News Articles

The Morgan County Little League 10 and 11 year old all star teams each advanced to the District 6 Tournament with impressive showings in the Area 1 Tournaments held last week. The 11 year old division of the Area 1 All Star Tournament was hosted by Morgan County for the first time in several years. In front of packed crowds at the 522 Ball Complex, the home team didn't disappoint their fans. The Morgan County 11 year olds dominated the local competition, defeating South Berkeley 17-2 in their opening game, and Hedgesville 13-3 in the tournament championship. Both games were stopped in the fourth inning due to the mercy rule.

Against South Berkeley, starting pitcher Preston Hovermale allowed only two hits and struck out six in the complete game victory. Morgan County pounded out 17 hits including a four for four performance by Jake Truax. Tyler Holt and Jared Spielman each had three hits and Scotty Hessler and Devin Kesecker added two hits each to round out an impressive offensive attack. Colin McPeak, Colton Ganoe and Hovermale all had hits in the game as well.

I have been reading about a 7-month-old baby boy, Kaleb Schwade, in Tampa, Florida who was shaken and smothered by his babysitter and is currently in Intensive Care fighting for his life.

This past June, Leigh Jenkins departed for Tokyo as a participant in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program. Jenkins, from Berkeley Springs High School, was selected from a national pool of over 1,700 applicants by a panel of educators in the U.S. to travel to Japan for three weeks in an effort to promote greater intercultural understanding between the two nations.

Jenkins was among 200 educators visiting Japan in June. They began their visit in Tokyo with a practical orientation on Japanese life and culture and meetings with Japanese government officials and educators. They then traveled in groups of 20 to selected host cities where they had direct contact with Japanese teachers and students during visits to primary and secondary schools. Jenkins' group was based in Suganami-ku prefecture near Tokyo and had the opportunity to visit Tokyo University, as well. They also visited cultural sites and local industries in addition to a brief homestay with a Japanese family.

The move to redistrict the county magisterial districts has been dropped from the Morgan County Commission agenda.

Commissioner Tommy Swaim said that the issue was too complicated and he wasn't going to bring it up again. Swaim said that he still represented his original district, District 3, for the remainder of his term.

Bath Town Council has entered into an agreement with contractor Cowgirl Up to cut and cap the old water lines. Water Works employees have identified 15 faulty valves that can't be closed to shut off water flow to the old water line system.

"They are our eyes and ears out there. The reserve deputies are a helpful asset and we appreciate them a lot," said Chief Deputy Vince Shambaugh talking about the Morgan County Sheriff's group of volunteer reserve deputies.

The Morgan Arts Council (MAC) launches the 21st annual summer concerts in the park series on Saturday, July 7 at 5:30 p.m. presenting the traditional music duo of Steve Hickman and John Devine. This first of eight free summer concerts is the only one staged at the gazebo in Cacapon State Park. The lake bathhouse serves as a rain location.

Berkeley Springs resident John Devine anchors the acoustic pair with his guitar picking and strumming as well as his strong and gentle voice. Steve Hickman is a lively fiddle player who is reknown for his hambone slapping. Hickman and Devine are popular performers on the traditional dance circuit. In addition, they have performed at a variety of locations from the John C. Campbell Folk School and Kennedy Center to the Library of Congress and Bluemont Concert Series.

The Morgan County Rural Water Committee asked for citizen committees to study water issues and solutions at last week's Source Water Protection Forum.

Sometimes a family member or a neighbor will call 911 if it looks like someone needs help or people will call 911 if they see an accident, said McBee. An ambulance will be dispatched to the scene.

When the crew gets there, they may find that the person isn't hurt and doesn't need an ambulance, he said. For those "good intent" calls, there is no charge, said McBee.

The Morgan Arts Council launches the 21st season for Summer Concerts in the Park with a sponsor for the first time. "We are delighted that the Carl M. Freeman Foundation decided this would be their first venture in presenting art to the Morgan County community," said Mary Hott, MAC's Executive Director. "The free summer concert series is MAC's signature program and one that reaches the most people."

The Freeman Foundation is the exclusive sponsor of the eight concert series that begins at Cacapon State Park on Saturday, July 7 and continues every Saturday through the rest of the summer. "My husband, Josh Freeman, was committed to supporting performing arts, children and the environment in every community in which Freeman Companies did business," said Freeman Foundation president, Michelle Freeman. "Although we tragically lost Josh in December, his legacy will live on in efforts such as supporting the Morgan Arts Council's summer concert series.