The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley A group of Harman residents protest the proposed closing of Harman School in front of the Randolph County Board of Education Central Office in Elkins.

No. 1

Closure Controversy

Oct. 3

By Edgar Kelley

Staff Writer

The Inter-Mountain photo by Taylor McKinnie Hardwood flooring, including the building’s original historic flooring, has been ripped up on the first floor of Elkins City Hall following a sewage backup overflow that has caused officials to close the building.

ELKINS — The Randolph County Board of Education publicly released information for the first time about upcoming votes to close schools in Harman and Pickens during a meeting at Elkins High School Tuesday night.

A BOE meeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. to vote on closing the Harman School. The board will meet Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. to vote on the proposed Pickens closure.

Dr. Shawn Dilly, the county superintendent of schools, proposed that students from Pickens be transferred to George Ward Elementary and Tygarts Valley Middle/High School, while students from Harman will be moved to Midland Elementary, Elkins Middle School and Elkins High School.

A total of seven hearings will take place in November at various Randolph County schools, allowing residents to weigh in on the proposed closings.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, Dilly presented the CEFP (Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan) Application for Amendment to the BOE, which it approved unanimously with a 4-0 vote.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Brad Johnson Workers gather on the roof of Elkins Middle School. The school was closed at the time due to air quality issues, allegedly stemming from a bucket of glue being used by roofers.

“This Educational Facilities Plan is essentially the District’s plan for 10 years,” said Dilly. “So we have to do what we call amendments, so with the proposal surrounding the Tygarts Valley gym and classroom addition that was not on the original CEFP, and because of those changes, we are asking you to support the changes to the amendment so that it will correspond with the SBA (School Building Authority) needs project that was submitted.”

Dilly provided the BOE with initial drafts of Impact Documents that have been sent to the West Virginia Department of Education for review. Dilly plans to have the Impact Documents out to the public by Oct. 10.

The deadline to submit the BOE’s decision to the West Virginia State Board of Education is Nov. 29. If the Randolph BOE approves the closings in November, there will be a State Board of Education meeting in Charleston on Dec. 11 to vote on the closures.

Five residents from Harman and Pickens voiced their concerns with closing the schools during the public comment section of Tuesday’s meeting. 

Sam Roy, a member of the Whitmer Fire Department, said, “There’s several things you need to take into consideration when closing these schools. This means busing approximately 106 children across Middle Mountain, Rich Mountain and Shavers Mountain. I travel these roads almost every day and they are really dangerous…

The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley WVU Medicine United Hospital Center broke ground for a new, state-of-the-art clinic in Elkins. Taking part in the ground-breaking ceremony were, from left, Randolph County Commissioner David Kesling, Randolph County Development Authority Executive Director Robbie Morris, United Hospital Center CEO and President David F. Hess, UHC Board Chairman Jeff Barger, Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco and West Virginia University Health System President and CEO Albert Wright.

“During the winter it snows so much on these mountains that the state road can’t keep up with the amount of snow that is coming down. So, there are a lot of hazards involved here. When you think about it, is it worth losing one child’s life over money? It’s not to me.”

Beth Henry Vance, a parent of sixth-grade and third-grade students at Harman School, said, “My main concern is the travel dangers on the mountains between Harman and Elkins and the number of times poor road conditions would cause delays or prevent Harman students from attending school. 

“In a mild winter this could easily cause Harman students to fall five or six days behind other students… There have been several days each winter when Elkins had rain but the mountains were covered with ice and snow.

“My other concerns are the negative impacts of students in larger class sizes and how drastically different a school day would be for Harman kids going to a much larger school,”Vance said.

Last month Dilly applied for a grant from the School Building Authority of West Virginia (SBA) that would build a new gymnasium and construct new classrooms at Tygarts Valley Middle School/High School. The project was added to the CEFP and was among the reasons it had to be amended.

McCauley

“By expanding Tygarts Valley Middle/High School, the county gains the capacity to accommodate a larger student body, making it possible to adjust attendance zones and enhance resource allocation,” Dilly said.

“The addition to Tygarts Valley Middle/High School enables the school to accept more students from neighboring areas, which provides the county with the flexibility to close two nearby schools that may no longer be cost-effective or efficient to maintain. This consolidation allows the county to maximize the use of existing resources, such as faculty, facilities, and funding, while providing a high-quality learning environment for all students.”

Dilly said the CEFP was amendable and that the board and Randolph County wasn’t locked into anything by approving the amendment. 

“The state of West Virginia requires us to have a plan and that’s what it is,” said Dilly. 

BOE President Rachel Anger asked Dilly if a vote for Section B of the Consent Calendar, which is for the CEFP Application for Amendment, was a vote for closure or simply a vote to amend the application. 

