January
Lewisburg’s Shanghai Parade is cancelled due to the pandemic; Jan. 3 and 7 bring the first snow of the season; first responders of Greenbrier County hold a “Fill the Boot” Drive at select locations throughout the area. All proceeds to benefit first responders and their families from Kentucky that suffered during the late 2021 tornados; Lewisburg City Council unanimously approves the resolution to use funds for the repair of sidewalk on South Lafayette Street; Mayor Beverly White nominates the COVID-19 Task Force to be named as Volunteer of the Year for 2021. The group also received the Volunteer of the Year title in 2020; new precinct maps are approved by the County Commission; Ryan King is appointed Experience Coordinator for Ascend Lewisburg; Lewisburg City Council proclaims MLK Jr. Day for the week beginning Jan. 17; MLK Jr. Day celebration is held as a virtual event; Greenbrier County Commission elects Lowell Rose to preside as President; Senator Stephen Baldwin nominates Greenbrier County Sheriff Bruce Sloan to the new West Virginia First Responders Honor Board this fall; Emalee Wickline, founder and head baker of Em’s Cake Corner in operation since November of 2019 announces plans to open a brick-and-mortar location in WSS in the spring; Senator Stephen Baldwin presents a check for nearly $73,924 to Matt Ford in support of the Meadow River Trail;
February
Stardust Cafe changes hands – new owners are Dan Perry and his wife Savannah Webb; Edward Alexander Smith-Allen is sentenced in Greenbrier County Circuit Court for the June 2019 shooting of Alaisia M. Smith in Dorie Miller Park in Lewisburg; Almost Heaven Saunas moves into a massive new facility in the former ABB building; Gov. Jim Justice joins local and state education leaders, along with several other officials, for an event announcing Greenbrier East High School and Greenbrier West High School as the latest additions to the new, student-powered WV GameChanger Opioid and Substance Misuse Prevention Program; According to a Final Order issued by the West Virginia Public Service Commission Suddenlink Communications is fined $2.2M and ordered to open a WV call center; the Alderson Town Clock is installed after impressive fundraising and organizing efforts spearheaded by Stacy Eskins, a Main Street Alderson volunteer, Town Recorder and Alderson resident; former Lewisburg resident Eileen Kramer, 107, Australian dancer, choreographer, artist and writer, makes international headlines with her dance entry, “Eileen,” for the 50th edition of the Dance on Camera Festival; Greenbrier County Commissioner Mike McClung must complete one year of probation, as well as training established by the West Virginia Ethics Commission for charges brought after an incident which occurred at Greenbrier Valley Airport on Aug. 23, 2019; City Council approves final plat for the new Starbucks location at Walmart;
March
Carnegie Hall Guild announces a new bench on the Ivy Terrace has been dedicated to Janie Kirk, founder of Carnegie Hall Guild; a semitruck driving through downtown Lewisburg struck and knocked over a traffic light pole and streetlight at the main intersection causing the necessity of a 4-way stop until the light can be replaced; U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, visits White Sulphur Springs to tour the newly-constructed “Schoolhouse Hotel”; the Greenbrier County Committee on Aging announces that the senior centers in Rupert and Fairlea have reopened; Ronceverte City Hall moves to the building next door to The Sportsman Bar building after standing water and black mold were found at City Hall; WVSOM receives a grant that allows them to provide non-emergency medical transportation for county residents, operate a mobile testing unit and digitize health department patient records continuing through Apr. 15, 2023; the Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade on the east coast is back after a hiatus last year, and it’s shorter than ever; SkyWest Airlines Inc. informs Greenbrier County and the Greenbrier County Airport Authority that it intended to cease all Essential Air Services (EAS) at The Greenbrier Valley Airport due to pilot staffing challenges across the airline industry; new Public Works Building planned in Caldwell; Alderson Town Council appoints a new police chief, Todd Williams, Sr.;
April
