Writer BreeceD’J Pancake died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 8, 1979. The South Charleston native grew up in Milton, which became the fictionalized setting for many of his short stories.
A graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan and Marshall, Pancake taught at two military schools in Virginia before entering the University of Virginia’s Creative Writing Program, where he was influenced by authors James Alan McPherson, Peter Taylor, and Mary Lee Settle. He began writing human interest stories for a Milton newspaper and working on a series of short stories. His big breakthrough came in 1977, when the Atlantic Monthly published his story “Trilobites.”
West Virginia was a popular locale for Pancake’s tales. In addition to Milton, which he fictionalized as “Rock Camp,” he wrote about the southern coalfields, Huntington, the north-central mountains, and curvy roads like Route 60 across Gauley Mountain. His stories are stark, with ironic humor, featuring characters who are trapped either by forces beyond their control or by their own past.
A collection of his short stories was published in 1983, four years after his death, bringing Pancake widespread acclaim in literary circles.
The Mountaineer Opry House in Milton is set to close its doors permanently next month.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the new owner, medical provider Valley Health, will then take over the property. Eighty-three-year-old Larry Stephens has managed the bluegrass hotspot since 1991. He says the Opry House has to be off the property by June 19.
Stephens says the closing of the local landmark isn’t surprising considering it’s been on sale for several years. He says crowds have dwindled and there’s been pushback on even modest ticket prices. Stephens and his wife, Mary, will put on a few more shows before closing, including a free one this Saturday sponsored by the new owner.
West Virginia’s Division of Highways says it will take additional steps to increase safety in the Interstate 64 work zone between Milton and Hurricane.
Media reports say the steps were spurred by a rash of at least 25 crashes, including three fatalities. State transportation officials say the action will include increased police enforcement and enhanced signage.
Gov. Jim Justice directed Transportation Secretary Tom Smith and State Police Superintendent Jan Cahill to “go above and beyond” with efforts to enhance safety, while focusing more strongly on enforcement.
The Division of Highways says it has approved installing temporary rumble strips and corresponding signage that will be added at both ends of the project.
Additionally, there will be multiple law enforcement agencies enforcing the speed limit throughout the 20-mile project area.
Plantation owner Sampson Sanders died on June 21, 1849, at age 62, and was buried near Milton. At the time, Sanders, who is sometimes referred to as Saunders, was the largest landholder in Cabell County.
He owned large tracts on the Guyandotte and Mud rivers east of Barboursville and operated the largest flour mill in Cabell County. Saunders Creek, a Mud River tributary, is named for his family.
Sanders also owned at least 51 slaves, including men, women, and children, making him one of the largest slaveholders in Western Virginia and among the top three percent of slaveholders in the South before the Civil War. Upon his death, Sanders freed all his slaves, regardless of their ages.
Based on his will, the slaves were given cash, equipment, and legal assistance to start their new lives. The former slaves maintained the Sanders surname, migrated northward as a group, and settled in Cass County, Michigan.
Many of their descendants still live there today.
The story of Sampson Sanders’s slaves is one of the leading examples of manumission—or the freeing of slaves—in present West Virginia.
The Marshall University softball team is on a 16-game winning streak. Much of that success has come from senior and West Virginia native Morgan Zerkle, who has been selected to play for Team USA this summer.
Team USA, Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year, Top 50 Watch List by USA softball. These are just a few of the accolades that Morgan Zerkle received before the start of the 2017 softball season. As a captain of the Thundering Herd, Zerkle has led Marshall to a 25-4 record overall and a 9-0 record in Conference USA. Zerkle said she never expected this much success.
“Not really, when I was younger that was always a dream, but when you commit to Marshall University, you don’t necessarily think about what could happen after that,”Zerkle said. “You’re here and you’re going to college, you’re playing, but you don’t necessarily think about all the stuff that could happen after these four years, but they go by pretty quick.”
But for Zerkle, the story runs deeper than success on the field. She’s from Milton, just a short drive up I-64 from Huntington and Marshall University. Playing softball at Marshall has been a dream of Zerkle’s since she was young, she just never thought that she’d be quite this successful.
“Yeah, I definitely think it means a lot more when you’re representing your hometown area and giving others a hope that they can play at their home team school and still achieve national recognition,” Zerkle said.
Zerkle is a team captain for the Herd. And has starred in her previous three seasons on the team. Marshall Head Coach Shonda Stanton said Zerkle is the kind of player every head coach hopes for.
“She’s the epitome of all that you can accomplish here as a student athlete, she’s Miss Marshall, she’s on the top 50 watch list, she’s preseason player of the yea,” Stanton said.”So she’s getting all of these accolades and obviously has all these academic accolades as well, but she’ll be the first to tell you that she doesn’t achieve that stuff without everybody else.”
Besides batting well above 400, Zerkle has become known for stealing bases. During her junior year, she stole 28 bases — and that’s while missing 22 games with an ankle injury. In 2015 during her sophomore year, she led the nation in stolen bases with 47. She had a hit in 47 of the 50 games she played in and had a 27-game hitting streak at one time. This year, Zerkle has 29 stolen bases, with 23 games left in the season. Zerkle said it’s about helping her team.
“One of my biggest expectations was to finally win a conference championship and this year I think that we definitely have the team to do so,” Zerkles said. “And so far with the winning streak that we’re on, I think the team is coming together and looking good for us, so I think this might be the year.”
All of Zerkle’s on-field work led to her being selected to the USA Elite team last summer — a team of college stars selected to play against Team USA to get them ready for international competition. Zerkle’s performance on the USA Elite team led to her selection for Team USA for this coming summer as USA softball will compete in the World Cup. Zerkle said she understands that she has to work harder to get the attention on a national scale.
“No matter where you are and what you’re doing, you have to perform, at the tryouts if you don’t perform you don’t make it and being from here means they’re not going to look at you unless you really make a statement and I think that’s something I’ve had to like push myself to do, to make sure I get noticed because I’m from a smaller area,” Zerkle said.
Marshall travels to the University of Southern Mississippi this weekend for a series against the Golden Eagles.
Hundreds of people have applied for jobs with wholesale grocery distributor H.T. Hackney Co., which is opening its first warehouse in West Virginia.
State officials announced this week that the company is coming to Milton, creating an estimated 70 jobs. Officials didn’t say when actual hiring would begin or when the warehouse will open.
The Herald-Dispatch reports the company began accepting job applications Thursday at Milton City Hall. The positions to be filled include drivers and mechanics, office and warehouse workers, maintenance personnel and sales staff.
Among those who submitted applications was Huntington resident Richard Fricke. Fricke, who’s unemployed, says he has management experience and hopes to land a job with the company.
Knoxville, Tennessee-based H.T. Hackney stocks more than 30,000 different products and serves retailers in 22 states.
