Meet Bill Ridenour, the Republican Party candidate running in West Virginia's Delegate District 100 in the 2022 election. Read the Full Story >>
In Print Aug 2022
Shepherd University Football Team Prepared For Exciting 2022 Season
Are you ready for some home-town college football? Our local Shepherd University Rams open practice this week, looking ahead to their season opener on September 1. Read the Full Story >>
Jefferson County Purchases Ambulances
The Jefferson County Commission takes additional steps to reorganize the county's EMS services. The Commission approved plans to purchase 10 ambulances from volunteer companies, but questions on locations, organization, and budget still need answers. Read the Full Story >>
Questions for Solar Projects
The County Commission discussed permit fees for solar projects at its July 21 meeting. The commissioners discussed a range of fees, with Commissioner Jane Tabb proposing $700,000 to ensure the County covers its review and inspection costs while Commissioner Steve Stolipher suggested a cap of $75,000. Projects of similar size in nearby jurisdictions pay permit fees ranging from $700,000 to $1,400,000. The Commission decided to defer a decision and requested staff to provide further research and recommendations to be presented at a future meeting (Aug 4 or Aug 18). Read the Full Story >>
Shepherdstown Looks at Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan for the Corporation of Shepherdstown is due for an update. As a first step, the Town Council has authorized the Planning Commission to create a committee of volunteers to review and assess the Town’s progress towards the goals set forth in the 2014 plan. Read the Full Story >>
Writers Conference Returns to Shepherd University
Manuscript to Marketplace, a conference for writers of all genres, will take place on the Shepherd University campus September 9 & 10 and is expected to draw attendees from across the region and beyond. Read the Full Story >>
Music on the Mountain & in the Valley
This year’s Appalachian Chamber Music Festival will explore the connections between folk and classical music, particularly with the Scot-Irish and Appalachian traditions. Read the Full Story >>
Tracking the Bats Overhead
Last Saturday night, I led a friend and her family on a bat walk. She said it was the only thing she wanted for her birthday, so I met her at her house near Ranson, West Virginia around 8:30 pm. It had rained all day but started to clear up in the late afternoon. Perfect “batting” weather. Read the Full Story >>
Asking Questions, Recovering Truth
I came across When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill just after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The reviews indicated that it was a book about women’s rage, and also dragons. What’s not to love, I thought? I did indeed love it, but I was also surprised by the tender coming-of-age story about a grieving girl, and the powerful indictment of a society that tries to force its people to sweep their traumas under the carpet. Read the Full Story >>
Freedom’s Run 2022 – Your Solution to the Comfort Crisis
So many things today compete for our attention and energy. So it’s no surprise that when we get a few minutes of peace we seek comfort. But a book I brought on a summer trip to Oregon suggests we should regularly seek to get out of our comfort zones. Read the Full Story >>
Face to Face for Democracy
The norm we’ve come to expect, enshrined in laws, is for meetings of local government commissions, councils and committees to be open to the public with opportunities for comment. It can be tiring for the folks sitting at the official table to listen, and sometimes it gets a little heated, but as has been said about other activities, if it’s too quiet, you’re not doing it right. Read the Full Story >>
A New County Ambulance Service
At their May 19 meeting, the Commissioners voted unanimously to direct the County Administrator, John Nissel, to develop a plan to create a County Ambulance Service, which would include the County owning and operating all ambulances. Read the Full Story >>