News Briefs

(Left is new Washington Street Artists Cooperative space )

Charles Town Mayor Smith Cuts Ribbon for Grand Opening of the Collaborative Space
May 5, 2012, CHARLES TOWN, WV – Charles Town Mayor Peggy Smith and officers of the Washington Street Artists’ Cooperative (WSAC), the Jefferson County Convention
and Visitors Bureau (CVB), and the Arts & Humanities Alliance of Jefferson County (AHA!) will cut the ribbon for the Grand Opening of the newly transformed Charles Town Visitors Center, on Saturday, May 19, 1 p.m. at 108 N. George St. A reception follows the ribbon cutting ceremony.
On April 11, the Mayor and the Jefferson County tourism and arts organizations signed an historic agreement intended to further the City’s efforts to establish a cornerstone for its emerging arts corridor.
Supported and approved by the Charles Town City Council, the agreement enables the CVB, AHA! and the Washington Street Artists’ Co-op to share the Visitor Center space with significant support from the City. The intention of this new collaboration is to enhance tourists’ experience of Charles Town and promote the arts by providing gallery,
classroom and meeting space for area artists in the heart of historic Charles Town.
On hand for interviews will be Charles Town Mayor Peggy Smith, AHA Board President Julie Siler, WSAC Board President Ginny Fite, CVB CEO John Whisenant and others engaged in promoting arts and culture in the region.
The Washington Street Artists’ Cooperative gallery shows juried work by 30 local member artists. The WSAC mission is to provide a space where artists in the West Virginia Panhandle region can create, teach, exhibit and nurture an appreciation for art in the community.
WSAC gallery hours in the Visitors Center at 108 N. George Street are Wednesday through Sunday, noon – 5 p.m., 304-724-2090, "http://wstreetgallery.com/". The Visitors Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Jefferson Primary Votes Canvassed
Last Tuesday’s primary elections have been certified. The Board of Canvassers
completed the canvass for ballots this past Monday and Tuesday. The canvassers are made up by the members of the Jefferson County Commission.
The commission canvassed voting precincts 26 and 32. If there had been a close election in any of the races such as a 1% margin of error between the votes that were recounted by hand and the results from election night, each ballot in the county would have to be recounted. Jefferson County Clerk Jennifer Maghan told the commissioners "The canvass was very smooth, they recounted - hand counted - the precincts, they came out right," she went on to say “The poll workers did a great job because it was a lot more to understand and to carry out this time with the extra Republican ballot in there, so it made the counting process a little more difficult."
According to Maghan the voter turnout was low in last week's primary election with less than 19 percent of registered voters voting. Nearly 9,183 ballots were cast which was a large decrease over the turn out in the 2008 primary.
Public hearing to discuss zoning
In an announcement from the city of Charles Town, The Charles Town City Council and City Planning Commission will hold public hearings at 10 a.m. May 19 and 7 p.m. May 21 at the Charles Town City Hall, first floor, 101 E. Washington St. The hearings are to consider the City of Charles Town's proposed draft zoning ordinance as prepared pursuant to West Virginia Code Chapter 8A, Article 8A-7. The proposed ordinance may be previewed at City Hall, the Charles Town Public Library or online at "http://www.charlestownwv.us".
For more information, call City Planner Katie See at 304-725-2311, ext. 244.
Middle school concepts to be reviewed by Jefferson BOE
Middle School Principal Charles Hampton spoke to the Jefferson County Board of Education on “Middle School Concepts this past week.
Hampton told the group that a new chairperson to oversee the curriculum for social studies, language arts, science and mathematics for each of the middle schools needed to be approved but asked that a vote be delayed to a later date.
In a published report the concept change was recently described by county school Superintendent Susan Wall as not only having interdisciplinary teachers meet, or teachers across the same grade level, but to have teachers of the same subjects meet. According to other members of the board Hampton’s plan would be a major change to the school system. After hearing the plan the board decided to delay the vote.
County Notices
County Offices Closed
The Jefferson County Commission offices will be closed on Monday, May 28th 2012
in Observance of Memorial Day
Jefferson County Commission Notice of Work Session

There will be a Work Session of the Jefferson County Commission on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. located at the County Commission meeting room - Old Charles Town Library 200 E. Washington Street, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414.
The purpose of the Work Session is a discussion concerning the 340 Corridor with our local Legislators and the West Virginia Department of Transportation.
Please submit all comments and questions to the County Commission at
mailto:info@jeffersoncountywv.org.

