The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Nine-year-old Harman School student Talitha Bucher speaks before the Randolph County Board of Education during a school closure public hearing at the Elkins High School theatre.

No. 1

Harman School to Close; Pickens to Stay Open

Oct. 8

Shuttering Schools

By Edgar Kelley

The Inter-Mountain photo by Taylor McKinnie Members of the community in attendance take a break in between public hearings on the proposed closure of Harman K-12 School at Elkins High School.

Staff Writer

ELKINS — One year and seven days after the Randolph County Board of Education first released information about an effort to close multiple county schools, the BOE voted Wednesday night to close Harman K-12 School and North Elementary School.

In a special hearing at the Elkins High School Theatre, board members voted 4-1 to close Harman, and 5-0 to close North. Board member Ed Daniels cast the sole vote against closing Harman, with Rachel Burns, Janie Newlon, Sherri Collett and Phil Chua all voting for the closures of both schools.

The closures and consolidations will take effect before the next school year. The students from the two closed schools will merge into Jennings Randolph Elementary School, Elkins Middle School and Elkins High School.

Before the hearing got underway Wednesday night, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Shawn Dilly, who proposed the closings and consolidation, pointed out that Randolph County isn’t the only county in the state closing and consolidating schools. He said 16 schools were closed in West Virginia 2024 and five this year, with 16 more proposed for closure.

Jones

Dilly said there has been a steady decline in students at the Harman school, noting there were 170 students at the school in 2013 and just 105 now. He added that North Elementary has gone from 283 students to 201 during the last decade, and that closing both schools will save the county approximately $1.7 million.

During the three-and-a-half-hour hearing, 16 residents, parents and students spoke in favor of keeping the Harman school open, including Keith Mathew, Dixie Lee Murray, Beth Henry-Vance, Rex Vance, Mike Ross, Shasta Arbogast, Sammy Roy, Lacey Mullenax, Jessica Pennington, Mary Kelly, John Kelly, Justin Murray, Dana Varner, Presley Pennington, Talitha Bucher and Trish Bucher.

Roy, who is a member of the Harman Fire Department, said he was concerned about children riding buses from Harman during poor weather conditions.

“Every decision we make has a consequence, whether it’s good or bad,” Roy said. “There’s a poem, not sure who the author was, but it says if I would have spoken up I could have saved a life that day. In this case, maybe it could save an injury or even a life if one of the school buses happens to wreck.

“We are putting a lot of kids’ lives in danger…There’s no child’s life worth losing going across these mountains. I know you have budgets to balance, but there has to be another way somehow…The decision to make tonight could save a kids’ life.”

Photo courtesy of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy Tucker County residents and supporters from across the state gathered outside the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection headquarters in Charleston, where an air quality permit appeal hearing with the West Virginia Air Quality Board took place in December.

Henry-Vance, who has two children currently attending Harman School, said, “The board has not been presented with accurate bus route times. The estimated times may be accurate for a car, but when it comes to driving a bus full of children on mountainous roads and making multiple stops, it will always take longer.”

Henry Vance said that her children return home for school each day at 3:03 p.m., a travel time of 11 minutes from the school.

“With the closure it will be 60 minutes or more one way,” she said. “That would be life-changing for me and my family.”

Ross, a longtime local businessman and former state legislator, said he has lived in Coalton the past 87 years and that he is a product of the Randolph County Schools system.

“I’m here tonight to oppose consolidation in the outlying communities,” Ross said. “You not only punish the kids and their parents, but you kill the communities when you do this. Randolph County is an unusual county – it’s the largest county in the state, over 1,000 square miles. What fits the smaller counties, doesn’t particularly work here in Randolph County.”

The Inter-Mountain photo by Brad Johnson Allegheny Excavating, LLC began the process of demolishing the former motel-turned apartment complex on Harrison Avenue in Elkins.

Talitha Bucher, a 9-year-old student at the Harman school, said, “Randolph County Board, you were balancing your budget with a surplus in the pre-COVID years. Can you take some time to just look at what staffing adjustments you made with your COVID money? Can you just adjust back to basics?”

After hearing the large group opposing the closing of Harman speak, Dilly said, “We recognize the challenges and the concerns related to transportation related to the proposal this evening. But we also recognize that there are very few options that we have as a system to achieve our financial goals, as well as what pieces can be moved around.”

Two Randolph County educators, Brittany McCray and Michelle Depp, spoke in favor of the closures and consolidations.

“We have a very rare window of time right now, where you as a board have to make a decision,” Depp said. “That window of time, once it closes, is gone. We have no other choices left after that window of time closes if a vote is not had. That window of time could be reopened because that decision could be rescinded in the event that some circumstance changes, some funding situation changes. But if you miss that window now, it’s closed and it can’t be revisited,”

Back in January, the BOE voted 4-1 against closing the Harman school. That plan, which was presented by Dilly, would have seen Harman K-12 School close and consolidate with Midland Elementary, Elkins Middle School and Elkins High School.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Local dignitaries and health care officials took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Elkins Corridor Medical Center. Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco, President and CEO of WVU Medicine United Hospital Center David Hess, President and CEO of West Virginia University Health System Albert Wright Jr., Randolph County Commission President David Kesling, Elkins Corridor Medical Center Director of Ambulatory Services Abby Haddix, and Elkins Randolph County Chamber Director Karrah Washington were among those participating.

