Jeff Shores and Matt Barager have reestablished the Mountain Lake Club in Shannondale as a family-friendly recreation spot for the community. Read the Full Story >>
Community Contributor
Building a Learning Community
In the dog days of the pandemic I often wandered over to my neighbor’s yard. As we had for the past two decades, we’d explore new gems growing in her gardens while pondering the problems of the world. She’s a retired social worker, long-time resident, and youth volunteer in the community, and I’ve always valued her wisdom and enjoyed our talks. Read the Full Story >>
The Burdens of Defunct HOAs
Are you stuck in a neighborhood with an HOA board that has gone rogue by not following its own rules or not taking care with your HOA fees? Know someone in an area where nobody knows who is supposed to maintain the roads? You might be living in a “zombie HOA.” Here in West Virginia, we have great neighbors, but we don’t have an effective way to protect our neighborhoods from rogue and zombie HOAs. Read the Full Story >>
Byrd Center Summer Fun
The Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education will host its third Summer Fundraiser on Saturday, June 10 from 6 to 8 pm (rain or shine) on the grounds of historic Patterson’s Mill in Martinsburg. The event will support the Center’s civics education initiatives, including its intern program, and celebrate its twentieth anniversary as a non-profit organization on the campus of Shepherd University. Read the Full Story >>
New Artistic Director Debuts At Contemporary American Theater Festival
July 2023 marks McKowen’s debut in her new role in which she’ll select and shape five plays to premier at CATF, considered one of the country’s top festivals for new plays. Starting in 2006, McKowen worked with Ed Herendeen, CATF’s now retired founder, as costume designer and later Associate Producing Director, to present first-class theater productions and related programs. Now, she intends to uphold CATF’s traditions and pursue new ones. Read the Full Story >>
Interfaith Group Believes in Unity & Connection
Each Wednesday for six weeks leading up to Easter, a different church played host to a Lenten prayer service. but there was a catch — a preacher from yet a different church led the service, which is why Pastor Boomer was before the altar at Trinity, not Reverend Schramm. These services were organized through the Shepherdstown Ministerial Association, which has been active in Shepherdstown for more than 40 years to forge connections between the many churches in the community. Read the Full Story >>
Inherited Justice Black Hole
In Memory of George Floyd, and Too Many Others We circle,Resisting the pull,Watching what we say,Where we go.“Remember who you are,”Our parents warn,As we circle,Trying to keep our distanceFrom the no escape. We circle,From the orbitsWhere “kindship” wasGone with the wind of theAuction block, toMore sophisticated waysTo give a life for a living. We circle,Ten Read the Full Story >>
Jefferson County Selects Comcast For GigReady Program
The Jefferson County Commission selected Comcast to expand high speed internet throughout Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>
Common History, Different Perspective
Abdulrajak Gurnah was the 2021 Nobel Prize winner for Literature. His literary afterlife is just beginning. Born in Zanzibar, although writing in English, and living in England, he was virtually unknown among readers, even among many of the elite intellectuals of the literary world, despite being shortlisted for a Booker Prize with an earlier book and a few lesser prizes. Only one of his nine novels was still in print in the United States when he won. Read the Full Story >>
Take A Breath & Gain New Perspectives
A simple technique and a couple of hard questions have helped me shift my mindset to a calmer and healther focus. Read the Full Story >>
Two Years of COVID in the Eastern Panhandle
wo years ago, in early March 2020, West Virginia was the only state in the country without a documented COVID-19 case. Anticipating the virus would soon arrive, Governor Jim Justice issued an order to close all West Virginia schools (pre-K to grade 12) after Friday the 13th of March. At the time there was very limited information about the virus, but the date was an omen of what was to come. Four days later the first case of COVID was diagnosed in Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>
Running the COVID Marathon
Health experts around the globe have been warning of the risk of a pandemic like COVID-19 for years — and they tell us that we can expect similar viruses to break out in the future. Dr. Mark Cucuzzella suggests that our current approach has focused on hiding from this virus and he makes the case that it’s just as important to strengthen our resistance to COVID-19 and future viruses — in other words, healthier lifestyles for healthier immune systems. Read the Full Story >>
Navigating A Difficult Road
The Observer asked Stephen Willingham to explore how the local public school system is managing through the current public health crisis. The author interviewed the Superintendent and also spoke with teachers about their experiences in the classroom and online. Read the Full Story >>
Outdoor Fun Around the Eastern Panhandle
Here in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, we are blessed with an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities. When The Observer asked, we jumped at the chance to spotlight a few of our favorite activities for the fall. Read the Full Story >>
Keeping the Stage Lights On at the Black Box Youth Playhouse
Whether or not you consider yourself an artist, there is no doubt that art touches your life. The arts tell our story, they are a beautiful legacy. Engaging people from an early age in the arts enhances their development by opening their eyes to different experiences, different voices, and uniquely personal ways for them to express their own dreams and visions. Read the Full Story >>