by Glenn Scherer
The rush to tap vast natural gas reserves trapped in the Marcellus Shale bedrock underlying rural West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio has led to a heated regional debate concerning the safety of a controversial drilling process known as “fracking,” or natural gas hydraulic fracturing. Legislation introduced in the West Virginia House [...]

by Jeff Feldman
Some people wait for the stars to align before initiating action; for Barbara Humes, it had more to do with the Sun. Humes had been waiting eight years to see solar electric panels raised on the roof of her Harpers Ferry’s home. In late 2009, the pieces finally fell into place, and renewable [...]


—Shepherd Town, W.Va., December 29, 2020.
In a long an-ticipated move, the Shepherd Town Council approved a mea-sure to move its Town Hall to Omega House, a university fra-ternity house.Then they enjoyed a parade down German Street. The decision formalizes a decade-old merger de facto be-tween the Town of Shepherd, formerly known as Shepherds -town, and [...]

by David Lillard
It’s a stunning autumn morning on the interstate. Blazing strands of orange cotton stretch across the skies above the Allegheny Front, moving eastward as the car blazes west toward Wheeling and a maiden voyage to Wheeling Island Casino.
License plates on big pickups zoom past my slowpoke four cylinders in a parade of the [...]

By David Lillard
 
With a countywide referendum scheduled for November 7 on whether to adopt a new “traditional” zoning ordinance, The Observer’s David Lillard spoke with Jefferson County director of planning and zoning, Jennifer Brockman and the county’s acting zoning administrator, Jennifer Snyder.
The Observer: This is referred to as a countywide referendum, but not everyone in [...]

By Thomas Harding
 
Unless you have been asleep, you surely know by now that Dan Brown has released his latest thriller, The Lost Symbol, which follows a professor as he chases a series of Masonic clues around the nation’s capital. The book had a print run of five million copies and has generated intense media interest [...]

Planning for the Worst Case Scenario
By David Lillard
A Friday morning in October, a beautiful sunny day. You’re driving down I-270 for an appointment, and you’re using the occasion to take a vacation day. On the way home, you’ll run a few errands, maybe check out that fly rod you’ve been coveting at the sporting goods [...]

…A breakdown of trust in Jefferson County (Part 1)
By Thomas Harding

Over the past few months, quietly, and without much hoopla, two Jefferson County families have agreed to multi-million dollar settlements involving local accountants and insurance agents.

At the center of this brewing scandal is a regular guy who plays baseball and raises funds for the March of Dimes. He is a round-faced fellow who jiggles when he talks, squints as he gets excited [...]

For the ninth summer, Shepherdstown is transformed July 16–26 into a modern dance festival with dance concerts, discussions, master classes, events for children, and the West Virginia Dance Theater Institute. For two weeks, eight dance companies from New York, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., descend on Jefferson County, living with local families and enjoying the warm [...]