According to a release from Vienna Police Chief Josh Cole, Ashton Elschlager, 20, of Walker is in custody at the Wood County Holding Center and Jacob Thomas, 19, of Waverly is being held at the Washington County Jail.

Elschlager is being held on a $300,000 cash bond, according to magistrate records. Thomas is being held without bond on a fugitive from justice warrant, according to the Washington County Jail website.

Officers responded around 8:14 p.m. Sunday to the 100 block of Grand Central Avenue for a report of shots fired involving two northbound vehicles, the release said. The preliminary investigation determined occupants of both vehicles exchanged gunfire.

Cole said the individuals were known to each other and the incident arose out of an ongoing dispute.

“It’s definitely not a random road rage incident,” he said.

Elschlager was charged last week with brandishing a deadly weapon, an incident Cole said involved a relative of Thomas. Magistrate records show Elschlager was also charged with obstruction and persons prohibited from possessing firearms counts in that instance and was released on a $5,000 bond.

Elschlager and a woman in his car “sustained serious life-threatening injuries,” the release said. Both were taken to WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. While Elschlager has since been released and is at the holding center, the woman was taken to WVU Medicine Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown for additional treatment, Cole said.

Her name was not included in the release.

The release said Elschlager was identified as one of the individuals involved in the exchange of gunfire, while witness information identified the second shooter as Thomas.

Thomas fled the scene while continuing north on Grand Central, the release said. With assistance from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, his vehicle was observed crossing the Williamstown Bridge. That information was relayed to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies stopped the vehicle on Third Street in Marietta, Sheriff Mark Warden said.

“We held them until the Vienna Police Department could come over and do their interviews,” he said.

After interviewing both suspects and other witnesses, officers determined Elschlager and Thomas “recklessly exchanged gunfire while traveling on a public roadway, placing numerous motorists and bystanders at risk of serious injury or death,” the release said.

There were two other people in the vehicle with Elschlager, a driver and a juvenile, neither of whom has been charged in relation to the incident, Cole said.

The investigation is ongoing, and the Vienna Police Department asked anyone with additional information to contact its office.

Vienna Police thanked the Wood and Washington County sheriff’s offices, Parkersburg and Williamstown police departments and West Virginia State Police for their assistance.

“This case highlights the value of strong communication and cooperation between our law enforcement agencies,” the release said.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

Blennerhassett Hotel owners Wayne Waldeck and Lee Rector have reached an agreement to sell the iconic hotel to Virginia-based Taylor Hospitality, the company announced in a press release Tuesday.

Rector and Waldeck purchased the hotel in 2019 with the goal of preserving and maintaining it as an anchor in downtown Parkersburg, the release said. Several months ago, they began exploring a franchise affiliation with a national brand and met Taylor Hospitality founder and CEO Sean Taylor.

According to the release, the hotel will be renamed The Blennerhassett, a Giovanni Hotel and Spa, and become part of Wyndham’s Trademark brand.

“Trademark properties are chosen for their individuality: The brand is built to highlight the surrounding area and the guest experience while maintaining the unique characteristics of each hotel,” the release said. “The affiliation also brings The Blennerhassett into Wyndham’s distribution network, exposing the hotel and Parkersburg to millions of potential new travelers.”

Taylor Hospitality anticipates hiring the hotel’s current staff and plans to grow the business while maintaining the hotel’s role as an important anchor to downtown Parkersburg, the release said.

“We want to thank the community and the many thousands of guests who have supported us and the hotel over the last seven years,” Waldeck and Rector said in the release. “We feel the hotel and its employees will be well positioned for many more successful years.”

Details of the transaction are still being finalized ahead of the anticipated mid-August closing.

The Blennerhassett Hotel opened in 1889 and operates 89 guest rooms at 320 Market St. in downtown Parkersburg. The property includes The Blennerhassett Restaurant & Lounge, the 1889 Club, The Blennerhassett Spa, a library, a garden patio and the Hills & Hollows shops.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, Pritt voluntarily withdrew as a Republican candidate for the House District 50 in Fayette County after resigning last week from his House seat.

The official withdrawal notice received Tuesday afternoon. According to State Code, candidates wishing to withdraw from the general election ballot must file a notarized statement of withdrawal by Tuesday, Aug. 11, in order to be removed from the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

The State Election Commission is scheduled to meet Friday, Aug. 7, at noon. According to its agenda, the SEC was slated to consider requests to disqualify Pritt as a candidate and allow the Fayette County Republican Executive Committee to replace Pritt on the general election ballot. The Secretary of State’s Office confirmed Tuesday that with Pritt’s withdrawal, the agenda item would no longer be considered.

Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, filed charges against Pritt last month of one count of enticement of a minor. Pritt waived his preliminary and detention hearings last week and remains in federal custody awaiting indictment by a federal grand jury. If convicted, Pritt could face a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in a federal facility.

Pritt is accused of using several social media platforms, including Roblox and Snapchat, to coerce a minor into illegal sexual activity beginning when the minor was in eighth grade and continuing when the minor entered high school.

Investigators said the relationship between the minor and Pritt, a public school teacher, became physical, with the minor meeting Pritt in his classroom at Oak Hill High School in late 2025 to engage in sexual activity. Pritt continued to exchange messages with the minor into 2026, including urging the minor not to tell anyone about their prior contact.

Pritt was first elected to the House as a Democrat in 2022 and switched to a Republican in 2023. He was one of five assistant majority leaders in the House and served on the House Education Committee.

A law passed in 2025 will prevent the Fayette County Republican Executive Committee from replacing Pritt on the November general election ballot. House Bill 4350, passed by the legislature in 2024, only allows from replacing a party nominee on the general election ballot in the event of a disqualification, such as in the instance the candidate is convicted of a felony.

“The Office of the Secretary of State serves a ministerial role for candidate filing, and has very little authority to exercise discretion in candidacy matters,” said Secretary of State Kris Warner in a statement Tuesday. “The law in this instance is clear. Because the Legislature removed the opportunity for political parties to select replacement candidates on the ballot when a vacancy is created by withdrawal, there is no alternative option to replace the candidate on the ballot.”

Candidates on the ballot for House District 50 include independent Tom Louisos, Jeannie Carpenter (no party affiliation), Constitution Party candidate Stacey Hensley, and Democratic Party candidate Mathew Anderson, a special education teacher in the Fayette County school system. Write-in candidates have until Tuesday, Sept. 15, with the Secretary of State’s Office.

The West Virginia Republican Executive Committee voted unanimously to disavow Pritt during its summer meeting last Saturday.

“It’s going to require an increase on the standard sanitation fee that all residents pay,” City Attorney Blaine Myers said during a joint meeting of Parkersburg City Council’s Finance and Public Works committees. “We may not be happy about it, but that’s what the court ordered.”

Wood County Circuit Court Judge J.D. Beane ruled last week that the program – in which residents pay an additional $3 a month to have their recycling picked up by Rumpke of Ohio – did not satisfy state code requiring cities with populations of more than 10,000 to implement a curbside recycling program.

Myers said the ruling cited three areas in which the city’s ordinance is out of compliance with state law. The first two – making recycling mandatory for all residents and requiring it of non-residential customers – can be addressed with amendments to the code.

The city could appeal the third issue – whether it has the authority to charge an additional fee for residents who choose to recycle – but Myers recommended against it.

“I just don’t think it’s a fight worth fighting,” he said.

To appeal the decision to the state’s Intermediate Court of Appeals and possibly the state Supreme Court would draw the process out until the end of 2027 and cost the city additional money for special counsel to handle the case, Myers said. And if they pursued it, he estimated a “50-50 chance” of prevailing.

Earlier this year, council approved a $21-a-month sanitation fee, which includes a $1.50 recycling surcharge for all residents, whether they pay the additional $3 or not. Beane ruled that does not satisfy state code because it creates a system of voluntary participation.

City resident and attorney Walt Auvil sued the city over its suspension of recycling service last year, which officials said was the result of staffing issues. In March, Auvil filed a motion seeking a declaratory judgment that the city must reinstate curbside recycling without charging a subscription fee.

The $1.50 surcharge for all customers and additional $3 for those who recycle were designed to cover the charge of $15.25 per month per recycling container, based on an estimated 1,330 participating customers. To remove the voluntary aspect, the sanitation fee would have to spread the monthly cost per container among all customers.

If the number of participating customers increases significantly, the fee would have to as well, Myers said.

“So it just boils down to if more people recycle, our price goes up?” Councilman Rob Moore said.

Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said she would have thought more people recycling meant more money for the company collecting it. But Myers said Rumpke would have to utilize more resources to collect additional materials. Council President Andrew Borkowski noted haulers have to pay per ton when they turn in the recycling they’ve collected.

Mayor Tom Joyce said the total cost “could literally change from month to month” and council might have to alter the fee every two to three months. In addition to charging enough to cover its costs, Joyce said the city cannot charge too much or it would be in violation of state code for collecting more than 110% of the cost of the service.

No specific amount was decided for the increase Wednesday.

