Nightfall’s Value: Light pollution can diminish real estate worth in W.Va.
WINFIELD, W.Va. — An increasing number of new West Virginia residents are being drawn to its rolling hills and quiet valleys to escape brightly lit cities and reclaim the enchantment of pitch‑dark night skies. But while the dark skies represent a precious amenity, the creeping glare of artificial lighting—known as light pollution—is quietly eroding the value of homes in these rural and semi‑rural neighborhoods. The Hidden Cost of Brighter Nights Light pollution isn’t just an environmental concern: it carries tangible economic consequences. Ecosystems exposed to maximum levels of artificial…
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Nightfall’s Value: Light pollution can diminish real estate worth in W.Va.
WINFIELD, W.Va. — An increasing number of new West Virginia residents are being drawn to its rolling hills and quiet valleys to escape brightly lit cities and reclaim the enchantment of pitch‑dark night skies. But while the dark skies represent a precious amenity, the…
Inside Appalachian Escapes: Themed rentals, escape rooms, and a love letter to West Virginia
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — What began as a search for an affordable retirement option has turned into one of southern West Virginia’s most imaginative tourism ventures. Nate Adams and his wife, Rachel Adkins, are the founders of Appalachian Escapes , a growing collection…
West Virginia bottler wins silver award at international water competition
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Le Sage Natural Water, of Lesage, has been awarded a silver medal for its purified water at the 36th annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition in the eastern panhandle of the Mountain State. The world’s most prestigious…
West Virginia uniquely prepared to dominate 21st-century outdoor economy
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is uniquely prepared to dominate in the 21st-century outdoor economy of the U.S., thanks to its unmatched potential for outdoor recreation, says a spokesman for The Nature Conservancy. The state is attracting new residents in record…
Flood risk outpaces warnings, advocates say, as W.Va. considers changes to resiliency fund
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As the W.Va. House of Delegates considers changes to Senate Bill 390, the West Virginia Rivers Coalition warns that the state risks narrowing its flood strategy at a time when disasters are becoming more frequent, more costly, and more destructive….
We asked AI how its own data centers could pollute West Virginia. Here’s what it had to say
(The following article was generated partly by ChatGPT in response to a prompt about how data centers pollute. As ChatGPT is powered by data centers, one might expect it to lean toward a positive statement about the impact on West Virginia.) DAVIS, W.Va. — Data…
Nightfall’s Value: Light pollution can diminish real estate worth in W.Va.
WINFIELD, W.Va. — An increasing number of new West Virginia residents are being drawn to its rolling hills and quiet valleys to escape brightly lit cities and reclaim the enchantment of pitch‑dark night skies. But while the dark skies represent a precious amenity, the…
Inside Appalachian Escapes: Themed rentals, escape rooms, and a love letter to West Virginia
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — What began as a search for an affordable retirement option has turned into one of southern West Virginia’s most imaginative tourism ventures. Nate Adams and his wife, Rachel Adkins, are the founders of Appalachian Escapes , a growing collection…
West Virginia bottler wins silver award at international water competition
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Le Sage Natural Water, of Lesage, has been awarded a silver medal for its purified water at the 36th annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition in the eastern panhandle of the Mountain State. The world’s most prestigious…
West Virginia uniquely prepared to dominate 21st-century outdoor economy
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is uniquely prepared to dominate in the 21st-century outdoor economy of the U.S., thanks to its unmatched potential for outdoor recreation, says a spokesman for The Nature Conservancy. The state is attracting new residents in record…
Flood risk outpaces warnings, advocates say, as W.Va. considers changes to resiliency fund
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As the W.Va. House of Delegates considers changes to Senate Bill 390, the West Virginia Rivers Coalition warns that the state risks narrowing its flood strategy at a time when disasters are becoming more frequent, more costly, and more destructive….
We asked AI how its own data centers could pollute West Virginia. Here’s what it had to say
(The following article was generated partly by ChatGPT in response to a prompt about how data centers pollute. As ChatGPT is powered by data centers, one might expect it to lean toward a positive statement about the impact on West Virginia.) DAVIS, W.Va. — Data…
West Virginia bottler wins silver award at international water competition
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Le Sage Natural Water, of Lesage, has been awarded a silver medal for its purified water at the 36th annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition in the eastern panhandle of the Mountain State. The world’s most prestigious…
Did Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis secretly meet in West Virginia?