Dilly’s new proposal was brought forth after Randolph County Schools was placed in a State of Emergency by the West Virginia Department of Education in June. The school district will remain on probation for a total of six months, and faces the possibility of a state takeover if it cannot create a balanced budget or show progress by December.

There will be a public hearing for the closing of Pickens K-12 School on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the EHS theatre. Those wishing to speak must sign up between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. A final vote on the closings will be made by the BOE at 7:30 p.m.

If that proposal passes, students from Pickens will be merged into George Ward Elementary and Tygarts Valley Middle/High School.

Oct. 29

‘Caravan’ to Success

By Edgar Kelley

Staff Writer

ELKINS — The Randolph County Board of Education voted against Superintendent Dr. Shawn Dilly’s recommendations to close and consolidate two schools during a nearly four-hour public hearing Tuesday night.

Both Coalton Elementary and Midland Elementary will remain open after votes from the BOE swung in both schools’ favor. The Board voted 3-2 against the closing of Midland and 4-1 against the closing of Coalton.

BOE President Rachel Burns and fellow members Ed Daniels and Sherri Collett voted against closing Midland. Dr. Phil Chua and Janie Newlon voted for Dilly’s recommendation. Chua was the lone BOE member who voted for the closure and consolidation of Coalton.

The crowd in attendance at the Elkins High School Theatre erupted in applause after the votes, which were taken just after 9 p.m.

The BOE voted Oct. 8 to close Harman K-12 School and North Elementary School. Beginning next year, students from those schools will be sent to Jennings Randolph Elementary School, Elkins Middle School and Elkins High School.

On Oct. 14, a public hearing and vote on the closure of Pickens K-12 School was canceled approximately 90 minutes before it was slated to take place. The Superintendent announced on social media that the hearing had been canceled following “new information related to funding, as well as ongoing community effort that may support keeping Pickens open for an additional year.”

Students from Coalton Elementary and Midland Elementary would have been transferred to Third Ward Elementary and Beverly Elementary.

After each group of speakers regarding Coalton and Midland spoke Tuesday night, Dilly answered questions from both citizens and the BOE.

Newlon asked Dilly, “My concern is how are we going to handle the flow of traffic in Beverly?”

Dilly replied, “It’s a challenge. But to be honest, it’s a challenge at every school right now and it will continue.”

The Superintendent’s answer drew a loud negative response and criticism from the audience. Burns said, “I need the audience to be respectful please.”

Dilly continued, “We have a large number of parents who drop off and every school has done an excellent job of organizing a pattern that is in the best flow that they can in the situations from Midland to Beverly and everyone else.”

After close to 30 citizens spoke on behalf of Coalton, Dilly addressed those who made the trip from Elkins.

“I want to commend the Coalton community as they have done a great deal of work to prepare for this evening,” Dilly said. “I appreciate the thoughtfulness and consideration that you guys brought this evening.”

Collett then asked Dilly several questions, one of which had to do with Third Ward’s capacity if Coalton students were to be moved there.

“The building capacity is at 348 and the utilization is at 95%,” she asked. “The projection enrollment at Third Ward would be 389. The building capacity is 430, which I don’t understand can get bigger if we don’t have any construction. Can you explain those numbers?”

“Dividing some of the spaces as well as reconfiguring the school, it changes the capacity because in some cases, for example, we currently have two special needs classrooms in there supporting multiple regions of the county,” Dilly said. “So, they are being shipped in, so we have been talking about relocating one of those classrooms to George Ward or Beverly… Also, I think people are forgetting that we are moving the fifth-grade students out of the building. So overall we are only increasing the enrollment between 30 and 40 students within the existing building.”

After a delegation of three spoke on behalf of Third Ward, Dilly fielded more questions. Chua asked the superintendent, “How close to capacity is Beverly going to be after absorbing the students from Midland?”

Dilly replied, “I’m trying to remember the exact number. I know it gets us very high and I believe it’s up around 90 to 92% is what it will get us to if I recall correctly. I don’t have it here in front of me.”

Collett then found the numbers within some of her paperwork and told Chua it would be at 89%.

After the fourth and final public delegation session of the evening, during which members of the community were allowed three minutes each to speak, the BOE and Dilly decided to move on to the voting process.

“Does the Board want to take a few minutes or go right into the vote?” Burns asked. “It’s up to you guys, whatever you would like to do.”

After the BOE members agreed to proceed, Burns said, “I would like to remind everyone, I know we have a lot of people in here, and there is a lot of nervousness and excitement. If we could try to, until everything is voted on and complete, to try and keep the interruptions to a minimum. Because we do have a couple things to vote on. We want to be clear and respectful and make sure our minutes get recorded well.”

Section 6 of the meeting’s agenda included the votes for the two schools, along with a vote to approve a Waiver Request and an Amendment of the Comprehensive Education Facilities Plan.

