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• Applause to two local colleges welcoming large new classes for the fall semester.
Davis & Elkins College can boast of its largest incoming freshman class in a decade. More than 305 new students arrived at D&E for orientation on Thursday. The new Senators represent a 35.8% increase in new enrollment over 2022, and a 22% increase in new students since 2018.
West Virginia Wesleyan College's undergraduate new student class of more than 360 students represents a 20% increase over 2022 and the largest new student class to enroll since 2017. Students will be coming to Wesleyan from 26 states and 14 foreign countries.
This is especially significant this summer, as earlier this month the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission revoked Alderson Broaddus' authorization to confer degrees in the state.
The collapse of AB will have many significant negative effects for the region, so it is especially heartening to hear good news about enrollment at D&E and WVWC.
• Applause to the six local businesses that were presented awards during the Elkins Main Street Heritage and Horizon Awards this week.
The awards ceremony had not taken place for the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Heritage Award winners honored this week included El Gran Sabor (2020), Citizens Bank of West Virginia (2021) and Artists at Work (2022).
The three new businesses honored with Horizon Awards included Tip Top (2020), Jimbo's Place (2021) and the Mossy Merchant (2022).
• Applause to the many fun outdoor activities open to local residents this weekend.
The Elkins High School Band will offer its annual Corn Roast at Elkins City Park today from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. The EHS band will begin marching through downtown Elkins toward City Park at approximately 12:30 p.m.
In addition to great music, roasted corn on the cob and pork barbecue sandwiches will be available for purchase during the fundraising event.
Meanwhile, the Randolph County Fair kicks off today with the Miss and Miss Teen Randolph County Fair Pageant at 7 p.m. at 4-H Camp Pioneer in Beverly. The fair will conclude a week from today with a full slate of activities on Saturday, Aug. 26.
This coming week the Randolph County Fair will offer a carnival, a Mutton Bustin' competition and a Rodeo and Calf Show Scramble, in addition to many other activities, exhibits and demonstrations.
• Boo to the news this week that the Tygart Valley Recycling Center has closed its doors for good.
The recycling center has operated under several names and has had different operators over the years. Each operator has stated the center cannot turn a profit. Each new operator started with the intention to provide a much-needed service to the community and at least break even. Each time, the conclusion has been the same: no money, no help and not enough demand for the recyclables at this time.
On Thursday, Randolph County Solid Waste Authority Chairman Clark Martin spoke before the Randolph County Commission and the Elkins City Council asking for help in finding a solution to provide the area with recycling service.
Good for Mr. Martin and we hope the Commission and City Council were paying attention to what he was saying. Mr. Martin wasn't only speaking for himself; he was speaking for all of us in this region. Our area has a big problem with recyclables and the only solution is having the County and the City making sustainable funding available to offset the losses these operators have sustained over the years. Otherwise, the landfills will fill up with more and more trash.