Compiled By James P. Whipple

Walking Tour and Tea Party in Shepherdstown

A walking tour of Shepherdstown's gardens, historical points of interest, and businesses. During the tour, the Community Club will host an art show on the first floor of the War Memorial Building and a tea party on the upper floor. .The event is sponsored by the Shepherdstown Community Club. For more information contact Mike and Bonnie Austinat 304-876-0598.Elegant Gardens, A Tea Party and Art Show in Historic Shepherdstown.
Please visit the website for more info at "http://www.backalleygarden.org/" or on Facebook, "http://www.facebook.com/backalleygarden".
Come see why over 500 people last year enjoyed the charm of the past while being inspired by today's gardens. View local artists' paintings as you sip tea from fine china. Enjoy home made sweets and savories. Shop in unique, quaint stores lining the main street. Dine in one of the many outstanding restaurants.
Come and enjoy our town this Spring weekend.
Gardens Open Rain or Shine
Saturday, May 19, 10 am to 4 pmSunday, May 20, 11 am to 4 pmTea Party Both Days 11 am to 3 pm
Purchase tickets at the Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery, the Village Florist, or Bistro 112.
Ticket Prices: $20. Children 12 and under free - must be accompanied by an adult.
The ticket price includes both the tea and the self-guided garden walking tour. The price for the tea alone is $15 for adults, and $10 for children 12 and under. Children under 4 are free. must be accompanied by an adult.
.Tour maps are distributed to ticket holders on the event days from the War Memorial Building at German and King Streets in Shepherdstown, W.V. Free parking at Shepherd University, lot A.
Welcome
Founded in 1945, the Shepherdstown Community Club is an organization of men and women dedicated to community service. Membership is open to all people eighteen years and older, who wish to contribute their time and energy to maintain and operate SCC-supported civic programs and facilities, as well as to enjoy the Club's dinner meetings and other social activities.
Shepherdstown Community Club 102 East German Street P.O. Box 463 Shepherdstown, WV 25443 304-876-3323.

Happing’s

National Kids to Parks Day.
Among the many things happening this weekend in our community, Saturday May 19 is National Kids to Parks Day. To celebrate, the City of Charles Town’s Board of Parks & Recreation Commissioners is offering a variety of events throughout the day at City parks.
It kicks off at 10am at Jefferson Memorial Park with a ribbon cutting to celebrate the recent improvements to the playground. If you are participating in the 5K Race for Recess that morning, stick around afterward to learn about future plans for the park and bid on one of the “classic” slides that will auctioned off by the Jefferson Memorial Park Board.
Back Alley Tours in Shepherdstown
This is a reminder that the Shepherdstown Back Alley Tour will occur on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 10:00am to 5:00pmDescription: Sponsored by the Shepherdstown Community ClubA walking tour of Shepherdstown's gardens, historical points of interest, and businesses. During the tour, the Community Club will host an art show on the first floor of the War Memorial Building and a tea party on the upper floor.Contact: Mike and Bonnie Austin at (304)-876-0598
Talk on Civil War Medicine to be given

Dr. Gordon E. Dammann, the chairman/founder of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, MD, will be guest speaker at the Tuesday, May 22, meeting of the Sharpsburg Historical Society. He will present "Evacuation of Wounded from Antietam--The Letterman Plan." The 7:00 p.m. meeting to be held at Town Hall, 106 East Main Street, Sharpsburg, MD, is free and open to the public.Dammann is the author of the 3-volume Pictorial Encyclopedia of Civil War Medical Instruments and Equipment, co-author of Images of Civil War Medicine--A Photographic History, and editor of the reprint Memoirs of Jonathan Letterman, MD Surgeon of U.S. Army 1861-1864.Dammann, recently retired from his private dental practice in Lena, IL, is active in several Civil War and historical societies.He is a licensed guide at Antietam National Battlefield and has participated in Civil War programs throughout the United States, including West Point and the Smithsonian Institution. For more information contact the Sharpsburg Historical Society, 301 992 9767.

