Latest news with #bdtonline.com
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fourth annual WV Coalfields Cookoff begins in Welch
welch — The fourth annual West Virginia Coalfields Cookoff got underway Friday in Welch and continues today. The two-day competition features food, food trucks, street vendors, games for kids and the cooking competition. Most of the activities are being held in the area of the Martha Moore Park in downtown Welch. Welch Mayor Harold McBride said the annual event provides family-friendly fun and good food. 'We are bringing in the cookers right now,' McBride said Friday afternoon. 'I think we are going to have 25 pro teams. We've got McDowell Street closed right now.' McBride said bands would perform Friday evening, and the cooking would continue throughout the day. 'We've got the bands coming in,' McBride said. 'So it's getting kicked off. These guys cook real good. Then it is judged tomorrow.' Sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society for pro and backyard BBQ Cook Teams, the event has become a tradition in the city. McBride said officials hope to keep it going for many more years. 'We want to build upon it each year,' McBride said. 'We've got more vendors. We are excited with it.' The summer cooking competition also provides two-days of fun activities for local residents of McDowell County, according to McBride. The full schedule is online at The Coalfields Cookoff is free and open to the public. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fish farm still a go in Tazewell County
wardell, va. — Despite some design changes, including a move toward trout, a large-scale fish farm for Tazewell County is still on target for a 2026 opening. The Pure Salmon project was announced several years ago, and is planned on land adjacent to Southwest Virginia Community College. The project is expected to create more than 200 new jobs for the region. The company recently implemented some design changes for the fish farm, including a reduction in the total square footage. It is also moving from salmon to steelhead trout, according to Tazewell County Administrator Eric Young. 'In their current design they have consolidated buildings and made some changes to the facility surrounding the large tanks in an effort to reduce the total square footage,' Young said. 'I believe the 750,000 square foot figure is still accurate for the largest building, but there will be more activities under that roof than originally planned and fewer buildings.' Pure Salmon is an international aquaculture company based in Abu Dhabi. The company is developing a vertically integrated aquaculture facility for the local Tazewell County project. Young said the company still anticipates creating more than 200 new jobs with the fish farm project. 'The jobs number is still 218,' Young said. 'In our working with them to have the water and waste water needs met we are all working on a schedule that allows them to begin operations at the end of 2026.' The project was originally envisioned to produce fresh salmon for markets on the Eastern Seaboard. But the Tazewell County facility will now produce steelhead trout, which is a larger form of trout, according to Young. The fish farm, also known locally as Project Jonah, has been in the planning stages for a number of years. When completed, the fish farm will be about 30 feet tall with different levels inside to handle the entire process, from growing the trout to processing and packaging, and ultimately getting the product ready for market. Other support industries also are expected to be developed near the fish farm to help with the needed products and services it will require for its daily operations. Talk of a possible fish farm for the region dates all the way back to 2013. That was when Delegate James W. 'Will' Morefield, R-Tazewell, visited Israel in search of an economic development project for the region that ultimately took shape as Project Jonah. More than 200 acres of land near Southwest Virginia Community College was later purchased in the summer of 2020 for the project. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Work is continuing on two-state connector route
bramwell — Officials with the Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority are hoping to finish construction in the near future on a new connector route that will link the West Virginia-based trail system with neighboring Virginia. Once it is completed, riders from the Virginia-side Spearhead Trail system in Tazewell County would be able to cross the state line and connect with the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system in Mercer County. Riders of the Hatfield-MCoy system also would be able to connect with the Virginia trail. The connector route will extend approximately eight miles and is an extension of the existing Pocahontas Trail system in Mercer County. Work on the connector route began last year, but it is not yet finished, according to Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority Executive Director Jeff Lusk. 'We haven't gotten it open yet,' Lusk said. 'We've got to wait for some timbering to be done. But we do intend to get that open. It will be a plus for both areas. It will be a plus for Spearhead and for us.' Lusk said sections of the connector route have been completed, but other sections won't be ready until timbering in the area is completed. 'We have built sections of it,' Lusk saidte. 