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Missing hiker’s body found in Tucker County

RED CREEK – The body of a 21-year-old college student from Ohio who had been reported missing Sunday has been found in Tucker County. According to a Wednesday afternoon press release from the West Virginia State Police, troopers located the body of Thomas Donnelly, 21, a University of Cincinnati student, on Monday, after he had been reported missing Sunday morning. Donnelly was hiking in the area of the Red Creek Trail and Fisher Springs Trail, when Tucker County 911 notified the West Virginia Natural Resources Police of a missing hiker on Sunday, police said. State Trooper D. M. ...

Elkins woman admits to more than $400K in COVID fraud

ELKINS — An Elkins woman has admitted to fraudulently collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-related unemployment benefits for several individuals, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced Thursday morning. Leigh Ann Rinehart, 54, pleaded guilty to bank fraud. According to court documents filed, Rinehart participated in a scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The scheme involved unnamed individuals applying for and obtaining unemployment benefits fraudulently in the names of multiple individuals across several states, ...

Green Eggs Foundation donates piano to Tucker school

HAMBLETON - A local non-profit organization recently raised funds to purchase a new piano for students at Tucker County Elementary Middle School. The Green Eggs Foundation, an organization that was created to inspire and ignite a lifelong love for the arts in school-age children, learned of ...

Mon Forest Towns Partnership receives award

On Sept. 22, at the annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Charleston, the Mon Forest Towns Partnership (MFTP) received two Almost Heaven Achievement Awards from the West Virginia Department of Tourism for its work strengthening recreation-based economic development in the Monongahela National Forest’s gateway communities. “These awards are a testament to the strength of our coalition,” said Josh Nease, MFTP executive director. “Our convention and visitors bureau partners are key to showcasing all the Mon Forest region has to offer.” Across the eight-county region, ...

Leaders call for gas tax pause special session

CHARLESTON – With less than 22 days until the Nov. 3 general election, Democrats in the West Virginia House of Delegates and Republican State Treasurer Larry Pack are lobbying for a pause to the state’s gasoline tax. In a virtual press conference Tuesday morning, members of the House ...

Descendant discusses George Washington connection

MORGANTOWN – George Washington was a teenager employed as part of a surveying party when he first laid eyes on the land that would become Jefferson County, West Virginia. He was immediately struck by both the beauty and quality of the land, as well the abundance of natural resources. So ...