West Virginia

Society Man, Dragoon Guard Top West Virginia Derby

Published

2 years ago

July 30, 2024

Society Man, Dragoon Guard Top West Virginia Derby

Trainer Danny Gargan, enjoying a career-best year with two grade 1 wins from Dornoch and stable earnings of more than $3.2 million, can pad that tally when Society Man races Aug. 4 in the $500,000 West Virginia Derby (G3) at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort.

The Matt Winn Stakes (G3) winner and Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) runner-up battles Indiana Derby (G3) victor Dragoon Guard , Iowa Derby winner Henro , and six other 3-year-olds in the 1 1/8-mile dirt race.

Besides being trained by Gargan, Society Man shares other similarities with Dornoch. Both are sons of Good Magic , though Dornoch is a colt and Society Man a gelding. West Paces Racing is a co-owner in both horses.

Society Man races for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, West Paces Racing, GMP Stables, and Carl and Yurie Pascarella. West Paces Racing is also an owner in Dornoch, along with R. A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing, and Pine Racing Stables.

Gargan nominated Society Man to the July 27 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course but passed on the race, which reigning 2-year-old male champion Fierceness won over Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Sierra Leone . He told New York Racing Association publicity that he thinks Society Man “fits better in the West Virginia Derby.”

“I like how the timing sets up. If he could win the West Virginia Derby, we could see him back at Parx,” he said of the Sept. 21 Pennsylvania Derby (G1). “I have him on that route.

“Look, he is a gelding, and he is going to be around for a long time. We are just trying to map out the best route for him to keep him doing well.”

Society Man is 2-1-1 in seven starts with earnings of $437,230. Corey Lanerie, aboard in the Matt Winn, travels to Mountaineer for the return mount Sunday.

Juddmonte’s Dragoon Guard, a winner of three straight after a debut second last September at Churchill Downs, appears a formidable foe following front-running 2 1/2-length victory in the July 6 Indiana Derby (G3) at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Florent Geroux comes in for the ride on the Brad Cox-trained Dragoon Guard, a homebred son of Arrogate. Along with Society Man, Dragoon Guard is co-high weight in the field at 120 lbs.

JD Thoroughbreds and Joey Keith Davis’ Henro upset Dragoon Guard’s Cox-trained stablemate Just a Touch in capturing the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows the same day as the Indiana Derby. Routing for the first time, Henro, a Collected gelding, sat closer than usual to the early pace and came on late to score after tracking the leaders.

Rafael Bejarano returns in the irons for trainer Chris Hartman aboard the diminutive chestnut, who is 3-1-0 in seven starts.

All nine entrants in the West Virginia Derby race with the diuretic Lasix, which is not permitted in graded stakes races across the United States but can be used in West Virginia, which is not operating under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. The state won a preliminary injunction two years ago in one of the numerous lawsuits that are contesting HISA’s constitutionality.

Sunday’s card is a twilight racing program with first post at 5 p.m. ET. The West Virginia Derby is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.

Entries: West Virginia Derby (G3)

Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort, Sunday, August 04, 2024, Race 8

Grade III
1 1/8m
Dirt
$500,000
3 yo
8:15 PM (local)

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West Virginia

West Virginia police launch high-visibility speeding enforcement campaign

Published

5 hours ago

July 6, 2026

Press Room

West Virginia police launch high-visibility speeding enforcement campaign

Community Bulletin

The WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Rural Health Clinic is now accepting newborns at its Buckhannon office, with two providers — Rachel Burns, CPNP, and Sara Chipps, FNP-C — taking new pediatric patients. Read more →

This story brought to you paywall-free, courtesy of the My Buckhannon team and our community partners

CHARLESTON, WV — The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are reminding drivers that speeding has legal consequences. As part of the Speeding Slows You Down high-visibility enforcement campaign, drivers will see more law enforcement on the roads. West Virginia’s mobilization runs from July 6 through July 31, 2026.

This campaign is designed to underscore the grave consequences of speeding and urge motorists to reduce their speed. This mobilization emphasizes the commitment of law enforcement to curb speeding behaviors and raise public awareness regarding the increased presence of officers on our nation’s roads during this mobilization period.

Speeding-related fatalities affect communities nationwide every year. In 2024, there were 11,288 speed-related traffic fatalities, accounting for 29% of all traffic fatalities. Young drivers have a higher chance of being involved in speeding-related crashes. In 2024, 39% of male drivers and 20% of female drivers in the 15- to 20-year-old age group involved in fatal traffic crashes were speeding.

