Andrea Billups, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Round 2 Winners In The 'Do-It-For-Babydog' Vaccine Sweepstakes Announced

The second round winners of Gov. Jim Justice’s ‘Do-it-for-Babydog’ vaccination sweepstakes were announced Thursday.

Those earning top prizes included Beth Eaves of Branchland, who won a new BMW sportscar, and Matthew Hill of Huntington, who won a custom pontoon boat.

Justice presented those gifts to Eaves and Hill outside of Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

In addition, Sheila Parks of Williamstown won a $150,000 dream wedding. And three students — Benjamin Baker of Spencer, Rocco DiGiandomenico of Wheeling,
and Caleb Stewart of Flemington, all won full-ride college scholarships.

Other winners included:

Free Gas for 10 Years Winners

Evelyn Hudson, Proctor

Beth Layton, Charleston

WVU Football/Basketball Season Ticket Package Winners

Tammi Arnott, Paw Paw

Jeffrey Mullins, Charleston

James Sturgill, Fort Gay

Marshall Football/Basketball Season Ticket Package Winners

Angela Friend, Exchange

Lennie Shaw, Nutter Fort

Kaylee Welch, Flemington

Ski Resort Season Passes Winners

Roger Mansfield Amorese, Elkins

Vickie Ganim, South Charleston

Michael Graham, Mount Carbon

Clinton Kirk, Alderson

Meghan Perkins, Hurricane

Premium ATV / Side-by-Side Winners

Angela Colbird, Herndon

Emily Harper, South Charleston

Top-of-the-line Zero Turn Lawn Mower Winners

Tina Elliott, Follansbee

James Whitmore, Oak Hill

Roane County Man Earns Grand Prize As Governor's 'Babydog' Sweepstakes Comes To A Close

Wally Board of Spencer in Roane County became the state’s latest millionaire and top winner of the governor’s Do-It-For-Babydog vaccination sweepstakes, which concluded Tuesday afternoon.

Gov. Jim Justice visited Board Tuesday afternoon at his business, Board-Depue Realty, to deliver the ceremonial check for $1.58 million.

The summer-long giveaway program was aimed at encouraging more West Virginians to get vaccinated for COVID-19. It cost about $10 million.

Justice crossed the state on Tuesday, making surprise visits to the winners with his English Bulldog Babydog, who served as the project’s mascot.

He caught up with Kara Waldeck of Charles Town who was visiting the Charleston area for her grandfather’s birthday, and handed her a check for $588,000.

He also paid visits to Beckley dietician Paul Schwartz who works at Jackie Withrow Hospital, and Megan Landsberg, a music teacher from Vienna. Both received custom-outfitted trucks.

Two more people — Cheylan Cummings of Gary, and Ashley Goots of Bridgeport — won full four-year scholarships to any public institution in the state.

Others receiving prizes included:

Lifetime Hunting License Winners

Joan Blankenship, Lerona

Jessica Farley, Reedsville

Travis Moreland, Bunker Hill

Sharon Pinardo, Shady Spring

Steven Zubrzycki, St. Albans

Lifetime Fishing License Winners

Donald Bryant, Davin

Karen Richards, Hedgesville

Ronald Richards, Minden

Kimbra Stamper, Millwood

Dallas Williams, Elkview

Custom Hunting Rifle Winners

Vesta Linda Burgin, Beckley

Dale Heinritz, Harrisville

Patricia McCoy, Oceana

Dreama Messinger, Ranger

Christopher Rozycki, Morgantown

Custom Hunting Shotgun Winners

Linda Ashworth, Ashton

Edith Browning, Weston

Michael Durgan, Charleston

Richard Timko, Moundsville

Joyce Underwood, Grantsville

State Park Weekend Getaway Winners

Martha Bryant, Point Pleasant

Phil Burleyson, Tunnelton

Linda K. Cipoletti, Cross Lanes

Alexander Coburn, Sinks Grove

David Dulaney, Colliers

Jo Flynn, Craigsville

James Howard, New Haven

Torie Jackson, Pennsboro

Ernest Johnson, Edmond

Edna LeMasters, Huttonsville

Alexandra Lengyel, Weirton

Angela Lovejoy, Powellton

Jeffrey Lowe, Wallace

Justice: COVID Cases On The Rise As 5 Counties Move to Red Zone, Students Prepare For Return To School

Gov. Jim Justice on Friday said the state is starting to see a “rapid increase” in new COVID-19 infections as the impact of the delta variant is starting to be felt across the nation.

