MOUNT GAY, W.Va. — Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College has announced the appointment of Elizabeth Manuel as the college’s new Interim President.

Elizabeth A. Manuel has dedicated her career to increasing access to education and advancing student success initiatives throughout West Virginia. Beginning with a focus on economic and workforce development in some of the state’s most rural communities, she has spent more than two decades leading efforts to make higher education accessible, particularly for first-generation and low-income students.

Throughout her more than 25 years of experience, much of Manuel’s work has involved fiscal oversight and management of state and federal grants supporting educational programs and student initiatives. Her expertise includes grassroots community collaboration, securing funding for impactful programs, and expanding educational opportunities for students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Most recently, Manuel served as a K–12 administrator overseeing student affairs, operational initiatives, and infrastructure development. Before that role, she spent more than 15 years with the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, where she held numerous leadership positions.

During her tenure with the Commission, Manuel secured nearly $30 million in funding for student programs across the state, oversaw the system’s Division of Student Affairs, and served as a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet. Earlier in her career, she also held various leadership roles at Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College.

Manuel was named a Council Member for the West Virginia Council for Community & Technical College Education, serving on the coordinating body responsible for administering community and technical college education across the state. In addition, she has served on numerous boards and committees at both the state and national levels.

“Southern has a strong tradition of impacting lives through education,” said Manuel. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our dedicated faculty, staff, students, and community partners as we continue creating opportunities for the people and communities we serve.”

“Together we will continue building on the college’s mission of accessible, affordable, and high-quality education while ensuring our students remain at the center of everything we do,” she added.

She holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Marshall University and resides in Logan, West Virginia, where she remains active in her local community.

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UPDATE: Logan County Schools issued a statement Thursday afternoon, saying no more donations are needed for Logan Elementary.

“Because of your incredible response, we are currently at capacity and are unable to accept any additional donations at this time,” the statement said. “Please know that your willingness to help has made a meaningful difference for our students, staff and families as we move forward.”

LOGAN, W.Va. — The City of Logan is asking area residents to collect school supplies, after the city’s elementary school was damaged in a fire over the weekend.

The fire broke out shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday and was quickly contained by Logan Fire Department and other assisting departments. However, the school was heavily damaged, and Logan Elementary students will now be attending class at Logan Middle School.

In addition, nearly everything in the school was a total loss due to fire, smoke and water damage, including the school supplies students use. The city is asking people to donate items on the following list:

The Basics (because kids absolutely FLY through these):

• Pencils (Ticonderoga or similar)
• Erasers (pink or cap)
• Crayons (24-count boxes)
• Colored pencils
• Washable markers (classic colors)
• Highlighters
• Glue sticks
• Student scissors
• Teacher scissors
• Dry erase markers + erasers
• Plastic pencil boxes

Paper & Learning Supplies:

• Construction paper (assorted)
• White copy paper
• Cardstock (white & colors)
• Chart paper pads (the big ones they learn their letters on)
• Sticky notes (variety packs)
• Wide-ruled notebook paper

The Not-So-Fun But Very Necessary Stuff:

• Clorox/Lysol wipes
• Tissues
• Paper towels
• Hand sanitizer
• Baby wipes
• Trash bags

The Fun & Creative Things (because classrooms should feel magical):

• Tempera paint sets
• Paint brushes (class set)
• Play-Doh
• Craft sticks
• Craft glue (bottles)
• Stickers (reward/incentives)
• Prize box items
• Board games

Classroom Setup Helpers:

• Two-pocket folders
• Storage bins/baskets
• Stapler + staples
• Clear & masking tape
• Tape dispensers
• Laminating sheets
• Headphones (multipacks for devices/reading apps)
• Floor seating cushions or wobble seats
• Snacks (crackers, granola bars, etc.)

The city recommends sending items directly to the school at the following address:

Logan Middle School
Attn: Logan Elementary School
14 Wildcat Way
Logan, WV 25601

Both elementary and middle school students are on remote learning to allow school personnel time to prepare Logan Middle School to host both student bodies. Middle school students will return to the classroom on Tuesday, and elementary students will begin going to the middle school on Wednesday.

An open house will be held for elementary students and families from 4 to 6 p.m. next Tuesday to answer questions and give students a chance to familiarize themselves with the school.

More information about the return to the classroom can be found on the Logan County School Facebook page.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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LORADO, W.Va. — More than 500 coal miners in Logan County will lose their jobs in April, following an announcement by Greenbrier Minerals.