GVAC opens Apr. 1; Chocolate Festival and Chocolate Chase return; Barnwood Builders debut a new season on the Magnolia Network; Alderson Mayor Travis Copenhaver is indicted on multiple charges by a Greenbrier County Grand Jury on charges stemming from an incident that occurred at an Alderson home in June 2021; Lewisburg Home and Garden Tour is back this year with plans to feature 12 stops across Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs; schedule for primary election debate forums released; Alderson Mayor Travis Copenhaver pled to five charges, which included two felonies and three misdemeanors, filed against him by the latest convening of the Greenbrier County Grand Jury. Copenhaver was charged with felony burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary; and misdemeanors including removal, injury to, or destruction of property; harassment; and unlawful restraint; the School Board Meet the Candidates event scheduled for Apr. 13 is canceled and not rescheduled at this time; the Department of Transportation at work outside of Lewisburg Elementary School as Rt. 60 upgrades are underway in an effort to improve access to the school; Lewisburg City Council meets to discuss repaving and widening North Court Street, supporting Project Graduation, ongoing issues with dog waste and vandalism at Lewisburg’s public parks; the Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce hosts a Meet the Candidates event at Greenbrier Valley Theatre for area candidates running for House of Delegates and State Senate positions; the Alderson Town Council discusses a necessary water rate increase for municipal water customers, expanding the town’s police department, and flood abatement; Airport Authority hears updates on taxi lighting, new sign; WVSOM places ONEbox units – user-guiding boxes containing the overdose-reversing medication naloxone – at seven locations on and near its Lewisburg campus; White Sulphur Springs Mayor Bruce Bowling joined Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation in announcing that potential plans are underway to bring a new dam and lake to the White Sulphur area, located behind the city’s current water intake system and encompassing a 100-acre area;
May
Annual Spring Giant Flea Market and Antique Sale returns to the State Fairgrounds on May 20 and 21; State Fair announces its First Annual State Fair Art Contest; Gov. Justice announces that West Virginia’s General Revenue collections for April 2022 came in at $253 million over estimate, the all-time state record surplus for any single month in West Virginia history; Ronceverte announces opening of Dog Park in July; Matthew Robinson of WGMS and Braxton Beasley, Clayton Frame, and Gregory Guet of EGMS earn the title of Knights of the Golden Horseshoe; Alderson Mayor Travis Copenhaver announces the proclamation of two citizens of Alderson as “devout Aldersonians” – Stacy Eskins and posthumously, Christine Atwell; Gov. Justice announces that a scenic loop of US Route 219 and WV Route 92 – newly named the Seneca Skyway – has been officially been designated as the first route of the West Virginia Mountain Rides program; LZ Rainelle announces Run For The Wall will arrive in Rainelle Thursday, May 26, at noon, on their way to Washington, DC; WRON AM 1400, Greenbrier County’s first on the air radio station, celebrates its 75th anniversary; American Legion Post 100 in Union hosts a Memorial Day commemoration at the Monroe County Courthouse at on Monday, May 30;
June
Brad Paisley is the keynote speaker at the second annual GameChanger Golf Classic Dinner June 1; Home & Garden Tour held for first time in two years; Renaissance Festival returns for its fourth year; a contract dispute at Collins Aerospace in Union continues, with the demonstrating employees alleging they have been “locked out” as the two parties are yet to negotiate a deal; June 17-18, the community celebrates the rebirth of White Sulphur Springs with a music and arts festival on Main Street; the Community Pool at Elk Lodge 1758 is in a state of severe disrepair for yet unknown reasons; the Ronceverte River Festival returns; the Greenbrier County Commission discusses initial steps of a remodel of the West Virginia Building on the State Fairgrounds; the Ronceverte City Council discusses developments on the Ronceverte greenspace and splashpad projects; Ascend West Virginia announces second group of recruits; Ronceverte Dog Park begins construction; Lewisburg City Council updates the city’s banner policy by doing away with banners – the city will continue to fly American and West Virginia state flags; the Airport Authority unanimously decides to select Contour Airlines for the provision of Essential Air Service. Contour will begin to take flights to and from Lewisburg on Jan. 1, 2023; last Medal of Honor recipient of WWII, Hershel “Woody” Williams, passes away June 29 at the age of 98; funding secured for municipal water plant upgrades;
July
Ashley Wheeler from Shady Springs is the winner of the First Annual State Fair of West Virginia Official Art Contest with her artwork titled “Lucky Duck” which will be featured as the official print of the 2022 State Fair; Healing Appalachia returns to fairgrounds; Senator Stephen Baldwin convenes first meeting of the Greenbrier School Safety Task Force; Ronceverte City Council votes to condemn The Old Rexall Building; walking path between Chestnut Street and Montwell Commons is completed; Ronceverte Dog Park opens; Greenbrier Co. Board of Education swears in three members; Sen. Stephen Baldwin gatheres with the McClintic family to dedicate a Williamsburg bridge to their family members for generations of military and public service; White Sulphur Mayor Bruce Bowling shares update at the regular meeting of the White Sulphur Springs City Council announces the long-awaited pedestrian bridge is closer to reality – it will be seven feet wide and ADA accessible and construction should be underway in September;