Justice said at his briefing that the state has a total of 3,372 active cases. Those include 14 outbreaks of the virus in long term care facilities, 10 outbreaks in churches and 29 inmates and four staffers at the state’s correctional facilities.

Of those jail infections, 20 are inmates at the Stevens Correctional Center in the McDowell County town of Welch.

“We all know how to stop it — get vaccinated,” Justice said, noting that West Virginians are characteristically stubborn but also thoughtful and giving — and should be looking out for one another by taking the shots.

The governor said no new mask mandates are planned. “We’re going to keep trying and crawling every way to get everyone vaccinated,” he said.

Justice touted 3,000 newly vaccinated state residents since Wednesday. But he reported nine new deaths. Those who aren’t yet vaccinated, he said, “are taking a helluva risk.”

He encouraged state residents who are vacationing out of state to wear masks if they are close to large groups of people or gatherings, whether vaccinated or not.

Five counties are now in the red zone on the state’s color-coded map for infections. But the state continues to move forward on plans for a full return to in-person schooling over the next couple of weeks. Justice noted that education officials are readying contingencies but hope more students will get vaccinated to keep outbreaks and illnesses at bay. Prizes of $50,000 will be awarded to the 12 school across the state with the highest vaccination rates.

Dr. Bill Crouch, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Resources, said 31 percent of students age 12-plus still haven’t gotten the vaccine.

“Our kids desperately need to go back to school,” Justice said. “If this thing continues to get worse and worse and worse, there is a possibility of having to pivot and do a lot of different things.”

The last and final Do-It-For-Babydog vaccination sweepstakes is slated for Tuesday with a $1.58 million cash prize and a second $588,000 cash prize set to be awarded along with trucks and college scholarships. Those who have received at least one shot have until Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. to register for the final drawings.

Mariners Don't Renew MLB Affiliate Status for West Virginia Power Baseball Team

The West Virginia Power will no longer maintain an affiliation with Major League Baseball.

The announcement on Wednesday came after the Seattle Mariners made a decision on reducing the number of minor-league affiliates across the country. The team had been one of Seattle’s Low-Class A affiliates in its South Atlantic League since 2019.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito issued a statement about the MLB announcement, calling it “disappointing.” She said she was committed to finding new partnerships that would eventually bring professional baseball back to the state’s capital.

“The decision to cut the West Virginia Power’s affiliation with MLB is disappointing and marks the end of a long and storied tradition. However, this is not the end of baseball in Charleston,” she said. In fact, I have been given the assurance by the MLB that we will have baseball in our state’s capital city. As I have throughout this entire process, I will continue to work with the teams, the cities, MLB, and everyone else involved to form partnerships that will enable families to hear ‘Play Ball’ again at Power Park.”

Capito’s U.S. Senate counterpart, Joe Manchin, also pledged in a statement that baseball wasn’t over in the city.

“West Virginia’s baseball teams are pillars of our communities, providing countless West Virginians with quality family time and a lifetime appreciation for the American pastime,” Manchin said. “I have fought for over a year to save our teams across the state, and I am saddened that the West Virginia Power did not receive an invitation to be an affiliate from the minor league system. While this news is disappointing, I will continue to work with the West Virginia Power, MLB, and other parties to find a home for the Power for the 2021 season. This isn’t the end of baseball in Charleston, and I look forward to seeing our team play again soon.”

Gov. Jim Justice expressed optimism that all was not lost for the team to return to playing next year.

