West Virginia
Join Literacy Volunteers of Upshur County and make a difference
BUCKHANNON, WV — Are you looking for a rewarding way to give back to your community? Consider becoming a volunteer with Literacy Volunteers of Upshur County, a dedicated organization with a mission to spread literacy throughout Upshur County by offering free and confidential one-on-one tutoring in reading, basic math, computer skills and other life skills.
According to Jennifer Higham, Director of LVUC, their focus is on teaching students to read. The organization also has an ESL tutor. Higham emphasized the importance of addressing literacy and math skills deficits in the area, noting that Upshur County has a 19% illiteracy rate.
Higham also highlighted the organization’s goal-oriented approach, which includes meeting various goals such as preparing students for the West Virginia driver’s test, helping them balance a checkbook and meeting any other needs they may have.
LVUC hosts various fundraising events throughout the year, including raffles, yard sales and book sales, to support its mission.
LVUC welcomes anyone interested in donating books throughout the year to do so Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at their location at 88 W. Main St., Buckhannon, WV 26201.
Higham expressed gratitude for the community’s continued support, noting that all proceeds from their book sales and other fundraisers benefit LVUC and their students. LVUC also participates in community events, such as Festival Fridays, where they host free children’s book giveaways throughout the summer.
Since 1985, LVUC has taught 500 people to learn how to read and helped them with other aspects of their lives.
“The pandemic has been torturous for most nonprofits, and we’re no exception,” Higham said. “We would love to see some new faces come out to our fundraisers or apply to be a tutor.”
If you’re interested in making a difference in Upshur County and helping others improve their literacy skills, consider becoming a Literacy Volunteer with LVUC. For more information about volunteering or donating, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LiteracyVolunteersOfUpshurCounty or contact them directly at (304) 472-2343.
West Virginia
West Virginia is ground-zero for UFO research, extraterrestrial encounters
GREEN BANK, W.Va. — A renowned paranormal investigator says West Virginia has a remarkable association with UFO activity because of its role in the search for extraterrestrial life and because it was the location of many early alleged UFO encounters.
Dave Spinks, perhaps best known for his appearances on the Travel Channel, the History Channel, and Destination America, says you can’t beat the Mountain State when it comes to UFO lore.
“Two of the earliest and most famous encounters in the U.S. were reported here,” Spinks says, referring to legendary encounters involving Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster.
“But it was here, too, at Green Bank Observatory that Frank Drake established the first telescopes used in the SETI program—the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.”
“Here he met with Carl Sagan,” Spinks said, referring to the collaboration with scientists who met with the proponent of the Drake Equation, an argument used to speculate about the possibilities of intelligent life off the planet.
Spinks began to collect notes about encounters with UFOs and the paranormal in the 1990s. However, his inspiration came from his youth spent in the hills near Flatwoods, the site of one of the state’s first encounters.
In 1952, a group of Flatwoods residents reported seeing what they believed was a spacecraft crashing in the hills south of the town. On investigation, they encountered its apparent occupant, a super-human, the Flatwoods Monster, a being that chased them from the alleged crash site.
Spinks grew up nearby near Birch River and some of the members of his family had attended school with some of the witnesses from Flatwoods. “That’s what started me thinking.”
Spinks also heard tales of Mothman, a winged creature said to haunt the Ohio Valley near Point Pleasant in the 1960s, during which West Virginians frequently watched the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse, which some claim to have done.
He left law enforcement in 2011 and became a full-time paranormal investigator—one of the field’s most noticeable, appearing in nationally televised shows and in thousands of news articles and podcasts.
Spinks says he’s been offered his own television programs but has so far declined the offers as he finds the genre apt to veer from honesty for the sake of production values.
“I like to present a more gritty approach to investigating these tales,” Spinks says.
“Essentially, I have three questions I wish to answer. These are what drive me. What happens when we die? Are there unknown creatures walking among us? And are we alone in the universe?”
As well as speaking, authoring books, and appearing on television and in videos, Spinks also recently purchased an allegedly haunted house, Willows Weep, in Cayuga, Ind., which he uses as a laboratory for investigation.
For more information on Spinks and his work, visit Dave Spinks Paranormal Investigator.
A pre-industrial night’s sky lingers over remote West Virginia
Longing for a life far from city lights? You could hardly do better than to move to West Virginia. Sparsely populated, the state is part of a region of extremely low light — ironically located near the center of the eastern U.S., one of the most lighted regions in the world.
The night in some parts of West Virginia is so star-spangled that it may seem pre-industrial, according to astronomer David Buhrman, who tours the region with telescopes, leading educational programs and advocating for the value of starlight. Read the full story here.
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West Virginia
The Primary Election, Raw Milk And Child Nutrition, This West Virginia Week – West Virginia Public Broadcasting
On this West Virginia Week, West Virginians went to the polls for primaries to decide some national and local issues. We’ll talk about the results of some of Tuesday’s elections and hear from some voters.
We’ll dive into the soon-to-be legal raw milk trade. West Virginians will be able to purchase raw milk, as long as it is properly labeled. But that might come with a risk. We’ll also learn about a demonstration at West Virginia University (WVU) calling for the university to disclose investments in and ultimately divest from Israel over the war in Gaza, as well as child nutrition.
Finally, we hear about Gov. Jim Justice’s call for a much-anticipated special session of the state legislature this coming Sunday.
Chris Schulz is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week’s biggest news in the Mountain State. It’s produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Liz McCormick and Randy Yohe.
Learn more about West Virginia Week.
West Virginia
Dansville pitcher taking road to West Virginia
DANSVILLE, Mich. (WILX) – Dansville pitcher Wyatt Mosley has been striking out batters at an insane rate. The junior finished with 15 strikeouts against St. Pat’s on Thursday evening.
Mosley was able to grab the attention of scouts a year ago at prep baseball camps. August 1st is the date when colleges can first reach out to players going into their junior seasons, and Wyatt was hoping for some calls. His father was the one who told him to stay up late that night and at 12:30 a.m. West Virginia was the first collegiate team to call Wyatt. From the moment he answered the phone, Wyatt knew there was no other choice than the Mountaineers.
Mosley is finishing up his junior season with the Aggies and will look to make a run with Dansville in Districts coming up.
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