Stories of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle
The American Conservation Film Festival (ACFF), now in its eighteenth year, is presenting 48 contemporary films in an online festival format for 2021. Aside from the obvious shift away from in-person venues at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) and Shepherd University, the biggest change to this year’s format is the flexibility of watching any (or all) of the films at any time during the festival dates (March 24-28). Read the Full Story >>
Since 2017, a growing group of local residents has been working to restore the Green Hill Historic African-American Cemetery (GHHAAC) in Martinsburg. The idea for the show at Berkeley Art Works, Fresh Visions: An Exhibit to Celebrate the Green Hill Historic African-American Cemetery, was proposed by Berkeley Arts Council member and GHHAAC volunteer Charles Mortensen. Read the Full Story >>
The Observer spoke with several energy industry professionals with experience in the development and management of utility-scale energy projects to understand the general context for the types of large-scale solar projects being proposed for Jefferson County. We also researched the specific topography of the local power grid and land to understand both the potential and constraints for these types of solar projects in Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>
While it’s common to think of land designated with rural zoning as reserved for agriculture, it’s really a category with many allowed uses, not all directly related to agriculture. Read the Full Story >>
The question to ask is, “do you want to take advantage of economic development opportunities?” said Shane Farthing, Director of Economic and Community Development for the City of Martinsburg. He suggested that if the city did not have a train station and “we did a study on how to improve the economy, we’d ask how great it would be to have a train station. Sometimes it’s hard to recognize the good things you already have. Read the Full Story >>
The Observer asked Eileen Berger, owner of Just Lookin’ Gallery, to recommend some artists who have been addressing the issues that have riveted our collective attention over the past year. Read the Full Story >>
Concerned that West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) oversight is insufficient to protect the water underlying their property from the threat of pollutants from the planned nearby Rockwool factory, a group of local residents is hiring experts to test their water to establish a record to use in possible future legal action. Read the Full Story >>