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Stories of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle

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Latest Stories

Two Commissioners Refuse To Meet

Local Woman Plays For USA Team In Amputee Soccer Tournament

Shepherdstown Day Care Center Celebrates 50 Years

Imaginary Horribles – An Artist’s Perspective

Local Residents Will Perform “The Anvil” At Courthouse In October

Friends Of Music Presents Poulenc Trio In October

Halloween Fun In Jefferson County

Events & Activities – October 2023

Comment On Air Permit Modification For Rockwool Factory In Ranson Due Oct 23

Jefferson County Planning Commission Takes Comments On Future Land Use

The Emotional Benefits Of Fishing

Stall Tactics On Jefferson County Commission

Read all stories

In Print

Observer 2023-08 cover

Public Health

Sale of Jefferson Utilities Hits Resistance From Consumer Advocate & PSC Staff

March, 2023 Tagged With: CTUB, drinking water, In Print Mar 2023, Jefferson Utilities

JUI water tower in ranson

WV Public Service Commission staff is recommending that the Commission deny American Water's proposed acquisition of Jefferson Utilities. Read the Full Story >>

Recovery Is Focus of Treatment Court Program

December, 2022 Tagged With: David Hammer, In Print Dec 2022, substance use disorder, treatment court

right and left arrows on pavement

Treatment Courts are authorized by West Virginia law and offered by circuit courts to adults as an alternative to incarceration in situations involving substance abuse. Read the Full Story >>

Ambulance Proposal Raises Alarms — Inside the Fitch EMS Report

April, 2022 Tagged With: ambulance, Emergency Services Agency, EMS, In Print Apr 2022, Jefferson County Commission, Volunteer Fire Department

fire trucks at jefferson county commission meeting

Consultants' study recommends reductions in ambulance service, accuracy of data questioned. County Commission eager to proceed, citizens raise multiple concerns.  Read the Full Story >>

Ambulance Response Times Explained

April, 2022 Tagged With: ambulance, Emergency Services Agency, EMS, In Print Apr 2022, Jefferson County Commission, Volunteer Fire Department

The report from Fitch & Associates recommends the adoption of standards from CFAI (Commission on Fire Accreditation International). Following the “rural” standards, the report indicates that the "goal time" for EMS unit response (turnout + travel) would be 15 minutes (the "benchmark"). The same standard also indicates an acceptable time of 19 minutes, 42 seconds. Read the Full Story >>

D.O. or M.D.? What’s the Difference?

April, 2022 Tagged With: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, In Print Apr 2022, primary care

Have you ever seen the initials “D.O.” after a doctor’s name? In my experience, many people are curious — what exactly is an Osteopathic Doctor? How is this any different from an M.D.? What can I expect when I am being treated by a D.O. versus an M.D.? All of these are fair questions. Read the Full Story >>

Two Years of COVID in the Eastern Panhandle

February, 2022 Tagged With: COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Terrence Reidy, In Print Mar 2022, Jefferson County Health Department

A chart showing covid cases in west virginia from March 2020 to February 2022.

wo years ago, in early March 2020, West Virginia was the only state in the country without a documented COVID-19 case. Anticipating the virus would soon arrive, Governor Jim Justice issued an order to close all West Virginia schools (pre-K to grade 12) after Friday the 13th of March. At the time there was very limited information about the virus, but the date was an omen of what was to come. Four days later the first case of COVID was diagnosed in Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>

The Health Of The Community

September, 2021 Tagged With: College of Nursing, healthcare, Shepherd University

Nursing students practice in the simulations labs at Shepherd University.

Be the Light” — it’s the inspirational message displayed prominently on the walls throughout Erma Ora Byrd Hall, home to the College of Nursing, Education and Health Sciences at Shepherd University. This state-of-the-art teaching facility represents the University’s commitment to training the nursing professionals who are essential to meeting the health care needs of the local and regional community. Read the Full Story >>

Opioid Use Disorders and Family Crisis

September, 2021 Tagged With: alternative dispute resolution, Brenda Waugh, Emily Neely, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts, opioid epidemic, substance use disorder

Legal Aid of West Virginia

Children whose parents or caregivers suffer from opioid use disorders are at risk for immediate trauma and negative health outcomes as well as lifelong consequences related to parental or personal opioid use. According to a 2019 report jointly produced by United Hospital Fund and the Boston Consulting Group, the rate of children affected by the opioid crisis in West Virginia was 5.4 percent in 2017— the highest rate in the country. Read the Full Story >>

WVU Studies Local Children’s Exposure To Heavy Metals

April, 2021 Tagged With: air pollution, heavy metals, rockwool, WVU Medicine

The Rockwool mineral wool factory, scheduled to begin production this spring, is visible across the road in front of North Jefferson Elementary School.

It’s about giving families peace of mind, emphasized Dr. Michael McCawley and Dr. Catherine Feaga, speaking about the WVU School of Public Health research project to study the potential exposure and near-term health effects of heavy metals in children in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Read the Full Story >>

Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program

March, 2021 Tagged With: eviction, foreclosure, rental assistance

mountaineer rental assistance program logo.

The Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program is designed to assist West Virginia renters at risk of eviction or homelessness due to COVID-19. Read the Full Story >>

The Pandemic is Here & Now

December, 2020 Tagged With: COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Terrence Reidy, Jefferson County Health Department

Dr. Terrence Reidy shares thoughts and observations about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as his advice for reducing risk while the vaccine rollout begins. Read the Full Story >>

Organizing Allies in WV

December, 2020 Tagged With: healthcare, HIV, opioid epidemic, Shepherdstown Community Education Group

With the COVID-19 pandemic dominating the news, it’s easy for other public health issues to drop out of sight. Shepherdstown-based Community Education Group (CEG) is pointedly focused on West Virginia’s ongoing substance-use disorder epidemic. Read the Full Story >>

Running the COVID Marathon

December, 2020 Tagged With: active adults, COVID-19, diabetes, healthcare, heart disease, immune system, obesity

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella and James Munnis stand atop a rocky outcrop during a hike.

Health experts around the globe have been warning of the risk of a pandemic like COVID-19 for years — and they tell us that we can expect similar viruses to break out in the future. Dr. Mark Cucuzzella suggests that our current approach has focused on hiding from this virus and he makes the case that it’s just as important to strengthen our resistance to COVID-19 and future viruses — in other words, healthier lifestyles for healthier immune systems. Read the Full Story >>

WVU Medicine Opens in Shepherdstown

October, 2020 Tagged With: healthcare, tele-medicine, WVU Medicine

Even before COVID-19, WVU Medicine in the Eastern Panhandle was making big changes. At the start of 2020 the region’s largest healthcare system was adding robotic surgery capability to its Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg and starting construction of a new medical office building on newly-acquired land in Shepherdstown... Read the Full Story >>

Outdoor Fun Around the Eastern Panhandle

October, 2020 Tagged With: biking, climbing, Climbing New Heights, fitness, hiking, mountain biking, Potomac Valley Audubon Society

A mowed path winds through a meadow of waist-high grass and yellow flowers.

Here in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, we are blessed with an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities. When The Observer asked, we jumped at the chance to spotlight a few of our favorite activities for the fall.  Read the Full Story >>

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