Clarence Gerard “Smitty” Smith 1929-2022 Clarence Gerard “Smitty” Smith, age 92, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., died on Monday, January 17, 2022 at War Memorial Hospital in Berkeley Springs. Born August 13, 1929 in Cresson, Pa., he was the son of the late Bartley Robert and Agnes Elizabeth Peters Smith. He was a member of St. […]

by Kate Evans Area firefighters battled two house fires in Berkeley Springs last week in bitter cold, snow and icy conditions.  The homes were both destroyed by the fires. One house fire rekindled later that night.  Firefighters also fought a fire in an unattached garage in Great Cacapon. Bennett Lane fire The fire call came […]

Sue Anne Ayers 1934-2022 Sue Anne Ayers, age 87, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., died on Friday, January 14, 2022 at Winchester Medical Center. Born August 7, 1934 in Warfordsburg, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Charles Elwood and Ruth Alma Steiner Deneen. She attended First United Methodist Church. Sue attended Hancock public schools. […]

Robert Eugene “Gene” Boyer 1952-2022 Robert Eugene “Gene” Boyer, 69, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., died on Monday, January 17, 2022 in Russellville, Ohio. Gene was born on February 2, 1952 in Berkeley Springs, W.Va., to his late biological parents William Boyer and Joann Manning. He was also preceded in death by the parents he called […]

Herbert Lewis Eppinger 1932-2022 Herbert Lewis Eppinger (Herb), age 89, passed from this world to his Eternal Home on January 19, 2022. He was a devoted husband, father, Pap, son, brother and friend. Born on May 29, 1932, he was the son of William Harold Eppinger and Gladys Beeler Eppinger. He was married to his […]

Johnny Carroll Walter, Sr. 1934-2022 Johnny Carroll Walter, Sr., age 87, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., died on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at his residence. Born November 27, 1934 in Takoma Park, Md., he was the son of the late Fred Douglas and Marguerite Cooly Walter. He was a Christian. Johnny was a graduate of Blair […]

Basketball thoughts by Jim Buzzerd There has yet to be much written in this space about the 2021-22 West Virginia University Men’s Basketball Team. Today I’ll offer some of my observations. The most positive thing I can offer is the team has a decent 13-3 record heading into Tuesday’s home game with defending NCAA Champion […]

Somewhere between six and nine inches of snow fell across the region Sunday, January 16 and into Monday morning, finishing off with a layer of freezing rain. Offices and businesses that were not already closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day stayed shut Monday as many roads around the county remained covered. Highway crews moved […]

by Kate Evans The Morgan County Partnership was awarded a $702,864 grant for a three-year program that will provide parent education, school-based substance use prevention programming and therapeutic supports for county youth and families that are opioid and substance use affected. The Partnership’s Opioid-Affected Youth Initiative grant was awarded by the Department of Justice’s Office […]

On Friday, January 14, officials with Hagerstown’s Meritus Health announced they had put “crisis standards of care” into effect to manage rising case loads and staffing shortages. “This week, Meritus Medical Center has noted a continued and significant increase in demand for hospital care, intensive care, and increased length of stay,” they wrote in a […]