by Kate Evans Recent welcome rains may have helped the area avert a serious dry spell.  However, according to the United States Drought Monitor Classification system, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, along with much of the state, is classified right now as abnormally dry — the lowest level of drought. Data is current as […]

Helpers from the Hope Community Church in Berkeley Springs gather folders and other supplies to fill a student backpack during the August 12 school supply drive. Volunteers fill giveaway bags with donated tomatoes, corn and other local produce on August 13. Families got a fresh food bag during the Back to School Bash in Berkeley […]

by Geoff Fox Preservation Maryland set out last year to uncover the mysterious location a fort in Hancock that has disappeared to the annals of history. Fort Tonoloway was built in 1755 to protect the area that would become Hancock against Native American attacks. While this sign at the intersection of Rt. 144 and Locher […]

by Kate Evans Morgan County Schools social work department discussed their growth and challenges at the August 3 school board meeting. Social workers provide individual and group counseling, mental health screenings, crisis intervention and prevention programs for students. Challenges Student mental health challenges included stigma, grief and loss, low self-esteem, lack of healthy coping skills […]

The Morgan County Clerk’s Office reopened on Tuesday after a three-day closure last week following a positive COVID test result for a front-office employee. Morgan County Clerk’s office. County Clerk Kim Nickles said that employee was not showing symptoms but got a COVID test because her husband had tested positive for the contagious respiratory disease. […]

Robert L. Shoemaker 1939-2021 Robert L. Shoemaker, age 82, of Hancock, Md., passed away at his home on Saturday, August 14, 2021. Born February 19, 1939, in Hancock, he was the son of the late Robert and Wyoma (Shoemaker) Younker. He was the widower of Elton Louise (Price) Shoemaker, whom he married on January 8, […]

Brian Denard Tucker 1967-2021 Brian Denard Tucker, age 53, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., died on Monday, August 2, 2021 at Winchester Medical Center, Winchester, Va. Born August 27, 1967 in Newport News, Va., he was the son of Minister Delores “Dee” Tucker Smith of Pasadena, Md., and the late Leonard Jerome Tucker. He was a […]

Freddie Lee Fleece, Jr. 1956-2021 Freddie Lee Fleece, Jr. age 65, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., died on August 9, 2021 at War Memorial Hospital. Born March 23, 1956 in Morgan County, W.Va., he was the son of the late Freddie Lee, Sr. and Kathleen Stotler Fleece. Freddie was a lifetime member of the Berkeley Springs […]

Judy V. Shade 1943-2021 Judy V. Shade, age 78, of McConnellsburg, Pa., passed away on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, at Magnolias of Chambersburg. She was born on Sunday, March 7, 1943, in Berkeley Springs, W.Va., the daughter of the late Robert and the late Esther (Householder) Yost. Judy married the late Larry J. Shade on […]

Esta Lee Pearl Fox 1931-2021 Esta Lee Pearl Fox, age 90, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., went to her heavenly home on August 11, 2021 at War Memorial Hospital. Born February 3, 1931 in Morgan County, W.Va., she was the daughter of the late Boyd Joseph and Iva Pearl Fredman Yost. She is survived by one […]