West Virginia
Fairmont State University prepares for Welcome Week – WV MetroNews
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — New student move-in and Welcome Week activities get underway at Fairmont State University on Thursday.
Associate Director of Student Engagement Justin Rader said the Welcome Week activities help students feel at home, make friends and get excited about fall classes.
“Building those peer-to-peer relationships that are a crucial part of their success,” Rader said. “So, that’s what we encourage for the weekend: that students get out of their rooms, get out of their housing assignments and go interact with their peers.”
Welcome Week officially gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Thursday with the Back to School Bash at the Falcon Center Quad. Rader said there are a variety of activities planned with food and treats.
“After that, they will attend several activities starting that evening,” Rader said. “We have a back-to-school bash hosted by one of our student organizations on campus and a game night with a soda float bar station.”
The estimate is that 40 percent of the Falcon student body is made up of first-generation students. Rader said the school was awarded a $5,000 grant through the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC) to hold a week of recognition from Nov. 4-8.
“We want to highlight their resilience and the tenacity of the first-generation college student who steps out of the traditions of their family and says, ‘I’m going to be the first to come to college, and I’m going to be the first to get this type of degree,’” Rader said.
Live music will also return this year, according to Rader. At 8 p.m. Saturday, “The Walk of Shame” will take the stage in the Falcon Center Quad for a live show.
“They’re a cover band out of Pittsburgh called The Walk of Shame,” Rader said. “They do 90’s, 2000’s, Indie, and country, and they have over 500 songs in their portfolio.”
On Sunday, Aug. 25, students will participate in the Day of Action with the Tygart Valley United Way. Students will meet the leaders of local non-profits and understand the challenges facing the community while pitching in and helping out.
“Some of our spots are the community garden, Palatine Park, the Center of Hope, and the Marion County Humane Society,” Rader said. “So, get out there helping and giving back to the community.”
Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.
Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble
Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State
Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana
First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati
Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall
Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State
How is this even possible?
Short answer? I don’t really know.
My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.
Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.
If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.
The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.
The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.
At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.
Buckle up, Upshur County. Starting Friday, March 6, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will step up seatbelt enforcement as part of a statewide Click It or Ticket campaign running through March 23.
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) announced the high-visibility mobilization as a warm-up to the national seatbelt campaign in May. The goal is to ensure every occupant — front seat or back, driver or passenger — is buckled on every trip.
“During this mobilization, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will be out in full force. They will be strictly ticketing drivers who are unbuckled or who are transporting children not properly restrained in car seats,” said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP.
The numbers behind the campaign are sobering. In 2023, 40% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in West Virginia crashes were unrestrained. The state’s seatbelt usage rate has also slipped — from 91.9% in 2024 to 91.6% in 2025.
Rural drivers face elevated risk despite a common assumption that country roads are safer. In 2023, 65% of the state’s traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, compared to 35% in urban centers.
Under West Virginia law, wearing a seatbelt is required. A citation carries a $25 fine, though McNeely says the real point isn’t the penalty.
“Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” he said. “A ticket is a wake-up call. It is far less expensive than the alternative — paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.”
For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WCHS) — A West Virginia man accused of threatening to attack President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers was federally indicted this week.
Cody Lee Smith, 20, of Clarksburg was indicted on two counts of threats to murder the president, one count of influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder and one count of influencing a federal official by threat of murder, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Smith is accused of making a series of public posts on Instagram encouraging and threatening the murder of Trump, those who support him, Israelis and “all government officials,” the news release said.
The indictment also alleges that Smith sent a direct message via Instagram to Donald J. Trump, Jr., stating he would kill his father by cutting his “jugular.”
In a phone call with the ICE tip line, Smith also threatened to kill ICE agents in Clarksburg and employees staffing the tip line.
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Smith faces up to 5 years for each of the presidential threat charges and faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts.
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