Blennerhassett Island Bridge Opens

West Virginia Department of Transportation 2007 aerial photo.

Increasing the unity of the Mid-Ohio Valley was the central focus during the Blennerhassett Island Bridge opening ceremony Friday.

The opening of the 4,009-foot bridge, which spans the Ohio River over Blennerhassett Island, marks the final piece of Corridor D connecting Wood and Washington counties.

Watch bridge construction Quicktime Video | Windows Media Video
View bridge construction Gallery 01 | Gallery 02 | Gallery 03
View bridge opening ceremony Gallery 01 | Gallery 02
View bridge walk-run Gallery 01 | Gallery 02 | Gallery 03 | Gallery 04

(Is that me, or is that Ken Brady our art teacher?)

Upper Classmate and Brother Dies Unexpectedly

Gregory Lee Knotts, 48, of Parkersburg, died unexpectedly on June 11, 2008.

Gregg was born Sept. 26, 1959, in Parkersburg, the son of Lee and Nelva Gregg Knotts. He was a 1977 graduate of Parkersburg South High School and attended WVU-P. He was a former employee of GE Plastics, owner of Kanawha Paint Company and worked at PWP Plastics. He was a member of Grace Brethren Church.

Junior Classmate Dies in Automobile Accident

Timothy W. Hupp, 44, of Parkersburg died Monday, June 9, 2008, at Ruby Memorial Hospital as a result of injuries from an automobile accident.

He was born in Parkersburg, a son of Gerald Hupp of Cairo, W.Va., and Janet McMullen Balderson of Parkersburg. He worked at Woodridge Plantation and was also a mechanic. He attended Christian Baptist Church. He was an outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing and hunting.

Junior Classmate Dies at 45

Chester J. Richards, 45, of Parkersburg died June 9, 2008, at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

He was born in Mansfield, Ohio, the son of the late Chester F. and Polly Roberts Richards. He was a graduate of Parkersburg South High School in 1982 and had 22 years of service working in maintenance for the McDonald’s Restaurant in the Parkersburg traffic circle. Chester was an avid West Virginia Mountaineer and Marshall Thundering Herd football fan. He was a member of the Bethel Baptist Church.

Sophomore Classmate Dies at 43

Tina Marie McMullen Allman, 43, of Davisville, passed away May 28, 2008, at Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital.

She was born Nov. 13, 1964, in Parkersburg, daughter of the late Monetta Wilkinson Chaffin and stepdaughter of Kenneth Chaffin of Parkersburg.

Tina was a member of the Kanawha United Methodist Church and was employed at Cedar Grove Personal Care Home. She was a graduate of Parkersburg South High School. Tina was an amazing mother. Her children, her husband and her family were her life.

Editor’s Pick: Patriot Awards Assembly

2008 Parkersburg South Awards Assembly.

The 41st Parkersburg South High School Commencement Ceremony was held after the assembly at the Erickson All-Sports Facility. Photo courtesy of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel CU galleries.

Eschbacher Expected to Make Full Recovery

Parkersburg South High School Principal Tom Eschbacher successfully went through surgery Wednesday to remove a tumor from his brain and is expected to make a full recovery.

Eschbacher was admitted to St. Joseph’s Hospital last week after he collapsed and suffered a seizure. Doctors discovered a 5-6 inch tumor near the speech center of his brain and scheduled surgery for Wednesday morning to remove the mass.

The growth was removed without incident and Eschbacher was awake and aware throughout the more than 4-hour procedure, according to reports from the family via Wood County Schools officials.

Parkersburg South Slams PHS

Parkersburg South ousts PHS in AAA Region IV, Section 2 baseball tournament at City Park. Photo by Jeff Baughan

View more Parkersburg South and PHS baseball photos.

Parkersburg South had just two hits in the second inning, but took advantage of five walks to score six runs and the Patriots never looked back en route to registering a 12-2 five-inning triumph over Parkersburg High Wednesday night in the Class AAA Region IV, Section 2 baseball tournament at City Park.

The victory ousted PHS (11-12) from the double-elimination event, leaving unbeaten South (18-14) and one-loss Ripley (14-14) still standing. The Patriots play at 6 p.m. today at Ripley, where they won 5-3 on Monday. A South win tonight would end it all and advance the Patriots into the regional semifinals. However, a Viking victory would force a final, winner-take-all contest at 7 p.m. Friday back at City Park.

2008 PSHS Prom and Talent Show Galleries

Here’s some photo galleries from the 2008 Parkersburg South Prom and Talent Show. Let us know if any of these kids are yours! Be sure to tell us the photo gallery and picture number.

