West Virginia
W.Va. approves $150M in school projects
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – More money for local schools.
West Virginia’s governor stood with county superintendents Wednesday, moments after he joined state officials in awarding nearly $150 million in school construction grants.
Buffalo Elementary in Wayne County, built more than 60 years ago, is set to close with an expansion to neighboring Buffalo Middle that will make the larger, combined facility a Pre-K through 8 school.
Michele Blatt, now state superintendent in West Virginia, served as the school’s principal for four years.
“We spent a lot of time with our PTO and with our community trying to make it as good as it could be for the students,” she told WSAZ.
Blatt says the Buffalo had been passed over for a number of years.
In fact, every project awarded Wednesday was passed over just months ago due to a lack of money.
But then, in March, lawmakers and Gov. Jim Justice added $150 million to the construction fund.
The governor’s chief of staff told an audience Wednesday that move is allowing the state’s School Building Authority to clear the deck.
“You cherry pick what you think are the most needed and the most important projects,” Governor Justice said afterward. “Really and truly, when it really comes right down to it, these extra dollars now help us to go back and get all the projects and everything, and at the end of the day, that’s monstrously important to those folks that have been passed over.”
In Cabell County, it means expansion at Cabell Midland High School and a new school for Ona Elementary. The aging elementary school lacks handicap accessibility and a sprinkler system.
“(It) is going to mean a new facility for generations of students that will be coming through Ona Elementary School,” said Ryan Saxe, superintendent of Cabell County Schools.
In Mingo County, it means a more secure entrance at Tug Valley High School.
“It means that when they come to school, everyone who should be in that building is in that building and people who should not will not be able to be in the building,” said Johnny Branch, superintendent of Mingo County Schools.
“And without the funding you weren’t able to move forward with the project?” asked WSAZ NewsChannel 3 reporter Curtis Johnson.
“No,” he replied. “We just did not have the funds locally.”
Along with new construction, the $150 million is also a key factor in West Virginia satisfying concerns that the federal government had regarding the state’s spending of COVID relief.
Justice predicts that issue will be settled with no pay back to the federal government.
The Buffalo and Ona Elementary projects rank rank as the most expensive projects approved Wednesday.
Copyright 2024 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – We have a traffic alert for drivers in the Danville area of Boone County.
Starting on Friday, they should expect delays as crew perform work on the Jill Micah Hess Bridge along U.S. 119.
According to the West Virginia Department of Transportation, northbound traffic will be shifted from the slow lane to the fast lane.
This will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and drivers are asked to expect delays.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
West Virginia
Community Catalyst Grant applications are open through West Virginia First Foundation through June 30 – WV MetroNews
The West Virginia First Foundation, which was established to use drug lawsuit settlement money to try to alleviate problems related to addiction, reported having access to $378.5 million in financial resources and noted that more than $34 million in grants have been awarded since the organization’s start.
The West Virginia First Foundation met for a few minutes Thursday at Ascend West Virginia in Charleston. The meeting was also available for view through streaming.
Executive Director Jonathan Board highlighted the launch of the Community Catalyst Grant application and a statewide needs assessment intended to identify service gaps.
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. The program opened for applications on June 1 and remains open through June 30.
“We’re very encouraged by the interest and engagement so far,” Board said.
The board also approved a $4 million funding request for the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. 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.
Additional details about the project and funding agreement are to be released in the coming weeks following the completion of final documentation. West Virginia First Foundation and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute plan to issue a joint announcement once the agreement process is complete.
“They’ve gone through a very rigorous process for the correct funding,” Board said. “Their team has presented an opportunity to fund a project that will build technology, training and support systems of care needed to expand access to an innovative addiction treatment approach throughout the state of West Virginia, and really beyond.”
The West Virginia First Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2023 to manage and distribute 72.5% of the state’s opioid settlement funds, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. The organization is aimed at combatting the addiction crisis through grants and regional projects.
The next regular meeting of the Foundation’s Board of Directors is scheduled for Sept. 17 although it’s subject to change.
West Virginia may have come up empty-handed in two tries against North Carolina in the College World Series, but they earned the respect of their head coach, Scott Forbes, who was incredibly complimentary of the Mountaineers following Wednesday’s game.
“I want to congratulate West Virginia. A heck of a team, a heck of a run,” he opened his postgame press conference with. “They are very well coached. They just play the game the right way. It’s a credit to their coaching staff. They come at you a lot of ways. A lot of speed, deep pitching staff, so we really had to work in those two games to beat them. I’ve been in their shoes, and I know what that feels like, and it’s a stinker. But man, they got a lot to be proud of, and they should be extremely proud of how they represented their university.”
The culture at WVU is as strong as it gets
Multiple times this season, West Virginia looked like they were well on their way to a loss and were rewarded with a win because they never stopped playing hard. Everyone thinks of the two games against Kentucky in the Morgantown Regional, and rightfully so, but they also came back to win after trailing by eight against UCF and after trailing by five to BYU.
For a moment, there was a belief that the magical moment was going to come again during Wednesday’s game against Forbes’ Tar Heels. With two outs in the 7th and trailing 12-1, Armani Guzman busted his tail down the first base line to beat out a grounder to short. It ultimately led to a five-run inning for the Mountaineers, all of a sudden turning a laugher into a semi-interesting game. Gavin Kelly hit a solo home run in the 8th to make it a five-run deficit, and in the ninth, Ben Lumsden just missed a three-run shot that would have really put pressure on North Carolina, even with two outs.
To have your team still playing hard when trailing by 11 with their season likely about to come to an end, it says a lot about the character of this group, but also how deeply ingrained the culture is at WVU. There’s a reason this program has turned the corner over the last 14 or so years and is continuing to trend up. They’ve had the right people in place leading it.
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