The 37^th annual Father’s Day car show, hosted by Mountain State Cruisers in Berkeley Springs State Park and along West Fairfax Street, spread color and shine on a sunny Saturday, June 20.

Weather was ideal for the popular car show, featuring 97 original and custom cars and trucks gleaming in the sun.

Trophies were awarded, including a Mayor’s Choice award bestowed by Town of Bath Mayor Greg Schene. A listing of the winners was not available at press time.

Barbecue was on the menu for all the dads, with both Mountain State Cruisers and a food truck vendor selling sandwich platters.

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Drawn from the museum’s collection of more than 148 million artifacts and specimens, the 5,000-square-foot exhibition explores the people, landscapes, discoveries, traditions, and defining moments that have shaped the United States across millions of years of natural and cultural history. Many of the objects on display have rarely or never before been exhibited publicly.

Sea star

Representing West Virginia in the exhibition is a fossil sea star, one of nine objects from the state featured in the “From These Lands” exhibition.

The lands known as the United States were not always land. Continents took billions of years to move into their current positions.

This fossil sea star (Devonaster sp.), discovered in West Virginia,  lived between 419 and 359 million years ago, when warm, shallow seas covered much of the continents.

Sea stars first evolved about 480 million years ago and today inhabit every ocean basin, rocky tidepools, sandy seafloors and abyssal muck. But they cannot be found in West Virginia anymore.

The exhibition highlights the unique natural, cultural, scientific, and historical contributions connected to West Virginia and is expected to be viewed by millions of visitors from around the world during its multi-year engagement in Washington, D.C.

“This exhibition brings the entire country into one gallery,” said Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. “As the country marks its 250th anniversary, ‘From These Lands’ presents an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our landscapes, the depth of our history and the connections that link people and the natural world across borders.”

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Public notice has been released by the Public Service Commission of West Virginia that Potomac Edison, the regional electricity company, has proposed a two-step base rate increase on most of the state’s power customers, including households and businesses in Morgan County.

If new rates are approved by the PSC, Potomac Edison would raise their electric rates for residential customers by $4.12 per month, roughly a 3% increase, effective August 1, 2026. Rates would also go up for commercial and industrial customers, who would see a 1.7% and 1.3% increase, respectively. Street lighting rates would also go up by 2% under the proposal.

In June of 2027, Potomac Edison would raise rates again by $4.11 a month on residential customers, a 2.9% increase. Rates would also rise for commercial, industrial and street lighting customers.

According to the PSC, the aggregate of both increases would raise $75.6 million in revenue through a combined 4.25% rate increase.

Rates would increase in 40 of the state’s 55 counties under the proposal, affecting 558,000 customers.

In their original base rate filing, the power companies said they are seeking the hikes as an Inflation and Plant Investment Rate Adjustment. The filing lists improvements made to their various power plants and transmission equipment to address overloads, voltage drops, aging transmission structures and line deterioration.

Public comments open

Anyone who wants to protest or comment on the proposed rate hike can do so until July 9.

Protests and comments can be filed online through the Public Service Commission website (www.psc.state.wv.us) using the “Submit Comment” link. Comments can also be mailed or hand delivered to the Executive Secretary of the Public Service Commission of West Virginia, P.O. Box 812, 201 Brooks Street, Charleston, WV 25323.

Members of the Public Service Commission will hold an evidentiary hearing at 9:30 a.m. on July 9 in the Howard M. Cunningham Hearing Room at the PSC at the above address.

Those who want more information about the case can find information on the PSC website by searching Case No. 26-0508-E-42T.

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The Morgan County Sheriff’s Department will once again have a K-9 officer on its force, following a vote by the County Commission to approve up to $20,000 for start-up costs to add a trained dog to the department. Funds for the K-9 will come from the county’s fund of opioid lawsuit settlement money.

Sheriff Johnnie Walter outlined the costs and steps involved in adding the K-9 to his department, answering county officials’ questions during the regular commission meeting on Wednesday, June 17.

“I cannot believe how much dogs cost,” Sheriff Walter told officials. He has decades of experience working with dogs in law enforcement, and said prices are high right now. A “green” or untrained K-9 could cost close to $10,000, Walter said.

