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.
Winter Energy Resilience at Snowhoe Mountain

WVU: Federal funding could lower bills, boost winter energy resilience in West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Winter in West Virginia can be unforgiving, especially for households and businesses already struggling with high utility bills and the threat of losing heat when ice storms, extreme cold, or surging demand strain the electric grid. West Virginia University researchers say improving winter energy resilience is key to maintaining power and controlling … Read more

Sports that grew quickly after the 2020 covid pandemic, pickleball is played on a small court with a perforated plastic ball and is valued for its easy learning curve and strong social appeal.

These five sports are rapidly growing in West Virginia communities

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Sports in West Virginia will always include Friday-night football, high school basketball, and hunting and fishing, but the landscape is changing. A handful of “next wave” sports are gaining players quickly. Proponents say that’s because they suit modern life in the state’s small towns. They afford shorter learning curves, vibrant social scenes, … Read more

Each bottle of Smooth Ambler in the collection features custom artwork celebrating the landscapes, history, and outdoor experiences that make the parks iconic destinations. (Photo courtesy W.Va. Tourism)

West Virginia state parks, Smooth Ambler expand branded bourbon partnership statewide

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A partnership blending West Virginia’s outdoor heritage with its growing reputation for craft spirits is expanding statewide. Officials with West Virginia State Parks announced that a new series of state-park-branded bourbons produced by Smooth Ambler Spirits will soon be available for purchase at select retailers across the Mountain State. The expanded retail … Read more

A cooling tower is a heat rejection device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere through the cooling of a water stream to a lower temperature. (Image courtesy Yamantho Supply)

Data centers collide with West Virginia’s new profitable remote-work, recreation brand

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia has spent the past decade successfully selling itself as a place where people can trade traffic for trailheads. Now, a different kind of growth is knocking at its door—one that gives power back to outside interests: industrial-scale data centers and the power plants and transmission upgrades needed to feed them. … Read more

New River Gorge Historical Society

New historical society to help conserve New River Gorge region in West Virginia

THURMOND, W.Va. — Historians, history buffs, and preservationists have organized a new historical society in southern West Virginia encompassing the region around the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Unlike many such societies established around smaller communities, the New River Gorge Historical Society will emphasize a broader region, which includes parts of Fayette, Raleigh, … Read more