Burns asked Dilly about the two end items and he said neither would have to be voted on if his recommendation wasn’t approved.

The BOE then voted on the fate of both schools, and cheers rang out after supporters learned that their respective schools would remain open.

No. 2

BOE votes against closing Harman

Jan. 9

(Editor’s Note: Members of the Harman community felt victorious after the Randolph County Board of Education voted 4-1 against closing the Harman K-12 School in January 2025. The victory would not be long-lived, however.)

By Taylor McKinnie

Staff Writer

ELKINS — The Randolph County Board of Education voted 4-1 against closing the Harman K-12 School Tuesday night after a series of public hearings.

The public hearings began at 5:30 p.m. with the vote being held at 9:50 p.m. More than 30 members of the community were in attendance at Elkins High School. Randolph County Sheriff Rob Elbon and several deputies were also present throughout the evening.

The plan presented by Randolph County Schools Superintendent Dr. Shawn Dilly would have seen Harman K-12 School close and consolidate with Midland Elementary, Elkins Middle School and Elkins High School.

About 18 members of the community spoke out during the hearings’ public comments sections. The board received more than 20 letters and written statements as well, Randolph County Board of Education President Rachel Anger said.

Among those who spoke out against the closure of the school were local businessman and former legislator Mike Ross and Mark Doak, CEO of Davis Health.

“You folks are missing a great opportunity right now… You shouldn’t vote tonight,” Ross told the board in his remarks. “Go explore other ideas… You got a new senator here, Robbie Morris. You got a new delegate here. The President of the Senate is the next county over, Tucker County. It’s a great opportunity to go to Charleston… the more you get together and work it out, then you come out with a workable bill.”

Doak said, “The mission (for Davis Health) is always simple, ‘Patient Friendly, Quality Healthcare.’ The mission for the school system is also very simple, ‘Children Friendly, Quality Education.’ Easy to say, hard to do.

“Consolidation does not necessarily equal ‘Quality Education.’ …With a large geographic county, long bus rides, education improvement, population growth and inconsistency with the 2020-2023 Comprehensive plan, let’s find an alternative to closing Pickens and Harman.”

Several teachers from Harman also made their case to the board.

“This school closure recommendation has placed undue stress and difficulties on all sides of those involved, none more so than for the children,” Dave Armentrout, a teacher at Harman and grandfather to a Harman student, said in his address to the board. “What makes our kids far less deserving of an appropriate education than those attending schools outside of Harman and Pickens? My grandson deserves the same chances as the other students in Randolph County have available to them.”

Ryan Sites, a Harman graduate and now a teacher and parent at the school, said, “I have continued to be positive with the children. I’ll say, ‘next year we’ll do this or that’ and inevitably a child will speak up and say ‘if they don’t close our school.’ I cannot imagine what is going through the minds of these young children.”

Concern was also expressed by those outside the county, as Sam Gibson, a member of the Pocahontas County Board of Education, and Dixie Lee Murray, a resident of Grant County who has worked with kids in Harman through vacation bible school, voicing their opposition to the closure.

Two teachers from Elkins High School also spoke.

“This cannot be an ‘us vs. them. This cannot be ‘Elkins vs. up the valley’ thing… We have to be together on this, and I know it’s hard,” Andrew Carroll, a teacher at EHS and an Elkins City Council Member, said. “Do we truly value public education? As a community, as a people and as a state, is this something that’s critical to us? And are we willing to pay for it?”

“I find it hard to believe that Robbie Morris and Jonatha’n Kyle can do this on their own, in Charleston with an anti-education legislature,” Ross Ware, a teacher at Elkins High School, said. “…with Mr. Morrisey as our governor, I don’t believe he is going to put effort into helping education in rural West Virginia when he was the same individual as the Attorney General who wanted to put all the teachers in jail when they went on strike, fighting for their rights. That guy is not going to help education. Plain and simple.”

Michelle Depp, the representative from the West Virginia Education Association Randolph County Teachers Union, talked about the BOE reportedly having to cuts around 30 positions if the proposal closure was voted down.

The BOE, after each hearing, asked Dilly questions, voicing their own concerns about the closure. Board member Ed Daniels did not appear pleased with the proposed length of bus rides for Harman children to go to Elkins and back home again.

It was suggested that students from Harman would travel between 49 to 68 minutes in the mornings and between 50 to 71 minutes in the afternoons, depending on what school they were going to and their route. It was also suggested that, for some routes, parents would have to drive students to and from their bus stop.

“So what is our plan if we go to a destination and drop a student that’s third grade or younger, and there’s nobody there to get them?” Daniels, a former school bus driver himself, asked.

When Daniels asked Dilly why elementary schools in the Elkins city limits were not being considered for closure, Dilly responded that he did not want to move those children around multiple times.

“So your answer was we can’t move those kids more than once, in Elkins,” Daniels asked.

“That’s what I’m trying to avoid doing,” Dilly responded.

“But then you’d be happy to transport these kids across these mountains,” Daniels asked.

“Not an ideal solution, but a solution that, again, is looking out for the best interest of all 3,488 students vs. just two communities,” Dilly said.

