January 2022
Betty White, TV’s Golden Girl, dies at 99
Firefighters fight a fire behind City Hall in downtown Ronceverte. There were no injuries reported.
Do to COVID-19 diagnosis, Gov. Jim Justice delivers a written State of the State address
Alderson Town Council announces they will allow public comment during town council meetings on criminal charges against Mayor Travis Copenhaver.
Three inmates at Alderson FPC die of COVID-19. Bree Eberbaugh, Rebecca Marie Adams and Juaniet Carrie Haynes are all announced to have died of the disease while in the prison.
Greenbrier County emergency responders raise over $40,000 for Kentucky tornado victims during a boot drive.
Edward Smith-Allen is sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 2019 shooting of high schooler Alaisia Smith.
February 2022
Mold is discovered Ronceverte City Hall leading to permanent closure. City Hall moves to Edgar Avenue.
Lady Spartans win the inaugural Battle for the Springhouse tournament, besting the Nitro Wildcats 60-51 inside The Greenbrier’s Colonial Hall.
State Fair of West Virginia organizers announce Cody Johnson will perform during the August fair.
The Greenbrier West wrestling team wins the West Virginia Class A Challenge.
Inmate Timothy Considine dies while sentenced in Southern Regional Jail. Considine was sentenced to one to five years for leaving the scene of an accident in Dec. 2021. In 2018, Considine wrecked an ATV on the western end of Greenbrier County. The wreck killed Curtis Johnson. Considine’s attorney, Michael Whitt, had petitioned the court for alternative sentencing due to his ill health.
InvenTeam class at Greenbrier East is honored by the state senate and board of education for their award-winning caving devices.
Greenbrier County Commissioner Mike McClung receives a pre-trial diversion regarding the criminal charges lodged against him for removing a hard drive from the Greenbrier Valley Airport without permission. The charges were filed in 2020, and the conditions of the pretrial diversion allowed McClung to not enter a plea. He was ordered to serve one year probation and attend ethics training.
The Greater Greenbrier COVID-19 Task Force is named Lewisburg Volunteer of the Year.
Greenbrier East junior Cadence Stewart surpasses 1,000 career points during a basketball game against the Van Lady Bulldogs.
Russia attacks Ukraine in a broad, three-pronged assault, shocking the world with the act of war.
March 2022
As part of Black History Month, the Greenbrier Historical Society’s Bolling School exhibit, on display at Greenbrier Community School, highlights Lewisburg’s historic school for Black students.
MTA announces bus routes to the western end of the county.
Sen. Stephen Baldwin (D) pushes for CPS pay raise.
Lady Spartans basketball team loses to George Washington in the post-season, nixing their chance at the state title.
Cavalier wrestling team becomes the state runner-up.
Greenbrier resort announces plans to sell on-site cottages to individuals and companies as part of its new Legacy Club.
“Doggo” by Jilliyen Queen and “Reverse Selfie” Ava Angel win Carnegie Hall’s 28th annual Creative Arts Exhibit, which highlights area youth art.
Just like the ladies, the GEHS men’s basketball team loses to George Washington in a buzzer beater. GW goes on to the state tourney.
SkyWest announces it is pulling out of Greenbrier Valley Airport.
Alderson fourth grader Kinley Honaker wins regional hoop shoot competition in Maryland.
Rusty Byer resigns as Alderson chief of police; Todd Williams Sr. accepts the position.
The East Coast’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns to Lewisburg.
Alderson Mayor Travis Copenhaver is indicted on felony burglary, conspiracy and harassment charges stemming from a June 2021 incident in which the mayor and his brother are accused of breaking into a residence with the intent to destroy and remove property, among other charges.
Republican Vince Deeds kicks off his campaign for state senator against incumbent Democrat Stephen Baldwin.
The 71st annual 4-H and FFA Ham, Bacon and Egg Show grosses over $100,000 in sales.
April 2022
Jonathan McClung pleads guilty in the beating death of James Alvis III. He says he is doing it for the benefit of his son, who was charged with misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter for his part in the incident. McClung’s attorney said the hope was McClung’s son would be shown mercy by the court in exchange for McClung’s guilty plea. Later in April, Gaige McClung, Jonathan McClung’s son, pleads guilty to misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter.
Dep. Herman Rodriguez joins the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office.
The popular TV show “Barnwood Builders,” starring Lewisburg’s Mark Bowe, returns to air on the Magnolia Network.
Rainelle Volunteer Fire Department makes plans to celebrate 80 years of service in May.
The James Monroe Mavericks men’s basketball team wins the Class A state championships over Greater Beckley in a 72-47 win.
