Thursday, August 14, 2014
Rival softball players enjoy camaraderie, Page 12 50 Cents Volume 116 Issue 32
Barboursville CVB gets new director By Zach Cumberland zach@theputnamstandard.com
The Cabell Midland football team practices plays to gear up for the 2014-2015 season.
Cabell Midland ready to reload By Zach Cumberland zach@theputnamstandard.com Shortly after the first practice session ended on a rain soaked afternoon, Cabell Midland head coach Luke Salmons sat alone behind his office desk, as players and coaches filed past him into the locker room he quipped “we have a lot of unproven kids, but they’re good kids.” It’s no surprise that he expects nothing but the best from his squad coming into the 2014
season. Only two years removed from making the AAA state title game, Midland should be one of the top programs in the state once again. They finished last season at 9-3 overall. Salmons and his staff feel confident in the group of young players they’ve coached this offseason, but he also said they’re unproven and haven’t had to play much when the game is on the line. Cabell Midland has lost 25 seniors from a year ago and they
lost nearly the exact same amount the year before that. About 25 seniors will return again this year. “We feel good about our program and where it’s at,” Salmons said. “To have twenty-five seniors’ play and graduate from a year ago is a great thing, but we always have big shoes to fill here.” The Knights’ lost backfield players Kasey Thomas and Teran Barnitz, who both ran for over See Football, Page 5
The Village of Barboursville hired an executive director for its newly formed convention and visitors bureau. The unanimous decision by Barboursville council came after a short executive session during the Aug. 5 meeting. After the vote Barboursville Mayor Paul Turman turned to the new Barboursville Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Brandi Beasley and welcomed her into the fold. “I’m very Beasley excited,” Beasley said after the meeting. “The (CVB) board gave me a lot of ideas about what they’re looking for and what they’d like to see. I’m going to get out in the community and talk to some businesses and my first event will be Fall Fest, so I’ll be very active in planning and executing that event. “After that, I’d like to bring
more business to the community and more media coverage.” Beasley’s first day on the new job will be Sept. 1. She said her short term goals include the improvement of events in the community as well as allowing more media access. Long-term goals include bringing more conventions into the area and adding new events to the village calendar. “I’m just looking forward to getting started,” she said. “I love meeting new people and I think it’s going to be a huge part of my job, so I’m ready to get started with that.” Beasley previously served as entertainment manager for Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington. She organized, planned and booked all of Big Sandy events. She said her former duties and responsibilities will help guide her in her role as executive director. Beasley also has a volunteer position with the Generation Huntington Leadership Committee. In the volunteer role she is responsible for monitoring members and posting all available volunteer opportunities in the area. See CVB , Page 3
Cabell Sheriff’s department addresses drug problem By Amanda Smythers amanda@theputnamstandard.com The Cabell County Sheriff’s Department is looking beyond its own manpower when it comes to making a dent in Cabell County’s drug crime. Sheriff Tom McComas said his deputies work with law enforcement departments throughout the county, including the FBI, to make sure the drug problem is addressed effectively. “We act as a force multiplier for any unit that needs it,” McComas said. “The Ona Field Office is purposefully
located centrally in the county so we can respond to wherever that needs it.” McComas said the act of increasing manpower alone can often yield results when it comes to drug crime. A crime he said is so spread out over the county that it would be impossible for one agency to handle alone. “If you have more officers, you’re going to have more people to put boots on the street,” he said. “Obviously if you have more people on a task, you’re going to be more successful.” That, said McComas, is one of the reasons the Cabell County Drug
Taskforce has been increasingly successful at stifling the drug dealers in the county. The taskforce is a crossjurisdictional cooperation between local, state and federal level law enforcement agencies. “We have one full time and one part time deputy on the taskforce,” he said. “You have to work cooperatively on a lot of stuff. That’s something the public is not going to know, but we’re doing it.” McComas said the taskforce uses
Sheriff Tom McComas directs the county’s force of 40 See Sheriff, Page 7 deputies from two offices.