Jefferson County

Name of business: The Town's Inn Sundry/Snack/Supply Shoppe Owner: Karan Townsend Address: 179 High St., Harpers Ferry, W.Va. Opening date: Sept. 3, 2012 Products and services: Almost everything a modern convenience store or old-fashioned general store would have, including food, beverages and toiletries from Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Aldi, many of which are organic, natural or gluten-free; instant/packaged meals; canned goods, including soups; granola bars; chocolate bars; chips; peanut butter; beverages such as Virgil's root beer, Reed's ginger ale, soy milk and juices; toiletries such as toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, castile soap, lip balm and lotions; local country store items from McCutcheon's in Frederick, Md., such as a variety of cider and soda, fruit spreads, salsas and pure maple syrup; miscellaneous household and other items such as batteries, flashlights, laundry detergent and air fresheners; first-aid and over-the-counter medications such as pain reliever, antacid tablets and bandages; gifts such as bamboo utensil sets, potpourri and clothing; customized gift baskets containing items from the shoppe (can be ordered in advance or made while you wait; homemade food (everything prepared in the kitchen can be boxed to go)

Education, transportation, child poverty and alcohol were on the minds of the five Jefferson County representatives who leave for Charleston, W.Va., next month. The five lawmakers met with 115 members of the Jefferson County Chambers of Commerce on Friday at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. The county's three representatives to the House of Delegates are Tiffany Lawrence, D-65th, entering her third term, and freshmen Paul Espinosa, R-66th, and Stephen Skinner, D-67th. Also present were State Sens.

Firefighters battled a house fire Sunday morning at 298 Union St. in Harpers Ferry, according to a Jefferson County 911 dispatcher. It took about an hour to bring the fire under control and the house was left uninhabitable, according to man who answered the phone at the Friendship Fire Co. Sunday afternoon. The fire was reported at 11:21 a.m.

Jefferson County Sheriff Robert E. “Bobby” Shirley has tendered his resignation, Jefferson County Commissioner Patsy Noland said Friday. Noland said Shirley dropped off a one-sentence letter of resignation at her home between 5:30 and 6 p.m. “It says that he resigned as sheriff, effective immediately,” Noland said. Commissioners have yet to formally discuss Shirley's resignation letter, Noland said. Noland and newly elected Commission President Dale Manuel said they were unaware that Shirley  consented Friday to modified terms of release while federal civil rights allegations are pending against him. Shirley was placed on 24-hour home detention Friday and agreed to take leave of absence from his job, according to his attorney Kevin D. Mills and court orders.

1. Dip your toes into the Potomac Members of Williamsport Polar Bear Club will raise funds for the Humane Society of Washington County at noon Tuesday, Jan. 1, at Williamsport Boat Ramp. Participants will become official members of the Williamsport Polar Bear Club. Noon. Williamsport Boat Ramp. $20, includes a Polar Bear zipper pull, window decal and Williamsport Polar Bear Club certificate. Call 301-733-2060. Sign up will also be available New Year's Day. 2. For the fiddlers Fiddle Summit showcase concert will be at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4, at Presbyterian Church, 100 Washington St., Shepherdstown, W.Va.

The American Civil War has been very good for a Charles Town author who, in the last six years, has been researching the area's history for material for historical novels based on real people and real situations connected with that conflict. Bob O'Connor has just finished his fifth novel, “The Return of Catesby,” the story of a slave who was born in Jefferson County. The latest is a sequel to “Catesby: Eyewitness to the Civil War,” which O'Connor published in 2008. The new book comes out in January.

An open house celebration commemorating completion of a $300,000 restoration project plus the movement of 264 acres into permanent farmland protection status will be held Sunday at the Claymont Society's main mansion from noon to 2 p.m. The 34-room house off Huyett Road was built in 1820, the largest of 12 mansions built in Jefferson County by siblings, relatives and descendants of George Washington in the late 18th and early 19th centuries....

Clinton “Leeds” Corbin remembered the day in October when he fell 11 feet headfirst into a hole in the ground. The fall broke his neck, leaving him without use of his arms and legs. “That's the sad part,” he said Tuesday from a Philadelphia physical rehabilitation center. “My doctor said I'd never walk again or use my arms.” Corbin, 62, of Summit Point, W.Va., doesn't accept that fate. “I'm doing exceptionally well, well above where I'm supposed to be at this point.

Finding ways to stem the spiraling cost of running the regional jail remains a top legislative concern of county leaders in the Eastern Panhandle. Jail costs for Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties totaled more than $4.8 million for the 2011-12 fiscal year, which ended June 30, according to figures reviewed Monday at an annual summit of the region's state lawmakers and county officials. The combined regional jail costs of the three counties accounted for more than 10 percent of the statewide figure of $45.5 million, but Vivian Parsons of the County Commissioners' Association of West Virginia told the group that the issue is a major concern for counties across the state, too. In reviewing the figures, Parsons noted Berkeley County saw a 24 percent increase in jail costs since the 2010 fiscal year, while Morgan County had to absorb an 18 percent spike.

State Sen. Herb Snyder fended off a strong challenge Tuesday night by former Jefferson County Commissioner Jim Ruland to win re-election in the 16th district of the 34-member chamber of the Legislature, according to complete, but unofficial results. With all 65 precincts in the 16th district reporting, Snyder, D-Jefferson/Berkeley, received 20,434 votes and Ruland, of Harpers Ferry, W.Va., received 17,450 votes, according to tallies compiled from the county clerks in Berkeley and Jefferson counties.