Offsetting that cost is an offer of free training for the dog at a K-9 academy in Virginia, where Walter sometimes assists in training.

Other costs for the dog include gear, a cage, a heat sensor for the patrol vehicle the K-9 will travel in, dog food, vet expenses, equipment and compensation for the deputy who will be the dog’s handler.

Walter said the dog will be used primarily for detecting narcotics. He said he prefers a laborador or German short hair breed for the job.

Once an appropriate dog is found, he or she will undergo eight weeks of K-9 training and the deputy designated to be its handler will receive training as well.

During previous discussion about a K-9, the sheriff said it doesn’t make sense to train the animal on marijuana detection as state laws continue to change and once a dog is trained on alerting for a substance, it cannot be untrained to do so.

Another deputy requested

In other police matters, Sheriff Walter told commissioners that this would be an ideal time to add a deputy to the department. During the last round of Civil Service testing, Walter said he wound up with a list of five or six qualified candidates who passed both the written and physical agility tests, which is unusual.

“It’s a good time to hire an additional deputy,” he said.

Walter said the average coverage ratio for a community is 2.4 officers per 1,000 residents. Morgan County has 1 officer per 1,500 residents when all officers are available, he said. If any are on deployment or medical leave, the ratio is even less.

“Right now, we’re working with one deputy per 2,200 residents,” he said. “And that doesn’t include visitors and tourists visiting.”

Walter said now would be the time to grab an available officer. That would reduce overtime costs and provide better coverage county-wide. The starting salary for a deputy is $40,000.

Commission President Joel Tuttle said he agrees the county needs to increase the number of officers. He asked if there are any grant programs or opportunities to pay that salary, instead of using the county’s general funds.

He said he would fully support a grant effort to add a deputy.

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In his public safety committee report to Bath Town Council on Tuesday, June 16 Police Officer J. Stangle reminded all motorists to slow down at crosswalks now that the busy summer tourism season is underway.

Officer Stangle has previously stated in the town’s public meeting that motorists should stop if they see someone who looks like they are thinking about crossing the street.

Biser bridge replacement

In other business, Councilman Rick Weber said the town is entering into a maintenance agreement with West Virginia Department of Highways to replace the bridge on Ewing Street across from the basketball courts on Biser.

Weber said the bridge has been closed for over a year and is creating an inconvenience for residents.

Town of Bath is responsible for the bridge, and DOH will provide inspections in a cost-sharing agreement, Councilman Weber said in the public meeting.

Major sewer line upgrades have been underway in the area along Biser Street extending to the US 522 bypass since last summer.

MAC sponsorship agreement

During the public meeting, Council approved a two-year sponsorship agreement of $5,000 per year for Morgan Arts Council’s summer concert series.

Fabulous Façade program

As part of its Fabulous Façade grant program, Bath Town Council approved $2,500 to reimburse The Country Inn for woodwork done on a large tree trunk in their front garden.

The woodwork is a nod to the original George Washington Elm, an old American Elm that once stood nearby in Berkeley Springs State Park.

Local legend holds George Washington planted the American Elm while he was surveying the town.

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The celebration will be held on Thursday, September 17, at the Country Inn of Berkeley Springs. Winners will also serve as Grand Marshals for the 51st Annual Apple Butter Festival Parade.

This special evening recognizes the individuals and businesses that go above and beyond for our community, and the Chamber invites the public to help shine a spotlight on them.

Nominations are open to the public — you do not need to be a Chamber member to submit a nomination, and nominees do not need to be members either.

Award categories include:

• Apple Butter Festival Volunteer of the Year – Awarded to someone who shows up and helps make the festival the very best it can be for the entire community.
• Employee of the Year – Awarded to a person who works for someone else but demonstrates the kind of commitment and dedication as if the business were their own. This individual goes above and beyond, doing whatever it takes to get the job done.
• Business of the Year – Awarded to a business that consistently puts its employees and community first, going the extra mile to serve its clients and customers. (Open to businesses of any size.)
• Nonprofit of the Year – Awarded to a nonprofit organization that works tirelessly to serve our community, making a meaningful impact and helping make Morgan County a better place for all.
• Community Service Award – Awarded to an individual who strives to improve Morgan County through volunteer service.
• Community Hero Award – Awarded to law enforcement, fire and rescue, or other service members who protect and show up for our community.
• Morganite Award – The Chamber’s highest honor, awarded to an individual who is outstanding in their field and goes above and beyond to make Morgan County a better place to live, work, and do business through their service to the community.

