Brian Bergstrom

The commission meets Thursday with a relatively light agenda. Here’s what I’m watching.

One of West Virginia’s most visited scenic spots will be closed until July as crews replace a pedestrian bridge at the Cooper’s Rock overlook.

From potential addressing changes to a water plant property acquisition, Thursday’s Buckhannon City Council meeting agenda has a few items worth watching.

December 1 marks the first day of meteorological winter, but the winter solstice doesn’t arrive until December 21. Here’s why we have two “official” starts to winter — and why it actually makes sense.

Forget the food and the gifts. The real holiday tradition is family conflict: A West Virginia University professor says holiday gatherings can resurrect childhood roles and dormant tensions. She offers strategies to keep the focus on gratitude rather than conflict.

As “Wicked: For Good” releases this weekend, a WVU vocal specialist explains why “Defying Gravity” is a full-body athletic event that takes years of training to master.

Several speakers urged the Upshur County Board of Education to keep Rock Cave Elementary open during Tuesday’s regular meeting. A board of state-appointed officials will vote on the closure on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office will place a full-time deputy at Hodgesville Elementary School until January 2026 after a Buckhannon man charged with threatening to shoot students was released on GPS home confinement following a guilty plea.

One after another, dozens of speakers stepped to the podium for nearly four hours Thursday night with the same message for state officials: Don’t close our school. The community rallied, teachers pushed back, students showed what’s at stake. The vote comes November 20.

Rescue crews found the body of foreman Steve Lipscomb Thursday inside the Rolling Thunder Mine after he went missing Nov. 8 when a pocket of water flooded part of the mine. Teams pumped thousands of gallons per minute during the search.

After listening to community feedback during a public hearing, Buckhannon officials approved a three-step water rate increase that will raise rates about 62% by 2028 to help pay for a new $47 million water treatment plant. Just one person outright opposed the measure.

A Rock Cave Elementary teacher’s memory of her own childhood kindergarten classroom reminds us why schools matter. One child’s love of learning — and a teacher’s belief — show how education creates possibility and shapes our future.