Area News
Hedgesville man accused of remodeling fraud scheme
West Virginia State Police have arrested a Hedgesville man on felony charges of fraudulent schemes related to his home improvement business. Craig H. Fox, 48, was arrested on December 29 by Cpl. S. R. Smith on a December 18 warrant. According to a criminal complaint filed in Morgan County Magistrate Court, Fox is the owner…
Read MoreWashington County extends distance learning for students until at least Jan. 26
by Kate Shunney Hancock students have spent the majority of this school year doing their schoolwork away from classrooms, and that situation will continue longer than earlier planned. Washington County Public Schools officials on Monday announced that students throughout the county will continue to do their school from home until at least January 26. Previously,…
Read MoreClark takes office; Tuttle is commission president
by KATE SHUNNEY Morgan County Commissioner Joel Tuttle will again serve as the president of the commission, county officials decided on Monday. At the first meeting of the 2021 County Commission, Tuttle was chosen to lead the county board as he begins a second elected term. Newly-appointed commissioner William “Bill” Clark took office on January 4.…
Read MoreCowles leaves EDA for job with governor
by KATE SHUNNEY Morgan County’s Economic Development Authority director Daryl Cowles has resigned, saying he accepted a new job with the governor’s office. County Commissioners, in their first meeting of 2021, said the EDA board of directors would be starting their search process for a replacement this week. Commissioner Sean Forney sits on the EDA board…
Read MoreStudents return to in-school instruction January 19 under new state guidelines
State officials change school plans; local vaccinations start for targeted groups by KATE EVANS West Virginia pre-K through eighth students will return to in-school instruction five days a week beginning Tuesday, January 19. Governor Jim Justice made the announcement earlier this week, laying out new guidelines under which public schools across the state would reopen. Local…
Read MoreHealth dept. says Dec. 11 park event posed “potential community exposure” to COVID
Morgan County Health Department officials on Wednesday said that a public event on December 11 in Berkeley Springs State Park “has the potential to have exposed additional community members who were in attendance to COVID-19.” “If you attended the Christmas in the Park event that was held on the evening of the 11th, you may…
Read MoreReichard continues lifelong joy of creating train & circus displays
by KATE EVANS So many people have fond childhood memories of Christmas train displays during the holidays, positioned under or near the family Christmas tree with hand-sculpted mountains, landscapes, tunnels, buildings and villagers. Berkeley Springs resident Evan Reichard, a longtime Morgan County Concert Band member and community volunteer, has spent a lifetime building and painting train…
Read MoreBath changes election calendar
by Trish Rudder The Town of Bath adopted a new municipal election calendar at the December 15 council meeting. The council unanimously passed the second reading of special ordinance 2020-12-01 that amended Chapter 26 of the town’s Municipal Code. The candidate filing period now runs from April 1-12 (all election years) and the deadline to…
Read MoreLocal medical personnel get first round of COVID-19 vaccines
by Kate Shunney Just days after West Virginia received its first shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, Morgan County health professionals got their first doses under the state’s distribution plan. Berkeley County is one of five distribution “hubs” around the state. The others hubs are in Kanawha, Monongalia, Cabell and Greenbrier counties. As of Monday,…
Read MoreEighth county death tied to COVID
by Kate Shunney Between last Friday and this Tuesday, December 22, four more Morgan County residents’ deaths have been attributed to the COVID-19 respiratory illness. The death county jumped from four county residents on Friday to eight on Sunday. West Virginia health officials report the deaths on a rolling basis, but have said there is…
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