Happy Rone, Executive Director of the Berkeley Springs – Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, shared, “It’s a chance to pause and recognize the people and organizations who quietly show up, give back, and make this community what it is. Morgan County is full of incredible stories, and this is our opportunity to celebrate them.”

Nominations can be submitted through a simple online form available at BerkeleySpringsChamber.com. Winners will be selected by an anonymous community committee.

Know someone who deserves to be recognized? Don’t wait, submit your nomination today and help the Chamber honor the heart and soul of Morgan County.

For more information, visit their website, follow them on Facebook, or contact the Chamber office at (304) 258-3738.

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Kathleen E. Virts, 31, was the driver in a single-vehicle collision that occurred on Green Oak Road at about 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 18, 2025, according to a criminal complaint filed in Morgan County Magistrate Court by West Virginia State Police Trooper G.C. Warnick.

At the scene, Trooper Warnick and Trooper Meyers observed a black SUV on the left side of the roadway. A utility pole was broken in half after being struck by the vehicle.

Four children under the age of 16 were in the vehicle at the time of the collision.

Two car seats in the vehicle were not secured with a locked seatbelt, and there were no booster seats in the vehicle, despite Virts’ claims to the contrary, according to the criminal complaint.

Virts claimed a truck was following her, and bumps in the road made her crash.

She was unaware of her location, and failed several field tests for sobriety, according to the criminal complaint.

Virts was placed under arrest and transported to War Memorial Hospital, where she consented to a blood draw.

Lab results revealed Virts had a high concentration of gabapentin, a prescription medicine affecting the nervous system, in her blood at the time of the collision.

Drivers arrested for drug impaired driving with similar levels of gabapentin in their system as Virts often drive erratically, exit the lane of travel, and crash, according to the lab report.

Virts is incarcerated at Eastern Regional Jail, where she awaits sentencing in court on June 29.

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In an emergency situation, getting reliable information you can use in a timely way can be a literal lifesaver.

Morgan County’s Director of Emergency Services wants county residents to get that information through a new free program called Smart911.

Smart911 is an app-based emergency alert system that will replace Morgan County’s previous platform, Everbridge.

Director of Emergency Services Jason Hoover said the switch will officially happen on July 1, but residents can sign up now to receive local emergency notifications.

“It gives us more flexibility,” Hoover said of the new product.

Unfortunately, residents who were signed up to get Everbridge notifications won’t have their information migrated to the new app, so all county residents interested in the alerts will have to register anew.

The link to sign up is at https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=morgancountywv

This article contains a QR code that readers can scan to be taken to the signup as well.

Hoover said Smart911 is a Motorola product – the same company that supplies the Morgan County 911 Center with emergency communications equipment.

The notification app can integrate with the 911 center in case of an emergency call, bringing up personalized data if users share it in their app profile. For example, Smart911 will let a user specify if a resident of their home is diabetic or has some kind of special medical requirements. Those details aren’t necessary to sign up for alerts, Hoover said.

“People can put as little info or as much as they want,” he said.

Hoover will work with the 911 Center to train staff at using the app’s features, including sharing public information like road closures, high water areas or hazardous conditions.

“Anyone who lives close to railroad tracks, U.S. 522 or flood zones – they need to be signed up for this,” Hoover said.

He noted that hazardous materials travel along local rail lines and on U.S. 522, so alerts can be important in case of spills or crashes.

Other alerts can include weather-related hazards, planned highway closures for construction and emergencies in certain areas of the county.

There is a menu of alerts a user can opt into – from location-based alerts that are tied to the current location of a mobile phone, or subscription-based alerts tied to a fixed location. Users can registered multiple locations if they have property in more than one place. Hoover said because Smart911 is a widely-used emergency alert system, it can travel with a user and give them severe weather alerts, for example, while they’re on vacation elsewhere.

