News Articles

Two Berkeley Springs men have been charged with murdering Keese Bare, whose body was identified last year from charred bone fragments found at a campsite along the Potomac River. Bare had been missing since September, 2004.

Vernon L. Kerns, Jr. and Jason M. Payne were indicted by the Morgan County Grand Jury on September 4 for Bare's murder and for conspiring to commit the murder.

Members of the Morgan County Planning Commission took their first look at new rules for cluster development at their August 28 meeting.

The draft of a Cluster Development Subdivision Ordinance was prepared by ARRO Consulting at the request of County Planning Director Alma Gorse. ARRO is the Hagerstown engineering firm employed by the county to review subdivision applications.

The Carl M. Freeman Companies bought the Benedikt Farm near Berkeley Springs on Friday, August 31. The 168-acre farm was purchased from Gary Laue and his family.

The land will be used as part of the plans that Freeman Companies have for a new community at the former Coolfont Recreation site.

A plan by Town of Bath Police to help build a shooting range surfaced when Chief James Minton asked the council to pay $146 for lumber to build target frames at the August 21 meeting of the Bath Town Council.

Minton said the shooting range was being constructed on property owned by Bob Ford along Sir Johns Run Road.

The Morgan County Grand Jury was considering indictments when The Morgan

Messenger went to press yesterday. Tuesday was the opening day of the September Term of Morgan County Circuit Court, with Judge Gina Groh presiding.

Potomac Conservancy gained its 50th easement to protect the Potomac area on August 31.

The 134-acre easement, which is held jointly by Potomac Conservancy and the Cacapon & Lost Rivers Land Trust, was donated by Robert Poole, whose property is near Largent.

As a follow up to the Sub-Prime lending story in the August 22 issue of The Morgan Messenger, Thomas Rokisky, president of CNB, and Denise Bergen, vice president of BB&T, were asked what advice they have for borrowers who are in danger of missing mortgage payments or have already fallen behind.

The Morgan County Commission considered two different drafts of procedures for county volunteer board appointments and reappointments at their August 24 meeting.

The Morgan County Commission approved paying $4,000 in annual dues to the West Virginia Association of Counties at their Friday, August 24 meeting. The vote was 2-1.

Christopher Strovel, the Eastern Panhandle representative for Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, came to Bath Town Hall on August 21 to introduce himself to town officials.