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The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register’s work covering the deadly 2026 floods in Ohio County was among the accomplishments awarded by the West Virginia Press Association during its annual convention this past weekend in Charleston.
The newspapers earned kudos for its work in both editorial and advertising, taking home a total of seven awards, including two first places. The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register compete in Division I, which includes West Virginia’ largest newspapers.
The newspapers won first place for Best Single Issue for their June 16 edition, which chronicled the immediate aftermath of the Ohio County floods. On June 14, 2025, more than three inches of rain fell in just over an hour in Valley Grove. Floodwaters tore through that town and into Triadelphia, destroying dozens of homes and killing nine people. Flooding also battered Wheeling’s Woodsdale neighborhood.
Intelligencer and News-Register reporters started working that night covering the catastrophe, and followed it the next day with in-depth coverage of the damage that was left.
The coverage of the floods also earned the newspapers second place in breaking news reporting.
“The staff of the Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register knows how to step up when it comes to covering major events in our community,” said managing editor Derek Redd. “The way our reporters rose to the challenge to tell the story of that flooding, its aftermath and the communities’ path to rebuilding showed just how much they care about their neighbors and getting the important stories out to the public.”
On the advertising side, advertising director Heather Francis won first place for best theme pages for the newspapers’ Voices of Valor feature. With Voices of Valor, the newspaper tells the story of different military veterans who live in the Ohio Valley and their experiences in the military.
Other second-place awards included Eric Ayers in governmental affairs reporting for “A Tough Pill To Swallow,” which chronicled the City of Wheeling’s 38% water and sewer rate increase, Shellie Higgins for best classified section for “Classified Network” and John McCabe for best editorial for “Some Observations About The Streetscape.” The newspapers also won third place for best special section for its 2025 Progress edition.
“The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register continue to be the go-to source for both our readers and business partners,” said James Spanner, general manager of the newspapers. “It is always good to see that work recognized at a statewide level. Congratulations to our staff for another successful, award-winning year that shows our devotion to serving the Ohio Valley.”