Capito

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito on Friday announced $850,000 in federal spending has been earmarked for projects in the Eastern Panhandle, including $500,000 for the City of Martinsburg's Raleigh Street road construction project. The Republican lawmaker's announcement comes one week after U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., said he allocated $10 million for the W.Va. 9 widening project and increased West Virginia's federal allocation for highway construction by $26 million to $356.

BEDINGTON, W.VA. charlestown@herald-mail.com The federal government has chipped in $675,000 to help the Bedington Volunteer Fire Department buy a 100-foot ladder truck needed to protect a growing number of large buildings in Berkeley County, officials said Wednesday. No fire department in Berkeley County has such a piece of equipment, but it is needed to reach tall structures in the county such as City Hospital or the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, said Tommy Newcomb, Bedington's fire chief.

Two appointed to Planning and Development Council MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Del. Jonathan Miller, R-Berkeley, and John Reisenweber, former Martinsburg representative for U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, have been appointed to the Eastern Panhandle Regional Planning and Development Council by the Berkeley County Commission. Reisenweber resigned from his post with Capito earlier this month to accept an executive banking opportunity with Centra Bank in Martinsburg. Reisenweber replaces Daryl Bryarly.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Downtown business leaders in Martinsburg were upbeat Monday about the economic health of the community's historic commerce district, despite less than tourist-friendly gas prices and unsettled financial times on Wall Street. Tuscan Sun owner Laura Gassler said she saw fewer people at her gourmet food and wine shop from the Washington, D.C., area when gas prices were high this summer. But she also noticed a lot more "local traffic," including a number of relatively new residents of the area who said they never visited the downtown area.

HEDGESVILLE, W.Va. -- It's the time of year when officials start looking for the right kind of high school students to go into the nation's military academies. The schooling at the academies is rigorous and getting accepted is tricky, officials said Sunday at Hedgesville High School during an academy day hosted by U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. To have the best chance at landing a spot at one of the academies, military officials told local high school students to challenge themselves throughout high school, take difficult classes and get good grades.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Even the much-debated and discussed issue of a senior-friendly prescription drug plan relates to the issue of affordable housing, U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito told a group Monday afternoon. Capito, R-W.Va., spoke during a presentation regarding the Federal Home Loan Bank and ways more people can become homeowners. About 50 people attended the gathering at the Holiday Inn in Martinsburg. Capito answered questions and updated the group on a few bills winding through Congress.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - Joseph R. Priestley thought he might have earned a medal for his military service in the Vietnam War, and made an inquiry with U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito's office several weeks ago. The 78-year-old retired U.S. Navy lieutenant colonel was correct. But he didn't expect John Reisenweber, Capito's Martinsburg office representative, to arrive at his Martinsburg home with a brown envelope containing 13 more. "I didn't know I was eligible for some of them," said Priestley, who enlisted Oct. 5, 1945.

laurae@herald-mail.com BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.VA. - Countering recent criticism of President Bush's Iraq war strategy, U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito on Saturday said the United States needs to stay the course to ensure peace. Echoing Bush, whose West Virginia re-election campaign she's chairing, the Second District congresswoman said stability in the region is vital to U.S. security. Capito spent four days with the troops about six weeks ago. "One thing that really struck me is the absolute power and strength of our military," she said in a speech to the Morgan County Republican Club.

charlestown@herald-mail.com Standing at an overlook high above the Shenandoah River, U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., told a group Wednesday she was "in your corner" in their effort to expand the boundaries of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Capito made the comment as she toured Murphy's Farm, a 99-acre piece of property near the park, which was to be the location of a 188-home subdivision before the Trust for Public Land purchased it. Murphy's Farm is rich with Civil War and civil rights history.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Donations to U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito's war chest for the 2008 election skyrocketed after state Sen. John Unger announced his intention to run for her seat in Congress in May 2007, according to her campaign finance reports filed with Federal Election Commission. Of the 144 contributions - totaling nearly $240,000 - the incumbent Republican congresswoman received between April 1 and June 30, 2007, less than 20 came before Unger's May 31 announcement, reports show.