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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

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In Print

Observer 2023-08 cover

census

Looking At Growth

September, 2021 Tagged With: census, economic development, editor's note, McMurran Hall, Shepherd University

Looking east from the outskirts of the newly-constructed Aspen Green subdivision off Flowing Springs Road north of Ranson, with the Blue Ridge Mountains (in Maryland) in the distance.

McMurran Hall was built in 1859 as a town hall for Shepherdstown. During the Civil War, it served as the courthouse for Jefferson County until it was abandoned in 1871 when Charles Town reclaimed its role as the seat of the county government. Quickly repurposed into the home of the new Shepherd College, it still stands as a reminder of community spirit shared between a town and institution. Read the Full Story >>

Census Numbers Drive Redistricting

August, 2021 Tagged With: census, economic development, housing, WV Legislature

The 2021 West Virginia House of Delagate's district map.

According to the 2020 Census results, West Virginia is a lot less crowded than it was a decade ago. With an overall drop of over 59,000 residents since 2010 (a 3.3% decrease), the state’s population decline stands out even from the other two states to lose population over the past decade, Mississippi (down 0.2%) and Illinois (down 0.1%). However, the story is a bit different in the Eastern Panhandle. Read the Full Story >>

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