Fentanyl, Inc. opens with the story of eighteen-year-olds Bailey Henke and Kain Schwandt as they go on a road trip across the snowed plains of North Dakota. Henke and Schwain plan on visiting family, but they have an ulterior motive: they hope their time on the road will help them kick their addiction to fentanyl, a drug they once discovered by buying medical patches on the black market. Read the Full Story >>
Shepherdstown
Homework for the Children of Democracy (December 2019)
If you vote in West Virginia and you don’t read any West Virginia newspapers, you haven’t done your homework. You’ll be sent to detention, which is what we’re all having now, as we speak. Read the Full Story >>
Tracing the Travels of Saw-Whet Owls
The caravan of cars reached the top of South Mountain. A couple-dozen riders emerged into the night, bundled into parkas and wearing winter coats. As we inhaled crisp November air, our ears were blasted with a continuous amplified recording that sounded like a big truck backing up. Read the Full Story >>
SU Athletic Club Working Harder, Reaching Higher
Since its launch in the fall of 2018, the Shepherd University Athletic Club (SUAC) has gained some serious momentum toward their vision of elevating Shepherd University athletic programs and facilities through targeted financial support and improvement projects. Read the Full Story >>
Exit the Baby Boomers
For years, we’ve watched our young people leave West Virginia. The children of our friends, whom we’ve watched grow up, head off to college or a job opportunity, and they don’t come back. Now, their parents—our friends and neighbors—are entering or nearing retirement, and asking one another: Are you going to stay in West Virginia? It’s remarkable how many say no, or give a long sigh and shrug that says, “I don’t know.” It’s not that they have somewhere else calling them. It’s the politics. Read the Full Story >>
Observer Contributor Co-Develops Memorial Site for Opioid Victims
If you or someone you love has lost someone to the opioid crisis, then it’s worth your while to check out "All Our Hearts"—an online memorial project developed in part by Observer contributor and Jefferson County native Lena Camilletti. Read the Full Story >>
Bringing Back Bobwhite Quail
On our wall hangs an ammunition poster printed in the 1940s featuring a crouched rabbit and ten Bobwhite quail. Painted by sporting artist Lynn Bogue Hunt, it celebrates bygone days when hunting was a favorite fall pastime. Read the Full Story >>
Holiday Blessing: Shepherdstown Boasts Tour of Historic Churches
Bells will be ringing in Shepherdstown on the day after Christmas. Jerry Bock and Bruce Massey of the Historic Shepherdstown Commission announce the Second-Annual “Shepherdstown Tour of Historic Churches.” Read the Full Story >>
Program Matches Students with Shepherdstown Seniors for Oral History Project
The Shepherdstown Area Independent Living organization, or SAIL as it is more commonly known, has partnered with Shepherd University for a year-long intergenerational project entitled “Hear This! Sharing Stories Across Generations.” Read the Full Story >>
A New Standard in Tree Removal Services Arrives in the Panhandle
Tree Service really never goes out of season. And with snow, ice, and wind season nearly upon us, it might be wise to know a top-notch professional for when the moment inevitably calls for it. Enter Viking Tree Service, LLC, a veteran-owned, Shepherdstown-based precision tree-removal and trimming service. Focused first on safety and customer service, Read the Full Story >>
Shepherdstown Community Club Takes Over Morgan’s Grove
What has walking trails, athletic fields, and history? The answer is the 25-acre Morgan’s Grove Park in Shepherdstown—owned by the Shepherdstown Community Club. Read the Full Story >>
Shade’s Farm is all About the Bees, and Beyond
After completing his master’s from Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam in 2011, Curt Shade returned home and started “farming for the market” as a new income for the family farm. Read the Full Story >>
Over the Mountain Studio Tour Boasts ‘Emerging Artist’ Component
This year, the popular Over the Mountain Studio Tour (OTMST)—the oldest studio tour in West Virginia—will host its 30th Anniversary Tour, landing on Saturday and Sunday, November 9 + 10, from 10am-5pm. The rare occasion allows the public to meet artists throughout Jefferson County, observe their studio spaces, and learn about their processes. Read the Full Story >>
Shepherdstown CBD Shop Lands at Right Time, Right Place
“Hemp isn’t a scary plant—it’s just a plant!” declared Samantha Savoca. She’s spreading the word of the benefits of cannabidiol oil, or CBD, a product derived from hemp, through her shop, Meditative Medicinals (123 W. German St., Shepherdstown). Read the Full Story >>
Welcome Back, Bob White!
The whistled call, “Bob-White,” is seldom heard here anymore. But that may be about to change. Interested farmers and landowners in Virginia and West Virginia now have an opportunity to bring the cheerful little quail back to their original habitat. Read the Full Story >>