Prom Photo Gallery 01, | Gallery 02, | Gallery 03, | Gallery 04, May 3, 2008
Talent Show Photo Gallery 05, April 3, 2008

View more photo galleries when you visit the school’s Web site.

181° Flashback: Knotts Dances to Title

Twenty-seven years ago from today, left to right, Rick Freed shows off his Summer attire, Joey Knotts does his version of a Michael Jackson hit and Bryan Dodrill flies through the air during his ballet routine.

The fifth annual Mr. PSHS contest was sponsored by the forensics department, March 26. The first place winner of a $50 U.S. Savings Bond was Senior Joey Knotts with Senior Brian Dent and Junior Mike Dines trying for first runner-up.

– Patrian 81 Senior Yearbook, page 21.

Junior Classmates Dies at 44

Cynthia L. Douglas Greenberg, 44, died March 25, 2008, in Minnesota.

She was born March 24, 1964, in Parkersburg, to Arthur Leslie and Donna Jean Douglas. She graduated from Parkersburg South High in 1982, moved to Maplewood, Minn., and graduated from Lakewood Community College in 1992 with her RN degree, with honors. She had been employed at Gillette Children’s Hospital and at Whispering Pines Resort, both in Minnesota.

Alumna Gets Miss USA Las Vegas Sendoff

Miss West Virginia USA and Parkersburg South graduate, Skylene Montgomery at her “Send off to Las Vegas” celebration and reception. Photo by Jeff Baughan

View photos from reception.
Watch WTAP Interview.
Watch clip from send-off party.
Watch swimsuit preliminary.

MINERAL WELLS — Skylene Montgomery of Mineral Wells is ready to take on the rest of the country at the Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas next month.

The 23-year-old brown-hair, hazel-eye beauty was crowned Miss West Virginia USA 2008 last year. She leaves for Las Vegas March 26 to vie for the crown against women from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

A “send off to Las Vegas celebration” was held for Montgomery Friday night at the Comfort Suites in Mineral Wells. About 150 friends and family stopped by to wish Montgomery well. Some brought gifts while others brought cards of congratulation.

Photographs of Montgomery, the daughter of Skylar and Darlene Montgomery of Mineral Wells, were placed throughout the room. She signed pictures of herself as Miss West Virginia USA and posed for photographs with her fans.

Junior Classmate Dies at 44

Dedra R. Ahart, 44, of Parkersburg passed away Monday, March 17, 2008, at Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital in Parkersburg.

Dedra was born Dec. 30, 1963, a daughter of Jack K. and Patricia Purcell Ahart of Parkersburg. Dedra was formerly employed by Parkersburg Billing Co.

Hillary Enjoys Local Layover in Parkersburg

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton makes a campaign stop at Belpre High School, in Belpre, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008.

Watch Hillary Clinton Belpre High School Rally.

Senator Hillary Clinton enjoyed her brief stay at the Blennerhassett Hotel and acted graciously toward its staff, said general manager Cecil Childress. Childress greeted Clinton and entourage at the front doors of the Blennerhassett around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, following her speech at Belpre High School.

A small crowd was outside and inside the hotel when Clinton arrived, but Childress said the night was “uneventful and low-key, the way we wanted it.”

Clinton, staff and Secret Service personnel almost immediately headed to their rooms for the night. A request was made for 50 rooms at the Blennerhassett, but Childress said only about 25 were available. The hotel delivered Hawaiian pizza and sandwiches to the rooms.

Parkersburg South Advances to State

Parkersburg South’s Amber Shreeves (23) and Ali Morris track down Ripley’s Alexis Kessel Tuesday during their Class AAA regional final game at Parkersburg High School. South advanced to next week’s West Virginia Class AAA state tournament with a 72-58 victory. Photo by Jeff Baughan

View more Parkersburg South vs Ripley photos.

Parkersburg South’s defense was definitely dandy Tuesday night in the No. 2-ranked Patriots’ 72-58 triumph over No. 10 Ripley for the Class AAA Region VI championship at PHS Memorial Fieldhouse. The Patriots wrapped up their fifth straight trip to the state high school girls basketball tournament next week in Charleston.

But South couldn’t put away the resilient Vikings (18-6) until the fourth quarter, despite having a 10-point advantage in the second stanza and a 14-point lead at 40-26 midway through the third period.

But back-to-back treys by Amber Shreeves and Kayla Ayers early in the final period enabled the Patriots to turn a shaky seven-point lead into a 13-point gap at 55-42 with 6:23 to play, and Ripley never got any closer than 12 after that