Welcome back to EP Digest. Every Thursday morning, the best local news, events, and happenings from Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan 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.

Berkeley County Sends a 10-Page Letter to the State Over Data-Center Money — Two Weeks Before the Bond Vote

The Berkeley County Commission has put a sharp question to the West Virginia Tax Division: when the proposed $4 billion data center in Falling Waters comes online, will the way the state divides up its property-tax revenue actually shortchange the county and its schools? On April 26, WV MetroNews reported the Commission has formally requested clarification — in a 10-page letter — on the formula in last year's Power Generation and Consumption Act.

The headline split: 50% of data-center property-tax revenue goes to a personal income tax reduction fund, 30% to the host county, 10% divided per-capita across all 55 counties, and a final 5% + 5% split between an economic enhancement grant fund and an electric credit stabilization fund. On its face, 30% to Berkeley sounds like real money. The Commission's concern is what's not in the law: there's no carve-out for High-Impact Data Center property in the state's "local share" school-aid formula.

Translation: the assessed value of the data center could inflate Berkeley County's "local share" calculation — the number the state uses to decide how much school aid to send back — even though the county only actually pockets 30 cents on the property-tax dollar. State school aid could fall as a result. From the letter, quoted by MetroNews: "These questions bear directly on the fiscal health of the Berkeley County Commission, Berkeley County's schools, the integrity of voter-approved bond levies, and the authority of locally elected officials to carry out their constitutional duties."

Commissioner John Hardy, a former state delegate, told MetroNews in a follow-up the next day that the county wants more clarity before the formula goes live. The state Tax Division said it's preparing a written response.

The timing is the part to watch. Berkeley voters head to the polls May 12 to decide on a $115.4 million school bond — and the letter explicitly names the integrity of voter-approved bond levies as one of the things at stake. The data-center development is real, the formula is law, and the host county is now publicly asking whether the math actually works for the people who live here.

Berkeley County Just Got a New Mountaintop Park — Donated

In a week dominated by tax-formula letters and election-eve voter-ID rules, a piece of straight-up good news: Berkeley County has accepted a donation of land for a new mountaintop park. The Journal reported the gift this week.

Permanent green-space additions to Berkeley County are rare. The Eastern Panhandle's outdoor-rec inventory leans heavily on the state parks — Cacapon, Sleepy Creek, Berkeley Springs — and on the AT corridor in Jefferson County. A new county-owned mountaintop site expands the trailhead and view-shed mix without leaning on the state system. We'll have more once the county releases development plans.

What Local Government Is Working On

Berkeley County Commission, today (Thu, Apr 30, 9:30am): Today's agenda runs ten items, including a Foster Care Awareness Month proclamation presented by the National Youth Advocate Program (May is Foster Care Awareness Month), a Facilities Department restructure, an updated Nationwide 457(b) deferred-compensation agreement, a vehicle request for law enforcement (the operational follow-on to the federal COPS grant we covered last week), and bond-release requests for the Bentwood Section 4 and Bridle Creek Phase 6 Section 2 subdivisions. Possible executive session at the end on personnel, real estate, legal, and economic development.

Jefferson County Commission, next regular meeting Thu, May 7: First-Thursday cycle. Agenda not yet posted as of send. Agendas, Minutes & Webcasts.

HEPMPO has three public-comment windows open right now: the Long Range Transportation Plan, the FY 2027 Unified Planning Work Program, and the WV Route 9 Bicycle Path Connectivity Plan — comment periods running through mid-to-late May. The Route 9 Bicycle Path public meeting is May 7 in Ranson (see Events). HEPMPO covers Berkeley, Jefferson, and Washington County (MD), so EP residents are inside the planning region. hepmpo.com for all three.

Two Weeks of Drought, and the Apple Blossoms Are Still Holding

The fire-weather story we flagged last week hasn't gone away. Panhandle News Network reported on April 21 that drought conditions are continuing across the listening area, and the National Weather Service has kept fire-risk language in its outlooks through the week. If you've been holding off on a yard burn, keep holding off — check the NWS hazardous-weather outlook before lighting anything, and follow any local burn restrictions.

On a brighter note: the apple (white) blossoms at Orr's Farm Market in Martinsburg have stayed open through the dry stretch. The 10–14 day window that started around April 22 is still in play, so you've still got a weekend or two if you want a family photo in the orchard. The Shenandoah Junction satellite market is also open for the season — produce restocked every other day.

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? Reply to this email — 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.