Alderson Mayor Travis Copenhaver pleads not guilty to felony burglary, felony conspiracy to commit burglary, misdemeanor removal, injury to or destruction of personal property, misdemeanor harassment and misdemeanor unlawful restraint during his arraignment.
Willow Long is announced as the Ronceverte River Festival Queen. Royal court members are Junior Teen Queen Micah Smith, Teen Queen Mallori McCoy and Mrs. Festival Queen Havyn Moore.
Cavalier baseball team beats James Monroe Mavericks for the first time since 2015, the night after East bested the Mavs as well.
The State Fair announces Flo Rida will perform at the fair.
White Sulphur Springs announces former Alderson Police Chief Rusty Byer has been hired as a police officer in the city along with Tyler Olexo.
White Sulphur officials announce plans to dam Howard’s Creek and build a lake. The project, if approved, will take about a decade to complete.
East basketball player Daisha Summers signs with Glenville State.
Attorney General Patrick Morrissey announces $99 million settlement with opioid drug manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
May 2022
The much-anticipated Greenbrier Valley Aquatic Center opens its doors with a ribbon cutting and grand opening.
The town of Alderson and Alderson Main Street introduce a new, warm-weather event, Open Mic Night at the historic C&O Depot.
Greenbrier East’s Nevaeh Wooding signs with WV Tech to play volleyball.
The West Virginia Daily News delivers over 2,000 items to the Greenbrier Humane Society. The items were donated by community members during our annual item drive.
The Par Mar Stores Company takes ownership of five area gas stations.
The primary election is held, the following candidates are elected to run in the November general election: Carol Miller, R, and Lacy Watson, D, U.S. House of Representatives 1st District; Vince Deeds, R, and Stephen Baldwin, D, 10th State Senatorial District; Mike Honaker, R, and Paul Detch, D, House of Delegates 46th District and Todd Longanacre, R, and Heather Hill, D, House of Delegates 47th District.
The Dandelion Festival returns to White Sulphur Springs.
Greenbrier East’s Lillie Shinaberry signs to run track with Bluefield State.
Gov. Jim Justice announces the Seneca Skyway as the first route of the West Virginia Mountain Rides program.
Collins Aerospace employees are locked out of their jobs after union fails to reach contract agreement.
The body of James Courtney Simpson Jr. is found on the bank of the Greenbrier River at the Anthony boat launch.
Abby Dilly of Greenbrier East High School signs a letter of intent to join the dance team at West Virginia Wesleyan.
June 2022
The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine holds its 45th commencement ceremony with 197 graduates. Among the grads are locals Jared Zopp, Madeleine Carroll Gwinn and Jacob M. Baker.
Jonathan McClung is sentenced to 15 years in the death of James Alvis III. McClung pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the incident.
The Elks Club swimming pool in Lewisburg collapses, rendering the popular summer spot unusable.
The body of John Deaver is found on the banks of Howard’s Creek near Caldwell. Deaver had been reported missing on May 28; his remains were found on June 7.
East football player Noah Dotson is named one of the top 10 kickers in the state by Coalfields and Co.
The Red Nose River Run, an ALS fundraiser river float honoring Chally Erb and Gary Arbaugh draws over 150 floaters and raises over $20,000 for the ALS Association.
Trillium Performing Arts celebrates 40 years of dance and movement theater in the Greenbrier Valley.
Greenbrier West football player Joey Terry signs to play at Bethany College.
Alderson native Kalyea Terry is named Miss Fireworks.
Renick native Zachary Ellis is named a WVU Beckman Scholar and will conduct funded research on neurodegenerative diseases and inflammatory responses in respiratory diseases.
West’s Kaleen Fisher signs to cheer at Concord; East baseball player Chase McClung is also set to become a Concord Mountain Lion.
Greenbrier Valley Pride returns to Lewisburg for the second year in a row with a full week of events.
West’s Chase Franklin signs to play football at Bluefield University in Virginia.
The Schoolhouse Hotel, the first 100% ADA-compliant hotel in in the United States, holds its grand opening in White Sulphur Springs.
Greenbrier Valley Airport announces that Contour Airlines will be its new carrier.
WVSOM associate professor Crystal Boudreaux is named to Generation Next’s 40 Under 40 list.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, opening the door for states to outlaw abortion.
West Virginia Music Hall of Famer Bill Withers has a Raleigh County road named in his honor.
Greenbrier East musician Cedric Allder is accepted into the 2022 John Philip Sousa National High School Honor Band.
The Yew Mountain Center in Lobelia, Pocahontas County, announces it will offer The Yew School, an alternative school offering hands-on, outdoor learning, for middle school students.
July 2022
Sophia Bunch of Greenbrier East signs to join the dance department at WVU.
It is announced that 32 out of staters have moved to the Greenbrier Valley as part of the Ascend program.