Board member Dr. Phillip Chua said, “Either way we go, we’re going to be violating state code. Looking at these bus routes, we would knowingly be violating the code on transporting kids, and not voting for the closure is going to violate our expenditures because we would be knowingly going out of our budget… either way we go, we’re going to probably be committing a misdemeanor.”

Anger said the BOE had already cut the Randolph County education system “to the bone.”

“I don’t know where we can cut these positions either,” Anger said. “There’s too many. We’ve already cut to the bone. There’s nothing left… I can’t cut anymore. I just can’t, can’t do it.”

The board took a 10-minute break after the last hearing before voting 4-1 against closing Harman K-12 School. The vote was met by applause and cheers from the audience, most of whom stayed through the four hours of hearings.

The four BOE members voting against closing Harman were Daniels, Janie Newlon, Chua and Dr. Sherri Collett. Only Anger voted in favor of closing the school.

The meeting was adjourned immediately after the vote was taken. Dilly left the auditorium at that point.

No. 3

Former pastor arrested, charged with soliciting a minor

Oct. 2

By Taylor McKinnie

Staff Writer

ELKINS – The former pastor of the Summit Church in Elkins was arrested Wednesday and faces a felony charge after allegedly soliciting a minor.

Kevin Curtis Jones, 33, is charged with one count of soliciting a minor via computer, a felony. He is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond set by Randolph County Magistrate Benjamin Shepler.

According to the criminal complaint, filed by Deputy and Task Force Officer D.A. Cale with the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Region Drug And Violent Crime Task Force, on Wednesday, Cale assisted Cpl. C. Parks, also with the Barbour Sheriff’s Office, with a soliciting investigation involving Jones.

Parks told Cale he was “investigating Pastor Kevin Jones for soliciting a minor with a computer,” the complaint states. The alleged victim, who is no longer a juvenile, was an attending member of the Summit Church in Elkins. Cale applied for a search warrant in Randolph County to seize relevant cellular devices, flash drives, storage devices, computers, etc.

Also on Wednesday, Cale located Jones in an RV at the Smokey Bottom Camp Ground, off Route 33, the complaint states. A “large amount” of cellular devices and storage devices were seized. Cale also made contact with the alleged victim, who came out of the RV to speak with him.

The alleged victim stated that Jones was their pastor and that they recalled an event where they and other juveniles went to Jones’ house in Randolph County around Christmas of 2023, the complaint states. The alleged victim told Cale that Jones began communicating with them over the phone about being in a “clandestine relationship” with the alleged victim once they turned 18.

According to the complaint, Jones was “the pastor of Summit Church… where the (alleged) victim attends, making (Jones) a person of trust over the victim.” Cale writes that he explained to the alleged victim what solicitation of a minor via computer was defined as under West Virginia State Code, and then asked the alleged victim if they thought Jones had solicited them. The alleged victim said, “Yes.”

“It is evident that Pastor Kevin Jones used a communication device to contact the victim to solicit, entice, seduce or lure (them) into a clandestine relationship while he remained married and was a person of trust,” Cale writes in the complaint.

No. 4

Both sides waiting for a decision

Dec. 6

By Edgar Kelley

Staff Writer

CHARLESTON — Both sides are still waiting for a decision after a two-day West Virginia Air Quality Board appeal hearing this week dealing with an air quality permit for a proposed natural gas power plant and data center in Tucker County.

Protestors rallied outside the hearing on both Wednesday and Thursday. The Board now has up to 60 days to rule on the appeal.

Fundamental Data has proposed the construction of a plant and data center that would be in close proximity to the towns of Davis and Thomas. Tucker United, the West Virginia Highland Conservancy, and the Sierra Club filed an appeal in September that challenged the state DEP’s approval of the permit.

Davis Mayor Al Tomson was one of several witnesses who testified on behalf of the three groups appealing the permit.

“All of the witnesses did a great job,” Tomson told The Inter-Mountain Friday. “In particular, I think the expert witness that they had for power plants was phenomenal. He was so knowledgeable, articulate, and he wouldn’t let the lawyers get one up on him.”

Tomson said the biggest point witnesses for the advocacy groups were trying to make was that Fundamental Data’s application was filed as a minor permit application, when it should have been a major permit application.

“We are challenging, in particular, the fact that Fundamental Data is claiming they are a synthetic minor permit application,” Tomson said. “Our side thinks they should be a major permit application, which would require much more testing and much more insurance (to ensure) that the plant would operate safely.”

“The testimony over the past two days shows this permit was issued without the most basic information the public needs to understand the risks of this project, and that the emissions estimates simply don’t hold up to scrutiny,” Olivia Miller, program director at the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy said in a press release Friday afternoon.

“Our expert explained that the plant’s real emissions will fluctuate dramatically outside the assumptions DEP accepted, and without real measurements, this permit is nothing more than guesswork. Communities in Tucker County, and anyone concerned about similar projects across the state, deserve a process grounded in science and truth, not secrecy.”

Nikki Forester, a spokesperson for Tucker United, also commented in the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy press release, saying, “We are confident in our legal team’s smart, technical, and well-informed comments demonstrating that the facility should be reclassified as a major source of pollutants.

