News

Waste Management to provide Parkersburg trash service under temporary contract

Business May 16, 2026

PARKERSBURG – A potential referendum over a contract Parkersburg City Council approved with Waste Management has not been settled, but the company will begin providing trash service July 1 on an interim basis. Mayor Tom Joyce made the announcement in a press release Friday afternoon. He said the city will continue to bill residents and the monthly sanitation fee of $21, which includes a $1.50 recycling surcharge to support that service under a separate contractor, will remain unchanged. Residents will be provided with a 96-gallon cart prior to July 1 at no charge, the release said. ...

Indictment issued in December shooting

Local News May 16, 2026

PARKERSBURG – A Parkersburg man was indicted for murder and related charges on Friday by the Wood County Grand Jury. Butch Wayne Knight, 19, currently in the North Central Regional Jail, was accused of the Dec. 8 shooting of Bradi Florence in an incident on Belmont Road in South ...

Preston Pierce indicted in Gretchen Fleming disappearance case

Community News May 15, 2026

A Wood County grand jury indicted Preston D. Pierce on Friday in connection with the disappearance and death of Gretchen Fleming, whose case has remained under investigation since she was reported missing in December 2022. Law enforcement officials held a briefing Friday evening. Pierce, ...

Pierce indicted in Gretchen Fleming case

Local News May 15, 2026

Preston Pierce, 58, has been indicted on first-degree felony murder charges in connection to Gretchen Fleming's disappearance, including concealment of a deceased human body, according to Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board, during a press conference today. A body was found in Wirt County ...

Waste Management to provide trash service on interim basis starting July 1

Local News May 15, 2026

PARKERSBURG – Waste Management will begin collecting trash from Parkersburg residents on July 1 – but not under a contract being challenged with a citizen referendum. Mayor Tom Joyce announced in a press release Friday afternoon that under a previously declared emergency, city officials have negotiated a temporary contract with the company “to provide trash collection and disposal services for all residential customers on an interim, month-to-month basis until all legal issues are resolved.” The release says the city will continue monthly billing at the same rates for ...

Fatal wreck still under investigation

Local News May 15, 2026

PARKERSBURG – The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is continuing its investigation into a fatal two-vehicle collision that occurred Wednesday at the intersection of Robert C. Byrd Highway and Progress Ridge Road, according to a post to the Wood County Sheriff’s Department’s Facebook ...