African-American History Hike

Harpers Ferry, WV (May 16, 2012) – The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), in partnership with the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (HFNHP), will lead an African-American History Hike on June 2, 2012 from 10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. beginning at the ATC’s visitor center, to celebrate National Trails Day. The event will showcase some of the rich history that occurred along the Harpers Ferry section of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). This event is free and is open to the public.The moderate one mile guided hike will begin with a tour of the ATC’s Visitor Center and end by following the Appalachian Trail downhill past numerous scenic spots and historic structures. At each historic site, a Harpers Ferry Park ranger will give an interpretive presentation about its significance. Participants will learn about Storer College, one of the nation’s first institutions of higher learning open to African Americans. They will be given the rare opportunity to view the inside the Curtis Freewill Baptist Church and the Lockwood House, where the college’s first classes took place. Attendees will also learn about the Niagara Movement, considered to be the cornerstone of the modern civil rights era, and John Brown’s Raid, which focused the nation's attention on the moral issue of slavery and headed the country toward civil war.Kweli Kitwana, A.T. Ambassador to Bolivar and Harpers Ferry, will lead the hike, along with longtime Harpers Ferry Park rangers and historians David Fox and Guinevere Roper. “I am so excited to take people out on the Appalachian Trail to celebrate National Trails Day, as well as to share with them the historical significance of landmarks along this section of the A.T. that played a pivotal role in our nation’s history,” said Kitwana. At the end of the hike, participants will be have the opportunity to hear a presentation from Marcia Fairweather about her 15-year section-hike of the A.T. Ms. Fairweather is also a board member of the ATC, the first African-American to serve in this role.This hike is not recommended for children under eight years old. Parental supervision required. RSVP encouraged to "mailto:chobbs@appalachiantrail.org" by June 1st. For more information, contact Laurie Potteiger at 304-535-2200 ext. 128 or "mailto:lpotteiger@appalachiantrail.org". Hike Difficulty: Moderate; the hike is one mile long and short sections cover uneven terrain and rocks, as well as steep steps. EVENT OVERVIEW:When: Saturday, June 2, 2012 – 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Where: Appalachian Trail Conservancy799 Washington Street, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:10:30 a.m. – Orientation: Hike participants meet at the ATC’s Visitor Center to sign in. 11:00 a.m. – African American History Hike: The one mile guided hike will begin at the ATC’s Visitor Center and end in historic Lower Town Harpers Ferry. 1:00 p.m. – Lunch: Lunch will be provided for hike participants.1:30 p.m. – “Marcia’s Appalachian Trail Journey”: After lunch, Marcia Fairweather, who completed a section-hike of the entire A.T. in 2008, will show a short video about her experience. Both lunch and the presentation will be held in the Allies for Freedom room on the second floor of the HFNHP’s John Brown Museum in historic Lower Town Harpers Ferry.About the Appalachian Trail ConservancyThe Appalachian Trail Conservancy mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail – ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come. For more information please visit "http://www.appalachiantrail.org".

Shepherdstown 250 Author Jim Lehrer to Speak

Mayor Jim Auxer and the Shepherdstown 250 Celebration Committee are pleased to announce that noted author and newscaster Jim Lehrer has accepted their invitation to serve as Shepherdstown's S250 Celebration author. Mr. Lehrer will come to Shepherdstown on May 22 for a reception and lecture on the Shepherd University campus. His book, No Certain Rest, a story involving the Battle of Antietam, has been selected as the S250 book, which is now being read by book clubs around the county.At 7:30 p.m., on Tuesday, May 22, Mr. Lehrer will give his lecture in Reynolds Hall, 109 N. King Street, on No Certain Rest. The address will be open to the public. Tickets, at $10.00 each, can be purchased at the Shepherdstown Public Library, the Four Seasons Bookstore, and at Dickenson and Wait Craft Gallery. All proceeds will go to the Friends of Shepherdstown Library (FOSL).At least eighteen book clubs in the Shepherdstown area, and several more connected with nearby libraries, are taking part in the celebration. They will sponsor a tea and reception for book club members at 4:00 p.m., on the 22nd, in the Shepherd Room of McMurran Hall, 101 East German Street, Shepherdstown. There book club members will have a chance to meet Mr. Lehrer and have him sign their books. The reception committee consists of Suzy Yates, Mina Goodrich, Wendy Mopsik and Marie DeWalt. They are being assisted by Mona Kissel, Advancement Associate at Shepherd. Any book clubs that have not been contacted and would like to be included in the event should contact Edwinna Bernat, 304-876-8444.At both events, Michael Raubertas, owner of the Four Seasons Book Store, will be on hand to sell a selection of Mr. Lehrer's books, including his latest, Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain.The planning for this event began late last year. Randy Tremba and Elaine Baach, who head S250's "Community Outreach" committee, along with committee member Edwinna Bernat, sought to bring together the literary community, which included the Shepherdstown Public Library, Shepherd University's Scarborough Library, the Four Seasons Book Store, and local book clubs. They hoped to select a book that had some connection with Shepherdstown, either because of its contents or its author, to serve as the S250 book. They solicited book suggestions from the community. While many people mentioned Mr. Lehrer due to the fact that he has a home in Jefferson County, Vicki Smith, president of Historic Shepherdstown, came up with the perfect book. No Certain Rest is a fictionalized story of the Battle of Antietam, which is commemorating its 150th anniversary this year; and, further, one of the characters in the book is a retired colonel who had been "found in the Shepherd College Library."Mr. Lehrer is best-known to the public through his work on PBS television, with what was at first called the "MacNeil/Lehrer Report," and is now simply the "PBS Newshour." He retired from full-time involvement last year and now only appears generally on Fridays. He was born in Wichita, Kansas and began his reporting career in Dallas, Texas. He came to Washington D.C. to work for PBS, where he and Robert MacNeil began their news show in 1975. The show has won numerous awards for journalism, including the 1999 National Humanities Medal, presented by President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Through the last six presidential elections, Mr. Lehrer has moderated eleven of the nationally televised debates. His latest book, Tension City, describes some of his experiences during those debates. He is also the author of twenty novels, two memoirs and three plays.Speaking for the S250 Committee, Edwinna Bernat, Literary Outreach Chair, said, "We couldn't be happier to have Mr. Lehrer visit Shepherdstown and serve as our S250 Celebration author. What with his being awarded an honorary doctorate from Shepherd University last year, and now being selected as our S250 Author, we feel he is truly part of our community.

