West Virginia
West Virginia’s Governor’s Schools to mark America250 across the state this summer – The Dominion Post
MORGANTOWN – Considering 1776.
When the Governor’s Schools for the state’s top-performing high school students convene this summer, the bulk of the proceedings will be centered around a certain birthday celebration.
The schools are commemorating America250 with a host of expos and events regarding the Republic – where it’s been, and where it’s going – through the 21st century and beyond.
“Voices of 1776,” is the name of a seminar-style series with guest speakers and discussions geared around the debates of freedom and civic responsibility leading up to the watershed year that changed everything.
“The America250 Student Innovation Expo,” will be more the same – only with student voices, organizers said.
Participants discuss and exhibit their projects and research hearkening back to those first days of the Republic – and how those same sparks remain relevant in the present.
The schools and academies have a history of their own going back to their first summer in 1984 when those first students were invited to stay in college dorms across the state so the learning could commence.
Subsequent students over the years have delved into DNA and the medical, ethical ramifications of what happens when you try to manipulate it.
They’ve learned the ancient techniques that make mummies, well, mummies, while also moving to the politics and particulars of an equally ancient form: Appalachian clog-dancing.
It all kicks off June 20 – West Virginia’s 163rd birthday – with a series of Mountain State road trips through the Governor’s School for Tourism.
The Governor’s Computer Science Institute gathers on the campus of West Virginia University Tech beginning July 6.
In Morgantown, the centerpiece Governor’s Honors Academy assembles at West Virginia University the week of July 11 – while the Governor’s School for the Arts at West Virginia Wesleyan commences the week of June 21.
Marshall University hosts the Governor’s School for Entrepreneurship beginning the week of July 17.
Students will learn how to make bottles at the landmark Blenko Glass factory while also creating their own postcards in another session.
They’ll also be treated to live performances of folk, bluegrass and other Appalachian-themed music.
On June 20, 2024, the first year for the Governor’s School of Tourism, students boarded a charter bus for a West Virginia-themed road trip all about the state’s Colonial and Civil War-steeped history.
The bus didn’t stop until 1,000 miles were added to its odometer.
And Justin Lambert, the state Department of Education administrator who coordinates the schools and academies, loved every mile and every moment of the inaugural excursion.
“How’s that for a 161st?” the former Advancement Placement history teacher asked then.
West Virginia
N.C. man faces prison after relocating to W.Va. without updating sex offender registration
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — A North Carolina sex offender who relocated to West Virginia is facing prison time after violating federal registration mandates, prosecutors said.
James Terry Lawson Jr., 43, pleaded guilty Tuesday to failing to register and update registration as a sex offender, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
The release said Lawson was convicted of indecent liberties with children in North Carolina back in 2003. The man lived in Vienna, W.Va., in late 2024 and early 2025 without registering as a sex offender.
Prosecutors noted Lawson has previous convictions for failing to maintain records in 2009 and 2017.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 5 when Lawson faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release time and a fine of up to $250,000.
West Virginia
Commentary: As Mountaineers ready for elimination game, harping on errors does no good – WV MetroNews
OMAHA, Neb. — There’s no denying the impact a pair of West Virginia errors in the seventh inning played in the outcome of what amounted to a 5-2 loss to North Carolina on Sunday night at Charles Schwab Field.
There’s no reason to harp on them either.
Tyrus Hall and Brodie Kresser would like nothing more than to have made fairly routine plays, particularly Kresser’s miscue that prevented a potential inning-ending double play.
Instead, Gavin Gallaher followed with a two-run triple to break a 2-all tie and UNC scored three unearned runs in the inning. Neither team would score again.
“Over the course of 62 games, that stuff happens,” second-year WVU coach Steve Sabins said. “I think we have the best fielding percentage in our league. Tyrus is one of the best defenders in the nation. So we’ve had really good success. And that’s kind of part of it. You don’t want it at that time. But I feel very confident that any mistakes that are made are made because mistakes happen in baseball, not necessarily the moment or the situation. I feel like our guys have played really free and aggressive this entire time.”
The Tar Heels are now within one victory of a spot in the Men’s College World Series Finals, while the Mountaineers (46-16) suffered their fourth loss in 22 games since May, and now have to defeat Troy on Tuesday to get another crack at the No. 5 national seed.
WVU never led Sunday and scored one of its two runs on a double play that Matt Ineich hit into in the fourth inning.
The next time Ineich stepped into the batter’s box in the sixth, the Mountaineers were in their best position of the game to lead with runners at first and second, before the shortstop hit into his second 4-6-3 twin killing in as many at bats.
Consider that among its single-season program record 46 victories this season, only two for West Virginia have come scoring two or fewer runs and four have with three or fewer runs. On both occasions that the Mountaineers won with two runs, they prevented the opposition (Liberty and TCU) from scoring.
Baseball is a game predicated on handling failure, not dwelling on it. Succeeding three times every 10 trips to the plate leaves you in position to be enshrined in Cooperstown at the highest level.
Let it not be forgotten that Kresser’s single to start the bottom of the 10th inning led to him scoring the winning run in the Mountaineers’ 6-5 victory over Kentucky to win the Morgantown Regional. He’s been a mainstay in the Mountaineer lineup each of the last three seasons — two that have ended in Super Regional appearances and this year, which will at some point end in Omaha.
“It is what it is. Have to flush it,” Kresser said. “Can’t let the moment get too big.”
Hall has hit exceptionally well throughout the NCAA Tournament and broke a 5-all tie last Friday against Troy with a two-run single in the eighth. He’s also made numerous high-level defensive plays throughout the 2026 campaign, including a few in the MCWS.
Sabins has described Hall as the best defensive third baseman he’s been around and numerous teammates have offered similar praise.
“I just missed it. It happens,” Hall said.
A big part of what’s made West Virginia’s 2026 season so successful is the team’s ability to stay present.
The Mountaineers haven’t dwelled on losses or harped on wins. They didn’t get too low after a 23-1 midweek loss to rival Pitt or an 11-9 postseason loss to Kentucky, and didn’t get too high after fending off elimination twice in one day, including an 11-9 win over the Wildcats that featured five ninth-inning runs.
Staying present and not living in the past has never been more important than now as WVU seeks a second win over the Trojans to prolong its stay on college baseball’s premier stage.
“We’re one of the best defensive teams in the country and sometimes things happen,” said Mountaineer relief pitcher Reese Bassinger. “You’re playing on a really good surface. Sometimes the ball takes a really weird bounce. I don’t really know what happened there, but it happens. We move forward.
“Kresser and Tyrus are some of the best defenders we have and I know without a doubt I would throw that same pitch over and over and I guarantee Kresser fields it for a double play every other time. That guy has been the rock. He’s been a captain for us. He’s a guy that everyone loves. Nobody cares about that. We move on, keep pitching, keep hitting and just go on the next game.”
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.
-
Lifestyle3 minutes agoDMV artist turns belts into a conversation about discipline
-
Technology13 minutes agoThe Complete Calvin and Hobbes is a great last-minute Father’s Day gift
-
World18 minutes agoAnti-G7 protest turns violent as demonstrators torch Tesla and smash UN office windows
-
Politics25 minutes agoDems pick potential successor to DC’s congressional delegate after decades-long incumbency
-
Health28 minutes agoBride in full wedding gown makes 2-hour hospital trip to see her mother before the ceremony
-
Sports33 minutes agoBest Of World Cup: Top Fan Moments, From Cape Verde’s Goats To Mexico’s Duck
-
Technology40 minutes agoNew wheeled robot says no thanks to humanoid hype
-
Business43 minutes agoCapital Group buys Bunker Hill skyscraper
