Morgan County News

The late Ray Johnston, founder of The Woods Resort west of Hedgesville, had worked on improving W.Va. 9 from Berkeley Springs to the Virginia line since the mid-1980s. In tribute to his tireless efforts to improve the highway, the portion of W.Va. 9 between Martinsburg and the Berkeley County/Morgan County line has been named in Johnston's honor.

July 2, 2009 Here's a roundup of music festivals this July and August Here's a quick guide to some notable upcoming music festivals in West Virginia this summer and fall.

It's a mystery how the emerald ash borer found Morgan County, but the invasive insect was reported in a housing development in the county earlier this year.

The 1885 Berkeley Springs Castle sits atop West Virginia Route 9 and is visible from the center of town.

McDonald has served as leader of the organization since it was created in 1993. Marc Sprouse was elected McDonald's successor.

The state Department of Agriculture has placed Morgan County under quarantine following the discovery of a pest credited will killing millions of ash trees in North America.

The emerald ash borer, an insect that has already killed 25 million ash trees in eight states and spread to Fayette County in 2007, has been found in Morgan County, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture announced Thursday.

Members of the Morgan County Board of Education hosted a reception Thursday for their newest member.

Morgan County Sheriff Vince Shambaugh said Monday that a local man has been arrested and charged with making threats against President Barack Obama.

May 19, 2009 Geologic Mysteries of West Virginia State Parks Solved Special to Huntingtonnews.net How were the famous Blackwater Falls formed? How did Canaan Valley get to be so wide? West Virginia's state parks and forests are famous for their natural beauty, and that includes the makeup of the land on which they are located.

Region 9 Planning and Development Council approved its budget for the fiscal year that starts on July 1. Also at its meeting on Monday, the council elected officers for the next fiscal year.

Jerome W. Smith, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in February in the 2004 fire-pit slaying of Keese Bare, was sentenced Monday in Morgan County Circuit Court to 40 years in prison.

Arson is suspected in a second fire at 6121 Timber Ridge Road in southern Morgan County.

Even if the water running across the road appears shallow, what you can't see under the rushing water is the greatest hazard of all.

Saturday's boot drive for injured fireman Kenneth Ayers was an "amazing success" that netted $27,100, said Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department Chief Marty Roberts.

The Morgan County Sheriff's Department had a busy weekend, one that ended with the death of a local man and began with a drug raid at a local motel.

A Morgan County fire that engulfed about 11 acres and resulted in one man being flown to the hospital on Sunday rekindled Monday, causing several more acres of land to be burned.

The badly-decomposed body found Saturday morning by someone hunting mushrooms in the Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area has tentatively been determined to be a man who appears to have been dragged by an animal - possibly a bear - across the Morgan-Berkeley County line.

Five years ago, when George Farnham was about to turn 50, he dropped hints to his wife, Pam, that he wanted a large fiberglass dinosaur statue - something he could place in or near their farm pond - for a birthday present.

The Paw Paw Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company will be dispatched solely by Morgan County 911 beginning at 12 a.m. on Friday, May 1, 2009.