• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Observer

Stories of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle

  • Home
  • Sightline Stories
    • Solar in Jefferson County
    • Remembering Hartstown
  • Pandemic Stories
  • COVID-19 Resources

Primary Sidebar

Latest Stories

Particularly Interesting Art

April 16, 2021

Solar in Jefferson County

April 11, 2021

Shepherdstown University Art Students Exhibit

April 10, 2021

A Vision for Hill Top House

April 2, 2021

2021 PVAS Race For The Birds

April 2, 2021

Speak Stories Hosts Len Cabral – April 13

April 2, 2021

Book Review: Remaking Appalachia

April 1, 2021

Keep Your Bird Feeders Clean

April 1, 2021

Rebuilding A Shopping Destination In Downtown Charles Town

April 1, 2021

Discover History At The Jefferson County Museum

April 1, 2021

Shepherdstown Library Gets a New Website

April 1, 2021

Building An Organic Farm From The Ground Up

April 1, 2021

Read all stories

In Print

zoning

Solar in Jefferson County

April 11, 2021 Tagged With: renewable energy, SIGHTLINE, SIGHTLINE INTRODUCES, solar, zoning

lines of solar panels that extend far into the distance which are part of a commercial solar array.

With this post, The Observer introduces SIGHTLINE stories, in-depth explorations intended to engage and inform the community on key topics. Our first SIGHTLINE story explores the implications of large-scale solar development in Jefferson County.  Read the Full Story >>

Connecting Solar In Jefferson County

February 24, 2021 Tagged With: agriculture, conservation easement, farming, renewable energy, SIGHTLINE, solar, zoning

Millville substation

The Observer spoke with several energy industry professionals with experience in the development and management of utility-scale energy projects to understand the general context for the types of large-scale solar projects being proposed for Jefferson County. We also researched the specific topography of the local power grid and land to understand both the potential and constraints for these types of solar projects in Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>

A Look At Rural Zoning In Jefferson County

February 24, 2021 Tagged With: economic development, SIGHTLINE, solar, zoning

While it’s common to think of land designated with rural zoning as reserved for agriculture, it’s really a category with many allowed uses, not all directly related to agriculture. Read the Full Story >>

Sparking A Converstation: Local Farmers Discuss Large-Scale Solar Development

September 1, 2020 Tagged With: agriculture, conservation easement, farming, renewable energy, SIGHTLINE, solar, zoning

A wooden sign for a dairy farm with power transmission Lines visible in the field in the background.

Pastoral landscapes may be easy on the eyes, but farming them is a hard life. Todd Hough of Oakwood Farm has been working the land since he was a child. He and his brother are the fourth generation to run the family farm in the Kabletown District of Jefferson County.  Read the Full Story >>

The Water Connecting Us

September 1, 2020 Tagged With: brownfields, cave, groundwater, karst geology, Lakeland Caverns, rockwool, USGS, water pollution, WVDEP, zoning

map of Caverns in Jefferson County, West Virginia.

One hundred years ago, underneath the Old Opera House in Charles Town, locals and tourists danced the night away beside a crystal-clear lake inside a cavern filled with orchestral tones. Today, the Lakeland Caverns cave is quiet, all entries sealed off from the public.  Read the Full Story >>

Perspectives from a Local Solar Professional

July 30, 2020 Tagged With: renewable energy, SIGHTLINE, solar, zoning

high stalks of corn with solar panels barely visible over the top of the cornstalks.

For the first article in this series, we invited Danny Chiotos to research and address some questions about the nature of the specific solar generation project that initiated the request for proposed zoning amendment ZTA 19-03. Read the Full Story >>

Trading Bigger Is Better for Less is More

May 21, 2019 Tagged With: Tiny Haven, tiny house, zoning

As a rule, most American’s like their homes big, but Danielle LaRock and Jonathan Carnill have a desire to live tiny in an 8.5 x 20-foot dwelling. They hope to develop a space for other owners of tiny homes to enjoy their “tinys” as well—in harmony with the belief that it’s important to be in a community with others who care about the planet, personal development, simple living, and helping each other while also being self-sufficient. Read the Full Story >>

Shepherdstown Debates the Emergence of Transient Lodging

January 8, 2019 Tagged With: Airbnb, Shepherdstown, tourism, Transient Lodging Taskforce, zoning

Arguably the oldest town in West Virginia, Shepherdstown remains surprisingly on trend within an assortment of social, political, and even municipal categories. Which is why it should come as no surprise to learn that the town began exploring the emergence of transient lodging back in 2017. Read the Full Story >>

Rockwool: Point – Counterpoint

October 24, 2018 Tagged With: air pollution, drinking water, Jefferson County Vision, rockwool, zoning

Last month, The Observer attempted to tell the basic story behind the arrival of the Rockwool plant to Jefferson County. Now we’re taking the opportunity to allow one representative from each side to say their piece. Read the Full Story >>

He Said. She Said. They Said. We Said.

September 4, 2018 Tagged With: air pollution, Jefferson County Development Authority, rockwool, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, zoning

When all the posting, researching, explaining, presenting, disputing, articulating, organizing, mobilizing, etc., is stripped away, it looks like this: one group of people—Rockwool Group North America, the JCDA, and the City of Ranson—wants to bring what has been determined to be an economic opportunity to Jefferson County; another group—mostly Jefferson County citizens and larger groups therein—doesn’t want it here. They each have a story to tell; they each have been attempting to tell that story vigorously for the last month or more. Read the Full Story >>

Footer

Local Coverage

  • Elections
  • COVID-19

Read Online

  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Book Reviews
  • Community
  • Economy & Environment
  • Education
  • Government
  • Public Health

Sightline Stories

  • Solar in Jefferson County
  • Remembering Hartstown

Local

  • Events and Live Entertainment
  • Shepherdstown
  • Harpers Ferry & Bolivar
  • Charles Town & Ranson

The Observer

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Connect With Us
  • Print Issues
  • Terms of Use

Follow Us

  • Facebook

Copyright © 2021 WV Independent Observer LLC · Log in