Huntington Story Archives - Page 37 of 38 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Wild Ramp Continues to Succeed in Huntington

Since opening in July 2012 the farmers market in downtown Huntington has injected nearly $350,000 back into the Huntington community.

Charles Barton sells organic lamb meat at the Wild Ramp local foods market in downtown Huntington. The farmer from Bakerton, West Virginia in the Eastern Panhandle is the perfect example of why the small market has succeeded.

“They were looking for people to join in and I was looking for a market I could be comfortable with and besides it gets me home more, Huntington is my home,” Barton said.

From July 2012, when the market opened, to December 2013, the market has paid more than 345 thousand dollars to a total of 121 farmers and producers. Shelly Keeney is the Market Manager.

Keeney said they have been surprised at how a small idea has turned into something that so many in the area depend on for locally grown food. She said they didn’t expect it.

“What surprises me is the amount of customer support, not just customers coming in buying product, but the business support we’ve gotten from businesses that surround us and now we have the attention of the agriculture department as well because it’s gone really well,” Keeney said.

It’s that support from city of Huntington officials and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture— and the need for more space– that made the Wild Ramps want to expand. After having their bid selected by the city to take over the Central City Market in Huntington’s west end, the market is preparing for a spring move that will provide much more space than they are used to. Gail Patton is the President of the Board of Directors for the Market.

“We have outgrown this space very quickly, we actually outgrew it a year ago and have been thinking about moving for a while now and we decided to go for it and see if we could get a bigger building with better access,” Patton said.

The larger space in the Central City market will allow them to work with farmers on techniques for season extension so they can produce more into the cold months and will allow for others things such as classes.

“One of the big ones is we’ll be able to have classes right in the store, we’ll be able to have cooking demonstrations and cooking classes, we’ll be able to have gardening classes out behind the building and we’ll be able to expand what we can do onsite, now we’re having those classes, but always having to find somewhere to have them,” Patton said.

Patton says with the support they have from the community the move will work.

Homeless Coalition Welcomes Donation of Heating-Air Units

Some residents in apartments at the Cabell-Huntington Coalition for the Homeless got an early Christmas present this week.

Nine of the 54 efficiency style apartments at the Vanity Fair space at the Coalition received heating and air units this week. The units that were picked were ones with heating and air units that currently have to be held together with a mix of different parts.

The units came from Honeywell, a corporation specializing in technologies that include heating and air conditioning units. Bob Hansen is Executive Director of the homeless coalition.

“This complex was built and renovated in 1992 and just maintaining it through the years has been difficult,” Hansen said.

“We’re a small non-profit so we’re living day-to-day so this is just a big boost for us because the people that live here deserve the best living conditions and that’s what we’re striving for.”

Volunteers from Honeywell from all over the region came together to put in the 9 units. They installed the new single heating and air units in each of the 9 residents that were deemed to be the worst at the facility.

Alexis Jewell is a resident at the facility.

“My air conditioner and heater has not been working, so I have had cold air in the winter and hot air in the summer, so it’s greatly appreciate,” Jewell said.

“It is very nice because I’m from South Mississippi so it’s always colder than what I’m use to.”

Hansen said the nine apartments were in desperate need of new units.

“What we’ve been doing is just maintaining our old units, really they’re very inefficient, what we’ve been doing is kind of taking units apart and moving parts and trying to keep things going, kind of like using band aids to keep everything functional,” Hansen said.

Hansen said it’s important to provide a caring atmosphere year-round, not just around the holidays.

Cabell Board Members Tour Multi-Million Dollar Facility

Cabell County Board of Education Members gathered yesterday morning at the site of the brand new Huntington East Middle School for a tour.Huntington East…

Cabell County Board of Education Members gathered yesterday morning at the site of the brand new Huntington East Middle School for a tour.

Huntington East Middle will house students from the current Beverly Hills and Enslow Middle Schools. The $24 million facility sits on top of a hill just off route 60 outside of Huntington. As time nears for students to enter the facility in January, board members gathered to get their first look.

Mike O’Dell was the tour guide yesterday, he’s the Assistant Superintendent of Operations in Cabell County. He led the group on a tour that took nearly an hour and a half. Winding his way around a facility that will house nearly 800 students as the two middle schools combine, O’Dell said the construction has been exciting.

“This one has been fun, it’s probably been one of the smoothest projects I’ve been involved with, but it’s been exciting because it’s different from any other project, this building is literally going to be a teaching tool being a LEED silver green school,” O’Dell said.

LEED silver is one of the many rating systems given by the United States Green Building Council. It means many of the programs involved in the school from tracking power usage and the amount of water runoff from the property, along with using only recycled materials in the cafeteria and creating a compost system, qualify the school for the ranking. William Smith is Superintendent of Cabell County Schools, he said the certification is one of the things that makes this school special.

