A last-minute bankruptcy filing has halted the sale of an Elkview (W. Va.) shopping center that has been marooned and shuttered since a crucial access bridge was washed away by flooding last summer, the Associated Press reported yesterday. News outlets report a group was forming on the steps of the Kanawha County Courthouse on Tuesday to participate in an auction for the Crossings Mall property, but the scheduled sale was called off after the mall owners filed for chapter 11 protection. The move will likely further delay construction of a new bridge to access the property. About 500 employees who worked at the mall have been unable to return since June floods washed out the bridge.
