Brad Paisley

Mountain Stage began airing world-wide on Voice of America

Sandy and Will Morrison bought the Mystery Hole and reopened it

The National Commerce Bancorp of Memphis entered West Virginia

The Division of Natural Resources was administered under the Bureau of Commerce

Conrail was split between the Norfolk Southern and the CSX

Henry Payne joined the Detroit News

The Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse won design awards for architecture and art from the General Services Administration

The Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse won the government-public construction award from Buildings magazine

St. Mary's Hospital opened a radiation oncology center

The entrance to Schoolhouse Cave was gated to conserve colonies of Virginia big-eared bats

David Selby received the Shakespeare Theatre's Millennium Recognition Award

The West Virginia Northern Railroad ceased as a tourist line

Parkersburg post office was named Simmons Station in honor of Robert Simmons

Construction of a hydropower project began at Summersville Dam.

The Navy christened a ship the USNS Charlton in honor of Cornelius Charlton

Only four ferries still operating on Ohio River

The liturgies at St. George were still being chanted in Arabic

Barbara Smith and Kirk Judd edited Wild Sweet Notes: Fifty Years of West Virginia Poetry, 1950-1999

Louie Glass was sold to Glassworks West Virginia

Ellie Mannette founded Mannette Steel Drums, Ltd

Ellie Mannette received the Trinidad and Tobago Chaconia Silver Medal from the minister of culture

Darrell McGraw won an important settlement against Ohio direct mail operator Benjamin Suarez

New Mennonite congregation started in Hampshire County

Reported 13 Mennonite congregations in West Virginia with total of 568 adherents

Randy Moss led the NFL in touchdown catches

Randy Moss signed a $75 million contract extension with an $18 million signing bonus making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL

The Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia received a national award from the National Endowment for the Arts

West Virginia experienced high losses of native mussels in the Ohio River due to competition of zebra mussels

Walter Dean Myers received the first ever Printz Award for Monster

First Market Bank locations in West Virginia adopted the name National Bank of Commerce

Leonard "Lynn" Davis died

Ohio Valley College (now University) began offering secondary education in English math, natural sciences, physical ed, and social studies and special education

Vicky Bullett joined the Charlotte Mystics WNBA team.

Camp Twin Creeks at Minnehaha Springs became coed

The West Virginia Motorsports Council was established by Governor Wise

Mountain Stage began broadcasting on public television

North Bend State Park added a 305-acre lake

Ashby Berkley and his sister sold the Pence Springs property

Jayne Anne Phillips published Motherkind

Pilgrim's Pride bought out WLR Foods poultry processors

The PROMISE scholarship was funded

The governance role in St. Joseph's Hospital by the Sisters of St. Joseph ended

Mary Lee Settle wrote I, Roger Williams

Michael Smith performed at the presidential inaugural prayer service

The Smoke Hole Lodge closed

Surface mining production was 60 million tons

The Thomas Memorial emergency center was expanded

Marsh Wheeling Stogies stopped making cigars

Joseph Carter was elected president of UMWA District 17

The West Virginia Mining and Reclamation Association merged with the West Virginia Coal Association

Carl J. Smith began serving as director of the Geological and Economic Survey

The West Virginia Hillbilly ceased publication

Grant Cooper became conductor of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Major renovations took place at Kanawha Airport

The West Virginia legislature established an independent National Coal Heritage Area Authority to manage the heritage area

Henry Payne published Payne & Ink: The Cartoons and Commentary of Henry Payne, 2000-2001

Dominion Hope Gas Company opened a gas-fired electricity generating plant at Bull Creek

Guides to the texts and location of roadside historical markers was issued

Richard Ferrin became president of Salem International University

Pocahontas County was identified by the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development as one of the nation's top 59 counties for second homes

Michael Smith provided the musical score for the motion picture Joshua

United National Bank became state chartered United Bank

The West Virginia Distinguished Service Medal was awarded to Gene Vance who was killed in service in Afghanistan

The State Medical Association established the West Virginia Medical Foundation

Westvaco and Mead merged to form MeadWestvaco

Extensive renovations of the Kimball WWI Memorial began

New Mennonite Congregation started in Greenbrier County

The Metropolitan Theater opened after being closed for renovation in the 90s

WVU announced that the Mountaineer Field would be renamed Milan Puskar Stadium home of Mountaineer Field

Ashby Berkley reclaimed the Pence Springs Resort property

Soupy Sales published his memoir Soupy Sez

Michael Smith became a Distinguished West Virginian

An expansion at Tamarack opened

Frank Jezioro was the director of the Division of Natural Resources

Don Nehlen entered the College Football Hall of Fame

Ohio Valley College changed its name to Ohio Valley University

James A. Johnson became president of Ohio Valley University

Congressman Nick Rahall was the top Democrat on the Committee on Resources and second most-senior Democrat on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Jay Rockefeller was vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee

Michael J. Bransfield became Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston

The Harrison Rural Electrification Association served 5,500 customers

St. Francis Hospital was bought by LifePoint Hospitals of Tennessee

R. John Reynolds became president of Salem International University

Salem Education LLC assumed control of Salem International University

Marshal University joined Conference USA