Councilman Zak Huffman said it seems logical that more people will recycle if they have to pay for it anyway. While that would mean more expense for Rumpke, he said, they would also receive additional money.

“I think if they’re going to get more accounts, then we should get a cheaper rate,” Huffman said.

Finance Director Eric Jiles said the city is in a valid, multi-year contract with Rumpke, which the ruling did not invalidate. Changing the price would likely require breaking the contract.

“We can ask, but we can’t break the contract,” Kuhl said.

Huffman noted that Rumpke submitted a proposal last year under which it would have charged the city $19.76 per residential unit to provide trash and recycling pickup. City officials ultimately elected to approve a contract with Waste Management for trash pickup only – which has been delayed because of ongoing legal action and a referendum effort – then sought a proposal for subscription-based recycling, for which Rumpke submitted the only bid.

“Anything we charge over what Rumpke offered to do (both) is a failure on our part,” Huffman said after the meeting.

Councilman Roger Brown said he thought the city should appeal the ruling, noting there are aspects of the state recycling law that no cities follow and accepting the ruling will increase the price for residents, whether they recycle or not.

“I think we ought to challenge it in the courts,” he said.

Kuhl said that as a resident she would like the ruling to be appealed, at least to the intermediate appellate court.

“I think we need to fight for our residents, that this right here is not going to work,” she said.

No action was taken at the meeting. Myers said he would work to draw up legislation for council to consider at its Aug. 25 meeting.

Kuhl asked if there was a deadline to make the changes.

“We’re not under any penalty, compulsion, time frame, anything like that,” Myers said.

Borkowski said the subscription-based program was seen as a way to provide and pay for the service in a fair and equitable manner, so that people who did not recycle did not pay as much.

“Did we realize that a citizen of Parkersburg, plaintiff Walt Auvil, was going to sue because they didn’t believe it was fair and equitable?” he said.

Auvil, who was not at the meeting, said Wednesday evening when asked about Borkowski’s remark that he tried to speak to the city about the recycling issues and warned them the contract with Rumpke did not satisfy the law.

“They just went ahead and did it anyway,” he said. Now that the judge ruled against them, “they’re mad about it. Well how many times were you given the opportunity to do the right thing?”

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

Gene Venham, 63, served 31 years in the Army and Army Reserve including almost 12 months in Iraq where he and a group of MPs and engineers set up a compound for Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib Prison at Baghdad.

Venham eventually was assigned to the Joint Personal Effects Depot at Aberdeen, Md., after being flown out of Iraq due to an anthrax exposure. At the depot, the personal effects of soldiers killed and wounded were collected to be returned to their families. At the same time, he assisted in writing the protocol in how the remains were to be escorted to the mortuary at Dover, Del.

“It’s the only one of its kind in the United States,” he said.

Vanham was then assigned to the team to establish a new $25 million 55,000-square-foot Joint Personal Effects Depot co-located with the Port Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware in April 2005. He retired in October 2011 while at Dover, but remained for another year as the liaison between the government and military to ensure contractors were meeting terms of their contracts.

“This was a new operation for the country,” he said.

He stayed at the processing depot until his contract ended in October 2012, and he returned home to Marietta where he went to work at the New Wiehl Body Shop, writing estimates and doing body work.

Constantly working with soldiers’ remains and their personal effects over the years eventually took a mental toll, Venham said.

“It begins to bear down on you, dealing with that all the time,” he said. “When I returned home, after being gone for so long, I was lost. I didn’t know what to do.”

Then in 2015 with the help of his son, Cody, and brother, Richard, a veteran who also owned and managed the New Wiehl Body Shop, he started the Operation Give a Veteran a Car program that collected older model vehicles, reconditioned them to safe and reliable working order and gave them to veterans in Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Kentucky until the pandemic in 2020.

“COVID put an end to that,” Venham said.

The group gave about 45 cars to veterans in the five years. The last was a female veteran from Chicago at the Dover Downs Speedway in front of thousands of spectators.

However, with the end of Operation Give a Veteran a Car, Venham intensified his involvement to help local veterans.

He joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5108, where his father was a member for more than 50 years, and the American Legion. He volunteered to mow yards, build wheelchair ramps and did other things to help veterans.

Venham joined the VFW Honor Guard to participate in the military funeral details in the services for veterans. He remains a member of the Honor Guard and with other members of veteran organizations created the Washington County honor guard team that has assisted in all the military funerals in the county.

Besides creating a community watch group with his son in Lawrence Township in 2021, Venham was a member of the Reno Volunteer Fire Department where he was a squad captain and assistant chief, serving in the department for about 12 years, before he did the watch group.