“We are heartened by all the support we’ve received from West Virginians as well as people outside of the state who are invested in this fight. Tucker United and all our allies will continue organizing across the state to fight power plant and data center complexes that will harm our communities.”

Tomson said he’s unsure what the state Air Quality Board will decide in the next 60 days, but stressed that the three groups that are spearheading the campaign will continue to fight.

“There are a number of issues that have been challenged, so I think they will actually make a determination on each of the issues separately,” Tomson said.

“It’s really hard to say at this juncture what they are going to do exactly and how it is going to come out. I do know that if we are not successful, we will probably appeal it to a higher level of court.”

No. 5

Randolph EMS to end transfers from Davis Memorial

Aug. 11

By Brad Johnson

Executive Editor

ELKINS – The Randolph County Ambulance Authority announced Monday afternoon that the Randolph County Emergency Squad will stop making hospital-to-hospital transports from Davis Medical Center as of Friday morning.

The Ambulance Authority made the announcement in a press release sent to The Inter-Mountain after 3:30 p.m. Monday afternoon.

The Inter-Mountain reached out with multiple calls to Vandalia Health Davis Medical Center’s information officers Monday afternoon for a response to the press release, but did not receive a reply by press time.

The Randolph County Ambulance Authority’s Monday afternoon press release reads as follows:

“Starting Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, at 0700 hours, Randolph County Emergency Squad will no longer provide inter-facility hospital transports from Davis Medical Center.

“Several months ago, the CEO and CNO of Vandalia Health – Davis Medical Center approached us to submit a proposal for dedicated ambulance services to transport patients between facilities, including to CAMC, Mon Health, behavioral health centers, and addiction treatment facilities across the state. This proposal included not only Davis Medical Center but also Broaddus and Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital.

“We submitted a proposal offering to continue providing transport services solely for Davis Medical Center, consistent with our existing policies and operational capacity. For years, we’ve provided transports within a 100-mile radius, including to cardiology, neurology, and trauma centers. However, as decided by our board over 15 years ago, we do not transport behavioral health patients due to medical necessity concerns and crew safety.

“Following our submission, we were informed that Davis Medical Center was continuing to accept other proposals, with a renewed emphasis on transporting all patient types, including behavioral and addiction medicine cases, and covering all three hospitals.

“After thorough discussion and consideration by our executive board, we made the difficult decision to rescind our proposal. The scope of services requested would have required significant increases in staffing, equipment, and vehicles — all while pulling critical resources away from Randolph County. Some of these transports can keep a crew out of county for five hours or more, which compromises our ability to respond to local 911 emergencies.

“In our rescinding letter, we made it clear that we would continue to support local discharges to nursing homes and residences, in an effort to assist with bed availability and hospital operations. However, we must prioritize our core mission: responding to 911 emergencies in Randolph County and supporting mutual aid requests in surrounding counties.

“A Zoom meeting was held on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, between our executive board, Mr. Goldberg (VP of Vandalia Health), and Mr. Andro (CEO of Davis Medical Center), to discuss the rescinding of our proposal.

“On Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, Director Kurt Gainer of Randolph County EMS was informed by the CEO of Health Team that they will begin actively recruiting to take over the inter-facility transport services for Davis Medical Center, starting Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, at 0700 hours — the same date we provided as our final day for such services.

“This change comes as a result of increased 911 call volume, rising operational costs, declining reimbursement rates, and the need to keep our personnel available for emergencies within Randolph County.

“We remain fully committed to our community. All three EMS stations in Randolph County will continue to operate 24/7, ensuring you have access to the emergency care you need. With this new change, we anticipate increased flexibility to transport medically stable patients to nearby emergency departments, when resources allow — a service previously limited due to constant long-distance transports.

“Key Points:

Randolph County EMS has never held a formal contract with Davis Medical Center for inter-facility transports.

EMS agencies are not required to provide hospital-to-hospital transport.

Our primary mission is 911 emergency response for Randolph County residents.

“We thank the citizens of Randolph County for your continued support and trust. This decision was not made lightly, but we believe it allows us to serve you — our community — more effectively and efficiently.

“If you have questions, please contact the Randolph County Emergency Squad.

“We are here for you day or night, 24/7.

“Sincerely,

Randolph County Emergency Squad.”

No. 6

Motel Demolition

Aug. 5

By Taylor McKinnie

Staff Writer

ELKINS — Demolition of the former Four Seasons Motel began early Monday afternoon.

Allegheny Excavating, LLC began the process of demolishing the former motel-turned apartment complex on Harrison Avenue Monday afternoon, with a large portion of the building having been leveled by Monday evening.

Elkins City Property Maintenance Code Official Jessie Kittle was on the scene Monday morning, speaking with workers. Multiple police cruisers parked across the street from the demolition site for some time Monday afternoon.

The bidding for the demolition was opened in July after the City of Elkins bought the building in May. Elkins City Property Maintenance Code Official Jessie Kittle previously told The Inter-Mountain that whoever was picked to do the job would only have 30 days to complete the demolition.

“Probably the most important thing is that they have a 30-day window once I give them the go-ahead to tear (the Four Seasons) down,” Kittle told The Inter-Mountain in July. “That was made very clear in my bid packet.”

