The May 10 election combines a final election for School Board and primary elections for Congress, WV Senate, WV Delegate & County Commission. Read the Full Story >>
Feature
Building The Shepherdstown Opera House
Construction of the Shepherdstown Opera House began in December 1909 and the theater opened its doors for its first show in June of 1910. Read the Full Story >>
Getting On The River In Jefferson County
Jefferson County connects with both the Potomac River and Shenandoah River, and there are many ways for locals and visitors alike to enjoy the water. Read the Full Story >>
Solar in Jefferson County
Jefferson County could be home to several large scale solar power projects - if the County can amend its zoning to permit these facilities. There has been much discussion, several amendments, and several lawsuits since this process began in 2020. Read the Full Story >>
Ambulance Proposal Raises Alarms — Inside the Fitch EMS Report
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
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 >>
Shepherd University Attracts Students & Funding
Looking at the early numbers on Shepherd University’s enrollment picture for next year, undergraduate applications are at the highest level the University has seen in eight years (and up 39 percent compared to this time last year). Enrollment confirmations are up 24 percent compared to this time last year. The University has also run up the score in attracting federal funding. Read the Full Story >>
Visit Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
Everybody needs a little time away, goes the song — even from the people, places, and things we love. Fortunately, here in Jefferson County we have an abundance of nearby travel options in the surrounding region that both local residents and visitors can experience. Read the Full Story >>
Talent & Teamwork On & Off the Field
2021 was quite a year for the Shepherd University football team. In case you missed the excitement at the end of the season, the Rams pushed through the post-season with back-to-back upset victories to make it to the semi-final round of the Division II national championship. Read the Full Story >>
School Board — How It Works, Why It Matters
Voters will elect 3 candidates to the Jefferson County Board of Education this year. Read more about how the School Board works. Read the Full Story >>
Meet the 2022 Candidates — Board of Education, Jefferson County
Voters will elect 3 candidates to the Jefferson County Board of Education this year. Read what the candidates are saying. Read the Full Story >>
Connecting Teens to Prevent Suicide
Lee O’Neill is on a mission to bring best practices for suicide prevention to Eastern Panhandle schools. Starting two years ago with Musselman High, O’Neill now provides the program — developed by nationwide organization Sources of Strength — to all four high schools in Berkeley County. Read the Full Story >>
Housing Construction Grows In Jefferson County
When The Observer looked at Jefferson County home construction trends in May of 2021, the County’s Office of Impact Fees reported that 149 residential building permits had been issued countywide during the first three months of 2021. The numbers for the full year were even more impressive, as numbers for single family and townhouse construction were double the annual rate seen in the past decade. Read the Full Story >>
Museum Tells Stories of Families Persevering
Nick Powers, Curator of Collections at The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, describes the museum’s newest exhibition — Contributions: African Americans in the Shenandoah Valley — as a living exhibition. “We’re hoping people will reach out with stories and objects that can help us tell this story. We think of African American history as Shenandoah Valley history and both as American history. We’ve been collecting these objects, but this is the first time we’ve had a space dedicated to telling these stories.” Read the Full Story >>
CASA-EP Advocates for the Kids
CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates – grew out of an idea developed by Seattle judge David Soukup in 1977 to appoint volunteers to advocate for the children in the neglect and abuse cases he was presiding over in his courtroom. Today, there are now more than 90,000 CASA volunteers nationwide, including local volunteers at CASA of the Eastern Panhandle (CASA-EP). Read the Full Story >>
