West Virginia
‘Without a donor, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you right now.’
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – What looks like two words on a license to most people, means a second chance at life to Tabitha Adkins.
“Without a donor, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you right now,” said Tabitha Adkins, an organ donor recipient.
After receiving the call that saved her life one year ago, Adkins spends West Virginia Donor Day sharing the importance of organ donations.
“There’s over 500 individuals in the state of West Virginia waiting for that life-changing phone call, and everybody out here can be the potential to be a hero,” Adkins said.
More than 100,000 U.S. residents are on the transplant list and more than 500 of those waiting are West Virginia residents, but only 36% of West Virginians are registered organ donors.
The Center of Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) is a non-profit organization serving Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Traveling all over the state, CORE talks about organ donation and helps people register to be an organ donor. CORE says their mission is to “save and heal lives through donation.”
Twelve hospitals and eight DMVs in West Virginia have tables with information about organ donation and ways to register as an organ donor setup.
Craig Powers volunteers for CORE because organ donation hits home for him. Twenty-two years ago, he made the decision to donate an organ to his brother.
“In August of 2002, August the 9th I donated him a kidney and he has been doing great since then,” Powers said.
To find more information about organ donation tap here. Anyone can register to be an organ donor there.
Copyright 2024 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
West Virginia
Delays expected during traffic shift on US 119 for bridge work
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
What UNC Head Coach Scott Forbes Said About West Virginia
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.
Follow
-
San Francisco, CA3 minutes agoInjured SFPD officer released from hospital after line-of-duty shooting
-
Dallas, TX6 minutes ago25,000 free Dallas teen passes available June 29 for museums, zoo and more
-
Miami, FL11 minutes ago3 wildfires burn over 20,000 acres in Miami-Dade ahead of long-awaited rain
-
Boston, MA18 minutes agoBoston is opening outdoor drinking areas during the World Cup. Here’s how it works.
-
Denver, CO21 minutes agoClaimed by Christ, Free in Him: Archbishop Golka Celebrates First Juneteenth Mass in Denver
-
Seattle, WA26 minutes ago‘Seattle News Weekly’: FIFA World Cup 2026 at Seattle Stadium
-
San Diego, CA33 minutes agoIt’s NASCAR weekend in Coronado. Here’s what San Diegans need to know.
-
Milwaukee, WI36 minutes agoGiannis’ quiet trade market could keep him in Milwaukee