We were able to break the good news Thursday afternoon.
The Mountain East Conference basketball tournament will remain in Charleston, at least for one more year.
Congrats to Mayor Danny Jones, deputy mayor Rod Blackstone, the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau and whoever else pitched in to make the save.
That said, let's hope what's left over is stark reality. Let's hope folks in Charleston realize, hey man, it's time to get up and move, shake - before shake-ups occur and tournaments move.
Correction: before more tournaments move.
It's worthy of, well, head shaking, really. One would think Charleston learned a painful, memorable lesson after losing the Super Six high school football championships.
Yet here we are. (What do they say about those that don't learn from history?)
If you don't recall, this whole scare of over the MEC event began back in early March. Three of the nation's top five men's teams - West Liberty, Wheeling Jesuit and Fairmont - were in Charleston for a showdown. MEC commissioner Reid Amos licked his chops, hoping for a good gate to help fuel his conference. The hoops tournament, you see, is the MEC's crown jewel financially.
But upsets occurred. Concord and Notre Dame College were the men's finalists. And a paltry 7,816 showed for the entire tournament.
The MEC contract with the Civic Center, which extended through next season, had an "out" if the league didn't hit $60,000 in revenue with the event. It wasn't hit.
Perhaps if MEC officials felt Charleston representatives bent over backwards and made a super effort, maybe the shortfall could have been shrugged off as bad luck.
But there were complaints about the Civic Center's box office. The media room was barren and had Internet problems. (Same as the state high school hoops tournaments.) Also, the event, as always, felt isolated. There was no warmth. There were no banners around the arena. Fans walking through the Town Center mall weren't welcomed with signs. There was nothing around town. There was no Internet presence inviting folks in.
What most struck me was a message sent here from former West Virginia Conference official Will Prewitt, a very nice, laid-back, yet sharp man. He's now the commissioner of the Great American Conference, a Division II league much like the MEC.
He pointed to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, which hosts that league's event. And he said 300 volunteers band together to help with that city's events.
They band together to donate billboards. They put signage across downtown. They help provide hospitality whether on the streets, in hotels or in restaurants.
"The entire community makes our teams feel like rock stars and visiting fans feel special," Prewitt wrote. "It's a definite upgrade from the general indifference we felt from the [Charleston] city leadership during the 13 WVC tournaments that I was a part of.
"The Lions Club folks were great, as were some members of the Civic Center staff. Other than that, it was an attitude of 'we don't have to do anything; we're Charleston; and you don't have anywhere else to go.'"
That, of course, isn't the case. Wheeling, I'm sure, will put in a bid next year. Morgantown and Huntington could make runs. I wouldn't put it past Jim Justice and The Greenbrier to jump in. Heck, even Summersville has an arena.
My suggestion? Get Charleston's leadership to rally folks in the Capital City. Put together a group, a la that of Bartlesville, which could be fun, but would also roll out the proverbial carpet for those hitting town - whether it be for the MEC event or the state high school tennis tournament or a Golden Gloves boxing event.
Surely in a town of around 50,000, Charleston could get a couple hundred together. Maybe ask retired folks, who have more time, to be in charge. Allow those younger to jump in when possible and provide the muscle. Make the meetings and work fun through fellowship. Meanwhile, get ready to make a great pitch to keep the tournament after 2017.
It's time to learn from the past, Charleston.
As well as the present.