Latest news with #WestVirginian
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Marion County brewer makes beer to support ALS research
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — Short Story Brewing and construction company March-Westing teamed up this May to brew a beer while making a difference for West Virginian ALS patients. Together, March-Westin Project Manager Steve Raymond and Short Story Head Brewer Cody Higinbotham came up with the idea for 'Topped Off,' a double dry-hopped IPA using Citra and Galaxy hops that comes in at 6.5% ABV. 'When [March-Westin] came to us, man, we knew we wanted to do it,' Higinbotham said. 'Me and Steve, we've known each other for a while, and once he got a hold of me it was lights out, we knew we were gonna do it.' March-Westin's owner, Phil Wesser, is one of about 30,000 ALS patients living in the United States. Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) affects a body's nerve cells, particularly in the brain and spine, and causes muscles to weaken over time and can even lead to paralysis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every pour or can sale of the Topped Off IPA will go toward the West Virginia chapter of the ALS Association, which provides assistance to ALS patients in the state. EXCLUSIVE: An up close look at the Green Bank Telescope 'Not only is it a great cause for raising funds for ALS, but it's also a really good tasting beer,' Raymond said. ' [We're] super proud about how it turned out, Short Story did a phenomenal job in brewing it with us, and, at the end of the day, it's certainly worth a try to support a local cause, and you're supporting a local business.' Right now, Topped Off can be found at all four Short Story Brewing locations, and a small number of cans are still available in the Westover Taphouse near Morgantown. You can also donate to the ALS Association directly here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Dominion Post
6 days ago
- General
- Dominion Post
John Marshall Atkins
John Marshall Atkins, 84, of Morgantown, passed away peacefully Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Houston, was born in 1941 in Charleston, to the late Harry and Ella Jean Atkins. He recalled first meeting his father in 1946 upon Chief Petty Officer Atkins' return from the Pacific Theater of World War 1966 John met Margaret Elizabeth Freet in Morgantown, and they married in 1968. John adored Margaret through nearly 56 years of marriage and grieved Margaret's passing in January an active life, John was an Eagle Scout and an avid golfer, runner, and hiker. He never missed the family's annual hiking trip to the Adirondack Mountains, where he delighted in posing math problems to his grandson, as they hiked the region's graduated from Charleston High School in Charleston, in 1959. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Marshall University in 1965, a Master of Arts in Mathematics from West Virginia University in 1967, a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1973, and a Master of Arts in Computer Science from WVU in career as a professor spanned nearly 40 years, first in Mathematics at Bethany College, then in Computer Science at West Virginia University. He frequently received awards as outstanding professor at both Bethany and WVU, and he was inducted into numerous honorary and technical societies. For many years, he served as the WVU Computer Science department's Graduate Coordinator, and he was closely involved in WVU's Honors Program. After retiring from WVU in 2010, he was named Professor Emeritus and was inducted into the WVU Distinguished Alumni Academy in complemented his teaching with real- world experience, consulting as a database design expert for corporate and government clients, including ManTech International, the state of West Virginia, NASA, and the U.S. Departments of Defense and loved military history and was an active member of Morgan- town's Civil War Roundtable. Throughout his life, he enjoyed walking Civil War battlefields. One summer he dedicated several weeks to retracing Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley favorite pastime was relaxing with Margaret on their Grandview Avenue porch, visiting with neighbors and dogwalkers. Everyone enjoyed his upbeat conversation, quick wit, and contagious laugh. John was a proud West Virginian and a patriotic American, never failing to salute any U.S. flag he passed on walks around South is survived by his son, Ben Atkins, daughter-in-law Amy, and grandson, Jack addition to Margaret and his parents, John was predeceased by his brother, Harry Rodney Atkins of Indian Trail, N.C. Services will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 27, at the WVU Erickson Alumni Center in Morgantown.
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Squealing inbred family who speak in grunts started with two identical twins
The Whittaker family can be found living in their small West Virginian home in the US. The inbred family struggle to communicate without using body language and barking due to their genetic defects A group of relatives dubbed "America's most inbred family" first started with two identical twins whose children went on to create several generations who would grunt and bark as their only form of communication. The Whittaker family, who live in the village of Odd in West Virginia, can be found huddled in a cramped home 75 miles from Charleston. The family hit headlines after filmmaker Mark Laita released a documentary in 2020, which revealed their troubled background, living with complex needs. The family had previously been subjected to cruel comments and visitors, leading them to be guarded by their protective neighbours with shotguns. They rarely let outsiders in or mix with anyone new, which is why it took Mark over 16 years to build a relationship with them, after first visiting their mobile home in 2004. When Mark first met the family, he was initially greeted with several members running, screaming and barking in his direction. He described the chaotic scene as the "craziest thing" he had ever seen. The photographer compared the moment to the 1972 thriller Deliverance, which is about a group of pals who were hunted and terrorised by locals in the woods. Speaking on the Koncrete KLIPS podcast, he said: "We came around to this road, which turns into a country road, which turns into a dirt road, and we come to this trailer and then a little shack on the other side of the road. And there's these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us. "And then one guy, you would look at him in the eye or say anything and he would just scream and go running away, and his pants would fall around his ankles, and he would go running off and go and kick a garbage can. And this would happen over and over. It was out of control - the craziest thing I have ever seen." The inbreeding started with a set of identical twin brothers, Henry and John Whittaker, whose children got married and had over a dozen kids together. Henry and his wife Sally had seven children, including John