August
New River Community and Technical College celebrates the class of 2022 practical nursing graduates; Lewisburg’s Literary Festival and Library Book Sale return Aug. 5 and 6; local practitioners Hanno Kirk, PhD, LICSW, and Jo Weisbrod, MA, LPC, announce their retirement after providing the Greenbrier Valley with counseling, psychotherapy and neurofeedback services for the last 32 years; 204 WVSOM students, nine faculty members and two graduate teaching assistants volunteer at 17 sites throughout Greenbrier County their a Day of Service; the 1834 Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia Law Library and Study building is rededicated as a public museum under the auspices of the Greenbrier Historical Society; Governor announces Aug. 5-8 as state’s back-to-school Sales Tax Holiday; Katherine Johnson Day is designated Aug. 26, the day which would be her 104th birthday; Mountain Messenger Head Editor Sarah Richardson is awarded first place in the West Virginia Press Association’s Best Legal Affairs Reporting category for “Disbarred Attorney Convicted of Negligent Homicide,” published Mar. 10, 2021, and Reporter Lyra Bordelon wins first place in the Best In-Depth or Investigative Reporting category for “Rudy’s renovation on hold due to concerns over neighboring building,” which was published in February of last year; the Greenbrier County Board of Education enters into a Memorandum of Understanding with local law enforcement; 97th State Fair of West Virginia opens Aug. 11 and runs through Aug. 20; ongoing restoration work to the Blue Sulphur Springs Pavilion continues this month with a dramatic roof removal; West Virginia Junior College and Greenbrier Valley Medical Center holds a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate their new innovative collaboration targeted at solving the rural healthcare crisis, the Hybrid Online Nursing Program; Lewisburg is awarded an All Star Community Award in the Enrichment category for the extensive upgrades completed at Hollowell Park using CARES Act reimbursement funds; the County Commission discusses the signing of a resolution voicing the commission’s opposition to the Property Tax Modernization Amendment on the November ballot; the State Fair of West Virginia announces over 170,000 people attended this year; the Lewisburg Fire Department/Ropes and Technical Rescue Team rescues five dogs that had fallen 75 feet down a hole into a cavern;
September
Greenbrier County Commission announces a grant application for a grants to update Greenbrier County voting machines in 2024; U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack joins Sen. Joe Manchin, Gov. Jim Justice, and Lewisburg Mayor Beverly White to announce a $75 million investment by USDA in critical infrastructure improvements that will ensure thousands of rural people in Greenbrier County have clean drinking water and sanitary wastewater systems for years to come; the Freshwater Folk Festival of White Sulphur Springs returns to the fish hatchery this year; the City of Lewisburg hosts an official opening of the new pickleball courts at Hollowell Park; annual Parade of Lights returns to Greenbrier County; Bike Skills Park is planned for White Sulphur Springs; Gov. Jim Justice presents the Monroe County Commission with a check for $5 million to be used to renovate their courthouse; area resident Irene Snyder celebrates her 105th birthday on Sept. 9, 2022; the Gold Star Mothers of Rainelle begin laying the foundations for honoring the memory of West Virginians who gave their lives during the Global War on Terror for many generations to come by planting an apple orchard with 55 apple trees, each tree representing one service member from each county in West Virginia who has passed away in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan – this orchard is a “Living Memorial”; the Greenbrier County Board of Education meets to recognize the nursing staff at New River Community and Technical College; Ronceverte City Council meets to secure of a much enlarged grant award for the completion of sidewalks in the city and installation of cameras at Island Park; citizens of WSS discuss location of proposed footbridge; pipe relocation temporarily closes part of GRT; Vandalia Health System, the parent company for Charleston Area Medical Center, signs a definitive agreement to acquire Greenbrier Valley Medical Center and its related businesses, including physician clinic operations and outpatient services; Tammy Jordan, president of Fruits of Labor receives the Best Epicurean Partner award at Southeast Tourism Society’s Shining Example Awards;
October
