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.

Two Hedgesville High Administrators Are on Leave, and the Questions Have Moved Past Football

Berkeley County Schools placed Hedgesville High School's principal and its athletic director on administrative leave on Sept. 23 — one day after parents and a coach took the microphone at a board of education meeting to ask what was happening to the school's football program. The Journal reported the leave.

The football piece is the part everyone can see. An assistant coach was removed from the staff, the head coach remains suspended, and the season is being played out under that arrangement. The district has named Dr. Ronald Branch acting principal while the review runs.

The part that matters more surfaced at the same meeting. An assistant coach raised concerns about how a mandated-reporter complaint had been handled — including, according to that account, that the person the report was about received a copy that identified who filed it. West Virginia school employees are legally required to report suspected abuse or neglect.

Berkeley County Schools has been clear that administrative leave is procedural — a step taken so a review can happen, not a finding that anyone did anything wrong. No one has been disciplined, and neither administrator has been accused of a crime. What the district has not said is what the review covers, who is conducting it, or when it ends. Those are the three questions worth asking at the next board meeting.

Charges Filed in the Harpers Ferry Fire That Killed Two, Almost a Year Later

State Police have charged Nicole Ellen Taylor, 55, of Harpers Ferry with first-degree murder, first-degree arson and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, closing out a nearly year-long investigation into the Sept. 30, 2025 house fire on Blackberry Lane. PNN has the details.

Two people died in that fire: Robert Hayne Taylor III, 56, and Cynthia Allison Taylor, 21. Nicole Taylor escaped with serious burns. State Police say investigators from the agency, the State Fire Marshal's Office and the federal ATF reportedly determined the fire was set, and that Robert Taylor had been shot multiple times before it started.

Taylor waived her preliminary hearing before Jefferson County Magistrate Lisa Fraley on Sept. 29 — a step that moves the case forward without a hearing on the evidence. Prosecutor Adam Ward told PNN the case now goes to a grand jury, and the next Jefferson County grand jury session is in January. Taylor remains at Eastern Regional Jail without bail. PNN has the update.

The charges are allegations — Taylor has not been convicted.

Charges Filed in the July 4 Shepherdstown Crash That Killed a Pedestrian

Shepherdstown police have charged Jose Rosales-Matos of Martinsburg with two misdemeanors — failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, and failing to exercise due caution to avoid striking a pedestrian — almost three months after a downtown collision killed Joseph Bullock of Shepherdstown on July 4. WV MetroNews and PNN both carry the account.

Police say Rosales-Matos was distracted by another vehicle making a turn. They also say he was not speeding, was not using a cellphone, stayed at the scene and cooperated with the investigation. The case has been referred to Jefferson County Magistrate Court, and no hearing date has been set.

The charges are allegations — Rosales-Matos has not been convicted.

Shepherdstown Mayor James Gatz put the takeaway plainly: “Even a momentary distraction can have tragic consequences.” He asked drivers to stay aware of pedestrians downtown.

Berkeley Springs Patients Found the Clinic Doors Locked — and Still Don't Know Why

Starting Sept. 24, patients who showed up at Tri-State Community Health Centers in Berkeley Springs found locked doors and a sign reading, “Our Office is facing an organizational emergency and our doors will be closed until further notice.” Four other Tri-State sites — Hancock and Cumberland, Md., and McConnellsburg, Pa. — closed the same way. The Morgan Messenger broke it.

New interim CEO David Olson started the week before the closures. He told the Messenger he could not disclose specifics about the requirements coming from the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration, and said, “I don't think we'll get back to normal operations until next week.” Tri-State is a federally qualified health center, which means federal dollars and federal compliance rules come as a package.

Here is why that matters in Morgan County: Tri-State served 16,085 patients in 2025, and 70.8% of them were at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. That is the population least able to drive to Martinsburg or Hagerstown and least likely to have a second option. A clinic closed even for a few days is a real gap for people managing blood pressure, diabetes or a prescription that runs out on a schedule.

Tri-State has not said publicly what the compliance dispute is about, and a staff member declined to confirm whether longtime CEO Susan Walther is still with the organization. Olson did say HRSA “started to make changes about how they deal with issues” roughly six months ago.

The doors are open again. The Messenger has since reported that the Berkeley Springs and Hancock clinics were back by Monday, Sept. 28, after Tri-State submitted the information HRSA needed. “We're trying to minimize the impact as much as possible,” Olson said. “The last thing we want is for our patients or the community to be negatively impacted.” What the agency actually required, and whether every site is fully back, Tri-State still has not said.

Charles Town Pulls the Sidewinder Water Permit — and Wants to Know How It Got Issued

The Charles Town Utility Board voted unanimously on Sept. 23 to withdraw the raw-water-line permit issued to Sidewinder Enterprise, after residents pressed the board on transparency, who authorized what, property impacts and environmental effects. The Journal covered the vote.

The board did not stop at withdrawal. It will send the state DEP a letter closing out the permit registration, copied to Sidewinder, and will file for a new permit and request a public hearing after the state Supreme Court rules in the Sidewinder case. Its internal investigation now goes to legal counsel, who will decide whether an outside, third-party investigation is needed. That is a board deciding its own paperwork is the problem.

Also moving: the fallout around Chris Clagett, the 91st District House candidate whose old social-media posts surfaced this month, has pulled in Republican leadership. On MetroNews Talkline, House Speaker Roger Hanshaw said scrutiny of the posts is warranted — “We don't have a place in the legislature for bigotry or hatred,” he said, and “we're not going to tolerate it” — though he stopped short of asking Clagett to step aside. Del. Michael Hornby (93rd) condemned the posts. State Democratic Chair Mike Pushkin and Berkeley County Democratic Chair David Valente both called on Clagett to withdraw. PNN reported that Clagett addressed the posts on the radio and stood by them. Full account here.

The Battlefield Bill We've Been Tracking Since August Now Has a Name and a Sponsor

Rep. Riley Moore has formally introduced the Shenandoah Valley Access, Legacy, and Outdoor Recreation Act — the Shenandoah VALOR Act — which would extend the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District into Morgan, Berkeley and Jefferson counties, plus Rockbridge County, Va. Congress created the district in 1996 for eight Virginia counties; West Virginia was never in it. WDTV has the introduction.

The practical effect is money. Inclusion opens federal grant funding for battlefield preservation, and the bill authorizes land purchases from willing sellers only — no forced sales. Sites named include Shepherdstown and Hoke's Run, the 1861 engagement near Falling Waters.

Sen. Jim Justice is leading a companion bill in the Senate, co-sponsored by Virginia's Mark Warner — the bipartisan pairing that makes this more than a press release. Moore has said he intends to push for fast-track House consideration after the election. Berkeley County has been chasing a congressional designation since at least the Hoke's Run park dedication; this is the first version of it with a bill number attached.

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