Emory Whittaker in 1913. While John and his spouse Ada Riggs, who was his own first cousin, had nine kids, including Gracie Irene Whittaker, in 1920. John and Gracie, who were double cousins and shared both sets of grandparents, married in 1935 and went on to have 15 children. Many of their children had a number of severe physical and mental impairments, which are believed to have resulted from inbreeding. Their eldest, Aileen, passed away in June 1997 after suffering from a heart attack, while the oldest boy, Emery, died a month after being born in 1938, after suffering from pneumonia. Betty, who was born in 1952, has taken on the role of the family matriarch and promised her mother she would not marry so she could look after her 14 siblings. Ray and Lorene, who have a son named Timmy, who was born in 1979, are both seemingly unable to speak and can only communicate through grunts and barks. Timmy is the only member of the Whittaker clan who has graduated from high school. Speaking about their communication, a relative said: "They understand what you talking about. If they don't like it, they start yelling — let you know they don't like that idea." The family even craft their own concrete headstones, with only their mum, Gracie, having a professionally made one. However, the family sometimes need outsiders help. Mark returned in 2022 for another follow-up after setting up a GoFundMe page, which raised $55,000 (£44,000), so they could improve their home. They had spent the entire sum on a new truck, roof, kitchen refit and a coal heater. However, the family are back living in a small home across the road after a fire tore through their residence last year. A fundraiser was launched to cover the costs of clearing the debris, transporting and situating a new mobile home, and furnishing it, stating that every penny raised will benefit the family directly. YouTube viewers were left divided by the fundraiser, with one stating: "All that Go Fund Me money better not even go to any family member! Give it directly to a clean up crew and you purchase a new trailer for them!!!! No money should ever be given to them again."
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Morgantown student to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — A 7th grader from Mountaineer Middle School will be one of two West Virginians competing in the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee next week. Nirav Nimbarte qualified for the national competition after winning the regional spelling bee back in March. Nirav is 12 years old and enjoys playing the piano, playing outside and playing and watching sports. According to his Scripps bio, his favorite subject is math, his favorite author is Rick Riordan and his favorite candy is Sour Patch Kids. Nirav was recognized at his school's end-of-the-year celebration walk this week alongside other spellers, athletes and club members. You can watch that walk in the player above. The other West Virginian who will be competing is Charvitha Sanjaya, an 8th grader from John Adams Middle School in Charleston, WV. This is the most commonly misspelled word in West Virginia, data says Nirav and Charvitha will compete in the preliminary round of the spelling bee on Tuesday, May 27. If they move on, they will compete in later rounds on Wednesday and Thursday. You can watch the National Spelling Bee live on Ion Plus here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Dominion Post
18-05-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Rich Rodriguez shows interest joining Nick Saban on Trump's College Sports Commission
WVU head football coach Rich Rodriguez is interested in joining the proposed College Sports Commission, which would attempt to regulate the transfer portal. (Benjamin Powell/The Dominion Post) President Donald Trump can be seen at college football games, UFC events, and even NASCAR races. Trump enjoys appearing at sporting events, and recently has entered himself into the college athletics space, attempting to create order in a wild west that is college sports. It was inevitable that the NIL system currently in place was going to cause issues. This spring marked the first player to sit out of practice over money disputes. The players currently have all the power and there are no guardrails on how much schools can pay players, making it unfair in some sense. NIL hasn't been used like it's intended so far. Originally, NIL was put in place so players could make money off autographs and jerseys with their name on them. But now, it's used by boosters to pay players to play for their alma mater. Trump is stepping in. Trump is reportedly creating a College Sports Commission, which will reportedly be led by former West Virginian and college football legend Nick Saban and Texas businessman Cody Campbell. The commission will regulate the transfer portal, boosters and college athlete would be the first leader of college sports and potentially create a system that has structure. Saban might not be the only West Virginian on the commission. In a recent interview with Sirius XM, Rich Rodriguez showed interest in helping his friend, Saban. 'I'm going to give him my cell number if they want an active coach on the deal,' Rodriguez said. 'I'll be on that sucker. I've got some experience. I can help from a current standpoint. I don't know if they need me, though. Like Saban, Rodriguez has been coaching for a long time, not as long as Saban and a lot fewer championships, but he's seen the change and evolution of the sport. All spring, Rodriguez voiced his problems with the NCAA. Rodriguez didn't like the roster limit to 105, how there's a spring portal, where a player you coached all spring can just leave, and how there are no limitations to how much a player can be paid. Rodriguez has the background to be a candidate for the commission. So far, it sounds like Saban will lead. Rodriguez agrees it should be the greatest college football coach of all time as the leader. 'He is the greatest college football coach of all time,' Rodriguez said. 'He has a great grasp of the game in general… He's truly about college football.' Almost all professional sports leagues have a commissioner who settles issues throughout the league. College football doesn't because it's governed by the NCAA. After NIL was passed, the NCAA lost all its power, leaving it to the schools and players, creating chaos. There's no movement to create guardrails, and it's starting to get out of hand. So much, that Trump felt the need to step in. College sports, and more specifically college football, is a billion-dollar entertainment business. There needs to be structure before it falls apart even further. Saban's the favorite to lead the next generation of college athletics, and West Virginia's very own, Rodriguez, could be helping out, too. 'College football is such a great entity, it's hard to screw it up,' Rodriguez said. 'You can do whatever you want. There's still going to be that passion for your school and that level of athletes. We've done enough things to screw it up in the last couple of years.'
