LOGAN COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA/Gray News) – A family’s pet kangaroo was seen running loose in a West Virginia neighborhood.

A driver on his way to work told WVVA that the kangaroo slowed traffic on Mud Fork Road in Verdunville.

“I was driving to work, and we had five cars in front of us that stopped in the middle of the road,” said Noah Manns. ” I was trying to look around and see what the holdup was, and when I was able to get into view, I saw a kangaroo hopping up the road.”

When the kangaroo had finally moved off the road, Manns was able to get photos of it.

Manns did not contact law enforcement because he knew the owners, who had bought the animal as a baby.

“I called my friend, and she immediately got ahold of the owners,” said Manns.

The kangaroo was caught and is now back home with its family.

According to the Beth Southern, the communications director for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, it is completely legal to own kangaroos in the Mountain State.

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FAIRMONT, W.Va. — New student move-in and Welcome Week activities get underway at Fairmont State University on Thursday.

Associate Director of Student Engagement Justin Rader said the Welcome Week activities help students feel at home, make friends and get excited about fall classes.

“Building those peer-to-peer relationships that are a crucial part of their success,” Rader said. “So, that’s what we encourage for the weekend: that students get out of their rooms, get out of their housing assignments and go interact with their peers.”

Welcome Week officially gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Thursday with the Back to School Bash at the Falcon Center Quad. Rader said there are a variety of activities planned with food and treats.

“After that, they will attend several activities starting that evening,” Rader said. “We have a back-to-school bash hosted by one of our student organizations on campus and a game night with a soda float bar station.”

The estimate is that 40 percent of the Falcon student body is made up of first-generation students. Rader said the school was awarded a $5,000 grant through the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC) to hold a week of recognition from Nov. 4-8.

“We want to highlight their resilience and the tenacity of the first-generation college student who steps out of the traditions of their family and says, ‘I’m going to be the first to come to college, and I’m going to be the first to get this type of degree,’” Rader said.

Live music will also return this year, according to Rader. At 8 p.m. Saturday, “The Walk of Shame” will take the stage in the Falcon Center Quad for a live show.

“They’re a cover band out of Pittsburgh called The Walk of Shame,” Rader said. “They do 90’s, 2000’s, Indie, and country, and they have over 500 songs in their portfolio.”

On Sunday, Aug. 25, students will participate in the Day of Action with the Tygart Valley United Way. Students will meet the leaders of local non-profits and understand the challenges facing the community while pitching in and helping out.

“Some of our spots are the community garden, Palatine Park, the Center of Hope, and the Marion County Humane Society,” Rader said. “So, get out there helping and giving back to the community.”

With anticipation building on kickoff of a season, WVU head coach Neal Brown made an appearance on a popular national college football show to talk some Mountaineers in 2024.

And while talking to Mary Smith and Ryan McGee on their “Marty and McGee” show, Brown touched on what West Virginia football means to the state.

First, Brown told a story about WVU fans staying all night after his Mountaineers beat Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 2022 to sing Country Roads. He then compared WVU to Arkansas and Nebraska as major programs as the only Power Four school in states without any professional teams within the major leagues.

On #MartyndMcGee a GREAT chat w @NealBrown_WVU
(I believe WVU could make CFP if they play to their ability)
•Deep importance of @WVUfootball to folks in Wild Wonderful.
•Great rivalries w PennSt/Pitt
•9-4 in 2023. What now?
•QB Garrett Greene 🚀
•Jogger pants?
•Dirty Myrtle pic.twitter.com/ulT2wbd8gi

— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) August 17, 2024

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“It probably took me a couple years to fully understand that the makeup of our team and how we played…and the culture and identity of who we are really needed to match the people. And we gotta be a physical, mentally and physically tough team, because that’s who our people are. Man, college football is special,” said Brown.

After waxing poetic on WVU and West Virginia, Brown reiterated some comments he’s made throughout the offseason about feeling his team and players are being overlooked nationally, how the new format of the College Football Playoff provides easier access and how his team needs to be ready for their regional rivalry matchups with Penn State and Pitt prior to the start of conference play.

Both hosts agreed that Brown’s team could surprise people this season and win the Big 12.

Much to Brown’s chagrin, the Mountaineers were left out of the top 25 of both the Coaches Poll and the Associated Press’ poll.

WVU head coach Neal Brown talking to reporters after winning the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Dec. 27, 2023. (Mike Asti / WV Sports Now)

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“If you just look at our resume, how we finished the year, quality wins we had last year with what we had coming back, that resume is going to get in the Top 25. So what gives? I don’t know. Our top players are being undervalued,” said Brown when prompted for his reaction to entering the season on the outside looking in.

But regardless, Brown is fired up. In fact, WVU’s head coach admitted to being more fired up at the start of fall camp this year than any other year since he’s been in Morgantown.

“I’ll start with this, I’m fired up about this group. So this is year 22 for me as a coach, year 10 as a head coach, and probably as excited as I’ve been,” said Brown while kicking off fall camp.

“I really feel comfortable with our staff, and it’s layered. Everybody can coach, which I think is a good rule. I think that’ll help us especially in fall camp, and within our development guys once we get into season. Our support areas are really strong right now, academic strength conditioning, nutrition, sports psych, athletic training, our medical group. I feel like they were really strong in those support areas. I really liked the leadership of this team. If you look at the guys that have been here and grown through our culture, really pleased where that’s at,” he added.

For a related story, another national media member says WVU can make the College Football Playoff without winning a Big 12 title.

Could WVU Make the College Football Playoff Without Big 12 Title?