The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Cutting the ribbon on the newly renovated Tygart Hotel in Elkins are, front row from left, Hoy Ferguston of Davis Trust Bank, Dave Clark and Karen Jacobson of Woodland Development Group, Michael Mills of the Mills Group, Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco and Michael Graney of the West Virginia Department of Economic Development.

Dilly said, “Correct, it’s only for the Amendment.” The board then voted to approve the amendment.

During the Superintendents Reports Section of the meeting, Dilly said when the state makes recommendations about consolidations and closings, it looks at what is called Economies of Scale. Part of the Economics of Scale is Building Utilization and Dilly presented a powerpoint showing schools’ numbers throughout the county. 

In 2020, Harman was at 42 percent in this category and is currently at 27 percent. Pickens was at 16 percent in 2020 and is now at 14 percent. 

Per Pupil Expenditures are also part of the Economies of Scale, and in 2022-23, Pickens was at $22,387.49 per student and Harman at $16,214.65. By comparison, Tygarts Valley was at $13,102.29 and Elkins at $10,857.24.

No. 2

Elkins official: “City Hall … right now, is a disaster”

Sept. 6

By Taylor McKinnie

Staff Writer

ELKINS — “City Hall, in no uncertain terms, right now, is a disaster,” Elkins City Operations Manager Michael Kesecker said during Thursday evening’s Elkins City Council meeting.

A sewage backup flooded City Hall’s entire first floor and basement last Saturday, as a major rain storm was sweeping through the area. The flooding resulted in City Hall being shuttered indefinitely and a city proclamation of a State of Emergency for the building.

During Thursday’s City Council meeting — which took place at the Phil Gainer Community Center, due to City Hall being closed — Kesecker said the damage done to City Hall from the sewage backup incident on Aug. 31 is “horrible.” He urged council members to pass a resolution to waive the normal bidding requirement and authorize a contract with Buckhannon’s Ringers, Inc./Zinn’s, Inc. to do sewer work at City Hall.

“We have a police department that can’t operate right now. Not efficiently,” Kesecker told council, referring to the damage done to the Elkins Police Department’s offices. “We have Perfection Plus in there right now, completely destroying the first floor. Original hardwood floors of the building, historic. Coming up. Gone. Have to, because it’s contaminated with raw sewage. All the tile… They’re cutting up the walls, four to six inches because of how deep the sewage got.”

Kesecker said the situation is so bad that officials cannot go into the basement to assess how much needs to be done down there. He added that an air quality study, recommended by state agencies, was being conducted Thursday to determine how toxic the air was on the second and third floors. 

He said the professionals conducting the study “did not even want to touch the first floor”because “there’s no way the air quality is going to come back as safe.” However, even if the second and third floor were deemed safe to occupy, Kesecker said the city cannot put employees in a building with no water or plumbing.

According to the official proclamation of a State of Emergency for City Hall, signed by Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco, at approximately 3 p.m. Aug. 31 a “significant sewage overflow occurred within City Hall.” A heavy rain storm is said to be what triggered the overflow, with the proclamation stating it caused “extensive damage and contamination throughout the building.”

In a previous statement to The Inter-Mountain, Marco also attributed the sewage backup to the building’s age. City Hall has been closed to all non-essential workers and the general public until further notice.

The Elkins Police Department is still operating, with assistance from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Mobile Command Center, which Sheriff Rob Elbon told The Inter-Mountain was offered to the EPD while the building is shuttered. However, Kesecker explained to council that the conditions are less than ideal, with plastic doors and temporary walls having to be put up to funnel officers and employees to the necessary areas they have to work at without exposing them to hazardous and toxic materials.

Elkins Police Chief Travis Bennett expressed his frustration with the situation during Thursday’s meeting.

“My department’s completely destroyed,” Bennett told council. “We are completely out of commission inside City Hall. My evidence room was covered, again. We’ve lost critical evidence to cases that, now, I’ll have to tell a family that they might not get justice for what happened.”

Bennett said the situation could have been “completely avoided,” noting the plumbing problems at City Hall were a known issue, but had been put on the back burner.

“I hope that this council prioritizes getting us back to where we’re a police department,” Bennett said. “Whatever that takes.”

No. 3

Elkins Middle School Closed Due to Air Quality Issues

By Taylor McKinnie

Staff Writer

ELKINS — Officials said Elkins Middle School will reopen for classes Monday, after being closed Friday following multiple EMS students being treated at Davis Medical Center Thursday with elevated carbon monoxide levels.

On Thursday, Randolph County Superintendent Dr. Shawn Dilly posted on social media, acknowledging that “fumes” from “a bucket of non-toxic glue” that was being used by “roofing contractors” at EMS caused an odor that some parents said made their children become ill. On Thursday night, the Friday closure of the school was announced.

On Friday afternoon, Dilly issued a two-page press release reading, in part, “On October 24, 2024, Elkins Middle School (EMS) experienced a temporary disruption due to a strong odor from adhesive glue associated with an ongoing roofing replacement project.