Ronceverte man Jason Shortridge, 29, is found guilty of child pornography crimes by a federal jury.
Mountain Steer Meat Company announces it will open its White Sulphur Springs beef processing facility and retail store in August.
The Skyline Bluegrass Festival returns to Ronceverte Island Park with Ramp Supper, Troubadour Blue, Adam DeGraff, Coaltown Dixie and High Fidelity.
Dog park opens on Ronceverte Island Park.
Healing Appalachia announces its lineup for the September show which will include Tyler Childers, Arlo McKinney and Margo Price during the two-day festival.
A Virginia woman, Amethyst Russell, 26, and her daughter, Ariana Gerber, 3, died while taking a walk in Leslie when a large tree branch fell on the two of them.
After a years-long hiatus, Long John Silvers in Fairlea reopens. Photos of the long lines to the drive-thru go viral on social media, and the community’s excitement launches a host of memes.
Hammons Family fiddle and banjo contests breathe new life into Marlinton’s Pioneer Days.
Straight-line winds knock out electricity across Greenbrier County, as trees as old as 200 years are toppled by the summer storms.
Summers County couple Rusty Allen Weikle and Rebekah Weikle, both of Forest Hill, are arrested and charged with the murder of their 4-year-old daughter.
Garry Trudeau, Conor Knighton and Jennifer Pharr Davis are announced as headliners of the August Lewisburg Literary Festival.
A path linking Chestnut Street and Montwell Park in Lewisburg is completed.
Farmacy, a program administered by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, comes to Lewisburg. The program prescribes fresh fruits and vegetables to patients with pre-diabetes and type-2 diabetes.
Williamsburg Community Fair returns with square dancing and live music.
The McClintic Family Veterans Memorial Bridge is dedicated in Williamsburg in honor of Levi, Patrick, James and Bedford McClintic.
Active COVID-19 cases hit a five-month high in West Virginia.
Heavy, late-July rains bring flooding in the New River Valley; Blue Bend is closed due to high water.
Pedestrian Teddy Dean Moore, 24, of White Sulphur Springs, is killed when he is struck by a vehicle in a hit and run in Caldwell.
August 2022
Art installation in Stratton Alley celebrates banned books as part of Lewisburg Literary Festival.
Greenbrier County Schools announces it will offer free meals to all students.
The former library in Lewisburg is dedicated as a public museum under the oversight of the Greenbrier Historical Society.
Gates open at the 97th annual State Fair of West Virginia. Over 170,000 people attend the fair with food sales grossing over $3.5 million. Additionally, over $450,000 is raised at the State Fair Youth Livestock Sale.
Twelve teenagers from suburban Chicago’s First Presbyterian Church of Wilmette volunteer in Ronceverte Presbyterian Church’s summer workcamp program.
Pickleball courts open at Hollowell Park in Lewisburg.
StoryWalk in White Sulphur Springs honors Katherine Coleman Johnson.
It is announced that a labradoodle named Marshall will serve as a therapy dog at Greenbrier East High School.
Ronceverte Elementary P.E. teacher Courtney Hudnall is named Greenbrier County Schools Teacher of the Year.
Over 100 people rally in the Lewisburg city green space to protest the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Greenbrier East’s Jake Roshau signs with Muskingum University baseball program.
It is announced that the Lewisburg water project, in which a new pumping station will be constructed, will result in two miles of the Greenbrier River Trail being closed for two years.
September 2022
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin travels to Lewisburg to announce $63 million in federal funding for the water project.
Little Black Box bra boutique celebrates 15 years of business.
Five dogs are rescued from a 75-feet deep cavern by Lewisburg Fire Department. All five dogs were largely uninjured.
Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96. England’s longest-serving monarch reigned for 70 years.
Greenbrier West head football coach Toby Hubbard is honored by the current football team at a halftime ceremony.
Freshwater Folk Festival returns to White Sulphur Springs fish hatchery.
Parade of Lights in Lewisburg honors 9/11 first responders.
Margaret Grace Haas of Lewisburg is crowned princess for the Mountain State Forest Festival.
L.Z. Rainelle partners with Gold Star families to plant a living memorial orchard near Rainelle. Fifty-five apple trees are planted to honor fallen veterans from all 55 West Virginia counties.
Vandalia Health Systems, the parent company for Charleston Area Medical Center, signs an agreement to acquire Greenbrier Valley Medical Center.
West Virginia lawmakers pass a sweeping bill banning abortion in the Mountain State will few exceptions.
Sarah Baker of Ronceverte grows a pumpkin weighing over 1,000 pounds.
Gov. Jim Justice announces more than $12 million in broadband infrastructure expansion investment in Greenbrier County.
A rash of vehicle break-in plagues White Sulphur Springs and Lewisburg. Most of the cars that were robbed were left unlocked by the owners. One unlocked vehicle was stolen from downtown Lewisburg.
