West Virginia
‘Quiet strength’ — Sarah Beckstrom’s West Virginia hometown remembers slain National Guard member
West Virginia
Winter weather conditions affecting counties throughout West Virginia
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Due to the weather conditions, many counties throughout West Virginia have been experiencing vehicle crashes and traffic alerts.
Dispatchers have reported the following traffic alerts to watch out for this morning.
In Mason County, U.S. Route 35 is currently shut down due to an accident involving a tractor trailer.
On I-64 Westbound between Teays Valley and Hurricane, traffic is at a standstill due to an accident. The accident occurred in a parking lot right before Culloden.
There is also a vehicle crash reported on U.S. 50 near Volcano Road. One lane is closed.
In Charleston, a two-vehicle accident near Lee Street West and Pennsylvania Avenue North has caused the lane to be blocked. No injuries were reported.
An accident at 4019 Paint Creek Rd. in Logan also occurred due to slick road conditions. No injuries were reported and the lane is currently blocked.
On Corridor G South and Kesari Drive in Alum Creek at the Lincoln County line, an accident with injuries has been reported. The lane is currently closed.
A tractor trailer rollover also occurred on 22 Mine Rd. near Woodstock Road in Logan County, dispatchers said. Dispatchers are working to get more information on the accident.
A crash involving a school bus in St. Albans has also caused a roadway near Walnut Street and Washington Avenue to close.
The right lane on I-81 Northbound near mile marker 21 is also closed due to a crash in Berkley County.
In Eleanor, a traffic advisory is in place near Charleston Road and Camelot Drive due to a two-vehicle accident with reported injuries. Route 62 is currently closed as of 6 a.m., dispatchers said.
WSAZ will continue to provide updates as we get more information from dispatchers.
Keep checking WSAZ for the latest.
Copyright 2025 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
West Virginia
National Guard member Andrew Wolfe, shot in DC, has shown positive signs, West Virginia governor says
The surviving West Virginia National Guardsman who was shot by a terror suspect near the White House is showing positive signs of recovery – but remains in critical condition, his home state’s governor said Monday.
Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, has begun flashing a thumbs up and moving his toes when asked by nurses if he can hear their questions.
“Andrew is still fighting for his life,” West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday. “Andrew needs prayers.”
Wolfe was rushed to a hospital in critical condition after being shot alongside 20-year-old Spc. Sarah Beckstrom while on patrol Wednesday afternoon in Washington, DC.
Beckstrom was shot in the head and chest, and later died of her wounds.
The alleged gunman, 29-year-old Afghan immigrant Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was also shot and stabbed in the altercation and remains hospitalized.
A motive for Lakanwal’s alleged attack remains unknown.
But Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem announced Sunday that the alleged killer is believed to have been radicalized after coming to the US in 2021.
Lakanwal was part of a CIA-trained outfit of Afghanistan locals who battled the Taliban during the US’ involvement in the country.
He reportedly suffered a mental breakdown over the violence he saw with the unit, but was allowed to move to the Seattle area after the US’ chaotic pullout from the Middle Eastern country in 2021.
The shooting has been deemed a terror attack, and Lakanwal has been charged with first-degree murder.
Lakanwal was subdued by two National Guardsmen who heard the gunfire and sprang into action. One was armed with nothing but a pocket knife and managed to take the alleged terrorist down, while the other shot him.
Wolfe and Beckstrom were among about 2,200 National Guard troops stationed in DC as part of the president’s crime-fighting deployment to the capital.
About 170 of them were from the West Virginia Guard, and had volunteered to stay on in November after the deployment was reduced.
Beckstrom had even volunteered for duty the day she was shot so that others could go home to be with their families for Thanksgiving.
“Our sole focus right now is looking after the well-being of the 170 service members who are on the ground, focusing on the family, assuring that prayers are going out,” Morrisey said of the remaining West Virginia troops.
West Virginia
Texas Tech fans rally to support West Virginia after National Guardsmen shooting
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — Rivalries are some of the best parts of college football and a reason why so many look forward to Saturdays in the fall. But one man saw a need in his team’s opposing fan base and took action.
“I know the hearts of [Texas] Tech grads and folks in West Texas, and I knew that they would want to help,” said Texas Tech fan Dan Isset. “And something that binds us all together is not just the love of the sport but the love of our country.”
Dan Isset saw the news like many did on Wednesday. Two National Guardsmen had been shot in Washington DC, and both were natives of West Virginia. His Texas Tech Red Raiders were set to take on the Mountaineers over the weekend, but he had something else on his mind.
“I was told from some West Virginia fans on Twitter that the National Guard did quite a bit of work with local food banks there,” Isset said. “So it seemed like we had a great opportunity for folks in West Texas and Texas Tech fans to show our support and our love for folks in West Virginia and what y’all are going through and those families in particular.”
Donations from Red Raider fans started coming into the Mountaineer Food Bank, one of the places where guard troops had assisted during the government shutdown. CEO Chad Morrison said the support was incredible.
“I was looking at our donations and the messages that the donors had put,” Morrison said. “There was a lot of heartfelt messages, supporting the National Guard and the state of West Virginia and just really made you feel really good to see that kind of support from across the country.”
Right now, Red Raider fans have donated close to a thousand dollars to help the Mountaineer Food Bank.
“Even though they’re a football opponent, we’re all working on this together, and we’re all people at the end of the day,” Morrison said.
Isset, a veteran himself who used to live in DC said he’s always enjoyed visiting the Mountain State because it reminded him of home.
“West Texas is one of the friendliest places in all the world. I’ve been to West Virginia a few times and it always reminds me of home whenever I’m there,” he said. “Folks are very similar in West Virginia and in West Texas and there’s a lot that binds us together that they can bring folks together and I’m real happy that I got to be just a little bitty part of that.”
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