West Virginia
University, Ripley out to early leads at state wrestling – WV MetroNews
— Story by David Walsh, Photo gallery by Will Wotring
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Divisions I and II are going as expected after Thursday night’s opening round in the 78th West Virginia High School State Wrestling Tournament at Mountain Health Network Arena. University, seeking a third straight large school title, and Parkersburg found themselves in the top two in the standings on a night dominated by pins as No. 1 seeds would beat up on No. 4 seeds.
University started the event minus two competitors. One did not make weight and the other, who won a state title a year ago, is not competing as he’s recovering from a football injury.
One competitor delivering big for the Hawks is Maximus Fortier, a junior who transferred in from Fairmont Senior. While there, he won the state title as a freshman at 144 with a final record of 41-1. He competes at 165 now and is 36-2 after winning with a first-round pin Thursday night.
“Come down, support the team and try to win,” Fortier said of his battle plan. “Wrestle the way we know how.”
Fortier and the Hawks won the Ron Mauck OVAC title, the WSAZ Invitational and West Virginia Duals during the season. He competed in two major tournaments as well. He went 2-2 in the Ironman and won his weight class in the Powerade Tournament which attracts the top teams in the nation.
“Wasn’t ready,” he said about the Ironman. “Did my thing at Powerade. It was big.”
Fortier said support at his new school grows every day.
“They treat me like family,” he said.
Strategy for the State Tournament is simple.
“Wrestle the way we know how to wrestle,” Fortier said.
University capitalized on a strong finish in the heavier weights and leads with 47 points. Parkersburg, which finished second here last year, trails with 39.5. Cabell Midland is third with 37.5 and Huntington fourth with 32.5.
Ripley is in year two in Division II. The Vikings placed sixth a year ago. They came to town as the Region 4 winner and qualified 11 with nine taking first and the other two second. Ripley leads after Thursday with 38 points thanks to wins by pin or major fall. Independence is second with 27 and Keyser third with 25.5. Cameron is the leader in Division III with 16 points.
The tournament continues Friday with sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the girls have their state with action starting at 8 a.m. The boys begin at 10:30.
Championship finals are Saturday night at 6:30. Wrestlers are now seeded prior to the tournament and the pill breaks deadlocks.
During the season, Ripley won the West Virginia Duals, beat Herbert Hoover twice, Point Pleasant and also got wins over Parkersburg South and Huntington.
West Virginia
Register now: West Virginia’s largest yard sale grows with more Webster County sellers for 2026
Community Bulletin
WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Center for Women’s Health has opened its 2026 prenatal and pregnancy classes — including Spinning Babies, breastfeeding basics and Lamaze — for expecting Upshur County families, with Lamaze offered in person or online. Read more →
This story brought to you paywall-free, courtesy of the My Buckhannon team and our community partners
BUCKHANNON – The West Virginia Largest Yard Sale is getting even larger, with more participants from Webster County this year.
Cadence Ringer, executive director of the Upshur County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the 2026 West Virginia Largest Yard Sale will take place Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8. Registration for sellers is now open through July 26 at 11:30 p.m. Registration can be found on the Upshur County Visitor Center’s Facebook page.
“It’s been going wonderfully. As of last Wednesday, we had 30 applicants, and they keep coming in by the day. They are slowly trickling in right now, but I know we’ll have a big burst of them right before the deadline to register,” Ringer said. “The date set for the map to go live is July 31. I like to prepare for it a week in advance, to give people enough time to map out their own plan for their shopping that weekend.”
The map showing where all the sellers will be located will be available digitally this year on the Upshur County Visitor’s Bureau website. The map will also include brief descriptions of the items each yard sale will offer.
“On our registration form, I have asked them to list at least five things they’re going to be selling. Once I get them on the map, there’s an option for me to add details, so if they click on the actual location of the yard sale and read the details at the bottom, it’ll give them an idea of what that yard sale will be offering,” Ringer said. “There won’t be any photos or anything, but people can at least get an idea of what each seller will have.”
The yard sale has expanded over the year, from Upshur to Lewis and now to Webster County.
“We decided last year to add Webster County to this and to try and get them going,” Ringer said, but the numbers were low. “This year, we have had quite a few from Webster County, so I’m excited to actually get it spreading into that area as well.”
She said people who go out to shop are all looking for something different, but you can always find a little bit of everything.
“There are people looking for a lot of clothes. That’s what a lot of people prepare for the upcoming school year by going yard saling,” Ringer said. “I’m a yard saler myself, so I go looking for those hidden treasures, and I really think that’s what this is about — finding things they don’t make anymore, or antiques of some sort, some decorations. They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so that’s what it’s about: just finding the treasure.”
Ringer said the event also brings in visitors from outside the area and encourages them to shop and eat at local businesses in Buckhannon.
“I think the most important thing to highlight is that this is a collaboration between the three counties — it drives our economy,” Ringer said. “I know some people see it as annoying that traffic is going on, or that there’s a bunch of people around, but it also gives families the opportunity to buy things secondhand and to prepare for the upcoming school year. Maybe some families can’t afford to purchase new things. It also drives the economic boost for our restaurants and other locations downtown.”
West Virginia
Photos show first pieces of West Virginia’s America250 Wheel arriving at state capitol
The first pieces of the America250 Wheel that is set to be a focal point of West Virginia’s Capital City Celebration arrived Thursday morning. Once constructed, the wheel is expected to be the world’s tallest portable Ferris Wheel at 230 feet tall. It will feature 45 gondolas and offer views up to 14 miles from the top. (WCHS)
West Virginia
Morrisey announces more than $700,000 to support rural domestic violence and sexual assault victims
Community Bulletin
WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Center for Women’s Health has opened its 2026 prenatal and pregnancy classes — including Spinning Babies, breastfeeding basics and Lamaze — for expecting Upshur County families, with Lamaze offered in person or online. Read more →
This story brought to you paywall-free, courtesy of the My Buckhannon team and our community partners
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Governor Patrick Morrisey today announced $701,410 in grant funding to strengthen services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking in rural communities across West Virginia.
“Every West Virginian deserves to live free from violence and abuse, regardless of where they call home,” said Morrisey. “These grants help ensure victims in our rural communities have access to advocacy, shelter, crisis intervention, and other critical services when they need them most. Supporting victims and holding offenders accountable remains an important priority for our administration.”
The funding, provided through the West Virginia Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program, will help organizations expand victim advocacy, crisis intervention, housing assistance, court accompaniment, community outreach and coordinated local response efforts in rural areas throughout the state.
The grants are administered by the Justice and Community Services Section of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services.
Recipients include:
West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc. — $186,670: Funding will continue services provided by co-located advocates serving victims of domestic violence in rural communities across West Virginia.
Women’s Aid in Crisis, Inc. — $150,612: Funding will support advocacy, crisis intervention, housing assistance, referrals and court accompaniment for victims in Barbour, Randolph and Tucker counties.
Family Refuge Center — $136,897: Funding will provide victim advocacy, crisis intervention, housing assistance, referrals and court accompaniment for survivors in Greenbrier County.
Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center — $132,283: Funding will support a Rural Domestic Violence Specialist serving the Eastern Panhandle through victim advocacy, housing assistance, community referrals and coordinated response efforts.
Branches Domestic Violence Shelter (Huntington) — $94,948: Funding will support a Domestic Violence Specialist serving Mason County by providing victim advocacy, referrals to community resources, housing assistance and coordination with local response teams.
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