Kate Shunney

Trips on Morgan County school buses are a little healthier these days – due to a dose of soy and corn.

As of the start of the school year, Morgan County has become one of 25 West Virginia counties to put biodiesel fuel into their buses' gas tanks instead of regular diesel.

Berkeley Springs High School finished 2007 with a 9-3 record and their first Class AA State Playoff victory in school history. They had an impressive offense led by record-setting running backs Cody Hess and Cody Reed. Both graduated as did offensive linemen Josh Mason, Matt Kees, Denton Powell and Jake Stotler, along with wide receiver JT Thomas.

Those holes leave a big void in the Indian offense, which suffered another loss – at least temporarily – when starting quarterback Matt Colwell, one of only three returning offensive starters, suffered a preseason injury.

While making the dollars work is one part of Kristie Randall's job as Nutrition Director for Morgan County schools, juggling shopping lists and meeting nutritional rules while feeding nearly 1,800 students a day are the major demands on her time.

To add a twist to her juggling act, the West Virginia Legislature just passed stricter nutritional guidelines for school food that went into effect on July 1, 2008.

A string of break-ins and robberies in Paw Paw and surrounding areas sparked residents in western Morgan County to air their safety and police concerns at a meeting on Monday, July 21 in Paw Paw's Municipal

The Morgan County school board voted in late June to hike adult and student meal prices for the upcoming school year. Student breakfast and lunch fees will rise 10 cents, while adult meal prices will go up 50 cents.

The Morgan County school board approved three contracts related to the operation of pre-Kindergarten programs for the 2008-2009 school year.

In addition to three classroom teachers, the Morgan County school system is saying farewell to several other long-time employees.

West Virginia's Department of Environmental Protection has started sorting through public and governmental comments about the impact of a planned Coolfont redevelopment on water, wildlife and the Cold Run Valley area.

The department sought comments about the project from residents, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife and the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.

Those final days of the school year are restless and exciting for students. It's no surprise that teachers look forward to the break as well.

For three Morgan County teachers, June 6 wasn't just the last day of school, it was the close of their professional teaching careers.

Before local schools closed for the summer, 3 p.m. was an active time along Green and Biser Streets.