by Kate Shunney County officials last week approved the purchase of a conservation easement on a 120-acre farm as part of the county’s Farmland Protection program. The easement, which prohibits the working farm from being developed for non-agricultural uses, will cost $216,000, said Farmland director Ginger Johnson. Once the easement purchase is finalized, Morgan County […]

by Kate Evans Some Widmyer Elementary kindergarten and first grade students will have a new experience this year with a split kindergarten/first grade classroom. Widmyer Elementary Principal Rhett Beckman said that the decision was made during personnel planning season last school year to hire a split kindergarten/first grade teacher for the school. The move was […]

Virginia L. Payne 1927-2019 Virginia Lee (Purnell) Payne, age 91, of Hancock, Md., passed away on August 6, 2019 at Ravenwood Nursing Care Center, in Hagerstown, Md. Born in Hancock, on November 23, 1927, she was the daughter of the late Genevieve (Purnell) Sipes, and step-father, Merrill J. Sipes; and the widow of Irvin Payne, […]

Delma L. Zirkle 1933-2019 Delma L. Elbin Zirkle, 85, of Little Orleans, died Friday, August 9, 2019 at WHMS Hospital, Cumberland. Born December 21, 1933 in Artemas, Pa., she was the daughter of the late W. Kelly and Mabel R. Clingerman Elbin. She was married in 1951 to William Wayde Zirkle who died March 31, 1982. She is survived by children, Leon […]

Douglas E. Smith, Sr. 1938-2019 Douglas E. “Gene” Smith, Sr., 81, of Great Cacapon and Kingwood, died Thursday, July 4, 2019 in Kingwood. He was born June 18, 1938 in Berkeley Springs, son of the late Turner Nelson and Agnes Louise Close Smith. He was a retired printer for the Baltimore Sun newspaper. He liked being outdoors, camping, […]

Peter V. Michael 1952-2019 Peter Vernon Michael, 66, of Arlington, Va., died Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at ManorCare Health Services-Arlington, Arlington, Va. Born November 24, 1952 in Arlington, Va., he was the son of the late George Vernon and Mary Lucille Stotler Michael. He attended the Church of Christ. He was a graduate of Arlington County schools […]

Ward L. LaRue 1931-2019 Ward L. LaRue, 87, died July 31, 2019 in Williamsport, Md. Born on October 1, 1931 in Tunnelton, he was the son of the late George R. and L. Fay (Maier) LaRue. He graduated from Tunnelton High School, served overseas in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict, and graduated from […]

Thomas L. Johnson Bennett 1944-2019 Thomas Lee Johnson Bennett, 75, of Great Cacapon, died Monday, August 5, 2019 at his residence. Born March 18, 1944 in Salisbury, Md., he was the son of the late Charles William, Jr. and Isabelle Johnson Bennett. He was a Christian. He was a pharmacist. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psyschology […]

2011 West Virginia Girls State Track Champions, front row, left to right: Kayla Mundey, Lacee Fulton, Michelle Williams, Alicia McJilton and Melissa Colby. Back row: Assistant Coach John Rowland, Assistant Coach David Aberegg, Sara Younker, Casey Solomon, Jordan Bennett, Leah Kidwell, Macy Houk, Amanda Case and Head Coach Dave Mundey. Not pictured: Toni Davison and […]

Nehlen by Jim Buzzerd What do you remember about the process of West Virginia University getting the invitation to join the Big 12 Athletic Conference? I remember being on top of the process as much as I could. I remember being at a pre game party in College Park, Maryland prior to the WVU-Maryland game […]