A section of the Greenbrier River Trail is closed to allow for the relocation of the intake pipe for the municipal water plant; West Virginia Living magazine begins their “Best of West Virginia” competition; Gov. Justice and Mayor White participate in groundbreaking ceremony at new municipal water plant; Gov. speaks against Amendment Two on ballot; TOOT and the Edgewood Arts & Crafts Show both return after a two-year pause; contract is awarded for replacement of an iconic bridge in White Sulphur Springs; Women’s Club hosts a Meet the Candidates event at the Ronceverte Fire Hall; Alumnus of the Greenbrier College for Women dedicated a memorial grove on the campus of what is now the New River Community and Technical College; groundbreaking ceremony is held at the new splash pad location near the entrance of Island Park in Ronceverte; Penny Pitch partners with the Mountain Messenger; early voting begins for the Nov. 8 General Election; City of Lewisburg receives a rating of 5 Blooms and a special mention for Lewisburg Foundation during the 2022 National/International Symposium and Awards Ceremonies in Victoria, British Columbia; Renick VFW members are joined by representatives of the Alderson Quilt Guild for Quilts of Valor (QOV) presentations to eight veterans during a special dinner Oct. 23;
November
Penny Pitch partners with Mountain Messenger; Greenbrier Valley Airport officially welcomes Contour Airlines to Lewisburg and the Greenbrier Valley; Lewisburg is featured one of the “25 Best Christmas Towns in the USA” by Travel and Leisure magazine, placing 7th out of 25 Christmas towns across the United States; Captain James Edward “Eddie” Midkiff, of Rainelle, is honored for 50-years of service to the State of West Virginia as a volunteer firefighter; Greenbrier County Board of Education recognizes Courntey Hudnall, physical education teacher at Ronceverte Elementary School as Teacher of the Year and Greenbrier East’s Matt Sauvage, Head Volleyball Coach, who won the 2021-22 National Federation of Coaches’ Associations State Coach of the Year in Volleyball, as Coach of the Year; in the Nov. 8 General Election District 10 flips from Stephen Baldwin (D) to Vincent Deeds (R), and incumbent Louvonne Legg Arbuckle (D) to challenger Jamie L. Baker (R), the Board of Education Levy passes with 6,157 in favor and 4,867 against, and Blaine Phillips (R) posts strong numbers to defeat DeEtta King Hunter (D) for County Commissioner, for House of Delegates Representatives, both republican candidates, Todd Longanacre and Mike Honaker, led against their democratic opponents by a sound margin; the Greenbrier East Spartans win the West Virginia Division AAA Men’s Soccer Championship; Penny Pitch announces their goal for this year is $69K; following their AAA West Virginia State Championship win earlier this month, Lewisburg Mayor Beverly White reads a proclamation at the November City Council meeting declaring Nov. 10, 2022 as The Greenbrier East High School 2022 Men’s Soccer Team AAA West Virginia State Champion Day; Alderson Town Council updates traffic map, makes school zones safer; after 19 years of dedication and service, Fred and Scarlett Kellerman, co-founders of Wellspring of Greenbrier, Inc., announce their retirement; White Sulphur City Council votes to raise water rates; the WVDOH announces plans to correct technical problems with traffic signals causing traffic to back up on US 219 between downtown Lewisburg and the Interstate 64 interchange;
December
Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation board member Matt Ford receives the POWER of Performance award; Friends of the Blue announce that the Blue Sulphur Springs Pavilion is nearing the completion of its extensive restoration; the Greenbrier County Angel Tree, now in its 12th year, is up once again at Greenbrier Valley Airport; Marissa Mann-Bennett is murdered in Alderson; husband, Zachary Hess Dawson, is arrested; the WV Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies receives multiple hoax threats about school shootings or other violence on campuses across the state on Dec. 7. All calls are deemed not credible; WVSOM Alumni Association adds two graduates of the school to its list of Distinguished Alumni – both of whom are also current WVSOM faculty members – Mark Waddell, D.O. and Deborah Schmidt, D.O; Greenbrier County Schools (GCS) hosts a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction, renovation, and restoration of Alderson Elementary School; WVSOM commemorates 50th anniversary with “Founder’s Day” celebration; the Greenbrier County Board of Education honored the 2022 Greenbrier County Service Personnel of the Year, Jerry Baker and Tracy Walkup, custodians at Smoot and Rainelle Elementary; The Greenbrier County Commission bids farewell to Commissioner Mike McClung and presents a painting of a harness race at the state fairground horse racing track as a parting gift; Jamie Baker is sworn in as the newest Greenbrier County Circuit Clerk; Blaine Phillips is sworn in as the newest County Commissioner and will join Commissioners Tammy Shifflett-Tincher and Lowell Rose starting next month; Greenbrier County Clerk Robin Loudermilk prepares to serve another term; Ronceverte City Council accepts resignation from Councilwoman Kathy King who has moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to family; unusually cold temperatures with wind and snow visit the area over Christmas weekend.
