Gallery: New Start 2009

The Associated Press

Menis Ketchum, left, is sworn in as a West Virginia Supreme Court Justice by Judge Michael Thornsbury, right, as his wife Judy Ketchum holds the Bible in the West Virginia Supreme Court chambers at the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008.

Chris Harris

Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch New Huntington Mayor Kim Wolfe officially takes office Jan. 1.

Chris Harris

Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch Progress continues on the construction of Marshall University's new recreation center at 20th Street and 5th Avenue on Oct. 28, 2008.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch Construction continues on the rock climbing wall of the Marshall University Student Recreation Center Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008, in Huntington.

Toril Lavender/For The Herald-Dispatch Work continued on the Old Main Corridor Project on Nov. 21, 2008, along 4th Avenue.

Mark Webb

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch Ceredo's Mitch Stadium will host the 2009 Little League Southeast Regional baseball and softball tournaments.

Bobby Frazier is scheduled to stand trial in Wayne County in connection with drunken driving charges. Those charges are linked to the death of two men and two children.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch Longtime deputy Tom McComas was elected to replace Kim Wolfe. He will take office in January as Cabell County's new sheriff.

Mark Webb

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch While the elevated terrain of Appalachia plaguing cell phone users from getting good service, major cell companies are planning major improvements to their towers to allow for better coverage.

Bryan Chambers/The Herald-Dispatch The Healing Place will continue pursuing the old U.S. Naval Reserve training center, which has been vacant for the past two-and-a-half years. That property is located in the 800 block of Jackson Avenue in Huntington. That building could house 100 men and allow for the old Lincoln Elementary property to be turned into a women's recovery center.

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch Renovations to a building on the campus of Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital to add 20 patient beds expected to open in the summer of 2009.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney speaks about the Friends of Coal Bowl during a press conference at Joan C. Edwards Stadium Monday, Aug 20, 2007, in Huntington. Marshall and West Virginia will renew acquaintances in the Friends of Coal Bowl on Oct. 3, 2009, at Milan-Puskar Stadium in Morgantown.

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch Construction of Barboursville Middle School nears completion on Dec. 19, 2008. Barboursville Middle School students will attend school Jan. 5-9, then take a nearly two-week hiatus while teachers move from one school to another. Students will come back in waves Jan. 20-22. The school will be at full capacity by Jan. 26.

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch Rodney Jordan and Mike Jordan install flat screen TVs as construction of Barboursville Middle School nears completion on Dec. 19, 2008.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch The construction of the new Barboursville Middle School continues Monday, Nov. 17, 2008, in Barboursville. The school is slated to open in January 2009.

Chris Harris

Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch Tom Bell is the new deputy mayor/economic development director for the city of Huntington, under Mayor-elect Kim Wolfe's new administration.

Jeremy Mcknight/For The Herald-Dispatch

Jeremy McKnight/For The Herald-Dispatch Marshall Community & Technical College will continue to work with Marshall University on a separation of assets and liabilities. That includes what to do with property on the northeast corner of 5th Avenue and 20th Street. The property was bought in 2007 with MCTC funds, but the university's Board of Governors holds the deed.

Chris Harris

Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch Ten-year-old Tyler Crabtree and his sister Kersten Crabtree, 6, clean up some hubcaps Sept. 27, 2008, at the Milton Flea Market. The flea market re-opened despite much of it being destroyed by fire on Sept. 10, 2008. The Milton Flea Market plans to open the doors of a new indoor facility in 2009.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch Construction continues on the swimming pool of the Marshall University Student Recreation Center Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008, in Huntington.

Court proceedings are scheduled to continue in several homicide cases, including the June 2007 death of Huntington minister Mark McCalla.

Submitted photo This is a conceptual rendering of Huntington's master plan for the Old Main Corridor for 4th Avenue between 8th and 10th streets by Stantec, a professional design and consulting firm. The design will focus on enhancing the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center, illustrated in the rendering's background, and the area's historic architecture. The design will decrease the number of lanes on 4th Avenue from four to two.

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch Steve Veltri cuts steel as construction at Bateman Hospital continues on Friday, Dec. 12, 2008, in Huntington. Renovations to a building on the campus of Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital to add 20 patient beds is expected to open in the summer of 2009.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch A new building will bring revolutionary changes to Cabell County 911 and the county's emergency operations.

Chris Harris

Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch Deron Runyon is the new finance director for the city of Huntington, under Mayor-elect Kim Wolfe's new administration.

AP

The Associated Press Menis Ketchum, left, is sworn in as a West Virginia Supreme Court Justice by Judge Michael Thornsbury, right, as his wife, Judy Ketchum, holds the Bible in the West Virginia Supreme Court chambers at the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008.

Chris Harris

Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch A steel worker steadies a beam held by a crane, while another worker climbs in position to set the beam Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008, at the Alumni Center located across 5th Avenue from Marshall University's Memorial Student Center. The new Erickson Alumni Center and Marshall University Foundation Hall is slated to open in the fall.

Chris Harris

Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch A steel worker steadies a beam held by a crane, while another worker climbs in position to set the beam Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008, at the Alumni Center located across 5th Avenue from Marshall University's Memorial Student Center. The new Erickson Alumni Center and Marshall University Foundation Hall is slated to open in the fall.

The Associated Press West Virginia University President Mike Garrison left the university effective Sept. 1 and will not serve the school as a consultant.

Bryan Chambers/The Herald-Dispatch The Healing Place, a peer- and abstinence-based substance abuse recovery center, was awarded a $936,000 state grant, bringing it another step closer to reality since it was proposed about two years ago. The Healing Place of Huntington will use the money to purchase the old Lincoln Elementary School property at 2425 9th Ave. and turn it into a men's recovery facility.

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch Officials at St. Mary's Medical Center announced that construction could begin next year on a $20 million family medical center that could be a precursor for a hospital on a 20-acre parcel off Ohio 141 and U.S. 52 in Ironton.

Howie McCormick

Howie McCormick/The Herald-Dispatch Ted Barr stands proudly in front of the newly dedicated Cabell County EMS Station 6, which was named "Ted T. Barr Station" in honor of Barr's accomplishments as sheriff of Cabell County as well as starting the first non-funeral home based ambulance service in the county in 1974. The station will open in 2009.

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch Gov. Joe Manchin was re-elected to a second four-year term in November 2008 after receiving one of the highest vote totals in state history, nearly 70 percent of the 705,626 votes cast.

Chris Harris

The Halfway Market displays a variety of fruits and veggies Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008, at the Milton Flea Market. The flea market re-opened despite much of it being destroyed by fire on Sept. 10, 2008. The Milton Flea Market plans to open the doors of a new indoor facility in 2009.