“Around 11:00 a.m., the smell affected several classrooms, and by 11:30 a.m., some classes had relocated to other parts of the building as a precautionary measure. The administration quickly began to investigate the odor, which was later believed to have been caused by an open bucket of non-toxic adhesive glue. The adhesive was later tested by poison control, who determined that it was not a cause of the elevated carbon monoxide levels.

“The school nurse assessed students who reported not feeling well during the incident while the school staff made efforts to ventilate the affected areas,” the release continued. “At approximately 3:00 p.m., the hospital contacted the Elkins Fire Department and called the school after local hospital staff reported two students exhibiting signs of elevated carbon monoxide (CO) levels. The fire department, along with the local gas company, inspected the building and found that carbon monoxide levels were within normal safety ranges established by recognized safety organizations.”

Dilly’s release stresses that all CO readings at EMS remained below the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and World Health Organization (WHO) standards during inspection.

“As additional students began seeking medical evaluation at local emergency rooms, school officials convened with emergency management personnel, hospital staff and the fire department for a review,” the release states. “A second inspection was conducted at 6 p.m., confirming that no elevated CO levels were detected in the building. However, out of caution, Randolph County School decided to close the school on Friday, Oct. 25, to allow for further investigation as more students continued to report symptoms.”

The press release goes on to explain what took place during the inspection conducted on Friday.

“On the morning of Oct. 25, the Fire Marshal, an HVAC specialist from the West Virginia Department of Education, the Elkins Fire Department and school officials thoroughly inspected the facility,” the statement reads. “A kitchen appliance was found to be operating outside of standard safety protocols; however, it was contained within the kitchen’s venting system. The unit was promptly taken offline for repair, and no elevated carbon monoxide levels were detected within the kitchen area or in the remainder of the school.

“Randolph County Schools has installed additional carbon monoxide detectors throughout Elkins Middle School to further enhance safety measures,” the press release continued. “These detectors will supplement the existing detection system by providing more comprehensive coverage of the school’s facilities as students return to class on Monday, October 28, 2024.”

The Inter-Mountain requested multiple times Friday to speak with Dilly about the situation, and was told the message would be passed on to him, but he did not return the call. 

On Thursday afternoon, The Inter-Mountain received calls and texts from residents about EMS students becoming ill and being treated at Davis Medical Center. 

On social media, several members of the community took issue with the information being released by Randolph County Schools, with some claiming their children were in the hospital for CO exposure despite Dilly’s report that no elevated carbon monoxide levels were detected in the building.

“Bull crap, my granddaughter is in the hospital, levels of carbon monoxide is 4.7,” Donna Hutton wrote in a Facebook comment on The Inter-Mountain Facebook page.

“Tell that to my son who was in the ER on O2 last night because his chest was hurting and he’d had a stomach/headache all day,” Danielle Tracy wrote in another comment. “The bigger question is, when it was discovered that there was a problem at 9 a.m. yesterday, why didn’t the school take action? Why didn’t they alert parents sooner? The middle school really fudged up on this one and I want more/better answers.”

Amanda Maggard wrote in a comment that her child “got dizzy at school from the fumes which he is very sensitive to stuff.

“But once I picked him up from school when they called me at 11:45 a.m.,” Maggard said. “He felt better and is now completely back to normal.” 

Maggard also added that her child told her he felt sick after smelling a strong scent of glue.

Others questioned why the roof work was being done during school hours when students were present.

“Why aren’t the middle schoolers doing distance learning until the roof is repaired,” Jess Lynn commented. “Knowing there are fumes and not evacuating the entire building and sending them home? It just doesn’t sit right with me!”

Kelly Howard, a paralegal at Curnette Law in Elkins, wrote in a Facebook post that she had been contacted by several people seeking possible legal action in regard to what happened at the school Thursday.

“I’ve received multiple messages regarding the incident at Elkins Middle School yesterday,”Howard wrote in her post. “People asking if our office handles these type of cases. We most certainly do!”

Around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Randolph County Schools announced on its Facebook page that an automated call would go out to families of EMS students Friday evening; however, the subject of the call was not disclosed. The post reconfirmed that EMS will be open for classes on Monday.

The Inter-Mountain made phone calls and sent emails to Davis Medical Center on Thursday and Friday which were not answered or responded to by presstime Friday evening. 

No. 4

Murder Case Dismissed

Nov. 13

By Taylor McKinnie

Staff Writer

ELKINS — The murder case against a Randolph County man has been dismissed after a ruling by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

Stephen Ray Cross, 54, of Chenoweth Creek, was charged with murder and using a firearm in the commission of a murder. Those charges have been dismissed after the state Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in favor of preventing Randolph County Circuit Court Judge David Wilmoth from enforcing the circuit court’s order that denied the State’s motion to dismiss the case.

