City of Wheeling Story Archives - Page 3 of 3 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Wheeling City Council Mulls Height Requirement for Buildings

The Wheeling City Council is considering an ordinance that would establish a three-story minimum building height for new structures in the downtown district.

City council members heard the first reading of the ordinance during a meeting Tuesday. Officials say the requirement would only apply to new buildings and doesn’t address the 10-story maximum height restriction.

Councilwoman Wendy Scatterday says a pleasant streetscape is an economic driver and none of the empty lots in area downtown were ever one-story buildings.

When asked if potential developers would have options in dealing with the requirement, Scatterday said they could apply for a variance through the Board of Zoning Appeals.

A final vote on the ordinance is expected May 16.

Wheeling Resident Takes On This Week's Piano Puzzler

This week’s contestant for the Performance Today Piano Puzzler hails from Wheeling, West Virginia.

Every week Bruce Adolphe re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a classical composer and a contestant tries to name the hidden tune, and name the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking.

Walt Warren from Wheeling is this week’s contestant. He joined the school band in 6th grade as a trumpet player. In high school he fell in love with classical music.

He’s currently very involved in community theatre in the Wheeling area, and served several times as music director, actor, and musical performer in plays. He’s also an instructor at Towngate Theatre in Wheeling, teaching music and acting classes for children.

Warren is a member and supporter of West Virginia Public Broadcasting. “I listen daily to Performance Today on WVNP Wheeling–part of the W.Va. Public Broadcasting network of stations.”

“It was great fun playing the Puzzler with Fred Child and Bruce Adolphe” Warren said. “Although my performance in guessing the tune and composer’s style left quite a bit to be desired, I still had a blast”.

Listen to the entire Piano Puzzler segment here:

Foundation Created to Stop Catholic High School From Closing

Parents, alumni and supporters of a Wheeling-area Catholic high school are asking for donations to try to keep the school open for the next school year.

The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register report that a 10-member committee is working on a five-year strategic plan to improve the financial stability of Bishop Donahue High School in McMechen.

The committee has also created the Save Bishop Donahue Foundation. Foundation President Norm Stenger says alumni from across the country have been active in supporting the community’s efforts. Organizers say donors will receive full refunds if the school does not re-open in the fall.

The Most Rev. Michael Bransfield last month announced the decision to close Donohue at the end of the academic year, citing declining enrollment as a chief issue.