Latest news with #Blosser
Dominion Post
01-07-2025
- Climate
- Dominion Post
Fairmont paving project has historic implications
FAIRMONT — One need not pave over history to make the ride smoother, Fairmont City Manager Travis Blosser told city council members last week. With bids set to go out for a paving project for Fairmont's streets downtown and East Side, one thoroughfare in particular will receive some historic attention, he said. Sections of Adams Street, the city's main drag, are showing bricks dating back to the city's streetcar days, and Blosser and others prefer they not be paved over in the leveling work. 'Those will be saved and provided either to the city or the Marion County Museum for a future project,' he said during last Tuesday's city council meeting. The bricks will be used for a project or commemoration of some sort honoring civic history, he said. 'People were concerned,' he said. All the streets marked for paving are in actuality state roads maintained by West Virginia's Division of Highways. Those include Adams, Quincy and Jefferson streets downtown, and East Side's heavily traveled Merchant Street on the other side of the Monongahela River. In all, the DOH is responsible for 21 roadways that make up the downtown grid and greater Fairmont. Bids are due to the state by mid-July, the city manager said, with all paving set to be complete by fall. Look for portions of Adams Street to also receive new storm drains, Blosser added. Smooth pavement, the city manager said, only adds to infrastructure-quality of life. 'Our roads have been a washboard,' he said. The city, meanwhile, was turned into a not-so-fun waterpark ride, Blosser said, during the torrential downpours and widespread flash-flooding that hit Father's Day. Gov. Patrick Morrisey, in response to the deluge, issued a disaster declaration for Marion County. While property was lost, no injuries or deaths were reported, and Blosser praised everyone from first responders to concerned neighbors for that.
Miami Herald
14-06-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
9-year-old girl bitten by shark has ‘miracle' surgery at Florida hospital
A 9-year-old girl whose hand was nearly severed in a shark bite is now able to move all her fingers, according to a social media post from her family. The girl, Leah Lendel, was snorkeling off the coast of Boca Grande on Wednesday when the incident occurred, her family shared online. Boca Grande Fire Chief C.W. Blosser told the Tampa Bay Times that Lendel was pulled from the water by bystanders and carried to a nearby road parallel to the beach. Blosser said emergency responders from Lee County Emergency Medical Services and the Boca Grande Fire Department arranged for air transport within ten minutes of arriving at the scene. Lendel was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, the region's only Level I trauma center. MORE: Shark attacks 9-year-old girl swimming off Florida's Gulf Coast, rescuers say According to updates shared on Instagram and in a public statement from the family, the shark bite left Lendel's wrist 'hanging on by just the skin.' Her mother, Nadia Lendel, wrote that surgeons inserted pins to stabilize her broken bones and transferred arteries from her leg to help restore blood flow to her hand. 'She thought she would lose her hand for good,' her mother posted. Leah underwent a lengthy surgery on Wednesday, according to the statement from her family. By the next morning, doctors restored movement in two of Lendel's fingers, though the rest of her hand remained numb, the statement said. Lendel's mother shared another update on social media Friday morning, saying that Lendel could move all her fingers and calling it a 'miracle.' She added that doctors decided Lendel did not need sedation and would change her cast to monitor the healing process. Blosser said shark bites are uncommon in the waters by Boca Grande, about 100 miles south of Tampa on Gasparilla Island. The last reported shark bite in the area occurred about five years ago, when a man was bitten after falling from a boat, he said. He said the risk can rise during tarpon season, when game fish draw sharks closer to shore. There's always some risk in Gulf waters, he said. 'But this is a very isolated incident.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
9-year-old girl bit by shark while snorkeling in Florida, family says
A 9-year-old girl is recovering after being bitten by a shark in the waters off Boca Grande, Florida, officials and her family said. The girl was swimming in the ocean with other family members around noon local time on June 11 when a shark bit her, Boca Grande Fire Chief C.W. Blosser said in a social media video. Emergency personnel responded to the scene, and she was airlifted to a local hospital, Blosser said. "The person was in the water at the time the bite occurred with other family members," he said. "They were able to get her out of the water and get her up on actually to the road." Blosser said the girl is the first swimmer bitten by a shark in the area in two decades. In 2024, there were 14 unprovoked shark bites in Florida, the most of any state, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. "These occurrences are limited, but there always is a potential," Blosser said. "I don't think it's a cause for alarm at this point." Family members identified the girl who was bitten by a shark off Boca Grande as 9-year-old Leah Lendel, according to Gulf Coast News and WBBH. The girl's mother, Nadia Lendel, wrote in a story on Instagram, where she has over 90,000 followers, that Leah was undergoing surgery. "Please keep our family in your prayers," the Instagram story reads. "Leah got bit by a shark today while snorkeling." According to a GoFundMe raising funds for Leah's medical expenses, the young girl was bitten on the hand while playing in the water with her siblings. "She is now stable and going through surgery - fighting hard for her road to recovery," the GoFundMe says. The fundraising page also said Leah's family does not currently have medical insurance, and they expect "the journey ahead will be long and full of physical and emotional healing." USA TODAY contacted Nadia Lendel for comment on June 12 but has not received a response. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 9-year-old girl survives shark attack in Florida