An Open Letter to the County Government

That was the context of Former Commissioner Jane Tabb's reply to the question as asked.The phrase as you highlighted the text from the WV Code is to assure uniformity in the awarding of such points. Or would you prefer to allow a certain number of points for enlisted, other points for warrant officers, and still others for commissioned officers? Or Mr. Smith, would you prefer to allow some points for one branch of service, fewer for another, etc.? Or do you find it acceptable that Jefferson County has no Human Resources policy, as you observed? Are you aware that as the hiring policies within County Government exist, gender, racial, religious, and sexual preference discrimination can be practiced and covered up?While Commissioner Tabb and the GOP had a majority on The County Commission, $100,000 was allocated to implement a Human Resources (hiring) Policy for Jefferson County. (Before you attack "context" again, the Board of Education has an internal HR Policy.) This was prior to 2006. There still is no such policy in place in this County.Also, Mr. Smith, before you attack "managerial and executive" positions, this is verbiage to differentiate from laboring positions within County Government, and the "professional" positions. Perhaps "professional" is more to your liking.I know of no US Veteran who holds such a Jefferson County position who was not elected to it. That is outside the Board of Education.people are correct about the absence of a hiring policy of any kind in Jefferson County. There is none.Twice, I have requested information regarding the criteria used to evaluate applicants for a position. I have been refused such information. In fact, by Former Commissioner Tabb who was part of the hiring process, I was informed that I had failed to state my veteran status in my paperwork. (I had indeed done so, and it is unlikely I should be so stupid as not to do so.) Another GOP Commissioner advised that I should "accept my disappointment, and get on with my life." A former WVU Extension Agent advised me that "we were told by an HR expert not to answer your inquiries." Last month, I received a "redacted" version of the points awarded by the selection committee to the candidates for this position 2010.The "X" axis on the form has the names of the committee members redacted. The "Y" axis on the form has the names of the applicants redacted, except for my own.As of this writing, I have yet to be given the criteria upon which the points were awarded.Further, I am informed that the person who gave me the redacted form was taken to task for having done so.From the form and the points as assigned, it is unclear whether the high score or the low score would have been the hire.I have been promised an explanation of this, and I presume my inquiries will be answered sooner or later. The letter is making its rounds through County Government circles, I am informed.I am at a loss for why the new Human Resources Officer for Jefferson County elected not to answer my repeated inquiries.Eight years, and in excess of $100,000, are too high a price for the taxpayers, and VETERANS, to pay for so few results and so much secrecy.You certainly are entitled to support the candidate(s) of your choosing.But in choosing such candidate(s), perhaps you would consider opting for transparency.Mr. Smith, does this meet your demand for "context," or "syntax?"Since receiving the letter from Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Grove, I have tried to give these people an easy way out of this situation. They have decided not to avail themselves of it. Therefore, I have forwarded all this correspondence to Billy Wayne Bailey at the WV Veterans' Assistance Department in Charleston at his request. Today, I also shared this correspondence with Russ Cummings of Senator Joe Manchin's Washington Staff. In all his correspondence, Senator Manchin highlights what he sends with HIRE VETERANS in one form or another.
I have shared with the public the information I sent Commissioner Frances Morgan concerning Shep Ogden's resumes, which appear to be an exercise in creative writing. I will go public with this, which I believe will show the AG TASK FORCE complicit in a fraud perpetrated upon the County Taxpayers.
Several weeks ago, the Commission was warned that if they did not resolve the issue of the $50,000 from the WVDA designated for the Bardane Farmers' Market, The County could lose all State Funding. This could result in the same thing.
By Danny Lutz