According to the Supreme Court of Appeals opinion, written by Justice C. Haley Bunn, “The State’s motion to dismiss asserted that Mr. Cross’s actions were justified by self-defense and that it was ‘unaware of any evidence from the investigation that can prove, beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense.'”

The motion to dismiss was filed by Upshur County Prosecuting Attorney Brian Hinkle, who was brought in to represent the State after Randolph County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Parker advised the circuit court he had conflict of interest. On April 22, Hinkle asked to be replaced by another special prosecuting attorney due to a conflict of interest with a witness for the defense. The case was then given over to Grant County Prosecuting Attorney John Ours.

According to the document, in his request to be replaced, Hinkle also stated that he intended to seek the dismissal of the indictment because “requiring Mr. Cross to stand trial, based on the facts of the case ‘would result in a manifest injustice.'”

The Randolph County Circuit Court denied the motion to dismiss, according to Bunn, because it believed that the case “must proceed to trial ‘to avoid public misconception of the court system and the case,’ and insisting that, because a grand jury had returned the indictment, a petit jury must determine whether self-defense justified Mr. Cross’s actions.”

After Hinkle was allowed to withdraw, “the court entered an order noting its awareness of ‘certain public statements regarding the circumstances of this case recently disseminated in the media by counsel.'”

On Tuesday, in the High Court’s ruling, Bunn wrote, “We grant the writ in part as to the circuit court’s order denying the State’s uncontested motion to dismiss because the circuit court clearly erred and exceeded its legitimate powers by denying the State’s motion, because not granting the writ would damage Mr. Cross in a way uncorrectable on appeal, and because the circuit court’s order raises issues of law of first impression in West Virginia.”

Cross was arrested and charged in March 2023 in the death of Jonathon Chenoweth, 48, after an incident had occurred at Cross’ former home on Chenoweth Creek Road.

According to the document released by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, the incident began after Cross shot and killed a dog belonging to the Chenoweth family. When Chenoweth was informed of the dog being killed, he drove his “side-by-side all-terrain vehicle halfway down Mr. Cross’s driveway, parked, and headed toward Mr. Cross ‘cussing and ranting,'”according to the High Court’s opinion.

The document claims that Cross showed no aggression towards Chenoweth and after being persuaded by Chenoweth’s son to turn around and go home, Chenoweth turned the vehicle around and “sped toward the Cross Property.” Once he entered the driveway gate, which the document says was approximately 117 feet away from Cross, Chenoweth sped up the vehicle and drove directly at Cross at around “twenty and twenty-five miles per hour.” Cross then fired seven shots towards Chenoweth with five shots hitting him.

When asked by law enforcement as to what happened, Cross, according to the document, said, “He tried to kill me. He tried to run over me.”

The Supreme Court of Appeals also denied Cross’ request for a writ of prohibition in regard to the circuit court’s orders that sealed certain filing and precluded counsel from publicly discussing certain issues in the filings.

Bunn claims that the request was denied as Cross “failed to establish his entitlement to a writ prohibiting the orders’ enforcement.”

The bond for Cross was reduced to a total of $250,000 during a hearing in Randolph County Circuit Court on July 15, during a hearing in which conditions were set for his release on bond.

The motion by Cross’ defense attorneys to modify the bond was granted with no objection from Special Prosecutor John Ours.

Wilmoth granted the defense’s motion to modify Cross’ bond, with his defense citing that the “conditions have changed dramatically since the bond was initially set.” Cross’ bond was initially set at $2 million in 2023.

Ours told the court that the defense council had spoken to him “extensively” before filing the motion and that he had no opposition to modifying Cross’ bond.

The Cross defense team of lawyers includes Ryan Donovan of the Hissam Forman Donovan Ritchie law firm in Charleston, and James Hawkins of Buckhannon.

Cross was granted bond on the conditions that he was not allowed to live at his residence at Chenoweth Creek Road; he was to be under electronic monitoring and home confinement; he was not allowed to have any firearms present at the location where he will be serving in confinement; and he had to give up his passport.

His bond was set at $100,000 cash and $150,000 in property, making $250,000 in total. Cross was allowed to deposit the total amount in cash if he wishes.

The defense attorneys said Cross would be residing at a property in Beverly. Only his wife and children would be able to visit him.

A hearing was held in the Cross case in June behind closed doors in Randolph County Circuit Court.

The hearing was held in camera, a Latin legal term meaning the public was excluded from the courtroom proceeding. 

The Inter-Mountain was told that no information about the hearing could be released at that time.

No. 5

June 7

Ground Broken for $37M ‘Hospital Without Beds’

By Edgar Kelley

Staff Writer

ELKINS – WVU Medicine United Hospital Center broke ground for its planned “state-of-the-art,” 38,000 square-feet clinic in Randolph County on Thursday.

The facility, which will be called the Elkins Corridor H Medical Center, will be located at the former Teter Motors property on North Randolph Avenue/U.S. Route 219, next to the Division of Motor Vehicles building. Construction of the clinic is projected to cost more than $37 million. When complete, the center will offer primary and outpatient services to residents of Elkins and surrounding communities.

