Are you ready for some home-town college football? Our local Shepherd University Rams open practice this week, looking ahead to their season opener on September 1. Read the Full Story >>
Community
Jefferson County Purchases Ambulances
The Jefferson County Commission takes additional steps to reorganize the county's EMS services. The Commission approved plans to purchase 10 ambulances from volunteer companies, but questions on locations, organization, and budget still need answers. Read the Full Story >>
Shepherdstown Looks at Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan for the Corporation of Shepherdstown is due for an update. As a first step, the Town Council has authorized the Planning Commission to create a committee of volunteers to review and assess the Town’s progress towards the goals set forth in the 2014 plan. Read the Full Story >>
Writers Conference Returns to Shepherd University
Manuscript to Marketplace, a conference for writers of all genres, will take place on the Shepherd University campus September 9 & 10 and is expected to draw attendees from across the region and beyond. Read the Full Story >>
Music on the Mountain & in the Valley
This year’s Appalachian Chamber Music Festival will explore the connections between folk and classical music, particularly with the Scot-Irish and Appalachian traditions. Read the Full Story >>
Asking Questions, Recovering Truth
I came across When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill just after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The reviews indicated that it was a book about women’s rage, and also dragons. What’s not to love, I thought? I did indeed love it, but I was also surprised by the tender coming-of-age story about a grieving girl, and the powerful indictment of a society that tries to force its people to sweep their traumas under the carpet. Read the Full Story >>
Freedom’s Run 2022 – Your Solution to the Comfort Crisis
So many things today compete for our attention and energy. So it’s no surprise that when we get a few minutes of peace we seek comfort. But a book I brought on a summer trip to Oregon suggests we should regularly seek to get out of our comfort zones. Read the Full Story >>
Face to Face for Democracy
The norm we’ve come to expect, enshrined in laws, is for meetings of local government commissions, councils and committees to be open to the public with opportunities for comment. It can be tiring for the folks sitting at the official table to listen, and sometimes it gets a little heated, but as has been said about other activities, if it’s too quiet, you’re not doing it right. Read the Full Story >>
Cyber Thriller Debuts at Theater Festival
It took only 20 years for the number of Internet users to grow from a few hundred million to 5 billion people. Today, cyberattacks are constant. And because the United States was an early adopter of connected technologies, we are particularly vulnerable. Read the Full Story >>
Shepherdstown Public Library Checks Into Its New Home
The Shepherdstown Public Library has occupied the iconic market house building at the center of downtown Shepherdstown for 100 years. That’s a lot of time to accumulate books — and memories. But come July 22, library director Hali Tayor and the library staff will cheer on the ribbon-cutting for a brand new library building just outside of downtown Shepherdstown. The Read the Full Story >>
Year-Round Excitement at Summit Point Motorsports Park
We’re in the recreation and entertainment business, but it’s important not to lose sight of seeing what we do through the eyes of the participants and visitors — the drivers and fans. Our goal is to be a top-notch, world-class facility with regional appeal.” Read the Full Story >>
Appalachian Chamber Music Returns In August For a Second Season
Last summer, a new music festival landed in Harpers Ferry, bringing a relevant and approachable experience of classical music. The Appalachian Chamber Music Festival is now back for its second season with a two-week schedule of performances celebrating the history, nature, and culture of Jefferson County and the surrounding region. Read the Full Story >>
Library Summer Programs Entertain & Educate
All of the local public libraries (Charles Town, Bolivar-Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown & South Jefferson) have a variety of events, activities, classes and challenges as part of their summer programs. Read the Full Story >>
A New County Ambulance Service
At their May 19 meeting, the Commissioners voted unanimously to direct the County Administrator, John Nissel, to develop a plan to create a County Ambulance Service, which would include the County owning and operating all ambulances. Read the Full Story >>
A Thank You to our Readers
It was July 2020 — the height of the pandemic — when Steve and I published our first issue as the new owners of The WV Independent Observer. We were not quite sure what we’d be writing about in the months ahead. Turns out there is a lot happening in Jefferson County and it’s only getting busier. Read the Full Story >>
