West Virginia
Second Man Arrested for Arson of Raleigh County, WV, Mansion
A second arrest was made Monday morning in connection with the Oct. 20 fire at the home of former Gov. Hulett C. Smith (1918-2012), now owned by Gov. Jim Justice’s family.
Billy Ray Workman, 24, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy.
Workman was booked into Southern Regional Jail at 11 a.m. Monday after turning himself in to officials in the Raleigh County Judicial Center.
Also facing charges related to the incident is David W. Cole, 30.
Cole was arrested Oct. 25 by West Virginia State Fire Marshal officers and charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit a felony, according to Robbie Bailey, chief deputy state fire marshal.
Cole and Workman are being held on a $100,000 cash bond.
The investigation is ongoing and an additional arrest is expected, Bailey said.
The alarm came into the Mabscott Fire Department just after 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, for the Crestview Drive property on Harper Road, according to Assistant Chief Ray Palmer, and was still smoldering the following afternoon.
The second and third floors of the abandoned structure were fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived on scene, Palmer said.
Bradley/ Prosperity and Sophia Area fire departments also responded to the three-alarm fire.
It was the second time Mabscott Fire Department had responded to a fire at the same location in the past three weeks, according to officials.
The West Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office was on scene throughout the week.
Sitting on a hilltop overlooking Beckley, the fading structure was scheduled to be torn down the same week it was destroyed by fire, Raleigh County Commissioner Daniel Hall said.
Hall said the commission approved two contracts concerning the property during their Oct. 14 meeting – one for asbestos abatement and the second for demolition. He said the owners – the Justice family – had been notified of the contracts and that a lien would be placed on the property in order for the commission to recoup the costs.
Smith, a Beckley native, served as West Virginia’s 27th governor, from 1965 until 1969.
He reportedly moved from the four-story mansion to an Arizona assisted living facility in 2011 due to failing health.
The property was then acquired by Gov. Jim Justice’s family-owned Bellwood Corporation.
Unoccupied for several years, the once elegant, Colonial Revival-style home was built in 1953, but had been vandalized to the point of near destruction in recent years.
Vandals and squatters had littered the four stories and three-car garage with mountains of garbage, using spray paint to defile the walls and built-in wooden cabinetry with obscene images and other graffiti, knocking holes in the walls, and destroying what remained inside the structure.
Smith’s possessions, including furniture, signed paintings, autographed photographs, along with rare election collectibles, were auctioned prior to his death in a “living estate sale.”
Initially, Bellwood Corporation had been seeking to develop the Smith parcel along with the nearby Briar Patch Golf Course, also owned by the Justice family, into a mix of commercial, retail and professional spaces, single-family homes, multi-family apartment complexes and senior living facilities and a nine-hole golf course.
In 2021, Bellwood Corporation sought a $19.5 million TIF (tax increment financing) district for 30 years for both properties, which was denied in 2023.
A TIF is a public financing method that allows a developer to forego payment of taxes in order to develop a blighted area and grow the local economy. In theory, the money is used to develop the property.
Smith, the second Beckleyan in West Virginia history to be elected governor, died at the age of 93 in Arizona.
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(c)2024 The Register-Herald (Beckley, W.Va.)
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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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West Virginia
Justice firm’s delinquent DEP fines rise past $1.6M amid DOJ criminal liability relief
West Virginia
West Virginia First Foundation advances key initiatives at second quarterly board meeting
Community Bulletin
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF) convened its second quarterly board meeting of 2026 at Ascend West Virginia in Charleston, continuing its work to advance prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across West Virginia through responsible stewardship of opioid settlement funds.
The meeting provided board members with updates on several key initiatives and strategic priorities currently underway.
Expert panel appointments
A significant focus of the meeting was the appointment of several volunteer Expert Panel members following the conclusion of certain panel terms. Expert panelists serve in advisory roles and provide regional knowledge, professional expertise and community perspective to help inform WVFF’s work and funding priorities. To allow time for all appointees to complete the necessary confirmation and onboarding process, names will not be publicly released until all appointments have been finalized.
“Expert Panelists play an important role in helping us understand the needs, challenges, and opportunities facing our local communities,” said Jonathan Board, Executive Director of WVFF. “We are grateful for the individuals who volunteer their time and expertise to support this work and help guide thoughtful, informed decision-making.”
Local government reporting and best practices
Board members reviewed progress on the 2026 Local Government Expenditure Report, which compiles annual spending data submitted by local governments receiving opioid settlement funds. Staff reported that more than 65% of eligible local governments have submitted expenditure reports to date, with the statewide report expected to be released in mid-July.
The board also received an update on new resources being developed to help local governments identify promising practices and learn from successful approaches being implemented across West Virginia. While WVFF does not direct how local governments spend their allocated settlement funds, the Foundation remains committed to providing educational resources that highlight allowable uses, share examples from around the state and support informed local decision-making.
![[CHAMBER] [2026-06-23] Hiring Executive Director](https://res.cloudinary.com/mytown/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto,c_limit,w_1080/spotlights/jqvoqa1wl63oqmzrnmeg)
In the coming months, WVFF plans to host regional learning sessions that will bring local government representatives together to share experiences, discuss challenges and explore opportunities to maximize the impact of opioid settlement investments within their communities.
Strategic priorities
The board received updates on the Community Catalyst Grant (CCG) program, which opened for applications on June 1 and remains open through June 30. Designed as a three-year, outcomes-driven investment, the program will support projects focused on public safety response, day report centers and generational prevention efforts.
Board members also received updates on the West Virginia Wayfinder, the statewide needs assessment project led by the West Virginia University Health Affairs Institute, in partnership with the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs, and Data Driven WV. Meetings and engagement activities are underway with WVFF staff, expert panelists and community stakeholders across the state, with data, insights and priority areas currently being gathered and analyzed to help identify needs, gaps and opportunities related to substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery services in West Virginia.
![[DHS] [2025-05-23] Pain Free Living](https://res.cloudinary.com/mytown/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto,c_limit,w_1080/spotlights/xswzc9oud10whhzr94hg)
“Our Board remains focused on ensuring these funds are invested responsibly and strategically for the benefit of West Virginia communities,” said Greg Duckworth, Chairman of the WVFF Board of Directors. “Each meeting provides an opportunity to review progress, strengthen accountability, and continue building on the work being done across the state.”
Direct funding request approved
The board also voted to approve a $4 million direct funding request submitted by the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) at West Virginia University. The project is focused on expanding access to innovative addiction treatment and recovery support tools while building the technology and infrastructure needed to support implementation across West Virginia.
Consistent with WVFF’s commitment to transparency and accountability, additional details regarding the project and funding agreement will be released in the coming weeks following the completion of final documentation. WVFF and RNI plan to issue a joint announcement once the agreement process has been finalized.
![[TWIN] [2025-08-08] Meadowlands](https://res.cloudinary.com/mytown/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto,c_limit,w_1080/spotlights/sueaeb3swu4g4qwmu3x2)
Hold the Line Tour stop at Rea of Hope
After the board meeting, WVFF board members and staff will visit Rea of Hope, an Initial Opportunity Grant awardee, as part of the Foundation’s Hold the Line Tour, which highlights organizations and programs working to make a difference in communities across West Virginia. The visit will provide an opportunity to hear directly from leadership about the impact of recovery-focused services and community support.
The next regular meeting of the Foundation’s board of directors is scheduled for September 17, 2026 (subject to change). Visit wvfirst.org to learn more.
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