blackwater River,” she said.
“It would be a grave mistake on the part of the West Virginia Division of Highways and Federal Highway Administration, and a major disservice to local communities, to threaten the Blackwater River and simultaneously hinder the growth of the thriving outdoor recreation economy in this area,” said Olivia Miller, program director of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy in a press release. “To those who know and love Tucker County—the Blackwater Canyon is the heart and soul of this region. To rob present and future generations of the opportunity to fully experience these special places and reap their many benefits is a huge error in judgment.”
The West Virginia Division of Highways has long maintained the current route they are putting forward is the fastest, most economical route and deny it poses any of threats to the environment or the historical status of the region which are claimed. However, Rodd and her organization hoped the designation would change before dirt is turned on what will be one of the final stretches of Corridor H. It’s also one of the most environmentally sensitive areas of the entire longstanding project to connect Weston to I-81 in Virginia.
“A million people visit this area every year and those people are concerned their enjoyment of this area will be diminished and the people who live there are disturbed it’s going to tear up their landscape for years,” Rodd said.
“Part of this announcement is a call for people to take action and say what they think by sending those comments to the federal highway people,” she said.
For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the West Virginia Mountaineers women’s basketball roster will feature a West Virginia native.
Wheeling product Alexis Bordas transfers in after having a tremendous freshman season up the road at Duquesne, where she averaged 15.5 points (ranked fifth in the A-10) and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 34.6% from beyond the arc. At season’s end, she was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
Morgantown’s Olivia Seggie was the last West Virginia-born player on the women’s hoops roster.
Of course, WVU was Bordas’ dream school. Pretty much her entire family went to school here and grew up coming to Mountaineer games, so Mark Kellogg probably didn’t have to do much convincing once he made it known that they wanted her.
“Chase Harler’s from Wheeling, so I came to a lot of his games. Jevon Carter, my brother, loved him. We watched a lot more of the men back then, but Kysre Gondrezick, she was someone that I always watched.”
When asked what it’s like to finally be in a Mountaineer uniform and practicing with the group, she responded, “Yeah, it’s great to finally be here and get to meet all my teammates and become such good friends with them already. It’s been super fun, and just seeing the difference from day one to now, and how much we’ve progressed already, it’s super exciting to see.
“All the fan support last night, we had an event, and just seeing all the fans and how it’s June, and everyone’s already so excited and rallies around this team,” she added. “I know it’s extra special being from West Virginia, and I’m sure lots of little girls will look up to me and hope to be playing here one day, so it’s great to be a role model for them, too.”
Nine times last season, Bordas registered 20+ points, and of course, as a true West Virginian would, she had her best performance against the Pitt Panthers, dropping 38 on them in an 84-69 win. She went 11/22 from the field in that one, including a 10/18 day from three-point range.
Bordas is a high-volume shooter from range, as 58.8% of her attempts came from downtown last season. When you shoot 34% from there and can maybe hit the high 30s, no one will care about the shot diet being so reliant on the three-ball.
Under the new rules, Bordas will have four years of eligibility remaining.
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CLENDENIN, W.Va . (WSAZ) – Gov. Patrick Morrisey visited Clendenin West Virginia Saturday during Summerfest.
10 years ago a devastating flood swept through the community.
The governor announced $450,000 of funding for a Streetscape project during a commemoration for the June 2016 flood. The funding will go toward Clendenin’s main street – improving sidewalks, landscaping, and other pedestrian amenities.
Funding for the project comes from the Transportation Alternatives Program – a federal initiative to fund smaller scale transportation projects.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
It was a phenomenal year for the West Virginia Mountaineers on the diamond, and even with the season having been over for over a week now, the honors continue to roll in.
On Friday, second baseman/catcher Gavin Kelly and left-handed starting pitcher Maxx Yehl were both named First-Team All-Americans by D1Baseball.com. It is the first time in program history that two Mountaineers have been recognized as First-Team All-Americans in the same season.
Gavin Kelly
Kelly was essentially everyone’s pick to have a breakout season for the Mountaineers in 2026, but I’m not sure anyone expected him to do it the way he did. He hit nearly .400 all year and went on a power surge out of nowhere toward the end of the season, becoming one of the top home run hitters in the country over the last month or so of the year.
Kelly was named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, the MVP of the Morgantown Regional, and is currently participating in the Team USA Collegiate National Team training camp in Cary, North Carolina. For the year, he hit .382 with 19 home runs and 63 RBI, cementing himself as a top draft prospect in 2027.
Maxx Yehl
Maxx Yehl was one of the best stories in all of college baseball that didn’t get talked about nearly enough. He was forced to sit out the 2025 season as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, and prior to this season, Yehl worked exclusively out of the bullpen. The plan all along was to eventually stretch him out into a starter, and in his first year in the role, he was one of the best in the entire country.
Steve Sabins and Co. did a good job of playing it safe with him early, letting him only go two and four innings in his first two starts before turning him loose. There were a couple of moments where Mountaineer fans had to take a deep breath after he was removed from two starts, one of which was in the Morgantown Regional against Kentucky. He bounced back strong and two days later, pitched a gem against the Wildcats, helping the team advance to the super regionals for the third straight season.
Yehl finished the season with a 9-3 record, an ERA of 2.13, and 112 strikeouts to just 26 walks. He was also the first WVU hurler to win Big 12 Pitcher of the Year since Alek Manoah, who did it in 2019.
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