The city plans to transform the property into a greenspace or welcome area, officials have said.

Purchased by the city for $135,000 on May 8, the acquisition of the property was finalized “following confirmation that all former tenants had permanently vacated the premises,” Kaye told The Inter-Mountain in a previous statement.

On April 22, the building was found “unfit for human habitation” and condemned by Elkins City Code Enforcement, due to the water in the building having been turned off on April 15 at the request of the property manager, Elkins City Clerk Sutton Stokes told The Inter-Mountain in a previous statement.

Stokes said that Code Enforcement notified the property owner on April 16 that water service would have to be reestablished “within 48 hours” to avoid condemnation of the building.

Stokes said that, on April 22, after verifying that water service had not been reestablished, Code Enforcement, supported by the Elkins City Police Department, posted the building with notices of condemnation, and “verified that all occupants had vacated the premises at that time.”

“The property manager stated one of the primary reasons for (the property manager’s) request (to turn off the water) was that piping had been removed from the building,” Stokes told The Inter-Mountain in a previous statement. “By action of condemning it as unfit for human habitation, it’s now illegal for anyone to occupy the building.”

Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco also confirmed that the building had been condemned by the city, and that officials had been informed by the property manager that the water in the building would be turned off due to “pipes being stolen.”

“The property manager came in and told our treasurer (Tracy Judy) some of the pipes had been stolen, so he was going to have the water turned off,” Marco told The Inter-Mountain in May. “I think we waited five days for them to turn it back on. Normally we do two (days), but because of Easter, we waited until the following Monday… and it wasn’t turned back on, so we had to condemn it.”

Marco confirmed with The Inter-Mountain in a previous statement that city council voted to give him the authority to sign a contract for the purchase of the Four Seasons property from former property owner Don Smith, in an executive session during their November 21, 2024 meeting. The contractual agreement was unanimously ratified by the council during their Jan. 9 meeting.

Residents of the Four Seasons Property received eviction notices on Dec. 31, 2024, drafted by Smith’s attorney, Mike Mullens. Notices were served by the Randolph County Sheriff Department with assistance from Elkins City Police Department, Marco told The Inter-Mountain in a previous statement.

Elkins City Hall released a press statement on Dec. 31 in response to rumors and questions about the property and the city’s plan to buy it.

According to the release, Smith had owned the property since 2012 and granted Bruce Howell authority to operate the property to provide residential rental living units, with Howell functioning as a “landlord.”

Marco said in a previous statement that the land contract between Smith and Howell was dissolved in 2024 due to “several violations that were not corrected.”

No. 7

Cutting the Ribbon

Sept. 5

By Edgar Kelley

Staff Writer

ELKINS — Local dignitaries took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Elkins Corridor Medical Center Thursday morning. The facility, which will officially open on Tuesday, Sept. 9, is located on North Randolph Avenue.

What officials describe as a state-of-the-art, 38,000 square-feet, $37 million facility will include 34 exam rooms, two procedure rooms, and one cast room.

Hoppy Kercheval, known as the radio “dean” of West Virginia broadcasters, served as the guest speaker for the ceremony. Other speakers included Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco; David Hess, the president and CEO of WVU Medicine United Hospital Center, and Albert Wright Jr., who is the president and CEO of West Virginia University Health System.

Kercheval welcomed those attending the event, and spoke about Elkins and its leadership.

“For those of you not from here, Elkins is a place where traditions take roots and thrive,” Kercheval said. “We are reminded about that every year with the Mountain State Forest Festival, which is coming up here in a couple of weeks. For traditions to continue, you need leaders who are committed, and Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco was quoted in The Elkins Inter-Mountain last December saying ‘a lot of good things are on the horizon.’ Well, today the project that was on the horizon is now in the forefront.”

Kercheval then introduced Marco, who talked about how important he believes the new facility will be to the citizens of Elkins and the surrounding area.

“What a fantastic day to be the mayor of the City of Elkins,” Marco said. “This is a tremendous opportunity, not only for the city, but for Randolph County and the surrounding counties. We are bringing health care opportunities to folks who no longer have to drive to Clarksburg, Morgantown, Pittsburgh and Charleston.

“When David Hess first contacted me he said he wanted to come to Elkins to meet with me. I told him no, that I would come and meet him. And the reason for that was, if we have a conversation in Elkins at a restaurant, it’s not private, and I know that. So he asked if I was willing to drive to him, and I said if he was willing to bring a potential business here, then heck yeah… What you (Hess) are doing for our community is a tremendous addition, so welcome to our community.”

Marco also thanked the Thrasher Group for finishing the construction of the facility ahead of schedule.

Hess then told the crowd, “Welcome officially to the new WVU Medicine Elkins Corridor Medical Center. It’s an exciting day… We’ve brought the latest and greatest from a technological standpoint and the largest clinic in our entire health system to Elkins.

“This building to me is a commitment by WVU Medicine to our mission, which is to improve the health of West Virginians and all that we serve, through excellence, patient care, research and education,” Hess said. “After months of planning and building, here we are. We are here for this community seven days a week and we are committed to care for you and comfort you.”