In West Virginia, in 2024, speeding-related fatalities decreased 8% from the previous year, from 85 to 78. Our ultimate goal is zero fatalities, which points toward the importance of campaigns like this.

“Speeders don’t just put themselves in danger of serious injuries and death, they put other road users, including passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists, at risk as well. We are asking drivers to please slow down; our goal is to save lives, and we’re putting all drivers on alert. The posted speed limit is the law. No excuses,” said Jack McNeely, GHSP Director.

The consequences of speeding can lead to a costly ticket, potential jail time, or worse, a crash resulting in injuries or death.

For more information on speeding, visit NHTSA.gov/Speeding.

For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.

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West Virginia

Guard activated for duty in flood zone – WV MetroNews

Published

15 hours ago

July 5, 2026

Press Room

Guard activated for duty in flood zone – WV MetroNews

Flood debris piles along Route 85 have been growing for more than a week. PHOTO: Chris Lawrence

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the West Virginia National Guard will be dispatched this week to the areas of Boone, Raleigh, and Logan Counties which are under a State of Emergency today.

The Governor declared the State of Emergency following heavy rains on June 22nd which caused high water that damaged more than 120 homes in Boone County alone.

“Missions like this we’ve done in the past. It’s basically conducting debris removal operations,” said Captain Mike Garcia of the West Virginia National Guard.

The number of guard personnel who will be activated is not yet known, but Garcia guessed it would be in the neighborhood of 15. The teams will be equipment operators with loading and hauling equipment to move household debris to a collection location.

“We’ve got loader teams, dump teams, and skid-steers and we’ll go around those areas and take any debris caused by the weather and the flooding and it is piling up, we’ll be able to remove that, ” he explained.

Garcia said at this point there has been no mission to haul relief supplies to victims as has been done in previous flood events. They are also disallowed from doing any work to assist homeowners on their own private property.

“West Virginia National Guard is not legally authorized to enter or conduct work on private property. Residents need to move any debris and bring it to the curb so that as we get on the ground, we’ll be able to assess where it will go,” Garcia added.

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West Virginia

Ex-WVU Guard Kerr Kriisa Arrested by FBI in Alleged Fraud Scheme

Published

1 day ago

July 5, 2026

Press Room

Ex-WVU Guard Kerr Kriisa Arrested by FBI in Alleged Fraud Scheme

A stunning report dropped on the 4th of July from Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim of On3 that former West Virginia guard Kerr Kriisa had been arrested by the FBI on alleged fraud charges.

According to the report, Kriisa’s arrest was “in connection to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme dating back to his time at West Virginia as a Mountaineer in 2023-24. He’s being extradited back to West Virginia with a court hearing scheduled for next week.”

No further details have been released at this time.

Kriisa’s time as a Mountaineer

Jan 20, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Kerr Kriisa (3) celebrates with students after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Kriisa transferred from Arizona to West Virginia in the summer of 2023, expecting to be the point guard for Bob Huggins’ next team. Obviously, that went to the wayside when Huggins had his own off-court incidents that summer that ultimately led to his resignation.

Despite it being a brief period of time, Kriisa had developed a strong relationship with Huggins, and once the news dropped that he would no longer be the program’s coach, he put his name back in the portal. Interim head coach Josh Eilert had multiple conversations with him, and two days later, he withdrew his name, remaining a Mountaineer for a season.

Kriisa was suspended for the first nine games of that season after he admitted to accepting impermissible benefits during his time at Arizona.

During that extremely brutal year for WVU, Kriisa had the best year of his collegiate career statistically, averaging 11 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 42% from both the field and from three-point range.

Kerr’s two other stops post-WVU

Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Kerr Kriisa (11) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After one season in Morgantown, Kriisa transferred to Kentucky, but only appeared in nine games before suffering what would be a season-ending foot injury. In those nine games, Kriisa saw limited action off the bench, getting roughly 17 minutes per night.

To round out his collegiate career, Kriisa made his way back to the Big 12, landing at Cincinnati. There, he was bothered by a separated shoulder, causing him to miss several games, including the matchup against the Mountaineers in Morgantown. He did play in the second game against West Virginia and was held scoreless on 0/2 shooting in 15 minutes of action. Ironically, that would be the final game he would play for the Bearcats.

In 19 games with Cincinnati, he averaged 5.8 points, three assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game, connecting on just 33% of his shots.

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