Sierra Marling

On Sept. 17, 2025 in the area around Charleston, West Virginia, United Way Central West Virginia celebrated the 20th Day of Caring with 1,025 volunteers from 60 teams serving at 64 project sites across Boone, Braxton, Clay, Kanawha, Logan and Putnam counties. President Margaret O’Neal said the annual effort allows businesses and community members to help nonprofits tackle projects they otherwise couldn’t afford or complete.On Charleston’s West Side, Kevin Jones of the Religious Coalition for Community Renewal oversaw renovations on a foreclosed home with help from Rebuilding Together Charleston and nine volunteers from the Charleston Police Department’s hybrid unit, including Corporal Adam Lindell. In total, the event provided more than 5,000 hours of service and helped strengthen lasting ties between local businesses, nonprofits and the community.

About 500 students and 950 community members took part in a process to come up with a potential name for the new, $30 million school, scheduled to built by fall of 2028 at the site of the former DuPont Junior High School in DuPont City, Kanawha County, outside Charleston, West Virginia. Students, parents and community members will also take the lead in identifying the new school's mascot, team name, and official colors. Country Roads Elementary is the name of the new school to be built to consolidate four Upper Kanawha Valley elementary schools: Belle Elementary, Malden Elementary, Midland Trail Elementary at Diamond and Mary Ingles Elementary at Campbells Creek.

A felony child abuse charge has been dropped against a substitute teacher at Dunbar Primary School.Willie Washington, 55, was charged on Sept. 8, 2025, with battery and assault of a disabled child. A West Virginia State Police trooper wrote in court documents that security camera footage from the school showed Washington "aggressively" grabbing, shaking and throwing a child with autism to the floor.

The Kanawha County School Board of Education in Charleston, West Virginia named a new board member during a special session on Sept. 22, 2025. The board unanimously voted for Michael Arbogast to fill the unexpired vacant seat left by former board member Tracy White, who resigned earlier this month due to personal and family reasons. The term will expire in June 2026. With more than 40 years of experience in the school system, Arbogast began his career as a special education aide in 1982. He worked as a teacher from 1991-2003, was employed as an assistant principal from 2003-2007 and served as principal of South Charleston High School from 2007-2018.

By Amanda Larch Hinchman For the Gazette-Mail Fall is officially here, and with it comes festivals and Halloween-themed activities.

Here's an update on three large commercial construction projects in the Charleston, West Virginia area. The Kroger Co., based in Cincinnati, is building a $40 million, 120,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace in the Park Place retail development in South Charleston. Canadian-based TC Energy is building a $60 million, 120,000-square-foot office building in downtown Charleston. Across the street from that project, Poca Valley Bank is building the ninth branch office for the Walton, Roane County-based banking agency.

By LORI KERSEY West Virginia Watch West Virginia School Board President Paul Hardesty said Wednesday that lawmakers — not education

Charleston’s Opioid Community Council has approved 14 organizations to receive $540,000 total in funding to promote treatment for, prevention of and recovery from substance use disorders.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, on Jan. 5, 2026, detailed his plan to reduce the state’s income tax by 5-10%. Morrisey expects to present his plan during his State of the State address, scheduled for Jan. 14, closing the first day of the 2026 legislative session.

Drinking water quality struggles are intensifying for West Virginia water service providers as water system takeovers loom. Gary’s case underscores the PSC’s and some local leaders’ push for greater coordination and consolidation of water service providers struggling with aging infrastructure and dwindling customer bases in vulnerable places like McDowell County, whose percentage of people in poverty in 2023, 36.2%, was the state’s highest and more than triple the national rate. The case also underscores the Legislature’s failure in its latest annual regular legislative session that ended last month to controversially empower the PSC to force mergers between public service districts.