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Clyde CraigClyde Craig

Clyde Craig is a staff writer for West Virginia Explorer. Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, he traveled with his family across the globe with the U.S. Army before returning to the Mountain State in 2011. He has been a writer with the explorer since 2018. He can be reached at 304-575-7390 or at craig@wvexplorer.com.
Crews replace aging water lines in Chapmanville, West Virginia, where the water system had been losing more than half its treated water through leaks. Photo courtesy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Health and Medicine

West Virginia targets water crisis with $145 million investment

by Clyde Craig

BECKLEY, W.Va. — West Virginia will commit an additional $145 million to water and wastewater infrastructure over the coming year under a new state strategy that will give greater consideration to communities facing failing systems, boil-water orders, public health concerns and financial distress. Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced the investment Wednesday in Beckley as part of … Read more

West Virginia National Guard members navigate a partially destroyed road near Buckhannon following severe flash flooding in July 2026. More than seven inches of rain fell in parts of Upshur County, including 4.5 inches in just 37 minutes. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Edwin L. Wriston)
Health and Medicine

Why August can be especially dangerous for flash flooding in West Virginia

by Clyde Craig

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The destructive flooding that swept across West Virginia this month arrived amid conditions that have long made summer thunderstorms particularly dangerous in the Mountain State—intense rainfall, steep terrain, and communities concentrated in narrow river valleys. Slow-moving storms moved across West Virginia from Aug. 16 through Aug. 18, producing excessive rainfall that triggered flash … Read more

A massive plume of black smoke rises from the Peoples Cartage warehouse fire in Parkersburg on July 5, 2026. The fire prompted extensive environmental testing of water, soil and agricultural products in the surrounding area. (Photo by Dan Fauxsmith/CC BY-SA 4.0)
Agriculture

Contaminants found after massive Parkersburg warehouse fire, but below federal action levels

by Clyde Craig

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Environmental testing following the massive July warehouse fire in Parkersburg has detected low concentrations of contaminants in some soil, produce, vegetation and honey samples, although state officials say results received so far have not reached federal action levels or warranted additional protective measures. The findings are part of an ongoing investigation and … Read more

Nemacolin in southwestern Pennsylvania is hosting a record 21 West Virginia University interns this summer, giving students experience across the luxury resort’s hospitality, recreation, entertainment and wildlife operations.
Higher Education

Record number of WVU students get behind-the-scenes look at Nemacolin luxury resort

by Clyde Craig

FARMINGTON, Pa. — From coordinating poolside entertainment and guiding outdoor recreation to caring for animals at a wildlife center, a record number of West Virginia University students are spending the summer learning how one of the region’s best-known luxury resorts operates behind the scenes. Twenty-one WVU students are working this summer at Nemacolin in southwestern … Read more

Members of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine's Class of 2030 gather during orientation in Lewisburg. The incoming class includes 79 West Virginia residents—the largest number of in-state students ever enrolled at WVSOM—as the school expands efforts to train physicians for rural and underserved communities.
Higher Education

West Virginia medical school enrolls record in-state students as physician shortage persists

by Clyde Craig

LEWISBURG, W.Va. — The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine has enrolled the largest number of West Virginia students in its history, marking a milestone that school leaders say could help address the state’s long-standing shortage of physicians, particularly in rural communities. The incoming Class of 2030 includes 210 first-year medical students, 79 of whom … Read more