United Hospital Center CEO and President David F. Hess was the moderator of the event, which featured a host of local leaders, including Randolph County Development Authority Executive Director Robbie Morris, Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco and Randolph County Commissioner David Kesling.

Special invitees attending the ceremony included West Virginia University Health System President and CEO Albert Wright, UHC Board Chairman Jeff Barger, Gov. Jim Justice’s Regional Representative Lynn Phillips, and Rhett Dusenbury from Congressman Alex Mooney’s office 

“I’m honored that everyone is here joining us on this very special, beautiful day, and I know with the rain you wouldn’t think I would call it a beautiful day, but anytime you have an event that is going to signify a long-term partnership between WVU Medicine and the City of Elkins and Randolph County, that’s always a beautiful day in my book,” Hess said.

“We are so excited to be in Elkins and we have this project on an incredibly tight time frame,” Hess said. “And a lot of that has to do so we can be ready to line up for the Forest Festival next year… We are going to bring incredible health care, but more importantly we are going to bring access. So hopefully the only time you will need to go to Bridgeport is to shop, and to Morgantown is for football games.

“We want to try and keep as much local as we can and that’s really what we do better than anyone else… We do rural and we do ‘in your hometown’ better than anybody. And that’s why we want to be in Elkins, why we are excited to be here, and why we want this up in 12 or 13 months. We want everybody who comes in here for the Forest Festival to see that we are making a commitment to Elkins.” 

A centerpiece of the new facility will be the multiple specialty conveniences available, including essential health and wellness services, consisting of lab collection, primary care, infusion and walk-in family medicine, which will be open for extended and weekend hours.

The new facility will also offer comprehensive imaging services, including CT, X-Ray, ultrasound, echocardiography, and vascular screening. A range of rotating physician specialty clinics will also be available, such as audiology, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, oncology, orthopedic surgery, pain medicine, pulmonology, rheumatology and urology.

“There’s not much that we are not going to be able to do in this building,” Hess said. “When I was talking with Albert Wright about this project, he said he wanted a hospital without beds, and I think that is a good way to describe it. We are going to pack everything we possibly can into this building, except for overnight hospital stays and surgeries.” 

Wright, who is the West Virginia University Health System President and CEO, served as the featured speaker for the ceremony. 

“Projects like this one in Elkins, Randolph County, are exactly why the WVU Health System was created,” Wright said. “Because we now have a locally controlled health care system with an exceptionally strong leadership team and exceptionally dedicated board of directors that are making investments like the one we see here today… 

“Our goal is to try and keep care as local as possible. This is a big investment in this part of the state that will help us try and complete our mission of bringing healthcare to all of West Virginia.” 

Morris welcomed everyone attending the ceremony on what he called a “momentous day” for the county. 

“What a great day to be in the City of Elkins, what a great day to be in Randolph County,”Morris said. “Elkins has always been an economic hub for the region and there are several reasons for that. The chief among them is access to quality healthcare and that access will expand greatly with the addition of the WVU Medicine facility we are here to break ground on today. 

“We have great things happening throughout our county right now and this project is definitely one of them. I was talking with someone when I arrived here today, and I was telling them that within a two-mile stretch we will have nearly $100 million worth of projects either recently completed or soon to be constructed. In a town the size of Elkins that is remarkable and it has taken a local team effort to make those projects happen, and I’m proud to be a small part of that.” 

“We look forward to welcoming patients from all over the region to Randolph County and into this facility to access quality healthcare,” Morris said. “The need for patients to travel to Morgantown, Clarksburg and beyond will diminish greatly with the addition of this facility. That adds to the quality of life offered here in Randolph County and the surrounding region. While we are excited about the jobs that will be created, we are even more excited about the multiplier effect this facility will have on our community as a whole.” 

Marco said he was thrilled with WVU’s decision to come to Elkins and feels the new facility will eliminate many of the trips local residents have to make for medical services.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for our citizens to get access to medical treatment that we currently don’t have in certain areas,” Marco said. “They won’t have to drive to Clarksburg or Morgantown anymore once the facility is here. Anytime you get someone investing in our community, it’s a good thing.”

Kesling also expressed enthusiasm for the project.

“I am excited that we have WVU investing in Randolph County,” Kesling said. “I look forward to having all of the premier services they will be providing for our county residents.”

When the new facility opens in 2025, it will feature 34 exam rooms, two procedure rooms, and one cast room. It will employ close to 30 people when the facility first opens. 

The property that will house the new hospital includes 6.91 acres and was purchased in July 2023 by WVU Medicine United Hospital Center for $1,650,000.

No. 6

Former Buckhannon mayor indicted on child pornography charges

Oct. 2

By Taylor McKinnie

Staff Writer

CLARKSBURG – A former Buckhannon mayor and current City Council member was indicted and arrested Wednesday on child pornography charges, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.