“One of the things I think is special is it of course is a green school and we’ve incorporated that technique into the curriculum, so the students are looking at green technology and conservation and things that relate to them in the real world and that’s going to be a major teaching tool,” Smith said.

O’Dell said it’s been special to be a part of the construction of a facility that can take education in Cabell County to the next level. The school will include green learning into the curriculum and all the different types of technology will be available to the students.

Huntington East Middle will welcome students for the first time on January 8^th^. The three grades will have staggered arrivals so each grade can become acclimated to their new surroundings. But that doesn’t mean everything is ready for students to walk through the door, at least not yet.

O’Dell said he’s looking forward to seeing the faces of the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders on their first day in the building.

“Because I think they’re going to love it, this is one of the finest facilities that we have in the county and much nicer than the facilities they’re coming from, but there is nothing like the reality of coming into a brand new building,” O’Dell said.

The school was constructed through a combination of funding awarded by the state School Building Authority and county money.

Herd to Battle for East Division Title

Marshall Football will finish the regular season Friday at noon against East Carolina University.

With the winner of the game winning the East Division and a spot in the following weekend’s Conference USA Championship game, Friday’s noon kick-off is quite possibly the biggest game at Joan C. Edwards Stadium has seen in more than a decade. In 2002, Huntington played host to the Mid-American Conference Championship that Marshall won. Both the East Carolina Pirates and the Thundering Herd enter the contest with 6-1 conference records. Marshall Head Coach Doc Holliday said this is what everyone has been looking forward to.

"I came here and took this job for the opportunity to play for championships," Holliday said.

“I came here and took this job for the opportunity to play for championships and that’s what this fan base wants and that’s what you all want, that’s what the town, the city and the school, that’s what everybody wants and here we are,” Holliday said.

ECU’s overall record, however, is a game better than the Herd’s at 9-2 compared to 8-3. Holliday said they are good football team.

Both teams rank near the top of the conference in most offensive categories. Marshall ranks number one in total offense with ECU at number two and ECU ranks first in passing with Marshall just a step behind at second in the conference, but Holliday said it’s not just the offense that makes ECU a worthy competitor.

“They’re a very talented team that we have to make sure we do a good job preparing for,” Holliday said.

“If you look at their defense they’re very athletic, kind of similar to us if you look at them, they’ve made great improvements with their defense and they’re very athletic.”

The winner of the Friday afternoon matchup will take on one of three teams from the West Division, Rice, Tulane or the University of Texas San Antonio depending on the outcomes of games this weekend.

Senior Cornerback Monterius Lovett will be honored before Friday’s kick-off on Senior-day along with many of his graduating teammates. He said he understands what this game means for team, university and community.

“It’s going to mean a whole lot, they deserve it, it’s been I think 11 years since we have won a championship and we’ve never won a championship in Conference USA so yeah it’s going to be a great feeling and I know our fans are going to have our back,” Lovett said.

Senior Defensive End Alex Bazzie said the predicted cold temperatures or large crowd won’t affect ECU, so the Herd has to be ready.

“You just have to find a way to slow them down and find a way where they have to start going to different plays and not the plays they want to run, you’ve got to find a way to take them off track,” Bazzie said.

The site of the 2013 Conference USA Championship game goes to the school with the best conference record. In the event of a tie the higher team in the Bowl Championship Series Rankings will host the matchup. A Herd win could possibly bring that championship game back to Huntington and Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Huntington Prep and Head Coach Rob Fulford tip-off 5th season

High school basketball powerhouse Huntington Prep tipped-off its fifth season last night in Huntington.Rob Fulford grew up in Mullens, West Virginia. A…

High school basketball powerhouse Huntington Prep tipped-off its fifth season last night in Huntington.

Rob Fulford grew up in Mullens, West Virginia. A town known for its basketball prowess to those involved with the sport around the state. Its home to the D’Antoni family and former Marshall great and current Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Mike D’Antoni and others like Jerome Anderson who had a short stint in the NBA.

“Just coming from Mullens, it’s just different, we’re extremely competitive in everything we do, we can go on and on about just how competitive that town is and the county really, but Mullens more so than the county,” Fulford said.

Fulford is the Head Coach for Huntington St. Joseph’s Prep. It’s a prep basketball team that Fulford established at the private catholic school located in downtown Huntington. In just the 5^th season the team is recognized on a national scale and spent much of last season ranked first in the nation. The team only plays a national schedule and doesn’t compete with in-state schools. Fulford said the success is something he never expected when he decided pharmaceutical sales wasn’t for him and coaching basketball was.

"It's the competitive nature of it all, I always wanted to coach," Fulford said.

“It’s the competitive nature of it all, I always wanted to coach, I was in pharmaceutical sales and made a ton of money and I just hated the job. So got out of that and started coaching and I don’t make any money, but I love it and I think it’s just my up-bringing,” Fulford said.