He also was the president of the Washington County EMS Association for four years at the same time and started the first and only EMS competition team of local EMTs from volunteers of departments to compete in Ohio.

In June 2023, Venham became commander of the AMVETS Post 1788 in Marietta and helped revive and reconstitute the organization. Venham helped recruit eight new members, four of whom became life members. He was re-elected commander in 2024 and continued efforts to recruit members, participated in numerous Americanism projects and community events and helped veterans in distress in Washington County.

Also in 2023, Venham became commander of the Ronnie W. Davis Memorial VFW Post 5108 in Marietta. The more-than-400-member post created a three-member panel, on which Venham served, to identify internal issues and make changes to ensure the post’s survivability.

He was commander of the post until November 2024 when he left to become commander of the Pioneer City Chapter 52 Disabled American Veterans, a post he still holds.

Venham has served the community, country and veterans for more than 50 years. Some veterans need help, but don’t ask, and others need help, but can’t find it, he said.

“There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done,” Venham said.

Much has changed over the years in how veterans are helped, he said.

Families have become central in helping veterans and most events now are family-centered and oriented, such as picnics, parades, organizational events and other health and welfare programs, he said. Most veterans today have been away from their families for long periods of time and on multiple deployments, Venham said.

It’s vital to get more younger veterans involved, Venham said.

“It’s a different ball game for the veterans this time,” he said.

Venham retired as a first sergeant. During his service, he received a Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4th award), Army Achievement Medal (5th award), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Superior Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal (3rd award), Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (4th award), War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M device and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 30-year device Gold.

His wife, Sandra, and children Cody, Alisha Venham Edwards and Tessa Venham Winstanley are involved.

“They are the rock of my motivation to continue servicing veterans,” Venham said.

Venham received the Washington County Veterans Medal in November 2011. He was honored in a proclamation from the Ohio House of Representatives in November 2021.

He was among 23 veterans in October 2021 to be inducted into the Washington County Veterans Hall of Fame.

Venham was named the Washington County Veteran of the Year in November 2022 and received a certificate of recognition from U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson in November 2022.

He was named a Kentucky Colonel in May 2024. In June, he received a distinguished service medal from the Four Chaplains Legion of Honor.

He also is the liaison with AMVETS Commander Larry Woods for Honor Flight of Columbus. More than 30 veterans have taken the flight and 21 more are scheduled for this fall.

Venham can’t see himself doing anything else.

“I’ve always been someone to be in the foxhole helping others. It’s been very rewarding and very honorable,” he said. “As long as I’m able to walk and talk, I’m going to do this until the day I die.”

Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.

The Weather Service late Friday and Saturday nights issued preliminary assessments of the tornadoes from Washington County to Pleasants, Tyler, Ritchie and Doddridge counties on Tuesday afternoon.

The tornadoes caused damage in the counties where they touched down, blowing roofs off structures, signs off stores and bridges, toppling antenna towers, overturning trailers, breaking tree limbs and felling trees across roads and power lines that caused thousands of power disruptions. Less than 100 customers remained without power as of Sunday morning in Pleasants County, where repairs were expected to be completed later in the day, according to the FirstEnergy outages report.

Multiple tornadoes simultaneously touching down is a rare occurrence for the region, Simone Lewis, a meteorologist for the Weather Service in Charleston, said on Sunday. The three on Tuesday were about 10 miles apart.

“It is fairly unusual,” Lewis said.

Tornado No. 1 was rated EF2, a twister with wind speeds of 111 to 135 mph, and began around 4:15 p.m. between Hartline Road and Zimmer Road in the Caywood community of Washington County, then traveled southeast through the Hills community, knocking over a silo and damaging several homes.

The most severe damage and where the EF2 rating was reached was along Ohio 26 near Township Road 635, the service said. An area of pine trees about 600 yards long and 400 yards wide “was completely mowed down with every trunk snapped several feet above the ground,” the service said.

The weakened tornado, still causing sporadic tree damage, continued southeast and crossed the Ohio River on the west side at Newells Run and entered West Virginia at Belmont where it damaged camper trailers at Riverview Estates. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, who toured damages in Pleasants County on Saturday morning, discussed relief plans at a press conference at Riverview Estates.

The tornado continued east, causing sporadic damage in the Green Run community before dissipating around 4:30 p.m., just before it would have merged with Tornado No. 2, the service said.

Tornado No. 2 began around 4:25 p.m. between Newells Run and Kerr Run roads in Washington County, the Weather Service said. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped by the tornado that continued southeast through Newport, where minor damage was done to homes and trees, the service said.