Healing Appalachia returns to the state fairgrounds for a two-day music festival raising funds and awareness for Healing Appalachia, an organization supporting drug and alcohol recovery efforts.
October 2022
Frankford Autumnfest returns after two-year hiatus.
Ronceverte Elementary’s Jace Acacio and Lewisburg Elementary’s Lincoln Keaton win their schools’ largest sunflower contests.
National 4-H Week takes place Oct. 2-8.
Officials break ground on the Lewisburg water project.
Taste of Our Towns, a fundraiser for Carnegie Hall, returns to Lewisburg for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Greenbrier East students build a walking bridge in the Greenbrier State Forest.
Spartan Classic marching band competition hosts high school bands from across West Virginia.
Bridge Day returns to Fayetteville after two years.
Shane Hunter Peacock and Kaleb Lee Helmick join the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department as deputies.
Alumni of the Greenbrier College for Women dedicate a memorial grove of trees near the site of the old school (now New River Community and Technical College) in honor of the women’s college’s closing 50 years ago.
WVSOM celebrates its 50-year anniversary.
Greenbrier East girls’ cross country team wins the regional championship on their home turf.
Greenbrier East volleyball coach and James Monroe High School basketball coach Matt Sauvage is honored as WVSSAC Coach of the Year.
Jill Allman of Greenbrier Real Estate is named Realtor of the Year by the State Association, WVAR.
West Virginia Daily News hosts its first ever candidates’ debate at Carnegie Hall.
Dr. Chris Rodebaugh wins awards for his 1,461-pound pumpkin, including for Most Beautiful Pumpkin.
November 2022
Contour Airlines’ first flight lifts off from Greenbrier Valley Airport.
Fire Capt. James Edward “Eddie” Midkiff of the Rainelle, Clintonville, Rupert and Quinwood fire departments is honored for 50 years of service.
New River Community and Technical College practical nursing program receives full accreditation.
“Christmas at The Greenbrier” premiers on the big screen at the namesake resort.
The Spartan soccer team wins its first ever state championship.
Skeletal remains recovered near Muddy Creek Mountain are identified as James Johansen, who was reported missing from Lewisburg in 2007. Charles Michael “Cason” Kessinger is extradited from Texas and charged with first-degree robbery and murder.
Republican candidates sweep West Virginia elections with every local Republican candidate winning their elections.
West Virginia voters vote down all four constitutional amendments on the November ballot.
Greenbrier County voters vote in favor of the school excess levy.
Greenbrier East senior Lawson Hamilton IV is selected to All-National Honor Band.
Greenbrier West football coach Toby Harris is honored as a Distinguished West Virginian by Gov. Jim Justice, the highest honor that can be bestowed by a governor.
Joan Vance is named Maxwelton Ruritan of the Year.
Wellspring of Greenbrier founders Fred and Scarlett Kellerman announce plans to retire; Josiah and Abby Spangler are slated to take over the faith-based organization that serves economically disadvantaged and homeless and/or transient populations.
White Sulphur Springs City Council votes to increase water and sewer rates.
State Fair officials announce potential plans to build a convention center on the fair property.
Area schools are closed for several days due to flu outbreaks.
The city of Ronceverte begins construction on splash pad at Island Park.
Potts Creek Christmas Tree Farm opens in Waiteville ahead of the holiday season.
Lewisburg City Council passes a municipal tax on sales and services.
East’s Josi Ervin signs to play softball at Concord.
A sinkhole in Hinton threatens to swallow the police department. A temporary bridge is constructed to keep traffic moving.
Deadlocked jury results in mistrial for Terri Lynn Storer who was accused of two counts of murder in the deaths of Jeremiah and Jennifer Thomas. A case against Randy Barnhart, who was also accused of two counts of murder in the same incident, was dismissed in September.
Greenbrier West Cavalier football team loses to James Monroe in the state quarterfinals.
Zachary Hess Dawson, 33, of Alderson is arrested in the beating death of his wife, Marissa Mann-Bennett. The attack took place over the Thanksgiving holiday.
December 2022
Greenbrier County Schools break ground on new Alderson Elementary School.
Santa Claus greets the young and young at heart at the West Virginia Daily News’ holiday party.
The West Virginia Daily News partners with the community to donate over 1,000 nonperishable food items to area food pantries.
Drs. Deborah Schmidt, D.O., and Mark Waddell, D.O., are honored as WVSOM Distinguished Alumni of the Year.
Communities in Schools of Greenbrier County’s Angel Tree gift drive provides Christmas gifts to 200 children.
Jim’s Drive-In holds its annual coat drive.
Alderson’s Store celebrates its 135-year anniversary.
