The West Virginia National Guard is sharing encouraging news about the recovery of Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe. In a video update, the Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Jim Seward, joined Wolfe’s mother to thank the public for supporting Wolfe and the family of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who died in the same shooting incident. Leaders say Wolfe’s progress has exceeded doctors’ expectations, and his mother reports he’s now off sedation and more alert. The family continues to ask for prayers for both the Wolfe and Beckstrom families, and for all National Guard members still serving in Washington, D.C.

Two University of Charleston seniors have been selected for the prestigious 2025 Judith A. Herndon Fellowship, giving them a front-row seat to West Virginia’s legislative session. Each year, only 10 college students statewide are chosen to work directly with lawmakers during the 60-day session.

UC’s Maliah McCann-Coles of Hurricane and Abbi Roberts of Proctorville, Ohio, will both graduate this spring with political science degrees. McCann-Coles is a Rhodes Scholarship finalist and standout student-athlete, while Roberts leads several campus organizations, including the Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society.

UC has now had nine Herndon Fellows in the past decade.

The West Virginia Legislature opened its interim session Sunday with a focus on fixing the state’s troubled Child Protective Services system.
Members of the Joint Judiciary Committee heard from Senator Vince Deeds and Delegate Adam Burkhammer, who outlined two proposals aimed at improving CPS transparency and accountability following a critical federal audit.

One bill would launch a pilot program requiring CPS workers to use iPads or similar devices with checklists that must be completed before leaving a home visit. The lawmakers say it could save time and reduce errors for under $10 million.

A second proposal would pair new CPS workers with retired state troopers who have relevant experience, offering mentorship and oversight.

Interim meetings continue at the Capitol through Wednesday.

The City of Huntington will offer free on-street parking during the two weekends leading up to Christmas. There will be no charge to park in downtown Huntington on Friday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 13, along with Friday, Dec. 19, and Saturday, Dec. 20, according to a news release. The free parking spans from 16th Street to Eighth Street and from Veterans Memorial Boulevard to Fifth Avenue.

A powerful weather system that slowed down over the Carolinas brought the Charleston–Huntington region its biggest December snowstorm since 2020. Most of the area picked up 3 to 8 inches — more snow than the past three Decembers combined. Roads, driveways and sidewalks could be icy for the Tuesday morning commute, and several schools have announced delays or cancellations. A Weather Alert remains in effect through mid-morning.

Travel improves Tuesday afternoon, but more wintry weather is likely late week, including another round of accumulating snow Thursday night into Friday.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is encouraging New Yorkers not to oversalt treatment surfaces this winter, given the negative health and environmental impacts that come from salt runoff. The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton joined state Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez and other officials at the Warren County Department of Public Works building on Monday to promote the DEC’s “Don’t be Salty” campaign.

The Adirondack Rail Trail Association announced on Monday that it received just over $99,000 in a federal grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission’s Catalyst Program Grant. With the Adirondack Rail Trail officially opening in full in October, this $99,001.92 award is slated to help pay for various measures aimed at better integrating the rail trail with the communities it runs through, reports the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

A female Saranac Lake Police officer is suing the department, the village and the former police chief in federal court for alleged sexual harassment and retaliation from 2021 to 2023. The Adirondack Daily Enterprise reports Officer Gabrielle “Gabby” Buckley, formerly Gabby Beebe claims the department leadership created a “hostile work environment” with a “boys club atmosphere” including sexually derogatory nicknames and comments. When another officer filed a complaint about these alleged violations, which Buckley testified in, the lawsuit says she faced stalking, breaches of her personal information and retaliation by the village.

Fire officials say two families safely escaped after a fire broke out at a double-wide trailer. WBOC reports the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office says the fire happened on Dec. 8, around 6:30 a.m., on Roe Ingleside Road, near Centreville. Investigators say it was caused accidentally by an electrical failure inside the master bedroom wall. Officials say one person woke up to the smell of smoke and notified the other occupants. A neighboring trailer sustained fire damage.

A 39-year-old man was killed early Sunday morning in a rollover crash in Denton. The Star Democrat reports
Robert Rowland Jr., of Church Hill, was pronounced dead on scene of a single-car crash near Greensboro Road and Adams Landing Road just before 2 a.m. Sunday. Rowland was in the front passenger’s seat, police said. The driver, 44-year-old Michael Steinberg, of Dunkirk, was transported to a nearby hospital in Delaware in serious condition. Investigators determined Steinberg was driving south on Greensboro Road when his vehicle, “for unknown reasons, left the roadway, and entered the front yard of a residence on Greensboro Road.”
The car overturned and then struck trees before coming to a rest, police said.