USA Today
12-06-2025
- Health
- USA Today
9-year-old girl bit by shark while snorkeling in Florida, family says
9-year-old girl bit by shark while snorkeling in Florida, family says According to a GoFundMe for the girl's family, she "had to be rushed to the hospital" after being bitten by a shark. Show Caption Hide Caption Shark attacks Montara State Beach surfer, chomps board A surfer survived a close encounter with a shark just off Montara State Beach over the weekend, though his equipment wasn't so fortunate. Fox - Ktvu A 9-year-old girl is recovering after being bitten by a shark in the waters off Boca Grande, Florida, officials and her family said. The girl was swimming in the ocean with other family members around noon local time on June 11 when a shark bit her, Boca Grande Fire Chief C.W. Blosser said in a social media video. Emergency personnel responded to the scene, and she was airlifted to a local hospital, Blosser said. "The person was in the water at the time the bite occurred with other family members," he said. "They were able to get her out of the water and get her up on actually to the road." Blosser said the girl is the first swimmer bitten by a shark in the area in two decades. In 2024, there were 14 unprovoked shark bites in Florida, the most of any state, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. "These occurrences are limited, but there always is a potential," Blosser said. "I don't think it's a cause for alarm at this point." Girl bitten by shark is 'fighting hard for her road to recovery' Family members identified the girl who was bitten by a shark off Boca Grande as 9-year-old Leah Lendel, according to Gulf Coast News and WBBH. The girl's mother, Nadia Lendel, wrote in a story on Instagram, where she has over 90,000 followers, that Leah was undergoing surgery. "Please keep our family in your prayers," the Instagram story reads. "Leah got bit by a shark today while snorkeling." According to a GoFundMe raising funds for Leah's medical expenses, the young girl was bitten on the hand while playing in the water with her siblings. "She is now stable and going through surgery - fighting hard for her road to recovery," the GoFundMe says. The fundraising page also said Leah's family does not currently have medical insurance, and they expect "the journey ahead will be long and full of physical and emotional healing." USA TODAY contacted Nadia Lendel for comment on June 12 but has not received a response. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New Windmill Park pickleball court a testament to power of community input
FAIRMONT — When the new pickleball court opened at Windmill Park, the last thing anyone suspected was Fairmont Mayor Anne Bolyard slicing a mean serve while wearing high heels. As it turned out, it was even a surprise to Bolyard, who hasn't played in 25 years. But the skills only lay dormant, waiting for a chance to reveal themselves on her hapless opponents. 'This was my first attempt at pickleball, trying something new for me,' Bolyard said. 'Wearing heels made my first time playing pickleball even more memorable. I am excited to start learning more about the sport and playing at Windmill Park.' The City of Fairmont cut the ribbon on a new pickleball court in a ceremony at Windmill Park Friday at noon. After the dedication, City Manager Travis Blosser and Bolyard played a few doubles rounds against a few city employees. The court is a repurposed basketball court that had fallen into disrepair. 'Pickleball, it's a craze right now,' Blosser said. 'Everybody is into it, it's like tennis. My understanding is it's like tennis but a little smaller, not as intensive.' Blosser said the city ripped out the old basketball courts which were not being utilized to build the court. They left some space around it for amenities to be added later, he said. In total, the city has spent $3 million worth of upgrades to city parks in fiscal year 2024-25, and Blosser said next fiscal year the city plans on doubling that investment. And so far, the city is excited to show off the work it has put into the parks to its residents. Blosser said it was important for residents to have access to these amenities. 'West Virginians, sometimes we're not the healthiest,' he said. 'So having these opportunities to get outside to enjoy some physical activity is beneficial from a health standpoint.' Windmill Park, in particular, has been the focus of a lot of improvements this year. The park was a sore spot between residents of the Belleview neighborhood and the city. As a neighborhood that was historically where many Black families lived, residents charged the park's neglect was racial in nature. The neglect persisted through sheer inertia, maintaining itself through previous iterations of otherwise well meaning municipal governments. In 2024, Blosser's administration declared they would face the disinvestment head on and finally give the park the care its residents demanded. The city stayed true to its word, and held community input sessions where one of the requests was to build a pickleball court. Blosser updated city council with regular status reports on the progress at Windmill Park. 'Opportunities for physical activity and trying something new are important aspects to community life,' Bolyard said. 'These types of opportunities need to be available to all and that is reflected in the city's work in our parks over the last year. The continued investment in our parks is one of many ways we are committed to expanding opportunities for all.' District Four Councilmember Anthony Horton said the change has been noticed. He's lived in the area for 50 years. 'Our community is actually using this thing everyday,' Horton said. 'Children from the neighborhood use it everyday. The city is really playing its part.'