David Walter McCauley, 66, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of production and one count of possession of child pornography, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced. 

McCauley, who was the mayor of Buckhannon from 2016 to 2020, is currently serving a four-year-term in the Buckhannon City Council, a post he was elected to in 2022.

The indictment alleges that McCauley enticed a 17-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct for photo and video production and that McCauley knowingly possessed illegal images on his computer.

“As alleged, David McCauley produced child pornography involving a juvenile boy on multiple occasions,” Ihlenfeld said in a press release. “Those who prey upon and exploit our youth will be held accountable, no matter their status in the community.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pittsburgh Police Department and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

McCauley faces at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison for each of the production charges and up to 10 years on the possession charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

On Sept. 30, 2022, FBI agents and representatives of the Pittsburgh Police Department and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search of McCauley’s home. It was reported at the time that the FBI had taken items out of the home.

No. 7

‘Rebirth’ of Hotel

March 23

By Edgar Kelley

Staff Writer

ELKINS – After years of planning and effort, Woodlands Development Group hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the renovated Tygart Hotel on Davis Avenue Friday morning. 

The street in front of the historic hotel was closed off for the event. Woodlands Executive Director Dave Clark welcomed a large turnout of guests and community members who gathered for a ceremony inside a heated tent.

“This really isn’t just about one building in downtown Elkins, it’s about a community that really decided to make an investment in itself,” Clark said. “As many of you remember, we got started on this in 2015 and Elkins looked very, very different. We had a lot of vacant storefronts and the Tygart Hotel was not in a good place. 

“This project is about a community investing and we are looking at close to $60 million worth of investment coming to Elkins in the next few years.”

Many local leaders were on hand, including Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco, and representatives from the offices of Senators Shelly Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, and Gov. Jim Justice. Capito spent the night at the Tygart Hotel on Thursday, but had to leave early in the morning on Friday to get back to Washington, D.C. for a Senate vote.

“What a tremendous opportunity it is to welcome everyone to this ribbon cutting and the rebirth of the Tygart Hotel,” Marco said. “A lot of us remember this hotel from years ago and what it was, and then what it fell down to. It took a dream, and that dream became a reality, so Dave (Clark), thank you for your vision, your persistence, and your effort on this.

“Without our senators and our elected officials from throughout the state, this couldn’t have happened,” Marco noted. “This is truly a team effort and we had Sen. Capito here today and Sen. Manchin has a representative here as well. There is also someone here from Gov. Justice’s office and Congressman Mooney has a representative as well. And (Delegate) Ty Nestor is here and I want to thank him for his efforts on this project. 

“This is a prime example of teamwork at its finest. Every good plan requires flexibility, and there were a few road bumps along the way. But we were able to be flexible, adjust and see it to its fruition… It took an entire community to come together and build this dream.”

Clark recognized the many individuals who played a key role in the project, including Michael Graney from the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, Kris Warner from the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, and Michael Mills from The Mills Group architecture firm, all of whom attended Friday’s ceremony.

“One of the things we really benefited from is that the state has put such a high emphasis on tourism development,” Clark said. “The biggest investor and lender that we had in this whole project was the West Virginia EDA. They played a key role and worked with us on some very complicated financing.”

Clark thanked Davis Trust Bank, Freedom Bank and the Pendleton County Community Bank for their committed financing to the project.

“We had like 17 or 18 different sources of funding and financing for this project to make it all work,” Clark said. “It takes both public and private funding to put a project like this together. And from the very beginning, both of our senators’ offices were extremely supportive in helping this all work.”

Before joining a host of leaders in the official ribbon cutting on the front steps of the hotel, Clark thanked new Tygart Hotel General Manager Shane Jones, his new employees at the hotel, and those who made the project happen.

“We committed to paying all employees a living wage,” Clark said. “We were overwhelmed with over 625 applications, almost all from area residents. And the hotel will ultimately employ 57 people at the start… We are grateful to the many, many people and organizations who have helped make this happen, and thankful to live in a community that makes a project like this possible. We hope that you come visit the Tygart Hotel, and I look forward to the journey ahead.”

The Tygart Hotel was originally built in 1906 and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Elkins’ downtown historic district. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Originally known as the Hotel Gassaway, it was renamed the Tygart in 1923. 

Woodlands Development Group purchased the Tygart Hotel for $700,000 in 2017. Woodlands hired The Mills Group, which is the renovation project’s architect. 

The 56-room boutique hotel features a full bar and restaurant, the Oxley House, and a banquet room. 

Taylor Hospitality, a premier hospitality management and consulting company, will oversee the day-to-day operations of the hotel and restaurant.

No. 8

Industrial Yard Fire

July 16

By Brad Johnson

Executive Editor

ELKINS — Fire departments from three counties battled a blaze at an industrial building in South Elkins Monday afternoon that resulted in the temporary closing of several streets.