Wright made a reference to WVU football games due to the chilly, rainy weather conditions on Thursday.

“It has a tailgate-like feel to it today and I’m afraid we are going to break out into a chant and suggest what Pitt should have for lunch today,” Wright said.

“My favorite days are the days when we get to groundbreakings,” he noted. “We have a mission to improve health in the state of West Virginia and this investment here today is really an example of the health system at its best… This clinic is a big, bold step to provide access to care in the rural part of the state.”

Elkins Corridor Medical Center was constructed at the former Teter Motors property on North Randolph Avenue/U.S. Route 219, next to the Division of Motor Vehicles. The property the clinic sits on includes 6.91 acres, that were purchased by WVU Medicine United Hospital Center for $1.65 million in July 2023.

The center will provide family and preventive care, rapid care, lab and infusion services and advanced imaging.

The center will also feature rotating specialty clinics, including audiology, gastroenterology, heart and vascular, infectious diseases, interventional pain medicine, oncology, orthopedics, physiatry, pulmonology, rheumatology and thoracic.

No. 8

Elkins woman dies after fire

Jan. 2

By Taylor McKinnie

Staff Writer

ELKINS — An Elkins woman passed away Monday after sustaining injuries from a fire at her residence on Patricia Avenue.

Jessica Leigh Knox, 47, was injured in a fire at her home on Dec. 22. She died Monday at West Penn Hospital Burn Center in Pittsburgh, where she was being treated.

The Elkins Fire Department and Randolph County Emergency Squad responded to a fire at 210 Patricia Ave. at 8:13 a.m. on Dec. 22, Elkins Fire Department Lieutenant Andrew Roth told The Inter-Mountain Tuesday.

The front of the home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, Roth said. Knox was the only person present in the home.

“We began to start extinguishing the fire and (Knox) happened to be in there,” Roth told The Inter-Mountain on Tuesday. “She was in towards the back of the house and she was rescued, then turned over to EMS care.”

Knox was taken to Davis Medical Center in Elkins before being airlifted to West Penn Hospital Burn Center later in the day, Roth said.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, officials said.

The home was deemed to be a total loss.

No. 9

Former Buckhannon mayor sentenced

June 13

By Edgar Kelley

Staff Writer

CLARKSBURG — Former Buckhannon Mayor David Walter McCauley was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison on Thursday for possessing images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit acts.

In December, McCauley, 66, pled guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, McCauley enticed a 17-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct for photo and video production. McCauley had several electronic devices that contained illegal images and videos seized from his home and office. The devices contained images and videos of the minor engaged in sexual action with McCauley, officials said.

McCauley was arrested on Oct. 2 and was originally charged with two counts of production and one count of possession of child pornography; however, in exchange for his guilty plea, the two counts of production were dismissed.

“The Government proffered the contents of the image and videos which underpin the Indictment. They depict the alleged victim performing sexual acts on and for Defendant,” U.S. Magistrate James P. Mazzone said in a written order in December. “Credible evidence exists that Defendant advocated for the alleged victim to delete evidence. The Government also proffered evidence that that Defendant groomed the alleged victim prior to beginning a sexual relationship with the alleged victim.”

At the time McCauley first contacted the alleged victim, the age difference between the two was 47 years, Mazzone said.

McCauley, who was the mayor of Buckhannon from 2016 to 2020, was serving a four-year term on Buckhannon City Council when he was arrested. He resigned from city council on Oct. 8.

Assistant United States Attorney Kimbery Crockett prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburgh Police Department, and Upshur County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May of 2006 by the Department of Justice.

Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. The initiative is led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS.

Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided over Thursday’s hearing. McCauley will serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit Justice.gov/PSC.

No. 10

Church in the Park appeals to council

July 26

By Taylor McKinnie

Staff Writer

ELKINS — Church in the Park officials asked Elkins City Council to allow them to continue hosting events in the city’s parks Thursday night, after the Elkins Parks and Recreation Commission asked the group to stop doing so.

More than 40 members and supporters of the religious community group attended Thursday night’s meeting to voice their opposition to being asked to no longer offer their weekly religious and free meals events at the city’s parks.

During the public comment section of the meeting, Greg Johnson, a representative for the Lunch with Neighbors Feeding Ministry at First United Methodist Church, spoke about challenges faced by those who live on the streets in the area, including addiction, mental illness, illiteracy, theft, no proper documentation and more, and how the churches have had to step in when the community would not.

Johnson described how several people in the religious group have taken people to rehab, the homeless shelter, the DMV, the Social Security Office, the Housing Authority and the Randolph County Circuit Court, and even used their home addresses so people could receive mail. He called on the City of Elkins and Randolph County to lend a hand.

“The community has kicked the street people can around long enough,” Johnson said. “Those of us trying to help need a concerted effort from the city and county. We need social workers on the street and at all the feeding ministries. Look at using opioid settlement money. Look at a grant from West Virginia First Foundation. I’ve been doing this for five years. Currently, there are more homeless in this community than any time I’ve seen in the last five years.”