The tornado strengthened as it crossed the Ohio River into West Virginia at the Hi Carpenter Bridge at St. Marys. A large sign was nearly blown off the bridge where a patch of trees sustained significant damage, causing traffic delays on West Virginia 2 at the bridge on Wednesday while repairs were being made.

No. 2 then went southeast up the hillside where it reached peak intensity and a high end EF2 rating near Greens Run Road and West Virginia 16, causing significant damage to several homes, leveled a 600-by-300-yard patch of hardwood trees and buckled a large communications tower, the Weather Service said. The path of the tornado then became intermittent as it skipped along Route 16 to the Cloverdale community and ended just before the Ritchie County line near Seckman Ridge Road, dissipating around 4:45 p.m., the service said.

Tornado No. 3 touched down at 4:31 p.m. in the Wayne National Forest in Washington County near Archers Fork Road, traveled southeast through the Leith Community and crossed the Ohio River into West Virginia near Raven Rock, the Weather Service said. Following a non-continuous path toward the southeast, sporadic tree damage occurred in northern Pleasants County, southern Tyler County and northern Ritchie County before lifting at 4:59 p.m. near Arnolds Creek Road in Doddridge County.

“The tornado track between Raven Rock and damage found near the Tyler/Ritchie county line is uncertain and should be considered preliminary due to no damage points currently identified in that stretch,” the Weather Service said. “We assume that due to a strong and persistent circulation noted on radar that more damage occurred in this section of the path. However, later surveys may reveal otherwise.”

The Weather Service has documented five tornadoes in Pleasants County. The last tornado was on July 27, 2014, and rated EF1.

Three have been documented in Ritchie County, the last an EF1 also on July 27, 2014.

Three tornadoes have been documented in Tyler County. The last, rated EF1, was on May 23, 2000.

In Doddridge County, four tornadoes have been documented, the last occurring on Oct. 4, 1986. That was rated EF1.

Sixteen tornadoes have been documented in Washington County by the Weather Service. The last was rated EF0 on July 29, 2021.

The intensity of Tuesday’s tornado also was unusual in Washington County, according to Lewis. Three of the tornadoes in Washington County have been rated EF2, occurring in 1907, 1971 and 1981, Lewis said.

“It’s been a while,” she said.

Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.

The supply of type O positive blood has dropped below a one-day supply, prompting the Red Cross to limit how much type O blood it distributes to hospitals, according to the organization. All blood types are needed.

Sharon Kesslring, executive director for the American Red Cross of the Ohio Valley, said the organization has been unable to provide hospitals with all the blood products they have requested.

“Patient care is threatened as a result,” Kesslring said. “We’ve had to, unfortunately, not provide to the hospitals as much blood as they’ve been ordering, and it really does impact nobody but the patient.”

Low blood supplies can cause hospitals to postpone or reschedule surgeries and other procedures that may require transfusions, she said. Blood cannot be manufactured or replaced with another medical product, leaving hospitals dependent on volunteer donors.

“Blood and platelets cannot be manufactured — they can only come from volunteer donors,” Dr. Michael Edmond, WVU Medicine chief medical officer, said in a June release. “These resources are essential for routine surgeries, cancer treatments, chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries. One donation can help save more than one life, so your response right now is critical.”

Blood donations typically decline during the summer as schools are closed and regular donors travel or change their routines. This year’s downturn has been particularly severe, with donations falling to a four-year summer low, according to the Red Cross.

Extreme heat, periods of poor air quality and widespread foodborne illnesses have also contributed to lower donor turnout, the organization said.

“This summer has brought a number of unique challenges that have placed additional strain on our blood supply, creating growing concerns for hospitals and the patients who rely on lifesaving transfusions,” Paul Sullivan, senior vice president of donor services for the Red Cross, said in a statement.

Sullivan said the blood supply could begin to recover if three additional donors gave at each Red Cross blood drive during the remainder of the summer.

WVU Medicine has also encouraged eligible residents to donate amid the ongoing shortage. The health system held a blood drive July 7 at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown as part of its efforts to increase donations.

“Donating blood takes only a few minutes, and it has an immediate, lifesaving impact on our patients,” Edmond said. “If you are generally healthy and eligible, please consider donating today.”

People who are at least 17-years-old, weigh at least 110 pounds and have not donated blood during the previous 56 days may be eligible to donate, according to WVU Medicine. Additional eligibility requirements may apply.

Kesslring encouraged people with questions about their eligibility to contact the Red Cross or visit a blood drive. Eligibility standards can change, and a condition, medication, surgery or travel history that prevented someone from donating in the past may not necessarily disqualify the person now, she said.

