Parsons Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Justice Highlights Closure Of Parsons Pharmacy

On Monday, Gov. Jim Justice sent an open letter to the president of Walgreens urging the company to reconsider their decision to close their location in Parsons, Tucker County.

Gov. Jim Justice is drawing attention to the planned closure of a pharmacy in the state.

On Monday, the governor sent an open letter to the president of Walgreens urging the company to reconsider their decision to close their location in Parsons, Tucker County.

In the letter, Justice said Mayor Bruce Kolsum “expressed deep distress over the impact” of the closure and that the manager of the Walgreens in question was unaware of the decision until recently.

During his weekly media briefing, Justice reiterated the impact the sudden closure will have on the community just as it is poised to connect to Corridor H.

“This community needs a Walgreens and needs a Walgreens really bad,” Justice said. “I’m gonna do everything I possibly can to try to urge the folks at Walgreens to keep it there, because I do believe that it will be tremendously successful going forward.”

Walgreens announced earlier this year it plans to close 150 locations across the country by August 2024.

Asked later in the briefing how he plans to address the closure, which may happen as soon as Dec. 14, Justice said he did not have an immediate solution.

“I really don’t know how we fill the void from a private entity closing, and I don’t know how we do that,” he said.

Justice once again highlighted Parsons’ proximity to the Corridor H currently under construction.

“This is a nationwide program that they’re closing down so many Walgreens across the nation and everything,” Justice said. “They ought to absolutely pay really close attention to the fact that a major artery in this nation is going right through the middle of this town.”

November 4, 1985: Flooding from Tropical Storm Juan

In the predawn hours of November 4, 1985, a large band of rain began forming from North Carolina to West Virginia. The storm was stronger than most because it was picking up moisture from Tropical Storm Juan, which had hit the Southeast just days before.

During the morning of the fourth, the front moved northward and pulled in additional moisture from the Atlantic. As the downpour intensified, West Virginia’s rivers began to rise. The rain finally began to let up after midnight on the fifth. But, the damage was done. Four to eight inches of rain had inundated the northern and eastern parts of the state, producing deadly flooding.

The Cheat, Greenbrier, Tygart Valley, Little Kanawha, and West Fork rivers along with the North and South Branches of the Potomac River all crested well above flood stage. The flooding devastated the towns of Parsons, Rowlesburg, Philippi, Marlinton, Glenville, Petersburg, and Moorefield. Despite heroic rescue efforts by first responders, 47 West Virginians died in the 1985 flood, with Pendleton and Grant counties suffering the most deaths. Many of the towns had to rebuild nearly from scratch, and some have never fully recovered.

Groundbreaking Held for Corridor H Section in West Virginia

State officials have hailed the start of construction on a new stretch of the four-lane Corridor H highway in West Virginia.

Gov. Jim Justice and state Transportation Secretary Tom Smith attended the groundbreaking Thursday for the 7.5-mile section that will stretch from the Randolph County community of Kerens to Parsons.

Justice also asked for support of a road bond referendum scheduled for Oct. 7. Justice says “there is no vote any bigger than this vote” and “no highway in this state that’s as important as that highway right there.”

Corridor H begins at the intersection of Interstate 79 and U.S. Route 33 near Weston. It would end at the junction of Interstates 81 and 66 in Front Royal, Virginia.

The referendum would issue bonds to support about $3 billion to repair and rebuild highways and bridges.