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Last week, Grant County offi cially become the fi fth county in West Virginia to offer a Safe Haven Baby Box, a system designed to offer a safe place for parents unable to care for their infants.

According to the Safe Haven manufacturers, the boxes are designed to be a secure option for mothers in crisis who are unable to care for their newborns. Designed with innovative safety features and installed on the exterior walls of fi re stations and hospitals, each box ensures the safe and anonymous surrender of infants.

The exterior door locks automatically when a newborn is placed inside, and an interior door allows medical personnel to promptly and securely retrieve the baby, ensuring immediate care and protection.

Grant County’s baby box is located at the Grant County Ambulance Building in Petersburg and will alert a health care provider if used. The box in Petersburg is the fi fth box in West Virginia and the 440th of its kind in the United States. The closest baby boxes prior to this were in Roanoke, Va., and Morgantown.

A Petersburg man is facing charges after he allegedly sexually assaulted a home care worker in the presence of his elder family member.

The incident took place in September 2025 when offi cers received a call from the alleged victim’s employer about an incident that occurred while she had been working in a client’s home.

According to a report fi led in the Grant County Magistrate Court, the female victim told offi cers that Bruce Vandevander, 68, of 217 Clifftop Dr., Petersburg (Woodland Terrace), had touched her without her permission.

Levy funding and strong community support have led to signifi cant improvements in student access, instrument quality, and overall growth for the Petersburg High School and middle school band programs. Band Director Faith Smith stated that recent levy funding enabled the program to invest in much-needed repairs and equipment, ensuring more students can participate regardless of fi nancial circumstances.“We were approved for $15,000 a year for the next several years, specifi cally for instruments and repairs,” Smith said. “That money has made such a difference.”