“Things can change very rapidly in the blood industry,” Kesslring said. “What may have deferred somebody, for instance, a year ago may no longer be a reason for deferral now.”

Appointments can be scheduled through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS. The app allows donors to search for drives within a selected distance, schedule appointments, receive reminders and, in some cases, track where their donation was sent.

Those who donate through July 31 will receive a Fandango movie ticket by email worth up to $15, according to the Red Cross. Donors who give between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31 will receive a $20 Amazon gift card by email.

The Red Cross supplies about 40% of the blood used in the United States.

Memorial Health Systems was not immediately available for comment.

The letter, dated Saturday and signed by Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, both R-West Virginia, and Congressional representatives Carol Miller and Riley Moore, both R-West Virginia, was addressed to Trump and Andre McCoy, administrator of FEMA Region 3.

“This disaster has left a profound impact on communities across Barbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Pleasants, Ritchie, and Upshur Counties,” the letter states. “Homes have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, roads and bridges have been damaged, businesses have been disrupted, and critical public infrastructure has sustained significant losses. Tragically, two West Virginians lost their lives, and countless others are now facing the difficult task of rebuilding their homes and their lives.”

The letter seeks to persuade Trump and McCoy to fast-track a federal disaster declaration for the region.

“Joint Damage Assessments in Lewis and Upshur Counties alone highlight the catastrophic nature of this event, revealing 33 homes destroyed, 91 with major damage, 235 with minor damage, and 182 otherwise impacted,” according to the letter. “Using FEMA’s Individual Households Program Cost Estimator, the initial assistance needs for just these two counties are nearly $4.9 million. Because full assessments across all requested counties are still underway, these figures capture only a fraction of the destruction, underscoring that the scale of unmet needs will grow substantially and far outpace state and local resources.”

The letter “respectfully urge(s) you to approve Governor Morrisey’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration, including Individual Assistance for Barbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Pleasants, Ritchie, and Upshur Counties; Public Assistance for Categories A through G in those counties; and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program statewide”

Counter to what was announced earlier, the West Virginia National Guard will not be leaving Upshur County today, and will continue collecting flood debris until the need for their help no longer exists, officials announced.

Residents are still asked to move flood-damaged items – such as furniture, drywall, appliances and soaked belongings – to the curb as soon as possible.

On Monday, the City of Buckhannon and the Upshur County Commission identified two official organizations for those wishing to make financial contributions to support local flood recovery efforts: the Rotary Club of Buckhannon Upshur Foundation and the Tygart Valley United Way.

Donations may be made by presenting a check payable to Rotary Club of Buckhannon Upshur Foundation at any Citizens Bank of West Virginia location. Donors may also mail a check to: Rotary Club of BU Foundation, PO Box 2573, Buckhannon WV 26201, or contact the Foundation Treasurer, Don Nestor, at 304‑439‑0568.

Contributions may be made online through the Tygart Valley United Way at: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/lewisupshurfloodfund/

These two organizations ensure that all monetary donations are securely received, properly documented, and directed toward verified recovery needs within Upshur County.

On Monday, the Rotary Club of Buckhannon Upshur Foundation received its first major donation of $25,000 from Citizens Bank of West Virginia.

Nathaniel S. Bonnell, President & CEO of Citizens Bank of West Virginia, said, “As a community bank, we believe in standing alongside our friends and neighbors during times of need. We are honored to make the first contribution of $25,000 to the Rotary Club of Buckhannon Upshur Foundation’s Flood Relief Fund and encourage others to join us in supporting this important effort to help our communities recover and rebuild.”

Brett White, Chief Executive Officer of Tygart Valley United Way, stated: “The Lewis Upshur Flood Assistance Fund has received over 350 individual donations from across West Virginia and the country. WVU Medicine recently made a significant donation of $50,000 to support the efforts.”

In response to the devastating storms and flooding across the region, West Virginia Wesleyan College Counseling Programs is partnering with Community Care of West Virginia, Inc. to provide a drop-in crisis counseling clinic for anyone in need of emotional support during recovery.

The clinic is open at the WVWC Health Center during the following hours: today through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

No appointment is necessary. Individuals processing the emotional impact of the storms, seeking someone to talk to, or needing assistance connecting with additional resources will find trained mental health professionals ready to help.

The fee ordinances increased the discount from 1.5% and gave people until Aug. 20 this year to take advantage.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, Councilwoman Wendy Tuck asked what impact the discounts would have on the municipal budget.

“Nominal,” Finance Director Eric Jiles said.

