-
Lady Panthers softball opens season with road win
BY KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PIKEVILLE — The Tug Valley Lady Panthers opened their 2026 softball season Thursday with a 13-2 road win over Shelby Valley. Like most teams in the region, the wintry weather forced the postponement of a couple of games earlier in the week. Bailee Hall, Emma Lackey and Bryleigh Fletcher each
-
Tug Valley wins third straight Class A state title
BY KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITIZEN CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Tug Valley High School Panthers did something rare in sports. They won their third straight Class A state championship by defeating the Greater Beckley Christian (GBC) Crusaders 64-54 Saturday morning at the Charleston Coliseum. The Beckley school came into the tourney as the No. 1 seed,
-
Tug Valley reaches championship game with semifinal win over Tucker County
BY KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITIZEN CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Tug Valley will play in the Class A state championship game for the third straight season. The Panthers downed Tucker County 56-43 in the semifinals of the West Virginia State High School Basketball Tournament at the Charleston Coliseum early Thursday afternoon. The Panthers defeated the Mountain Lions
-
Spring in Appalachia is confusing
Springtime in Appalachia can be confusing. It makes you wonder if our weather is psychotic or has split personalities. For instance, one day it was 83 degrees with record-breaking high temperatures. Then a band of thunderstorms moved through, and by the next morning the temperatures were in the 30s, with snow on the higher elevations.
-
Grace Equipment buys Millers Creek warehouse, plans to add jobs
BY KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITIZEN MILLERS CREEK, W.Va. — The Mingo County Redevelopment Authority has reached an agreement to sell its Millers Creek Warehouse building along U.S. 52 near Nolan. The board of directors agreed to a lease-to-own arrangement with Grace Equipment, a Kentucky-based mining equipment company. The MCRA board of directors announced the sale
-
Panthers headed back to state tournament
KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITIZEN NAUGATUCK, W.Va. — The Tug Valley Panthers once again punched their ticket to the state tournament. Coach Garland “Rabbit” Thompson’s team crushed the visiting Man Hillbillies in the Class A, Region IV co-championship 81-31 at the TVHS gym, March 11. The Panthers, who have won back-to-back Single A titles, will go
-
Tug Valley Lady Panthers fall short in semifinals
BY KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITIZEN CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Tug Valley’s run in the West Virginia Class A state tournament ended one win shy of a return trip to the championship game. The No. 2-seeded Lady Panthers followed a dominant quarterfinal rout of Greater Beckley Christian with a gut-wrenching semifinal loss to No. 3 St. Marys
-
How some bands got their names
Sometimes when writing a weekly column, it is difficult to come up with a new topic. Many times I ask my wife Vicki for an idea. I recently did this again while we were driving around the other day. About that time the song “Time of the Season” by the Zombies came over the satellite
-
Tug Valley smashes Calhoun County in regional tourney opener
BY KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITIZEN NAUGATUCK, W.Va. — The Tug Valley Panthers smashed the visiting Calhoun County Red Devils, 104-51, in the Class A, Region IV semi-finals at the TVHS gym at Naugatuck Thursday night, March 5. The Panthers are top-seeded in the region and came into the postseason ranked No. 2 in the state,
-
Lady Panthers headed back to state tournament
BY KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITIZEN NAUGATUCK, W.Va. — The Lady Panthers of Tug Valley are headed back to the West Virginia State basketball tournament after a 59-37 victory over Wirt County in the Class A, Region IV co-championship game March 4 at the TVHS gym at Naugatuck. Last season Tug Valley made it all the way to