User information is held on Smart911 servers and are not visible to county staff or the company’s employees, said Hoover.

Anyone with questions about Smart911 can call Hoover’s office at 304-867-3145. He said his office will attend local community events to spread the word and offer help signing people up to the notification system. The Morgan County Public Library has also agreed to be a place where people can get face-to-face help registering for the system’s alerts.

The app is available to anyone, not just Morgan County residents. Once signed up, a user can add emergency contact information, choose what types of alerts they will receive and how, can add details about the vehicles they drive and even the pets in their home. All of the features can be managed through the profile settings.

Hoover said the tool is very versatile and he encourages all property owners, residents and even visitors to utilize the system. He plans for the county to harness this system and use it more frequently than they used Everbridge, and in a targeted way.

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In an order filed in the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia at 4:52 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17, the court has temporarily suspended Morgan County Magistrate Vince Shambaugh from his duties on the bench with pay. Supreme Court of Appeals order

According to the court document, provided to The Morgan Messenger in response to a request for information, the Judicial Disciplinary Counsel Teresa Tarr and Brian Lanham filed a report on June 15 asserting that Shambaugh, “has engaged in violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct. On the same day, Judicial Disciplinary Counsel filed a motion to suspend without pay, to expedite consideration of the matter, and to place the motion under seal, together with a separate motion to seal the Rule 2.14(b) report.”

That means that the details of the allegations against Shambaugh about his conduct as Magistrate will not be made public at this time, and will remain confidential by the Clerk of the Court until the Supreme Court orders otherwise.

The Supreme Court of Appeals did not grant the suspension without pay. Instead, Shambaugh will be suspended temporarily and will receive his pay as Magistrate until the disciplinary action is resolved.

According to the order, Justice Flanigan departed from the majority of the court and would have imposed temporary suspension without pay.

“Pending resolution of that disciplinary action, the respondent is prohibited from hearing any further civil or criminal matters or performing any other judicial functions,” the court order says.

Shambaugh has the right to request a hearing on the matter of his temporary suspension within 30 days of the court order.

Vince Shambaugh in May won election to his first full term as Morgan County Magistrate over challenger Michael Sullivan. He is one of two Magistrates who serve Morgan County’s lower court.

Shambaugh, a former two-term Sheriff of Morgan County, was appointed to the court in 2024. He was placed in the position when another former sheriff, K.C. Bohrer, said he could not take office as Magistrate because of a conflict with his law enforcement associations and activities.

West Virginia’s Code of Judicial Conduct can be read here: https://www.courtswv.gov/legal-community/court-rules/code-of-judicial-conduct

It includes four main principles:

— Canon 1: A Judge Shall Uphold And Promote The Independence, Integrity, And Impartiality Of The Judiciary, And Shall Avoid Impropriety And The Appearance Of Impropriety.

— Canon 2: A Judge Shall Perform The Duties Of Judicial Office Impartially, Competently, And Diligently.

— Canon 3: A Judge Shall Conduct The Judge’s Personal And Extrajudicial Activities To Minimize The Risk Of Conflict With The Obligations Of Judicial Office.

— Canon 4: A Judge Or Candidate For Judicial Office Shall Not Engage In Political Or Campaign Activity That Is Inconsistent With The Independence, Integrity, Or Impartiality Of The Judiciary.

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The picnic bring together residents and visitors for a day filled with music, activities, local vendors, food, and fun in the heart of downtown Berkeley Springs.

Held in one of West Virginia’s most beloved state parks, the annual picnic has become a signature summer tradition that celebrates community connection, inclusivity, and the welcoming spirit of Berkeley Springs.

Berkeley Springs Pride is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building community, promoting inclusion, and creating welcoming opportunities for residents and visitors throughout Morgan County and the surrounding region through educational, social, and cultural programming.

“We have given over $35,000 to community initiatives scholarships for children to go to college,” said Ben Fox of Berkeley Springs Pride.

The picnic is part of Berkeley Springs Pride’s ongoing mission to foster community engagement, create welcoming spaces, and support educational and cultural opportunities throughout the region.

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