They were split into two ordinances because the one involving the sanitation and recycling fees also allowed residents to obtain an extra trash container for $5 under the city’s temporary contract with Waste Management. That one passed 7-1, with Councilman Zak Huffman opposed. The ordinance for the police and fire fee discount passed 6-2, with Tuck and Huffman opposed. Councilman Mike Reynolds was absent.

Some speakers in the public forum said the discount didn’t benefit the people most in need of relief since they would be unable to pay for 12 months all at once.

“Affordability shouldn’t be reserved for people who can already afford it,” said Parkersburg resident Caci Petrehn, who is a candidate for the West Virginia Senate.

A resolution allocating $10,000 for a grant program that would provide $2,500 to new businesses downtown was rejected.

“I don’t know why we’re just limiting it to downtown,” Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said. “We want new businesses all over the City of Parkersburg.”

The grant would have had to be matched dollar for dollar by the recipients, and funds could have been used for minor renovations, equipment for business operations, furniture and fixtures, point-of-sale systems, initial inventory purchases, signs and lighting, professional services for startup and code compliance improvements to obtain a certificate of occupancy.

Council President Andrew Borkowski said he didn’t see that $2,500 “moves the needle” for somebody trying to start a business and he had not received any explanation for the program.

Councilman Chris Rexroad asked why members’ questions weren’t brought up in a Finance Committee meeting earlier this month when the program was discussed. Borkowski said he’d been in the hospital when the meeting took place and no one reached out to him about it.

“I don’t think it’s possible to facilitate the growth of small business enough,” Rexroad said.

The resolution failed on a 3-5 vote with only Tuck, Huffman and Rexroad in favor.

Huffman, who participated in the meeting by phone, sent a message afterward saying he was disappointed by the outcome.

“However, I can’t expect certain members to understand what starting a small business entails when they themselves have never opened one,” he said. “But ultimately, a vote is a vote. I respect everyone’s decision.”

The first reading of an ordinance changing 709 Rayon Drive from a residential to a business zone failed in a 4-4 tie, with Huffman, Rexroad and Councilmen Roger Brown and Rob Moore opposed. The ordinance had been approved and referred by the Municipal Planning Commission.

Brown expressed concern with changing the zone from residential to business when Parkersburg has an affordable housing shortage.

“We’re losing ground with residential,” he said.

Development Director Ryan Barber said the owners proposed building a 10-unit multi-family dwelling. Changing the land to a B-2 business zone that allowed that use was chosen over an R-4 residential one because there were no adjacent R-4 zones and such “spot zoning” is prohibited, he said.

“I think we’re better off in the long run if we allow this to go through,” Councilman Dave McCrady said.

In other business, council approved 8-0 resolutions waiving the residency requirement for Assistant City Attorney Rob Tebay, adopting the $860,498 federal Community Development Block Grant and $414,392.36 HOME budgets, and accepting a state grant of $12,192 for new fences at the Worthington baseball and softball fields. The first reading of an ordinance transferring city property at 909 13th St. and 912 LaVerne St. to the Urban Renewal Authority passed 8-0.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

Morrisey was in Greenbrier County Wednesday announcing the sales tax holiday, taking place today through Monday, Aug. 3., when the state drops the 6% consumer sales and use tax on qualifying back-to-school purchases. The sales tax holiday has been in place since the legislature passed House Bill 206 in 2019.

“As families across West Virginia prepare to send their children back to school, I know this time of year brings both genuine excitement and real financial stress,” Morrisey said in a statement. “Between new shoes, clothes, backpack essentials, and modern classroom tech, the costs stack up quickly. As your Governor, my mission is to get government out of the way and put more of your hard-earned dollars back in your pocket.”

However, on Monday, the state Department of Human Services (DoHS) announced that the School Clothing Allowance program had to shut down after the application period opened seven days earlier on July 20 due to running out of funding.

“The 2026 School Clothing Allowance application period has closed effective 11:59 PM on July 27, 2026, since program funding has been exhausted,” according to a statement on the website for DoHS’ Bureau for Family Assistance. “Applications submitted by 11:59 PM on July 27, 2026, will be approved if eligibility requirements are met. Applications received after 11:59 PM on July 27, 2026, will be denied. DoHS appreciates the strong response to this year’s School Clothing Allowance program.”

DoHS announced on July 10 that it would begin accepting applications for the School Clothing Allowance program on July 20 after service providers were left in the dark when the program did not begin on July 1. The deadline to apply was Saturday, Aug. 15.

