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.

The Utility Board Closes Its Sidewinder Probe. A Second Defamation Suit Is Filed.

The Charles Town Utility Board says its internal review of how the Sidewinder water-line stormwater permit application was signed is finished. At an Oct. 7 special meeting, Mayor Michael George, who chairs the board, said legal counsel found the staff report “thorough” and saw “no indications of illegal actions,” so no independent third-party investigation was recommended. Observer WV has the meeting.

The review did find problems. According to George, the board’s direction to staff on signing agreements was vague, and communication between the board and the engineering firm that prepared the application was lacking. The board, which voted Sept. 23 to redo the permit, unanimously asked staff to draft a public-transparency policy. It was scheduled to take that up Oct. 14.

The board also met in executive session on legal issues involving former General Manager Kristen Stolipher. George said the issue was a demand for indemnification from her attorney, Dan Casto, and that the board “never accused Kristen Stolipher of doing anything wrong.” During public comment, Casto called the board’s actions a “witch hunt.”

Then came a second lawsuit. On Oct. 9, Stolipher filed a defamation suit in Berkeley County Circuit Court against ten individuals and two organizations, Observer WV reports, over statements made during public comment at the board’s Sept. 23 meeting. Her first suit, against Jefferson County Commissioner Cara Keys, was filed Sept. 29 over Keys’ remarks at a Sept. 4 commission meeting. Observer WV reported Keys had not publicly responded.

These are allegations in civil complaints. No court has ruled on either suit, and no defendant has been found liable.

Data Centers Dominate the County Commission Candidates’ Forum

Five Jefferson County Commission candidates met Oct. 6 at a League of Women Voters forum in Charles Town. In the Kabletown District: incumbent Steve Stolipher (R), Mary Margaret “Mickey” Reagan (D) and Daniel Lutz (Mountain). In the Harpers Ferry District: incumbent Pasha Majdi (R) and Lanae Johnson (D). The Journal covered the forum.

Data centers led. Reagan, Lutz and Johnson called for repealing House Bill 2014, the state law limiting local authority over data centers. Reagan said she would prefer none in the county, but if they come, she would insist on protections, including a ban on using groundwater. Stolipher said data centers should use closed-loop water systems instead of groundwater, pay for the electrical upgrades they require, and have adequate setbacks. Majdi called for continued county zoning authority, stormwater protections and larger setbacks. Lutz warned the county could be left with cleanup costs.

On transparency, Majdi wants more disclosure involving lawyers and lobbyists; Reagan cited the Freedom of Information and Open Meetings acts; Lutz would return the commission to weekly meetings; Stolipher pointed to the county’s new government building and updated website. The commission candidates said they did not favor masked ICE agents in local operations, while several noted the sheriff is independently elected. On solar, Stolipher and Majdi said they had sent proposed ordinances back to the Planning Commission.

In House District 99, Republican Wayne Clark defended HB 2014 as one statewide standard instead of 55 county ones; Democrat Regina Dyer said local officials should have more authority. Election Day is Nov. 3; early voting runs Oct. 21–31.

Also in Jefferson County: the Rippon solar project wants to build out its full footprint. Rippon Energy Facility LLC, a Torch Clean Energy subsidiary, filed an updated stormwater construction permit application with the state DEP on Oct. 2 covering all 589 acres of its 90-megawatt facility, three sites between Rippon and the Shenandoah River. Phase one, just under 100 acres, was permitted earlier this year. DEP says it is reviewing the 1,000-plus-page plan and will likely ask for more information before opening it for public comment. Observer WV has the filing.

And in Charles Town: the Briggs Animal Adoption Center is closing. Its parent, the National Humane Education Society, plans to sell the building and put the money into foster care, spay/neuter, humane education and its Pet Food Bank instead. Executive Director Megan Hessenberger cited the cost of heating, cooling and staffing the shelter as donations soften. No sale date is set. Meanwhile the center is looking for homes for its last animals — nine dogs, an elderly dog named Avis, and several cats and kittens — and for families to join the new foster program. The Journal has the details.

Inwood Park Won’t Open This Fall. It’s Getting an Amphitheater Instead.

