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Kump pasture is now a wetland

In 1900 after Goddin Inn burned, the Goddin family decided not to rebuild the old inn that stood south of Seneca Road before the Civil War. In 1913 Edna and Guy Kump bought the old inn site on 11 acres of land along Goddin Creek between Seneca Road and the railroad track, where they would have a family farm and their children would learn to garden and care for animals. During 1924 and 2025 the Kumps lived in Edna’s grandparents’ home known as the “Logan House” in Beverly while Mr. Whiteman built their Elkins home with a driveway opening onto Randolph Avenue. The new house ...

Greetings

Hello, West Virginia, If we haven’t met, I would like to introduce myself. I am Michael T. Benson — you can call me “Mike” — president of West Virginia University. I officially started July 15 and I am amazed at how three decades of work in higher education across the United States have brought me, step by step, to the place I belong — the beautiful state of West Virginia in a position to lead its flagship, land-grant institution into a new era. My wife, Debi, is especially looking forward to experiencing the four seasons the Mountain State offers after our time under ...

Adventure time

Every day is an adventure with Donald Trump in the White House. One week, he appears to distance himself from his MAGA base and cozy up to neoconservatives and RINO regulars. Give him another seven days, and he cozies up to the Steve Bannons and the “influencers” of the ultra-right. He is predictable only in that he is as emphatic in endorsing a position and just as strident when he repudiates it a week later. A good example of this is his rapid rehabilitation of the “Intelligence Referee” Tulsi Gabbard. Less than a month ago, he declared that she was “wrong” on her ...

Hacking a lawmaker

We have another alleged case of hacking of a lawmaker. Last Monday, Del. Charles Sheedy, R-Marshall, posted on the Marshall County WV Republican Club Facebook page that he sent a letter to Gov. Patrick Morrisey and the state congressional delegation regarding the lack of a federal disaster declaration for Ohio and Marion counties. The following is taken directly from that letter as he (allegedly) wrote it: “Constituents in District 7 are asking why President Trump has not issued a FEMA Disaster Declaration for Ohio and Marion Counties? My constituents are also yours and they ...

Evaluations, development: Two ‘musts’ that drive leader performance

Is it possible for a company to not achieve key goals while most if not all of those in leadership receive a positive yearly evaluation? I have seen this happen over the years. It brings up some questions: How can it be that there is such a disconnect between a leader’s evaluation and their actual performance? And why aren’t leaders moving the needle on organizational goals? The answer typically comes down to one of two issues (and often both).  One, the company’s evaluation system may be off. Two, there is a lack of investment in providing skill development to those in a ...

MAGA’s greatest crisis

MAGA faces its greatest crisis since Donald Trump came down the golden escalator in 2015. The credibility of the president is sorely tested by his “big beautiful bill,” but it is endangered by the Jeffrey Epstein affair. On the surface, it seems a minor incident, but so was the “third-rate burglary” known as Watergate in its earlier stages. As with Watergate, it came out of a campaign charge that suggested Epstein was tied to the “deep state”. Remember that the break-in at the Watergate was due to a mistaken belief that Democrats were dealing with the North Vietnamese. ...