“It’s alarming that the state stopped accepting applications for school clothing assistance after just one week and appears to have reduced funding for the program,” said Jim McKay with Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia, a part of the Legislative Action Team for Children and Families (LAT). “Families shouldn’t lose access because the application window closed before many parents even knew it was available. At a time when families are facing higher costs for groceries, gas, rent, and other necessities, reducing the number of children who receive clothing assistance makes it even harder for parents to prepare their kids for school.”

The School Clothing Allowance is one of several programs funded through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), also called WV WORKS. TANF is a federal block grant that distributes more than $16 billion nationally, with state’s provide a certain percentage of matching funds.

According to the Governor’s Office, DoHS spent approximately $11.4 million in the previously fiscal year that ended on June 30 on the School Clothing Allowance, with nearly 55,000 applicants benefiting from the program that distributes $200 per eligible child for purchase clothes and back-to-school items.

By comparison, approximately 52,000 applications were received between July 20 and July 27, though the Governor’s Office stressed that that number could increase as DoHS processes additional applications received by midnight July 27 and determines eligibility.

“We won’t know the final amount spent on the program until all applications have been processed and vouchers have been redeemed,” said Lars Dalseide, a spokesperson for Gov. Morrisey. “Our goal was to make funding available at the same level as last year.”

Legislative reaction to the halting of the School Clothing Allowance was bipartisan in disappointment.

“TANF services our most vulnerable families in West Virginia, and I was disappointed by the delay in implementation of the program for this fiscal year, and even more disappointed with the pause,” said state Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, a member of the Senate Finance Committee.

“I think we’re failing our children,” said House Finance Committee Minority Chairman John Williams, D-Monongalia, Oliverio’s Democratic opponent in the 13th Senatorial District general election race. “I don’t think it’s been explained exactly what the problem that the governor’s office is having, and t’s hard to be helpful when you’re unsure of what the problem is.”

The issues with the School Clothing Allowance are just the latest in a line of issues with TANF since Morrisey first announced a potential $43 million structural deficit for the program in May. Morrisey placed the blame for the alleged structural deficit on an influx of federal dollars that came into the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, with previous state officials using the one-time funding to expand TANF spending, with temporary TANF carryover balances masking the problem.

The Legislature amended and approved the Governor’s recommended general revenue budget line item for TANF for fiscal year 2027 beginning on July 1, which is $177.1 million. The budget line item for the previous fiscal year for TANF was $176.7 million. But the fiscal year 2025 budget for TANF during the final year of former Gov. Jim Justice’s second term was $134.7 million, or $42.4 million less than the current fiscal year.

The Governor’s Office has argued that the $177.1 million TANF line item is spending authority and not indicative of how much the program has, with the program receiving $98.8 million in federal funding but expenses topping $137 million. The Governor’s Office estimates TANF carryover fund will be exhausted within the next 13 months. House Finance Committee Chairman Vernon Criss pushed back on these claims.

“The dollars that were asked for in the budget that started July 1 were appropriated by the legislature as the governor had asked for,” said Criss, R-Wood. “We are in the first month of that new fiscal year. There should be no reason that in less than 31 days that he has, quote unquote, run out of money. None at all.”

State Treasurer Larry Pack, a former Republican lawmaker and former Department of Revenue secretary, called on Morrisey and the legislature to come together to fix the issues with TANF, including moving some of the available surplus tax collections left over from the end of fiscal year 2026 into the School Clothing Allowance.

West Virginia ended fiscal year 2026 with a $370 million general revenue budget surplus, covering the $245 million in appropriations placed in the surplus section in the current general revenue budget and leaving $125 million in unappropriated surplus collections for FY27.

“It is outrageous and unacceptable that, as we celebrate millions of dollars in surpluses, we claim we lack the proper funding for programs that protect our most vulnerable children,” Pack said. “Providing for these needy children is a fundamental duty of government. With rising costs, we must do more to ensure that needy families have the resources required to give their children a real chance at success.”

But lawmakers said that Morrisey and DoHS has flexibility within State Code to move funding around within the DoHS budget to address short-term needs, such as fully funding the School Clothing Allowance

“These are matching dollars for federal drawdowns, and therefore, if they have mismanaged their drawdowns or have mismanaged the money in 30 days, that is an administrative problem and not a legislative problem. And we will not cover him if he’s mismanaged the situation,” Criss said.

“I know that the Governor’s Office does have the discretion to move money around,” Williams said. “We could have this thing fully funded tomorrow if we really wanted to. I think it’s just another example of us having our priorities out of whack.”

“The administration has cash flow management tools available to them to meet the needs of these citizens,” Oliverio said. “I hope they will take advantage of those opportunities and begin meeting the needs of these families during this summer season.”