Melody Morici, a volunteer with the group, said she felt the need to clarify statements that were made by the City of Elkins to the media, including The Inter-Mountain, regarding why Church in the Park was asked to stop holding their events in the parks.

“Since there was statements made by somebody from the City of Elkins regarding Church in the Park on the local news and on the front page of The Inter-Mountain today, I wanted to, on behalf of our group, clarify that every time we’re in the park, we clean up everything,” Morici said. “We do not leave trash. There have been members of our group that have actually taken trash when it’s overflowing. We try to leave it cleaner than we found it. I have personally cleaned up trash that was already there when we got there.”

Morici also addressed a comment regarding the group not properly booking the park spaces “like any other organization,” stating that the group had been following the “first come, first serve” rule the Elkins City Park pavilions’ signs say is allowed if the space is currently not in use. She also commented that those signs appeared to have been replaced in the last week and no longer said “first come, first serve.”

On Friday, the City of Elkins released a statement in its weekly “City Hall News” column for The Inter-Mountain that reads, “As of July 25, none of the City’s park pavilions are available for free use. All pavilions must be reserved and rented. Contact the EPRC, which operates independently of the City, with any questions.”

Later Friday afternoon, a city representative emailed a request to alter the column so the information about changing the pavilions policy was no longer included.

The Inter-Mountain sought clarification on the issue from the city on Friday afternoon, and a city representative sent the following by email:

“At its July 16 meeting, EPRC took action and made the decision that all EPRC park pavilions must be reserved through the standard EPRC rental process.”

During Thursday’s meeting, Morici also added that members of their group had offered to pay the rental fee for the pavilions in the past, but “were denied that opportunity.”

Church in the Park Director Mike Brooks explained what the group has done and wants to continue to do for those in the community.

“What goes on in that park is life for the people who are outcasts, and God favors the outcasts, and we ask for your help,” Brooks said. “We do the best we can with cleaning up, we bring food, we bring God’s word and we try to instill hope. Church in the Park, alone, has brought 20 people to rehab. We brought three last month. We have baptized 26 people. Others have come forward to receive Christ, and it’s a focal point for the community. Everybody knows Church in the Park… they go to church in the park because we’re going to treat them with dignity.”

Pastor Steven Tolson, of Celebrate Recovery at the Refinery Church in Elkins, spoke briefly as well, offering his support to Brooks and Church in the Park and informing council that Celebrate Recovery was back in operation after five years as of May.

“We’ve served 300 meals,” Tolson said. “I’ve taken two people to rehab. The work that (Brooks) does and the work that we do is hand-in-hand. I’m just letting you guys know there is a resource. If any of the council members can reach out to me, I’m not hard to find. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

Church in the Park volunteer Pastor Mike House, of the Ambassador Baptist Church in Elkins said the group and other churches were asking for the City’s support.

“Today, we’re here just asking the city, and we’ll be approaching the county as well, to partner with us,” House said. “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There’s already many, many ministries, many things going on, and we just want you guys to partner with us, financially.”

Gary Lockett, former pastor for Highland United Methodist Church and a Church in the Park volunteer, stressed that Church in the Park needs to continue their work.

“We’re giving them hope,” Lockett said. “We’re letting them know, ‘Hey, we care about you. God loves you’… Help us and let us keep coming to the park.”

David Biggs addressed council, not as a volunteer of the Church in the Park group, but as a supporter and a homelessness “success story.” Biggs explained he used to “be that homeless person sleeping up on the bench behind the railroad station,” but he was now three years clean, after 10 years in prison, and firmly believes that everyone deserves a second chance.

“I believe what (Church in the Park’s) doing is the right thing,” Biggs said. “That might not be my God, but I’m supporting 100% on what they’re trying to do to help these people. … I just hope that everyone on the council sees that (Church in the Park’s) doing the right thing.”

Only one member of the audience was denied the chance to speak at the beginning of public comment. As per West Virginia law, if someone wishes to speak on a topic that is not on a city council meeting’s agenda during public comment, the council must vote to allow that person to speak. The approval must be unanimous among all council members. Fifth Ward Council Member Burley Woods voted to not allow the audience member to speak, and when questioned by another audience member as to why he voted that way, Woods said he would happily discuss the matter with the person after the meeting had ended.

While giving her meeting report, Elkins City Attorney Gerldine Roberts asked council to indulge her as she spoke on the dedication of city officials and employees. “Every employee, every elected official, every appointed person I deal with in the City of Elkins has the best interests of this community at heart to a daily basis,” Roberts said

Roberts noted that, shortly after being elected, Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco established the Addiction & Homeless Resources Task Force that “deals with exactly the questions that people are asking this evening.”

Toward the end of the meeting, Marco explained that after “praying long and hard,” he was going to “pass” on making any comments and ended the meeting.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Taylor McKinnie This residence on Patricia Avenue in Elkins caught fire on Dec. 22, which led to the death of an Elkins woman.

McCauley

The Inter-Mountain photo by Taylor McKinnie Church in the Park Director Mike Brooks addresses the Elkins City Council during its Thursday meeting after the Elkins Parks and Recreation Commission asked the religious group to stop hosting events in the city parks.