Katherine's Writing Portfolio

  CHARLESTON, W.Va . — A highly-acclaimed Charleston-based chef is now adding one of the most prestigious culinary arts awards in the country to his repertoire and making West Virginia history. Chef Paul Smith walked away with the title of ‘Best Chef: Southeast’ Monday night, part of the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards that takes place annually in Chicago. It marks the first year a chef has ever won the award from West Virginia and much less been nominated. “Two words that have never been mentioned here before–West Virginia,” Chef Paul said as he accepted the prestigious award Monday night. And there was an uproar from the hundreds of area residents after it was announced that Smith had won. They had gathered for a watch party at Capitol Market in downtown Charleston Monday night to show their support for Smith.  Capitol Market Executive Director Evan Osborn said Chef Paul is a staple in the local culinary arts community, and it was only right for him to be t...

  CHARLESTON, W.Va.   — Skilled young athletes from around the continent are currently paying a visit to the Mountain State and vying to be the next top table tennis champion. The 2023 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pan American Youth Championship kicked off at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center Sunday and will go through July 30. It’s a joint series of table tennis tournaments showcasing the top 166 Pan American athletes from 21 participating countries, including not only the U.S. but Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Trinidad. The event is hosted in collaboration with ITTF Americas and USA Table Tennis (USATT), the national governing body of the sport that falls underneath the umbrella of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic committee. USATT CEO Mark Thompson told MetroNews that the youth championships feature two divisions, Under 15 and Under 19 age groups, all of whom commit most of their lives to participating in the discipline. “I thi...

  BLUE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va.   — Groups are coming together in celebration over the revival of a more than 180-year-old pavilion at a Greenbrier County Spring longtime boasting healing property. The Greenbrier County Historical Society and the Friends of the Blue Committee, as well as other historical organizations and community members gathered Saturday at Blue Sulphur Springs near Smoot for a formal dedication ceremony of the recently restored pavilion. With the help from private and state funding, such as through Historic Preservation Development Grants through the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History, restoration on the pavilion is officially complete after 10 years of work getting it there. “I went down to it when they were in the process of starting and what they’ve completed there is amazing, we’re very, very happy for them, for the state, the history of going to the Sulphur Springs,” Curator for the Department of Arts, Culture and History, Randall Re...

  CHARLESTON, W.Va. —   A local environmental protection group is opposing West Virginia International Yeager Airport’s proposal to extend a runway. The Facebook group,  Save Coonskin Park!  is concerned the proposed project will negatively impact the park, as the runway would extend into its property through mountaintop removal. “It would end up kind of looking like a mountaintop removal coal mine site that would then be used as fill dirt to fill in the valley to extend the runway into the park,” said Jeremy Severn, a spokesperson with the Save Coonskin Park group. In an effort to get the word out about the issue, the group plans to host a “Grab and Go” information day this Sunday at the park and will answer community questions about the proposal. They will give directions to the threatened areas the project would affect, such as hiking trails like The Grotto. The group asserts that the Airfield, Safety, and Terminal Improvement Project — a push by the FAA and the C...

  CHARLESTON, W.Va . — More travel and tourism opportunities are coming to the Mountain State with the arrival of Breeze Airways. Governor Jim Justice joined state and Charleston city officials Tuesday to announce West Virginia International Yeager Airport’s new partnership with the low cost carrier that will be connecting flights to five cities over the next two years. Starting May 31, the airline will offer nonstop, twice-weekly flights to Orlando, Florida year-round, and summer seasonal service to Charleston, South Carolina. Dominique Ranieri, WV International Yeager Airport Director and CEO Yeager Airport’s Director and CEO, Dominque Ranieri, said following Tuesday’s announcement that Breeze is an expansion opportunity for everyone involved. “This is a huge expansion of air service, and it’s so great not only for our residents, but also for all of those people who have not yet experienced Almost Heaven West Virginia that will be able to  travel here on an affordable flight...

  September 23, 2022 NUTTALLBURG, WV (WOAY) – Another bygone yet remarkably preserved coal mining town tucked away along the New River is Nuttallburg. After discovering coal in the area in 1870, English entrepreneur and pioneer John Nuttall saw the vast opportunities for mining there and thus began his development of the area. It housed workers mining coal sold to the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, along with eventually becoming the second mining town out of nearly 50 in the New River Gorge to ship the famous “smokeless” coal. By the turn of the century, the town was bustling with life and development, even attracting the attention of Henry Ford as a place for business expansion until 1928. Passing through three other owners after Ford, all production ceased in 1958 and the town fell silent. “Nuttallburg is probably the most nationally significant in the park and that’s because of its connection with Henry Ford. Ford actually leased the mines from 1920 until 1928 and built a state-of...

  July 11, 2022 CHARLESTON, WV (WOAY) – On January 22, 1973, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision holding that the 14th amendment of the Constitution provides a fundamental “right to privacy,” and it protects women’s right to abortion. Subsequently, this became known as the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Despite much criticism, the Supreme Court upheld Roe for decades following, even reaffirming its viability in the 1992 decision on Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Just a couple of weeks ago, however, the nearly 50-year-old decision was abandoned in a blink of an eye when the high court ruled against it in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. It sparked a splitting uproar of celebration and controversy between the two political parties, each having its own strongly-held beliefs on the issue. “Women and pregnant people need abortion care, whether it’s any sort of excuse it doesn’t matter, people don’t have to explain their healthcare decisions and that’s what we want p...

  DANIELS, WV (WOAY) – It’s that time of year again, to prepare for 12 nights of pure terror. The award-winning Fright Nights haunted attraction is back at the Resort at Glade Springs for its 13th year. Last year, being named one of the top 45 haunted attractions by the Haunted Attraction Association, among other accreditations and accolades for best in terrifying, the resort is ready to outdo themselves in spook once again. “We beat everybody out with ratings and we became #1 in the state against all of the other haunted houses and that felt great but man it put on the pressure,” Creative Director at the resort, Ashley Long says. “So, this year we’ve worked really hard around the clock to bring some new ideas, some new scenes, and some new haunts here to Fright Nights.” Fright Nights comes complete with five horrifying themes. In a series of mini haunted attractions, they include Ghost Town, Camp Kill-a-me, Freak Show, Hexed, and brand new this year– the House of Wax. While the at...