West Virginia
Political giant and coaching legend honored by lawmakers in Thursday's floor sessions – WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State lawmakers took time Thursday to honor two well-known West Virginians who died recently.
The state Senate approved a memorial resolution focusing on the life and service of former Senate President and state Supreme Court Justice Warren McGraw.
The Wyoming County native died last June at the age of 84.
“We are memorializing an iconic political figure in West Virginia, a great West Virginian,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Trump, R-Morgan, said in recounting more than 50 years of public service.
McGraw was a two-term member of West Virginia’s House of Delegates and then served three terms in the state Senate, rising to become president.
He left the Senate to run for governor but didn’t win the Democratic primary. He returned to Wyoming County, where he was elected to the local school board and then became prosecutor.
In 1998, McGraw campaigned for an unexpired six-year term on the state Supreme Court and won. He served as chief justice in 2001.
McGraw’s son, former state lawmaker Randolph McGraw, and two daughters were on hand for Thursday’s memorial resolution.
Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, said when he finally had the opportunity to meet McGraw the two became fast friends.
“The thing that I will always remember about Warren McGraw and the entire McGraw family is their love for working West Virginians,” Caputo said. “They never hid, not one time, their love for coal miners and their love for the UMWA.”
Wyoming County State Senator David Stover said several personal stories in his remarks to the Senate. He remembered meeting McGraw when he was campaigning for the House years ago outside a little grocery story in the community of Pierpont.
“There was a car pulled in and a young man got out, bunch of us ol boys were there, not much younger, and he walked up and said, ‘Hello fellers I’m Warren McGraw and I’m going to be your next delegate,’” Stover recalled.
The Senate honored former Senator Billy Wayne Bailey with a memorial resolution earlier this week.
Criddle honored
There was a moment of silence in the House of Delegates Thursday after this week’s passing of former longtime West Virginia high school football coach Homer Criddle.
Criddle was head coach at five schools including Kingwood, St. Marys, South Charleston, St. Albans and Greenbrier East.
“Over his 28 years as a head coach he won 167 games, had two undefeated seasons and guided three different schools to the AAA championship game,” Del. Jeff Campbell, R-Greenbrier, said during Thursday’s floor session.
Criddle coached Robert Alexander and Carl Lee at South Charleston, Derek Christian and Scott Tinsley at St. Albans High and Bimbo Coles and Marcus McClung at Greenbrier East.
Criddle was a native of Cabell County. After his military service as a U.S. Marine, Criddle played at WVU on a football scholarship from 1962-64.
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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