In a WARN notice filed with the state Friday, Greenbrier says it is idling seven Logan County mines due to “current adverse market conditions.” Those mines include:

• Toney Fork Surface Mine, Lorado, W.Va.
• Elk Lick Loadout, Lorado, W.Va.
• Powellton #1 Mine, Lorado, W.Va.
• Saunders Prep Plant, Lorado, W.Va.
• Lower War Eagle #1 Mine, Cyclone, W.Va.
• Muddy Bridge Mine, Davin, W.Va.
• Eagle No. 1 Mine, Lorado, W.Va.

The company said it is also planning layoffs at its Rich Creek/Lyburn Administrative Office.

The layoffs are expected to take effect April 14, or within 14 days thereafter. Approximately 530 jobs will be affected. All of the layoffs are expected to be permanent.

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LOGAN, W.Va. — Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College (Southern) is launching a comprehensive AI Readiness & Capacity Initiative, a four-year, institution-wide effort designed to advance the responsible integration of artificial intelligence across academic programs and student services. The initiative is supported by $1.8 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Grant Program.

“This significant investment allows Southern to intentionally and responsibly leverage artificial intelligence in ways that directly support our students and faculty,” said Dr. Corley Dennison, Interim President of Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College. “As a rural institution serving a high-need region, this initiative ensures our students are not left behind in a rapidly evolving technological landscape, while strengthening our capacity to deliver high-quality instruction and wraparound support services.”

Southern serves a rural, high-need region of Appalachia marked by low household income, limited educational attainment, and persistent barriers to college access and completion. A majority of Southern’s students are first-generation and low-income, many of whom balance coursework with work and family responsibilities. These challenges contribute to ongoing issues related to retention, completion, and access to consistent academic and student support services. The AI Readiness & Capacity Initiative is designed to directly address these challenges by leveraging AI to enhance teaching, learning, and institutional effectiveness.

A central focus of the initiative is improving teaching and learning through the integration of AI tools, AI-supported instructional strategies, and AI-related content in high-impact academic programs, including Nursing, Allied Health, Business, Information Technology, and General Education. Faculty will participate in a structured professional development model that begins with baseline AI literacy workshops and progresses to discipline-specific training. By year three of the initiative, Southern anticipates that at least 75 percent of faculty will be using AI-enabled strategies to deliver more personalized instruction, improve student engagement, and strengthen learning outcomes. In addition, the college will develop new AI-focused academic offerings, such as an AI foundations course or certificate, to prepare students for an evolving, technology-driven workforce.

The initiative also strengthens student support services and operational efficiency through targeted AI-driven innovations. Southern will implement a 24/7 AI-powered student services chatbot to provide real-time assistance, deploy a predictive early-alert analytics system to identify and support at-risk students, and pilot AI-assisted administrative tools to streamline internal processes. Together, these efforts are expected to increase access to timely student support, reduce staff workload, and improve overall responsiveness. As a result, the college projects an increase of at least five percentage points in first-year student retention by the end of the grant period.

To ensure ethical, sustainable, and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, Southern will establish a college-wide AI task force and develop a comprehensive AI policy framework. AI expectations and training will be embedded into ongoing professional development and new-hire orientation to ensure long-term institutional alignment. Continuous improvement will be guided by a robust evaluation plan that includes baseline data collection, annual assessments, a formal midpoint evaluation in year three, and a summative evaluation in year four. These evaluations will measure faculty AI adoption, student achievement, effectiveness of support services, operational improvements, and overall gains in institutional capacity.

By the conclusion of the AI Readiness & Capacity Initiative, Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College will have established a sustainable AI infrastructure, enhanced instructional quality, expanded student support systems, and developed a replicable model for responsible AI integration at rural community colleges. The initiative positions Southern as a regional leader in AI-driven educational innovation while expanding opportunity and improving outcomes for Appalachian learners and the communities the college serves.

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LOGAN, W.Va. — Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College has announced that its Surgical Technology Program has been granted continued accreditation through 2035 by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

This prestigious 10-year designation follows a successful site visit conducted last fall by the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting. The review team commended the program for not only meeting but exceeding national standards, citing exceptional leadership, curriculum design, and student achievement.

Under the direction of Professor Misha Herndon, Program Director, and Professor Meloney McRoberts, Clinical Coordinator, Southern’s Surgical Technology Program has become one of the region’s premier training programs for aspiring surgical technologists. Their leadership and dedication have cultivated a high-caliber learning environment that consistently produces skilled, certified graduates ready to enter the healthcare workforce.