The fire at the building, located in the industrial yard west of the intersection of 15th Street and Livingston Avenue, was still being tended to by the Elkins Fire Department in the early evening, and the state Fire Marshal was also on the scene, officials said, adding that firemen would remain at the scene throughout the night to make sure the fire did not rekindle. 

“Thank you to all the first responders who acted quickly with the fire on Livingston Avenue,” a City of Elkins release stated late Monday afternoon. “Great job, Elkins Fire Department!”

The release also thanked the following who responded to the scene: Buckhannon Fire Department, Belington Fire Department, Beverly Volunteer Fire Department Company 42, Coalton Fire Department, Elkins Police Department, Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Randolph County EMS, Mon Power and the City of Elkins Water, Operations and Street Departments.

No cause of the fire or other details had been released by press time.

On social media, city officials said a demolition permit for the property where the fire occurred was issued on May 16. “Demolition permits are issued after proof of asbestos abatement is supplied,” the post stated. 

The fire resulted in roads being temporarily closed. Residents were advised to avoid the area and take alternative routes. 

The city also asked residents to “be aware that heavy smoke is present in the area and may spread throughout the town. Residents, especially those with respiratory conditions, are urged to stay indoors to minimize exposure to the smoke.”

The city also alerted residents that the activation of fire hydrants to fight the blaze might stir up sediment that could result in discolored water at the tap, but the discoloration would not indicate a water quality issue.

No. 9

Drought causes water shortages

Aug. 3

By Brad Johnson

Executive Editor

THOMAS — A tanker of water has been delivered to the town of Thomas by the state Department of Transportation to help combat drought conditions in the town.

Thomas is one of the West Virginia towns suffering from low rainfall. Thomas Mayor Jody Flanagan said the town’s water supply has been unusable for the past month due to high levels of iron in the water.

“This is the lowest our dam and reservoir have been in 60 years,” Flanagan said.

City officials have secured drinking water for the town through other sources. The WVDOT sent a tanker full of non-potable water to use for washing, flushing toilets and other necessities.

The tanker truck, carrying approximately 5,000 gallons of water, began its journey in Huntington (WVDOH District 2), and was trucked by employees from Charleston (District 1), with the assistance of the Equipment Division in Buckhannon, to Elkins in District 8. District 8 then completed the delivery to the city of Thomas around 3:30 p.m.

“Gov. Justice has been very attentive to the drought conditions we’ve been experiencing around the state,” said Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E. “In that regard, the Department of Transportation has dispatched some assistance to the town of Thomas in the form of a tanker of water that we’ve strategically placed at the fire department.”

“This demonstrates the teamwork and determination of the WVDOH employees across the state to serve our citizens,” Wriston said. “This is just one more example of how this governor is responsive to the needs of the citizens.”

Residents have been complaining about discolored or “brown” water in Thomas for the past month. 

On Tuesday afternoon, a City of Thomas representative told The Inter-Mountain that a boil water advisory was still in effect for the town, and that the city was still giving away free bottled water at City Hall.

No. 10

Plan to relocate skatepark sparks outrage

Sept. 10

By Taylor McKinnie

Staff Writer

ELKINS — The transfer of the Elkins Skatepark from Glendale Park to the Refinery Church, and the possible addition of pickleball courts in the Skatepark’s place, has resulted in controversy erupting online, including bickering among current and former local officials.

Last week, The Inter-Mountain made public the Elkins Parks and Recreation Commission’s plan to move the Elkins Skatepark, which has been in Glendale Park since 2012, to property owned by the Refinery Church near North Elementary School and Highland Park, and possibly replacing the skatepark with pickleball courts. The story has prompted more than 500 comments on Facebook, with some residents expressing their disapproval and disappointment.

“Wow. Seriously Elkins Parks? Sending it to a church out of town where our kids can’t get to it? Like there isn’t adequate space to put pickleball courts elsewhere in Glendale? Total fail,”Adrienne Sherrill said in a comment on The Inter-Mountain’s initial Facebook post on the skatepark. “My kids lived at that skatepark for years. We were there every day. Moving it out of town is not fair to the skaters or their families. Keep the skatepark. There is room for everything.”“Who exactly is demanding a pickleball court be placed at that location?” Debbie Shreve asked in a Facebook post. “Do they have local teams or something that plan on using it? Regardless they have plenty of other space to lay concrete & throw up a net. It’s a ‘park’ for God’s sake it’s meant for children to enjoy… they have a walking path for us old people to use.”

EPRC Director Tom Tesar told The Inter-Mountain last week that the plan to replace the skatepark with pickleball courts was still in the early phases and was not a guaranteed decision, though officials do plan to look at estimates for building the courts.

Many residents voiced their concerns about how far away and inaccessible Highland Park is, worried that kids wouldn’t be able to access it, while others did not like that a church was being given the skatepark by the city.

