Welcome back to EP Digest. Every Thursday morning, the best local news, events, and happenings from Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties — tailored to what you actually care about. No doom-scrolling, no algorithm. Just the stuff that matters in the Eastern Panhandle. Let's get into it.

A Son Is Sentenced in the Death of Former State Senator Sondra Lucht

A case that has moved through Berkeley County courts since late 2024 ended last week. Carl Joseph Lucht, 60, was sentenced Thursday, Aug. 13, in the death of his mother — former West Virginia state senator Sondra Lucht, who died at 81 after being assaulted in the Martinsburg home the two shared in November 2024.

Lucht had entered a no-contest plea in June to second-degree murder and to assault during the commission of a felony. Berkeley County Circuit Judge Deborah McLaughlin ordered the two terms — 10 to 40 years on the murder count, two to 10 on the assault — to run consecutively, and said she would not recommend parole. That puts his sentence past 40 years, with no parole hearing for at least 12.

The plea spared a trial. PNN • WV MetroNews.

What's a no-contest plea? A no-contest (nolo contendere) plea means a defendant doesn't admit guilt but accepts the conviction and sentence as if guilty. The practical difference: it generally can't be used against them as an admission in a related civil suit.

The County Moves to Recover the Alleged $3 Million

The Berkeley County tax-office fraud case we've tracked since June has a new front. The Berkeley County Commission voted unanimously to authorize a civil lawsuit against Barbara Gail Gooden, 60, and Lisa Lee French, 48 — the two former Sheriff's Office employees federally indicted this summer in what the U.S. Attorney called the largest public-corruption scheme in state history. The indictment alleges more than 700 fraudulent transactions and over 550 forged checks drawn on 59-plus court-supervised accounts between 2007 and 2024. Those are allegations; the criminal case has not been resolved and neither woman has been convicted.

The county isn't waiting for the criminal case to finish. Legal Director Anthony Delligatti cited a looming statute-of-limitations deadline, and said the aim is compensating victims rather than making them wait out the criminal process. The commission has already moved to freeze the pair's state pensions. The Journal.

Berkeley County Is Folding Its Ambulance Authority Into the County

The Berkeley County Commission has adopted an order dissolving the Berkeley County Emergency Ambulance Authority — chartered in 1988 — and moving its operations into a new county department, Berkeley County Emergency Medical Services. The change takes effect July 1, 2027.

For residents, the county says little changes: the same roughly 85 EMTs and paramedics running nine ambulances from eight stations, five of them at volunteer fire departments. Commission President Eddie Gochenour says the shift should be seamless — no effect on retirement or benefits, no fee increases, and ambulance fees still going only to EMS.

What does change is oversight: EMS, Fire, Emergency Communications and Emergency Management all move under the Commission directly, replacing the volunteer board of nearly four decades. Tri-State Alert • Berkeley County.

Also on the agenda, this morning. The Commission meets at 9:30 on West Stephen Street, with possible sales of two county properties on the agenda — 4.25 acres on Cannon Hill Road and a half-acre on Nestle Quarry Road — plus a purchase contract with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. Agenda.

A Certified K-9, a Statewide Student Seat, and Two Towns Full of Backpacks

Jefferson County has its first local bomb dog. Deputy Aaron Hutcherson and K-9 Rugby graduated Friday from the ATF's national explosive-detection program — a certified team the county has had to borrow from elsewhere until now. The Journal.

A Berkeley Springs student is headed to Charleston. State Superintendent Michele Blatt named 15 students statewide to the new Super STARS council — Students Taking Action for Readiness and Success — and one seat went to Berkeley Springs. Morgan Messenger.

A former jockey got one more night at the track. On July 30, Hospice of the Panhandle's transportation team — Victoria Hough and Ashley Rogers — drove Larry M. Myers, who spent his working life as a jockey and trainer, and his wife Roseann to the Charles Town Race Track to watch the races. Old friends came up to shake his hand, and he taught the two of them how to read a race. “Hospice isn't just about dying,” Hough said. “It's about living.” The Journal • Hospice of the Panhandle.

And two towns spent the same weekend on school supplies. Main Street Martinsburg ran its fourth annual Back to School Bash on King Street, handing out backpacks ahead of the first day (The Journal). A county over, Ranson and Jefferson County settled it with a kickball game — Ranson took the field 6–2, Jefferson County took the supply drive with 2,829 points (Observer WV).

A Pay Bump, a Program Under Strain, and a Board Meeting Worth Watching

Berkeley County is paying more to staff its autism classrooms. A board-approved plan adds salary supplements for certified teachers across the district's 73 autism classrooms — only 26 of which have a certified teacher now. Superintendent Ryan Saxe says it likely makes Berkeley the state's highest-paying district for autism-certified teachers, starting at $54,814. PNN • WV MetroNews.

The summer reading program had an attendance problem. Berkeley County Schools' Steps to Success ran into major attendance challenges in its first year under the new Third Grade Success Act, which raises the stakes for students who aren't reading on grade level. The Journal.

Morgan County's school board tabled a coaching hire. At an Aug. 11 meeting, community members raised concerns about field upkeep and the hiring process for the Berkeley Springs High softball program, and the board held off on the head-coach appointment pending more information. Superintendent Banks acknowledged that field-maintenance money ran out early and said it would be addressed. Morgan Messenger.

Quiet at the Planning Table, Busy on the Ground

No new subdivision or site-plan filings surfaced this week — but three projects took steps forward.

Sheetz is open on Hedgesville Road. The chain cut the ribbon Thursday at 993 Hedgesville Road — its 63rd West Virginia store — with $2,500 donations to both the Mountaineer Food Bank and Special Olympics of West Virginia. The Journal.

Vanville Church breaks ground in Inwood — three years after a fire. The congregation broke ground Aug. 9 on a permanent home to replace the building lost to a March 2023 fire; members have worshipped at the Berkeley County Youth Fairgrounds since. The new one keeps the steeple, bell, and 1921 cornerstone. Pastor Dan Nicksich expects to be in by next May or June. The Journal.

The Martinsburg skate park cleared its biggest hurdle yet. City Council voted unanimously Aug. 13 to authorize a grant application worth up to $1 million toward building the park beside the Frog Hollow Trail, with the city matching out of impact-fee revenue. Martinsburg got the land last year with County Commission help, through the PILOT tied to the $100 million Interwoven Mills redevelopment. Funding isn't guaranteed — but dozens of riders and parents packed council chambers to watch it advance. The Journal • City of Martinsburg.

Got a tip? Send it over.

Story, event, business, government, school, neighborhood, weird-and-wonderful — if it's local, we want to hear it. Saw a new sign go up? Heard about a meeting no one's talking about? Know of a shop opening, closing, or expanding? Send us a note at [email protected] — tips of every kind keep the Digest sharper than any source list could. We protect our sources, and we verify before we publish.

Know someone who should be reading EP Digest?
Forward this email. It takes 10 seconds and you'll be helping us build something great for the Eastern Panhandle.