For six consecutive years, graduates of Southern’s Surgical Technology Program have achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) Certified Surgical Technologist Examination—a remarkable accomplishment that underscores the program’s quality and rigor.

“We are incredibly proud of our program and our students,” said Program Director Misha Herndon. “Their hard work, professionalism, and commitment to excellence make Southern graduates the top choice in the surgical technology field.”

Clinical Coordinator Meloney McRoberts added, “This continued accreditation reaffirms what we already know—our program is strong, our faculty are dedicated, and our students are exceptional. We’re honored to continue preparing the next generation of surgical technologists.”

Southern’s Surgical Technology Program prepares students for rewarding careers in the operating room, offering hands-on clinical experience paired with a strong academic foundation. The program’s continued accreditation through 2035 reflects the college’s ongoing commitment to excellence in healthcare education and workforce development across southern West Virginia.

For more information about Southern’s Surgical Technology Program, visit www.southernwv.edu or contact misha.herndon@southernwv.edu.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Logan County man convicted of robbing a bank in 2009 has been indicted on a charge of robbing another bank earlier this year.

Brian Lee Corbett, 49, of Chapmanville, was indicted Tuesday on charges of bank robbery, felon in possession of a firearm, using a firearm in a violent crime and escape.

Corbett is accused of escaping from a St. Albans halfway house where he was being held on April 3. From there, the indictment alleges he proceeded to use a gun to rob the United Bank in West Logan, getting away with more than $13,000.

In 2010, Corbett pleaded guilty to robbing the Logan County branch of Boone County Bank in December of 2009. He was sentenced to more than 19 years in that case.

No hearings have yet been set in the new case.

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This is the last chance this year to see Deadly Divide: The Hatfield & McCoy Story, which gives the Hatfield-McCoy feud a West Virginia perspective.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two Logan County brothers have pleaded guilty to federal drug charges.

Timothy Ray Gravley, 41, and Jessie Joe Gravley II, 42, both of Bruno, appeared in court to enter their pleas last week.

Timothy Gravley pleaded guilty to possession of more than 400 grams of fentanyl with the intent to distribute. Police seized nearly 560 grams of fentanyl along with guns and more than $20,000 in cash when they raided his home in October.

Jessie Gravley pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl, heroin and more than 50 grams of meth with the intent to distribute. Police found 250 grams of meth, 40 grams of heroin and 53 grams of cocaine at his house, along with more than $19,000 in cash.

Both now face sentences ranging from a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison when they are sentenced in November.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Logan County doctor now faces the loss of his medical license and clinic, as well as up to 50 years in prison, after being found guilty of improperly prescribing drugs.

A federal jury found Brian McDevitt guilty of two counts of unlawfully distributing hydrocodone and two counts of unlawfully distributing Xanax, following a four-day trial. With the verdict, the jury determined he wrote prescriptions for the drugs without a legitimate medical purpose. The jury also found him not guilty of 13 other counts of unlawfully distributing controlled substances.

In addition to the verdicts, the jury also found that McDevitt should lose his medical license and his ownership of the Chapmanville Medical Center building where he practiced.

This is not McDevitt’s first brush with the law. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to allowing others to use his DEA registration number to distribute diet pills on more than 800 occasions. He was sentenced to a year and a day in that case.  

For that reason, U.S. Attorney Will Thompson called McDevitt “one of the original drug dealers in a lab coat” and said he “put his own greed above the health and well-being of his patients.”

McDevitt will be sentenced May 22.

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SHELBY GAP, Ky. — A Logan County man accused of the brutal beating a woman was arrested by U.S. Marshals and Kentucky State Police after fleeing into Kentucky.

Johnny Matthew Jones, 35, of Lake, W.Va., was taken into custody Friday afternoon at a home on Contrary Hollow at Shelby Gap.

Jones is charged with malicious wounding, strangulation, domestic battery and use of a firearm in a felony for an incident that took place last Wednesday. He is accused of beating a 25-year-old woman with multiple blunt objects in the face, head, neck and chest and of choking her briefly. The woman was hospitalized for her injuries.

After the attack, police say he took the woman’s 9 millimeter pistol and fled in her pickup truck. Police say he also shaved his beard and altered the truck’s appearance in order to evade capture.

Jones is currently being held in the Pike County Detention Center, awaiting extradition to West Virginia.

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