Berkeley County’s new 31-acre Inwood Park, across U.S. 11 from Musselman High, was projected to open this fall. Now it is getting bigger first. On Oct. 8, the County Commission accepted a $1.5 million federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, which requires a dollar-for-dollar county match, for an amphitheater, an inclusive playground and a large restroom building. PNN has the vote.

Pickleball courts, a multi-use field, a walking trail and a fishing pond are already under construction on a $5.7 million first-phase contract with Lantz Construction of Winchester, Va. Commission President Eddie Gochenour said the site has “a substantial amount of work left to do” and promised “it will be worth the wait.” No new opening date has been set. A disc golf course, dog park, bike trails and a splash park are in the longer-range plan.

Also in Berkeley County: Raymond E. Boyce Jr. is the county’s new prosecuting attorney. The commission appointed him Oct. 8. He had been chief assistant prosecutor since January 2025 and interim prosecutor since Sept. 14, after Joseph R. Kinser was appointed to the 27th Judicial Circuit bench. He was scheduled to be sworn in Oct. 14. PNN has the appointment.

A Morgan County Deputy Is Arrested on a Domestic Battery Charge

Morgan County Sheriff’s Cpl. Christopher Roper, 51, was arrested Wednesday, Oct. 7, and charged with one count of domestic battery after state police responded to a disturbance, according to a news release from Sheriff Johnnie Walter reported by PNN. Roper pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, posted a $5,000 personal-recognizance bond and has been placed on administrative leave. The county prosecutor’s office has asked for a special prosecutor. PNN has the release.

The charge is an allegation — Roper has not been convicted.

In Berkeley County: state police say Mary McDaid, 38, of Williamsport, Md., faces four charges after troopers went to a Falling Waters home as part of a drug investigation: possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and child neglect resulting in risk of death. PNN reports she allegedly had guns and drugs in the home. A child there was placed with Child Protective Services. She is held at Eastern Regional Jail on $35,000 bond. PNN has the arrest.

The charges are allegations — McDaid has not been convicted.

Bath’s Historic District Has Lost 14 Buildings Since 2009

The Town of Bath National Historic District in Berkeley Springs has lost 14 contributing buildings since the town joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, according to documents amending the district’s register record, the Morgan Messenger reports. That is 14 of the district’s 218. Demolitions and fires took several along N. Washington Street; others were dropped for “incongruous alterations” — remodels out of keeping with the original style, including a 1988 fake cornerstone on W. Fairfax Street — and an 1880 Pratt Street home was dropped for sitting vacant in severe disrepair. The state sends the amendment to the National Park Service on Oct. 19. The Messenger has the amendment.

Also in Morgan County: Paw Paw is taking over its senior center. Senior Life Services of Morgan County, which runs the Paw Paw Senior Center on the lower floor of the Mountaineer Community Health building, says it will not renew its $1-a-year lease when it ends Dec. 31, and it has set a public-comment meeting on closing the center for Monday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m. at its office, 106 Sand Mine Road, Suite 1, Berkeley Springs. The center has struggled for months to draw enough lunch participants to justify a cook. On Oct. 13, before a crowd of more than three dozen, the Paw Paw town council voted unanimously to sign the lease itself and keep the space open for senior and community use, the Morgan Messenger reports. Mayor Darlene Abe said the town has no money to put into it; a senior citizens club has pledged to raise funds and cover the utilities, and the mayor agreed the town would keep the lights on if the club cannot. Meals could still come from a separate provider. The Messenger has the vote.

The County Commission unanimously approved $10,740 in bridge funding from its opioid-settlement fund for Life or Drugs Tri-State Support Group, whose main grant ended Sept. 30. The money carries two part-time recovery specialists, supplies, transportation and rent through the end of 2026 while the nonprofit waits on other grant applications. Details.

And on the commute: the U.S. 522 bridge at Hancock, the crossing Morgan County commuters use into Maryland, is one of 24 bridges in Maryland’s 2,574-bridge state system rated “poor” this year, up from 20 last year. Details.

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? Spotted something on your street that turned out to be interesting? 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.