Local author and entrepreneur, Alan B. Gibson, has a lot going on. He and his partner were recognized for years as the owner/operators of the popular Ridgefield Farm & Orchard located just outside of Shepherdstown—known for its apples, pumpkins, vegetables, Christmas trees, corn maze, and much more. But they sold it, officially, last September (2017), and since then, Gibson has been on a dream-chasing tear, particularly as an author, though he’s quickly making inroads into film, while also continuing to grow a tech startup. Read the Full Story >>
Mike Chalmers
Mike Chalmers is a consulting editor and former editor-in-chief (2016-2020) for The Observer. Mike graduated from Shepherd University with a degree in Communication and Media Studies and currently lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
National Organization Arrives in Panhandle to Confront Opioid Epidemic
Established after the 2016 presidential election, The One America Movement’s (One America) mission is to build bridges and solve problems by bringing Americans together across racial, religious, political, and geographic divides in order to address pressing social problems like poverty, opioids, racial tension, and more. Read the Full Story >>
Local Historian Publishes Reaction to Trump with Book of Essays
Dr. Raymond W. Smock is an American historian, currently serving as director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education at Shepherd University. The Observer interviewed him recently to discuss his career, the cottage industry of “Trump books” that has emerged in the last several years, and where his new book, Trump Tsunami: A Historian’s Diary of the Trump Campaign and His First Year in Office, lands in the context of this new literature. Read the Full Story >>
Berkeley County Waste-to-Fuel Plant Sets Example for the Nation
Berkeley County Solid Waste Authority (BCSWA) Chairman Clint Hogbin is very proud of his organization’s efforts to adhere to the West Virginia Legislature’s requirements that all solid waste authorities reduce landfilling. In fact, it could be argued that, with Hogbin’s influence, BCSWA is one of the most progressive authorities in the state—making great strides in recent years towards sustainability and recycling. Read the Full Story >>
Is Legalization the Answer … to the Opioid Crisis?
On Thursday, January 4th, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions effectively ended the federal policy of non-interference with marijuana-friendly state laws. Needless to say, this is controversial for a lot of reasons, mainly because it’s a step back in the nation’s ongoing battle against opioid addiction. An interesting nugget the Trump administration might want to take Read the Full Story >>
Connected to Something Bigger
— Martinsburg High School’s Tyson Bagent is even more special off the field. Two consecutive state high school football titles. Twenty-eight wins and zero losses in two years. Winner of the 2017/18 West Virginia Gatorade State Football Player of the Year, the House Award, the 2017 All-USA West Virginia High School Football State Offensive Player Read the Full Story >>
The Jefferson County Plaque Problem
On Thursday, October 26, the Jefferson County Commission confirmed a September vote that denied a request to remove a plaque from the front of the county courthouse honoring residents who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Read the Full Story >>
Behind the Scenes with CATF Founder Ed Herendeen
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 attracts a global audience to Shepherdstown—for many reasons—but mostly, because of the stories being told. Read the Full Story >>
From the Mountains to the Main Stage
Rozwell Kid played its first show at The Blue Moon in Shepherdstown in 2011—opting to let whatever success came their way happen organically. But they were good, and when you’re good, word spreads. Read the Full Story >>
Scholarship Program Allows JC High Schoolers Opportunity to Invest in Themselves
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 students from both Jefferson and Washington High Schools. Read the Full Story >>
Shepherdstown Juggles Recycling Issues
Due to a national trend that is now affecting Shepherdstown, the state of West Virginia, along with Apple Valley Recycling Center (Shepherdstown’s recycling vendor), can no longer accept glass of any color. Read the Full Story >>
Measuring Success in Lives Saved
— 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 crimes test positive for illegal drugs at arrest. Nearly 50 percent of jail and prison inmates are clinically addicted, and 80 percent abuse drugs and Read the Full Story >>
Shepherdstown Teams Up With TerraCycle to Address Litter
Shepherdstown Mayor Jim Auxer cares a lot about the environment. And as one of the Panhandle’s greenest, most outdoor-friendly locations, he feels it’s everyone’s responsibility to help keep Shepherdstown clean. Read the Full Story >>
Home-Grown and Hand-Made
So how exactly does one make organic bean-to-bar chocolate? Jack Meyer, owner of Appalachian Chocolate Company, the only chocolate manufacturer in West Virginia explains hise process. Read the Full Story >>
I Lost My Brother to Mr. Brown
Mike Chalmers is a consulting editor and former editor-in-chief (2016-2020) for The Observer. — If we’re going to truly address the addiction epidemic, we’ve got to be brutally honest about it. I’ll go first. When we took over at the new Observer, we knew we wanted to place ourselves firmly within the emerging conversation surrounding Read the Full Story >>