Mike Chalmers, Author at The Observer

‘Remember Michael’ Opens its Doors to the Addiction Community

August 8, 2017

— A local mother’s loss becomes a cherished son’s legacy. white Colleen Collins lost her son, Michael Golanos, in October 2016 to a heroin overdose. A heck of a way to start a story. But at this poi...

Local Practitioner Connects Community with Prison Yoga Project

Mike Chalmers

August 7, 2017

Health & Wellness

Whitney Ingram, E-RYT 200 RYT 500, has been a yoga practitioner since 2007, and a teacher since 2012. She is a co-teacher for Jala Yoga’s (Shepherdstown) Hatha Yoga 200-hour and 300-hour teacher training, as we...

Behind the Scenes with CATF Founder Ed Herendeen

Mike Chalmers

July 17, 2017

Community

One of the great things about theater, and writing in general, are stories within the story. The Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) is literally built upon such a notion. Each year, the event attract...

The Great Paris Pull-Out

Mike Chalmers

July 7, 2017

Politics

— Trump’s latest environmental decision lands as usual: amid chaos. On June 1, Donald Trump gave a speech announcing that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Social media exploded accor...

From the Mountains to the Main Stage

Mike Chalmers

June 11, 2017

Features

— Local Rock band with West Virginia roots headlines U.S. tour. Jordan Hudkins is the frontman for Kearneysville-based Rozwell Kid—a band that played its first show in Shepherdstown in October 2011, and now ...

Shaped by More Than Just Passion

Mike Chalmers

June 7, 2017

Art & Essays

Jason Care is a contemporary artist living in Shepherdstown (WV). He creates original and commissioned medium- to large-sized acrylic canvas paintings. If you’re familiar with Shepherdstown, then there’s a good...

Scholarship Program Allows JC High Schoolers Opportunity to Invest in Themselves

Mike Chalmers

May 12, 2017

Education

Arthena Sewell Roper, Cultural Diversity Facilitator for Jefferson County Schools, recently announced the development of an initiative called the Re-Imagine Scholarship—a life-skill enrichment project involving...

Shepherdstown Juggles Recycling Issues

Mike Chalmers

May 6, 2017

Environment

In an effort to keep West Virginia’s oldest town consistently facing both a modern present and a sustainable future, Shepherdstown’s leadership works diligently to uphold a range of ‘green’ standards and practi...

No Solution. No Shortcuts. No Shame.

Mike Chalmers

April 15, 2017

Drugs & Addiction

The answers to the addiction question(s) lie in accountability. I’ve been in a lot of discussions lately about addiction. As our readers know, we cover it consistently in these pages in an effort to steer pe...

Measuring Success in Lives Saved

Mike Chalmers

March 5, 2017

Drugs & Addiction

— Jefferson Day Report Center positioned productively on front lines of addiction epidemic. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, approximately 60 percent of individuals arrested for most types of cri...

Author Mike Chalmers