'There are just sections of it that can't be completed yet. It is our full intention to get that done and get it open as soon as possible. There is just some timbering work going on.' Lusk said the Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority will be able to sell even more ridership permits once the Virginia-side riders are able to cross over into the West Virginia trail system. The connector route will essentially link both states and trails together. It will begin near Bramwell in Mercer County and end at the Virginia state line in Tazewell County. The Hatfield-McCoy Trail Authority had to work with several land companies to secure license agreements for the new connector route. The Hatfield-McCoy Trail system currently operates more than a thousand miles of trail and 10 trail systems, including the Pocahontas trail in Mercer County and the Indian Ridge trail in McDowell County. The neighboring Spearhead Trail system in Virginia also extends through multiple Southwest Virginia counties. It is operated by the Southwest Virginia Regional Recreational Authority and will connect with the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system near Boissevain in Tazewell County. While riders of both trail systems will be able to cross the state line once the connector route is opened, they will still have to have permits to ride the respective trail systems. For example, riders of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system will have to have a permit to ride the Spearhead Trail system when they cross into Virginia. And riders of the Spearhead Trail system will have to have a Hatfield-McCoy Trail permit when they cross the state line into West Virginia. The hope of trail officials is that the new connector route will allow ATV riders to ride seamlessly from one trail system to the next. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Trail anticipating 3 to 5 percent increase in ridership
bramwell — Officials with the Hatfield-McCoy Trail are anticipating a 3 to 5 percent increase in ridership this year. The spring ATV tourism season is already underway with April and May being two of the biggest ridership months on the trail, according to Hatfield-McCoy Trails Authority Executive Director Jeff Lusk. The Hatfield-McCoy Trail system extends through nine Southern West Virginia counties. Its trailhead in Mercer County is located near the town of Bramwell. Lusk said the goal of the trail authority this year is to sell 95,000 ridership permits. 'We believe we are going to see a 3 to 5 percent increase in permit sales this year, and that will break us into hitting 95,000 permits,' Lusk said. 'That would be a new high for us.' The trail authority had hoped to reach that milestone in 2024, but then the remnants of Hurricane Helene slammed into the region toppling thousands of trees and power lines across the area — while also devastating parts of nearby North Carolina. Many of the trail system's riders come from North Carolina, but after Helene devastated parts of that state, the ATV tourists from North Carolina were forced to cancel their fall reservations after sustaining storm damage back home. Despite the temporary drop in ridership numbers from North Carolina, the trail authority still ended the 2024 season with an increase in ridership permit sales. 'All of that stuff was out of our control last year,' Lusk said. 'But the resiliency of our lodging providers to get reopened real quickly was great.' April and May, followed by September and October, are four of the most important ridership months for the trail system. That's why when Hurricane Helene hit last year, the fall ridership season was adversely impacted. 'It (the trail system) is really weather dependent,' Lusk said. 'What the weather looks like on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. People on Wednesday make that decision to come based upon that Thursday, Friday and Saturday forecast.' So far this spring, the weather has cooperated and ridership numbers have been impressive, according to Lusk. 'All of our lodges are open, and they seem to be doing really good,' he said. 'The past two weeks have been excellent and we are hoping it will continue.' Lusk said the ultimate goal of the trail authority is to sell 100,000 ridership permits. And he believes the trail system will reach that milestone. 'That is certainly our overall goal,' Lusk said. 'But your next step to that is 95,000.' Lusk said the trail system is off to a 'very good start' with the spring riding season. He predicted that area residents will see more and more ATV traffic in the region in the weeks ahead, particularly as the month of May gets underway. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Commission meeting in special session to address animal concerns
PRINCETON – A special Mercer County Commission session this coming Monday offers opportunities to speak with local officials about the Mercer County Animal Shelter and the county's issues with homeless dogs and cats. The Mercer County Commission is meeting in special session on Monday, April 7, starting 6 p.m. at the Mercer County Courthouse to discuss animal control issues. The meeting will be held in the courtroom of Circuit Court Judge William Sadler. A large population of homeless dogs and cats keeps the Mercer County Animal Shelter's kennels and cages full. This ongoing situation has been illustrated last year and this year by the multiple times the shelter has had to declared a Code Red status when its facilities get too full. Code Reds are declared when the shelter may have to consider euthanasia to make more space if not enough dogs are adopted or transported to out-of-state rescue organizations. The shelter has held adoption events with lower fees to help pets find homes. County residents have appeared before the commissioners about stray dogs causing problems such as digging into trash and threatening people. Sheriff Alan Christian said after the county commission's March 27 meeting that his department picks up dogs suffering abuse and neglect, but the department's humane officers could not pick up stray dogs. Humane officers are not tasked with picking up strays. Dog wardens have this job, but Mercer County does not have one at this time. Commissioner Greg Puckett said the animal shelter works to make space for homeless pets, but the fact that the county has so many stray dogs means that emptied dog runs are filled again as soon as canines are adopted. The county has problems addressing dog issues due to a lack of regulations. Puckett said that in one instance, an owner in Matoaka has over 50 dogs. Christian said the public can share ideas about the shelter and animal control with him. 'I have pretty much an open-door policy,' Christian said. 'If they catch me here, I'm happy to talk to them about anything in the community. Not just dogs. You name it, that's what I'm here for.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
