West Virginia
West Virginia Wesleyan College service scholar orchestrates valentines for nursing homes
A West Virginia Wesleyan College Service Scholar project has connected some of Upshur County’s youngest residents with elderly residents to spread some Valentine’s cheer.
Matthew Hatfield ‘28, of Oceana, West Virginia, is a Service Scholar through West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Center for Community Engagement and Leadership Development. His site placement this academic year has been Tennerton Elementary where he spends six to 10 hours assisting school counselor Suzanne Bohman with everyday tasks, taking on responsibilities of projects for the students and helping mentor some students.
Hatfield brainstormed the Valentines as a service project for students.
“When I started this project, my main intention was to bring smiles to those in nursing homes,” he said. “I have family members in nursing homes and I have since realized how lonely being in a nursing home can actually be. Of course, the residents see the employees, but not every resident is fortunate enough to see all their family. I wanted to educate the kids on the importance of being there for the wise.”
Hatfield asked students from kindergarten through fifth grades to make cards for the residents on St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Third Floor and at Holbrook Nursing Home and Serenity Care. He printed about 300 cards to make sure residents received two each and delivered them to the facilities on Valentine’s Day.
“When I first got the cards I went through each and every card reading them and some cards warmed my heart. I read some cards that had a paragraph on them, I saw some that had colorful drawings. I wanted to bring warmth, joy; happiness to the faces in the nursing homes. We always hear of the bad things that go on in the world. I think it’s time that we flood the world with kindness, smiles, hugs and a simple card. It may not have been a big deal to some people, but I believe my goal was accomplished, and that was for the residents to have a smile on their faces again.”
A body found in a burning vehicle in West Virginia has prompted a homicide investigation.
In a press conference on Monday, Sean Snuffer, the chief deputy of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, said first responders were called to a rural section of Cabin Creek Road on Sunday around 9:50 a.m. for reports of a “suspicious vehicle.” A 911 caller said the vehicle’s doors were open and items were scattered around the vehicle, Snuffer said.
About 13 minutes later, a 911 caller said the vehicle was on fire, officials said. After crews arrived and extinguished the vehicle fire, a body was found. The remains were taken to the medical examiner’s office, and an autopsy on Monday determined the death was a homicide, Snuffer said. Officials are not releasing the manner of death at this time.
The victim’s identity has not been released as of Monday night, though Snuffer said the body appears to be an adult male. Snuffer said the investigation is “active and ongoing.” It was not immediately known if there were any suspects.
“We can’t answer a whole lot of questions,” he added. “I know people are going to want to know exactly what happened, but we can’t release that information.”
The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the vehicle blaze. Anyone with information on the case can contact detectives with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office at 304-357-0556 or leave a tip on the sheriff’s website.
KENOVA, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A man is facing multiple felony charges after a two-day investigation, according to West Virginia State Police.
On Friday, troopers say they responded to a brandishing complaint in Kenova.
During the investigation, troopers located the suspect, Skylar M. Larcart, 27, of Kenova, and found a firearm.
Troopers say they were then granted permission to search Larcart’s residence and vehicle. Their search resulted in the finding of a rifle, approximately 25 grams of marijuana and digital scales.
On Saturday, troopers say they also obtained a search warrant at Larcart’s residence.
During this search, investigators found multiple firearms, controlled substances and U.S. currency.
As a result of the investigation, Larcart was charged with 17 counts of persons prohibited from possessing firearms and three counts of possession of a controlled substance.
Troopers say over the course of the two-day investigation, Larcart accumulated a total of 21 felony charges and three misdemeanor charges.
Larcart is currently being held in the Western Regional Jail on a $20,000 bond.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (46-16) fell to the North Carolina Tarheels (53-12-1) Sunday night 5-2 in the second game of the College World Series.
With a little luck, North Carolina scratched a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Junior Jake Schaffner hit a leadoff single back up the middle before junior Owen Hall rolled a single through the left side. Then, on the first pitch delivered junior Macon Winslow was awarded first base after it was ruled the ball hit his foot. Despite no evidence on replay, he remained at first.
West Virginia starting pitcher Maxx Yehl walked in the first run and junior Erik Paulsen brought in a run with a slow high chopper towards first for a 2-0 lead.
The Mountaineers pulled within a run in the third after senior Ben Lumsden singled to right field and advanced to second on a ground ball from junior Tyrus Hall. Then, junior Armani Guzman drove an RBI single to centerfield.
West Virginia evened the game in the fourth when senior Sean Smith received a leadoff walk and senior Matt Graveline singled to right centerfield, placing runners at the corners before sophomore Matt Ineich hit into a double play, but brought in the tying run.
In the seventh, the Tarheels took advantage of the West Virginia miscues to take the lead. An error from Hall at third put the leadoff hitter aboard. Then, with one out, a bobble ball from senior second baseman Brodie Kresser on a potential inning ending double play, put two aboard before junior Gavin Gallaher drove a two-RBI triple to right centerfield. Hull followed with a chopper over the mound for an RBI single before Yehl could get out of the frame as UNC held a 5-2 advantage.
Yehl took the mound in the eight and after giving up the eighth hit of the night, WVU head coach Steve Sabins turned to senior Reese Bassinger. The redshirt junior finished the night with seven strikeouts and was credited with two earned runs.
After North Carolina sophomore starting pitcher Ryan Lynch was removed in the fifth, sophomore Walker McDuffie tossed 4.2 scoreless innings before Ineich was issued a one-out walk and Kresser followed with a single to bring the tying run to the plate. UNC head coach Scott Forbes handed the ball to freshman right-hander Caden Glauber
Glauber closed the door with a pair of strikeouts as the Tarheels held on for the 5-2 decision.
West Virginia will face Troy on Tuesday in an elimination game. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the action will be televised on ESPN.
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