“Obviously, there still remain financial obstacles between the owners of the West Virginia Power and the MLB. As recently as this afternoon, we were on the phone with Major League Baseball and we are continuing our steadfast work with the city, county, team owners, and the MLB,” Justice said in a statement. “We have been assured by the MLB that this situation is going to get resolved and that professional baseball will be played in Charleston in 2021.”

Justice added: “As I’ve said before, I truly believe that Minor League Baseball is a critical part of West Virginia’s future. I am confident that the Power will prove what a fantastic partner they can be and we will all continue to work this until there is a solution.”

West Virginia has been home to four Minor League Baseball affiliated teams. Two of those teams, in Bluefield and Princeton, will join the MLB and Baseball USA-supported Prospect Development Pipeline.

This league is aimed at young college athletes. The Morgantown Black Bears will be part of a newly formed league consisting of five teams mostly made from the former New York-Penn League.

Three W.Va. Counties Will Be Remote, Virtual School This Week

The West Virginia Department of Education announced that Boone, Harrison and Upshur counties, which were in the orange zone on the state’s color-coded map, will not be open for in-person instruction the week of Oct. 5-9.

The West Virginia Department of Education announced that three counties will be remote learning-only for the week of Oct. 5-9. State officials rolled out updated data Saturday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m.Boone, Harrison and Upshur counties, which were in the orange zone on the state’s color-coded map, will not be open for in-person instruction this week. No counties were in the red category, but other counties shifted in their color zones.They included:

Taylor County, which moved from gold to green with a positivity percent of less than 3 percent over a 14-day average. The state noted that Taylor received assessment on a 14-day versus a seven-day average “due to the number of total cases in the seven-day average being below 20.

Wyoming County, which moved from gold to yellow, with a positivity percentage less than 4 percent over a 14-day average.

And Brook County, which moved from yellow to green “using the percent positivity rate due to data validation and update to county of residence.

Red (Substantial Community Transmission): Remote-only learning mode. No extracurricular competitions or practices are permitted. Staff may report to their schools, as determined by the county. Essential support services, including special education and meals, will continue. Counties in red: None.

Orange (Heightened Community Transmission): Remote-only learning mode. Extracurricular practices may occur, however, competitions may not. Staff may report to their schools, as determined by the county. Essential support services, including special education and meals, will continue. Counties in orange include: Boone, Harrison and Upshur.

Gold (Elevated Community Transmission): In-person instruction is allowed with restrictions including face coverings at all times for grades 3-12. Extracurricular activities are permitted and competitions can take place against schools within the same county as well as schools in other gold counties. Counties in gold include: Barbour, Berkeley, Doddridge, Jackson, Kanawha and Randolph.

Yellow (Increased Community Transmission): School may be held for in-person instruction. Extracurricular practices and competitions may occur. Health and safety precautions include, at a minimum, face coverings at all times for grades six and above. Please refer to your county for specific face covering requirements. Counties in yellow include: Grant, Lincoln, Mingo, Nicholas, Putnam, Summers, Wayne and Wyoming.

Green (Minimal Community Transmission): School may be held for in-person instruction. Extracurricular practices and competitions may occur. Health and safety precautions include, at a minimum, face coverings in grades three and above when students are outside of core groups and in congregant settings and on school buses. Please refer to your county for specific face covering requirements. Counties in green include: Braxton, Brooke, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Jefferson, Lewis, Logan, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Pendleton, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Raleigh, Ritchie, Roane, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Webster, Wetzel, Wirt and Wood.

All schools, both public and private, are expected to adhere to the WVDE’s re-entry map to guide in-person instruction and extracurricular activities.Updates to the map are announced each Saturday at 5 p.m. and will be in effect until the following Saturday at the same time, according to the WVDE. The only exception would be if a county turns red during the week. If this happens, the change would be made immediately to the map, according to the WVDE, and all in-person instruction and extracurricular and athletic activities would be suspended.As of Saturday morning, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reports 16,468 total cases of the virus and 357 deaths, including new reports of an 86-year old woman from Fayette County and an 82-year old woman from Kanawha County.