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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

In Print Feb 2022

Housing Construction Grows In Jefferson County

February, 2022 Tagged With: housing, In Print Feb 2022, land use, population growth, zoning

chart of housing permits 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

February, 2022 Tagged With: American History, In Print Feb 2022, Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Storer College

A descendant of potter Abraham Spencer (abt. 1806–1873) pauses in front of a display case during the Members First Look opening. MSV photo by Ginger Perry.

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

February, 2022 Tagged With: CASA-EP, In Print Feb 2022, mentorship, volunteering

A training meeting at CASA of the eastern panhandle.

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 >>

Soul Food Farm Has Plans to Grow

February, 2022 Tagged With: agriculture, Earth n' Root program, education, Friday's on the Farm, In Print Feb 2022, Meditative Medicinals, Soul Food Farm

Sara Carley-Peña describes her two Nigerian Dwarf goats as “happiness wrapped in fur.”

rips with her students. In early 2021, when she heard the Prillaman family had plans to sell the farm and move to New Hampshire, Carley-Peña reached out to express an interest. “It really fell together,” she said, “there was an immediate connection. Read the Full Story >>

The Foundations of Local Community

February, 2022 Tagged With: editor's note, In Print Feb 2022

Hill top house before repair work began in January 2022.

A last look at the current Hill Top House in Harpers Ferry before construction work began in late January 2022. Swan Hill Top, the development company, says that the activity of the early stages of the project may not be very visible as workers clean up and deconstruct the interior of the building to salvage Read the Full Story >>

It Turns On Love

February, 2022 Tagged With: book review, In Print Feb 2022

When you thumb through Bolu Babalola’s short story collection, Love in Color: Mythical Tales From Around the World, Retold, you’ll surely recognize some of the names that double as titles. Scheherazade, of the Arabian Nights; Nefertiti, a legendary ancient Egyptian queen; perhaps even Psyche, from the Greek story of Eros and Psyche. Many of the names may be unfamiliar, featuring myths from western and southern Africa, China, and Mesopotamia. But even if you know the original incarnations of these stories, Babalola’s versions will still feel entirely new. Read the Full Story >>

The Bradford Pear Outgrows Its Welcome

February, 2022 Tagged With: bradford pear, In Print Feb 2022

It sounded like springtime in December. Three dozen robins were singing and scolding on Christmas morning. They had gathered to feed on the fruits of a Bradford pear, an ornamental tree that was the darling of landscapers thirty years ago but is now black-listed by many gardeners and nature lovers. Read the Full Story >>

Preserving the Past, Enriching the Future

February, 2022 Tagged With: historic preservation, In Print Feb 2022, Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission, Peter Burr Property

the peter burr house.

The Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission first met on March 18, 1974. From that first meeting through today, their goals continue to focus on heritage education, historic resource development, and research, in addition to preserving the county’s invaluable historic resources. Read the Full Story >>

Art In The Halls at the MSV

February, 2022 Tagged With: Art in the Halls, In Print Feb 2022, Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

“Dancing Through Time”, 2015, by Carmen Crawford, acrylic on canvas. MSV photo by Ginger Perry.

The newest Art in The Halls exhibition at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley features vibrant works by Carmen Crawford, Loretta Allison, and Ray Crawford through April 17.  Read the Full Story >>

Local Business Features Local Painter

February, 2022 Tagged With: Diana Suttenfield, In Print Feb 2022, painting, Specialty Business Supplies

Diana Suttenfield will be exhibiting paintings at Specialty Business Supplies, 111 South Princess St, Shepherdstown, starting January 14. Open Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm. Info about the artist at DianaSuttenfield.com. Read the Full Story >>

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