OK, so a finished streetscape in downtown Wheeling likely is on top of many wish lists when it comes to the new year … and no one can blame anyone for the top spot listing.
It’s been THAT, um, inconvenient, and yes, the roads have been bumpy, the sidewalk situations have proven more than tricky, and most consumers simply avoided Main and Market streets as often as possible.
And yes, the $32 million project – which started in August 2022 and is funded completely by the state Department of Transportation – is scheduled for a Fall 2025 completion.
So, there’s that.
We’ll also learn the true futures of the McLure Hotel and the Wheeling-Pitt Lofts, see the growth of the DiCarlo Building, enjoy the renovated Ohio County Courthouse and the new City Hall in Moundsville, investigate new businesses like of the Guntry Club at The Highlands and enjoy what’s familiar, too, at all our favorites.
The new year promises to bring change – planned or not – and we’ll be able to measure ourselves as far as our collective, two-state efforts reverse the population decline that began back in the 1940s. That’s when Wheeling’s population exceeded 60,000, and now the municipality is home to approximately 28,000 residents.
We’ll also witness the results of hard work in both Belmont and Ohio counties in 2025, and that’s because Wheeling University has had a year to heal and recover, two lifelong lawmen will climb to Sheriff in the two counties, and the resurrection of a historic burial ground is expected to begin only because of the hours and hours of volunteer work donated by Charles Yocke Yocke and Paula Stein.
Many have left to live elsewhere, yes, but many who have remained have succeeded, too.
There Are New Sheriffs Around
One has a father who enjoyed a long, decorated career in law enforcement, and the other follows his long-time mentor into the office.
Both have been with their respective county sheriff’s departments for more than 20 years, and both are leaving chief deputy positions to take over all facets of the county office.
Belmont County’s James Zusack served 12 years as Chief Deputy for Dave Lucas, and Ohio County’s Nelson Croft served under Tom Howard. His father, Harry Croft, served as an Ohio County deputy for decades, and he’s been a member of the Ohio Valley Cold Case team for several years.
Zusack ran unopposed as the Republican candidate and still collected nearly 25,000 votes, and Croft, also a GOP member, defeated Democrat John Haglock 9,531-8,526, and both will keep fighting the drug epidemic and the mental health crisis huge at the same time they protect and serve in massive retail and industrial areas. Plus, Zusack and Croft will competeagainst each other – and every other counties for their workforces – for new deputies as retirements naturally take place.
But first and foremost, the two new sheriffs will often cooperate – in many more ways than we’ll ever know – to ensure both agencies offer the same safety that’s given our valley the reputation for being a safe place to live.
Once a Cardinal, Always a Cardinal?
There was a banned list, black mold, broken elevators, unpaid bills, a student body protest during which the kids felt they needed to hide their identities by wearing masks, and a plethora of riled alums, and then the former president was suspended and then terminated.
New leadership teams were formed – from top to bottom – and the university’s classrooms are still filled with a majority of student-athletes who, by the way, have recorded another winning football season, a successful volleyball campaign, and the women’s rugby team won the national championship.
That’s right, THE National Championship.
The new regime, including the new president Dr. Diana Vargo, has benefited from tremendous support from the surrounding community because of its history and its importance to the local economy. A stronger Wheeling University, after all, means there’s a stronger Wheeling.
Nightmare at Mount Zion
There were no warning signs, but still, the near-record rainfall in March forced the evitable to happen on April 3rd just the same when about 125 grave markers were shifted and buried along the line of a horrific mudslide.
According to volunteer caretaker Charles Yocke, there are “thousands” interred at Mount Zion, including 400 American veterans, but the cemetery has been closed to visitors since the landslide took place and it’s been Yocke and volunteer Paula Stein who’ve been navigating the recovery process.
W.Va. Del. Shawn Fluharty grabbed the lead when it came to initial communication with the state of West Virginia, and Gov. Jim Justice visited a few weeks later and turned over a $2 million donation to go toward the recovery effort. Since then, the Belomar Regional Council has assisted with the management, and now, according to Yocke on the cemetery’s Facebook page, the task of scheduling the repairs has begun.
The reclamation project, though, will be challenging and sensitive at the same time because, of course, the Mount Zion grounds date back to the Civil War.
