The Festival is back for 2021 with 60+ local artisans with 100% handcrafted gifts, live music, and food trucks. Saturday, May 1 from 11 am to 5 pm at Sam Michael’s Park. Read the Full Story >>
Jefferson County
Housing Trends Indicate Growth In Jefferson County
Jefferson County has seen a steady pace of new home construction since the recovery after the 2008 recession. Permit numbers for the first few months of 2021 indicate a significant increase in construction may be coming. Read the Full Story >>
WVU Studies Local Children’s Exposure To Heavy Metals
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 >>
A Vision for Hill Top House
By the time Fred and Karen Schaufeld first saw the Hill Top hotel in the early 1990s, it was still imposing, but definitely “shabby chic” as they described it — built to last, but worn down by time. Read the Full Story >>
Discover History At The Jefferson County Museum
The Jefferson County Museum is now open by appointment, Mondays through Saturdays, 11 am to 4 pm. Read the Full Story >>
Volunteers Boost Efforts to Vaccinate Community
“We could not do this without these volunteers,” says Dr. Terrence Reidy, a sentiment echoed by everyone else working with the Jefferson County Health Department to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Ranson Civic Center. Read the Full Story >>
COVID-19 Vaccines & Testing
Pre-Register for COVID-19 Vaccine All West Virginia residents over the age of 16 are encouraged to register with the West Virginia Vaccine Registration System (click here). This will help the state schedule the distribution of vaccines to each county as needed. As of March 22, all residents 16+ are eligible to receive a vaccine (ages Read the Full Story >>
Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program
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 >>
2021 American Conservation Film Festival
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 >>
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Park Celebrates 50 Years
The National Park, the C&O Canal Trust, and the Canal Towns Partnership representing the ten nearby towns along its western path are organizing various events and activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the park in 2021. Read the Full Story >>
Feb 6-13 — Animal Welfare Society Valentine Online Action
The Animal Welfare Society of Jefferson County is hosting a Valentine online auction fundraiser from February 6th - 13th Read the Full Story >>
Transportation Hub for the Eastern Panhandle
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 >>
Tracking the Train in West Virginia’s 2021 Budget Debates
The pandemic has strained the MTA’s workforce and put a dent in ridership and revenue. Discussions about West Virginia’s rail funding for the next fiscal year (from July 2021) will begin when the state Legislature receives the Governor’s budget proposal in early February. Read the Full Story >>
Taking Waters Into Their Own Hands
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 >>
Coming Together to Talk Politics
After the past year of 24/7 political and pandemic coverage, it might seem odd to hear David Welch say “we need to talk more about politics, not less.” The director of the Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications at Shepherd University is quick to point out that he means being able to have constructive conversations. Read the Full Story >>