“Why was this not open for discussion about other possible locations? How did it all of a sudden become the churches property with no input?…” Shawn Marshall asked in a comment.

“This is just sad,” Lisa Gregory commented. “Won’t take long for kids to stop using the skate park when we all know the church will be pushing for them to attend service…”

The Refinery Church’s Pastor Rob Schneider told The Inter-Mountain last week that the church offered to make a place for the skatepark on the 26 acres they had bought near North Elementary after learning the EPRC’s was considering moving the park. He said they want to make sure “kids can continue to skate.”

Schneider responded to the criticism online, saying, “Our folks at The Refinery Church – WV are doing our best to be a part of the solution in our community. We hosted a skate camp this summer at that park, refurbished the ramps to make them safer to skate on, and want to continue to see the public have a feasible location to bring students to skate. This property is located right next to North Elementary School & is a feasible option for our kids.”

Several members of the community who were part of the initial project to build the skatepark more than a decade ago have spoken out online against the move, saying they plan to fight to keep the park in Glendale.

Alice Sabitino, who is former adult advisor for Youth Empowered Solution (YES) and was one of the initial leaders of the skatepark project, called on community members to go to Elkins City Council meetings to voice their disapproval. 

“Okay, everyone… Here we go again. A church should NOT have the community skatepark,”Sabition said in a Facebook post. “Can we all come together again and go to The City Council? Create a large show of community people. Including the new skaters from Randolph county schools. I’m down. I know the specifics of the 1st skate park as do many who were the originals!! calling all skaters, old and new; Friends of Skaters!!”

Dustin Standridge, former president of YES and as a teen helped with the project, also spoke out, saying he and former Elkins Mayor Van Broughton were working to fight for the skatepark.

“We’re doing everything we can to keep the skate park in Glendale park,” Standridge said in a Facebook Post. “When I was in high school, the kids in this community had to fight to get the park and we’re not gonna let it go that easily. Keep following me and Van. And we’re going to get it organized to keep the park where it is. This park is not just about skateboarding, it’s a symbol of what kids can do when they have a goal and are passionate about something.”

Standridge also called out the EPRC in his post, saying they just wanted to demolish the park and are now using Schneider to take the park off their hands.

“And for them to try and take it away is shameful,” Standridge said. “They want to tear it down and use Roy Schneider as a scapegoat and have him build a new park with his funds and they are not using any city funds to build it.”

Owen Peet, the EPRC’s Youth Program Coordinator, told The Inter-Mountain last week that the EPRC did not want to demolish the skatepark, calling it “an asset” that officials wanted to still utilize.

Broughton, who was also a former councilman and was an advocate for the skatepark project when it was built, commented on Facebook about the situation as well.

“Lot of us worked hard back in the day to get a Skate Park in Glendale,” Broughton wrote. “We are coming up with a plan now to try and keep it there. Anyones Support will be Appreciated!”

Randolph County Commissioner David Kesling responded to Broughton’s post, saying, “Van Broughton I know you had a big part of getting this done originally. I would love to help make it bigger and better. There or elsewhere else in the county.”

However, this post led to a response from current Elkins City Council member Chris Lowther, blaming Kesling and the County Commission for cutting funding to EPRC. Lowther represents Elkins Third Ward and is an EPRC commissioner.

“David Kesling you want to help now?” Lowther responded. “You have cut $48,000 out from parks the last two years!!!! Now you want to help? Maybe if the county hadn’t cut funding from parks and rec it would have survived.”

Lowther faced scrutiny online for being an EPRC commissioner and for being a member of the Refinery Church, with some accusing him of brokering an illegitimate deal between the EPRC and the church.

Lowther denied this in a Facebook post, claiming that he had missed the EPRC meetings in which the arrangement was discussed, and accusing other EPRC commissioners of having wanted to do away with the skatepark.

“Parks commissioners have wanted to eliminate the skate park for years,” Lowther wrote in his post. “Over the summer the refinery hosted a program called City Reach. This group invested their own money and time into repairing the skatepark equipment. Using article six in the terms portion of the agreement the parks commission along with the director decided that since this group invested time and money into the equipment instead of demolishing it they would offer it to the church. Thankfully for me, each time this was discussed I was not in attendance at the meeting. Saved by work, you could say.”

Lowther stressed that this was not a city council matter, but an EPRC matter and that while he did not agree with the other commissioners’ decision, he would, “support the majority decision and stand with the commission on the plans to move this equipment.”

The Inter-Mountain photo by Brad Johnson The Elkins Fire Department sprays water from a ladder truck onto an industrial building on fire on Livingston Avenue, as the thick smoke turns part of the noonday sky black.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Taylor McKinnie The Elkins Skatepark, currently in Glendale Park, will eventually be relocated to Kennedy Street, next to North Elementary School and near Highland Park, city officials said.