Statewide Sunday hunting to begin

May 5, 2018

The long prohibition of Sunday hunting is over. On March 29, Gov. Jim Justice signed into law Senate Bill 451. This bill will allow Sunday hunting on public lands in the state. I was talking with West Virginia Division of Natural Resources officials at the Elkins Operations Center this past Monday, and they informed me this new law will go into effect on July 1. This bill passed both houses of the Legislature by huge margins. This is something I have wanted to see for a long time. From the time I was a teenager, I have bitterly detested the law that prohibited someone from going ...

Test and Tune event is Friday

April 26, 2018

The regular season schedule at Elkins Raceway is set to kick off Friday evening with the first Test and Tune event. This is an opportunity for new drivers and cars to check out setups and not have the pressure of a race event. This may be the only chance you get to see them in pristine condition before the race action puts scrapes and dents on them. The rain date is set for Saturday evening if needed. Admission on the hillside is free. Gates will open at 5 p.m. Come on out and get your first fix of speed and noise! Hope to see you there. The first regular season points event is set ...

Time for shooting practice

April 21, 2018

The weather was perfect for being outdoors last Saturday, and I used this time to take a trip to the shooting range during the afternoon. The rifle I decided to shoot was a .22 rimfire Mossberg that has been in the family for more than 80 years. My father purchased this bolt-action rifle from Montgomery Wards in Charleston in 1934 shortly after he and Mom were married. From the story that Dad told me, this particular rifle was on sale for $9.50. After all, this was the era of the Great Depression of the 1930s. I think Dad told me that he worked at the glass plant in Charleston for 62 ...

Hot racing in cold weather

April 19, 2018

It’s Bristol, baby! Finally the NASCAR teams made it to the half-mile, high-banked Bristol Motor Speedway in the beautiful East Tennessee Mountains. On Saturday, the Xfinity series took to the track for the Fitzgerald Glider 300. There were rain showers in the area but they were able to get the race run on time and for the full distance. Christopher Bell got out to an early lead and captured the stage one victory. Young Ryan Preece was making another start in the JGR Toyota Camry number 18. This young man has been extremely impressive each time he has driven this strong car. Ryan ...

Racers run wild in Texas

April 12, 2018

NASCAR headed out to the great state of Texas and descended on the Texas Motor Speedway. This track has been resurfaced and reconfigured so that the banking in turns 1 and 2 is lower than that in turns 3 and 4. If that wasn’t enough to make the crew chiefs a little crazy, Friday saw the temperature top 80 degrees with bright sunshine. Then on Saturday the temps plunged into the 30s and it was overcast at rainy with some snow flurries mixed in for good measure. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series had practice and an abbreviated qualifying session Saturday. The Xfinity series had ...

Wood is key to W.Va.’s well-being

April 7, 2018

“Wood is wonderful.” This is a statement that I hear repeatedly in this area, especially during the “Mountain State Forest Festival,” which is a tribute to wood. Now, everyone knows that wood grows, and April is the month for Arbor Day (April 27) when people are encouraged to plant a tree. At the same time, they are encouraged to properly care for the trees that are currently growing. On a percentage basis, West Virginia is the third most heavily forested state in the nation. This state is only behind Maine and New Hampshire from this standpoint. Forests cover nearly 80 ...