Fulford started at Mountain State Academy in Beckley where he established a prep school. There he was able to recruit basketball talent from around the country and world to southern West Virginia. After 4 years there and dwindling opportunities, he decided things had to change. The next step was to move things to Huntington. In a new city, things have blossomed for Fulford and Huntington Prep where stars like last years number 1 overall recruit Andrew Wiggins have shined.

Fulford said the biggest challenge in establishing the program hasn’t been the national recognition, getting recruits or getting his kids into reputable college programs, but it’s the community’s lack of interest or confusion about what the program is about.

“I think it’s gradually going away because they understand the type of kids that we’re getting, they’re good kids, high character kids, they’re great academic kids and I think it’s taken some time for people to grasp what the program is. I think our involvement with St. Joe has helped the community support,” Fulford said.

Fulford thinks things may begin to change this season as they’ll play more home games in the Huntington area. Over the first four seasons they’ve played homes games at a variety of gyms in the area that allowed for bigger crowds than St. Joseph’s gym would allow. This year he says they’ll play some games in the small St. Joe gym and others at the Civic Arena downtown after establishing an agreement with Huntington Mayor Steve Williams. Fulford is excited to see if his team can live up to expectations they’ve set for themselves over the past four seasons.

“The expectations are obviously high, but I think people in the community and really ourselves are anxious to see what this team will do and how they respond because they’ve heard it. That’s all they’ve heard since they’ve arrived in Huntington, is how do you compare to last year’s team,” Fulford said.

He said the ultimate goal is to be the best team in the country.

“We had a really good team last year and we were preseason number one in a few polls and I think we’ll be preseason 1-5 this year in some polls and that’s our ultimate goal is to win a national championship and to continue to bring in high character kids that make the state proud,” Fulford said.

Wednesday night Huntington Prep took care of Bluefield College’s Junior Varsity team, 99 to 52.

Couples file lawsuit in federal court in Huntington for same-sex marriage rights

The fight for same-sex marriage has come to West Virginia with a lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court in Huntington. Currently the state defines…

The fight for same-sex marriage has come to West Virginia with a lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court in Huntington. Currently the state defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Three same-sex couples filed suit yesterday morning in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. The lawsuit seeks the freedom to marry for three couples all from the surrounding Huntington area. One of those couples is Justin Murdock and William Glavaris. Murdock said they are glad to see things start to happen.

“We feel hopeful and obviously this is a big step and I am happy that this step has come to West Virginia and I think it’s about time. With the legal challenges I’ll be the first one to tell you that I don’t understand all of them, but I trust our lawyers and I know they’ve come here for a reason and their confidence makes me confident,” Murdock said.

The three couples are represented by Lambda Legal, a national organization seeking equality and pro bono by co-counsels from the Tinney Law Firm and Jenner and Block. Their reasoning is simple they said, to get the same rights afforded to marriages that include a man and a woman in the state.

Casey Willits is the Executive Director of Fairness West Virginia and says it’s a big day in the state.

“The effort to win freedom to marry has really come home to the Mountain State, it is now an issue in federal court here in West Virginia and that provides the way forward for LGBT West Virginian’s, particularly for same-sex couples who want to get married to protect their family and protect their relationship, but it really brings home the effort right here to the Mountain State,” Willits said.

Willits said he sees no better time than right now to file this type of suit in the state.

“I think the state is ready to acknowledge that in the federal constitution that there are these equal liberties and these protections. I think they’re ready to hear that truly it is only fair to provide the freedom to marry to all West Virginia couples,” Willits said.

Beth Littrell is an attorney for Lambda Legal in its Southern Regional Office. She said they have fought successful cases in Iowa and California, but have also had cases that didn’t go their direction. She says they are confident that the environment is right for their case to be successful in West Virginia.

“We think that West Virginia is a place in which the values of fairness and liberty and especially freedom will ring in the courtrooms and we feel confident. We would not have brought this case if we didn’t think it was likely that we would win,” Littrell said.

The other two couples named in the lawsuit are Nancy Michael and Jane Fenton along with their six-year old son Drew and Casie McGee and Sarah Adkins.

Littrell said same-sex couples in the state deserve certain rights they do not currently receive. West Virginia law does not recognize same sex marriage. Additionally, the state legislature has never passed an anti-discrimination bill to protect gays and lesbians in the workplace and housing.

“This is a federal constitutional challenge and the United States Constitution guarantees certain protections and promises and West Virginians deserve those protections and promises, so we think the state in this lawsuit will be successful,” Littrell said.

Casie McGee said it as simple as wanting to be able to help those that have become family to them.

“As family you want to take care of each other and we just keep running into these road blocks,” McGee said.