PHILIPPI, W.Va. — Did Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis secretly meet in what is now West Virginia just days after the first land battle of the Civil War? It is a question that’s lingered for more than a century and a half, whispered in local lore, debated by…
Here are the top 10 winter snows that shaped West Virginia history
BECKLEY, W.Va. — West Virginia can be a snowy place. Though not nearly as snowy as Maine or Alaska, it does snow for much of winter, and winter storms have shaped its culture. This is especially so in the lofty Allegheny Mountains, where most of its ski resorts are…
The house that vanished overnight: West Virginia’s Neerly House haunting
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — At least two mysteries tangle in the tale of the Neerly house. What happened to the house? What happened to “old man Neerly? And where did the late folklorist Ruth Ann Musick encounter the legend? The following version of the West Virginia tale…
Jan. 15 marks Midwinter Day, but the most wintry weather is ahead in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — By mid-January, many West Virginians will notice a subtle but welcome change: daylight is beginning to stretch a little longer each afternoon. That small gain of sunlight can create the impression that winter is already easing its grip….
The horrors of Skull Run recounted by late West Virginia historian
SKULL RUN, W.Va. — A traveler motoring through the pastures in this wooded section off the Ohio River might have little idea of the dark tales that have arisen there. With its grazing cattle, it seems a world away from warfare, but according to the late historian…
West Virginia uniquely prepared to dominate 21st-century outdoor economy
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is uniquely prepared to dominate in the 21st-century outdoor economy of the U.S., thanks to its unmatched potential for outdoor recreation, says a spokesman for The Nature Conservancy. The state is attracting new residents in record…
West Virginia Travel Safety: What it means for residents and visitors in 2026
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Travel safety in West Virginia is shaped less by headline-grabbing crime and more by geography, weather, and the realities of rural travel. For West Virginians and the growing number of tourists drawn by the state’s mountains, rivers, and small…
Black bear harvest remained steady in West Virginia in 2025 as predicted
Spring arrives by sound and bloom in the hills of West Virginia
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — In West Virginia, spring doesn’t begin on a single date. It begins with a sound. On mild late-winter evenings, a high, piping chorus rises from ponds, wetlands, and roadside ditches across central Appalachia. These are spring peepers—tiny…
Why weather in the Allegheny Mountains is so different from the rest of West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginians like to say, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.” In the Allegheny Mountains, that old line turns from a joke into a forecasting rule. From Preston and Tucker counties south through Webster and Greenbrier and into the…
Travel and outdoor insurance matter for backcountry adventures in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia backcountry is having a moment. From high ridgelines and spruce forests to deep river gorges and winter slopes, the Mountain State has become a magnet for travelers who want something wilder than a roadside overlook. These…
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Nightfall’s Value: Light pollution can diminish real estate worth in W.Va.
WINFIELD, W.Va. — An increasing number of new West Virginia residents are being drawn to its rolling hills and quiet valleys to escape brightly lit cities and reclaim the enchantment of pitch‑dark night skies. But while the dark skies represent a precious amenity, the…
Inside Appalachian Escapes: Themed rentals, escape rooms, and a love letter to West Virginia
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — What began as a search for an affordable retirement option has turned into one of southern West Virginia’s most imaginative tourism ventures. Nate Adams and his wife, Rachel Adkins, are the founders of Appalachian Escapes , a growing collection…
West Virginia bottler wins silver award at international water competition
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Le Sage Natural Water, of Lesage, has been awarded a silver medal for its purified water at the 36th annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition in the eastern panhandle of the Mountain State. The world’s most prestigious…
West Virginia uniquely prepared to dominate 21st-century outdoor economy
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is uniquely prepared to dominate in the 21st-century outdoor economy of the U.S., thanks to its unmatched potential for outdoor recreation, says a spokesman for The Nature Conservancy. The state is attracting new residents in record…