Martinsburg

A fight filmed on the steps of the historic Berkeley County Courthouse played out on televisions across the country Sunday night as part of TLC's “My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding.” Two young Romanichal gypsy women shoved and punched each other following a wedding in the reality series that depicts the everyday lives of families like Mellie Stanley's. She was charged with disorderly conduct after the brawl. Cameras caught Mellie and the maid of honor, Diamond, in what Mellie called “a huge argument.” It centered around comments allegedly made about the bride's mother-in-law.

West Virginia State Police have arrested more than 170 sex offenders since the first of the year for providing false information to the state sex offender registry. State Police 1st Sgt. Michael Baylous said the agency and the U.S. Marshal Service has verified the information for more than 1,000 offenders on the registry during that time, after a weekend sweep by state police. Baylous said additional arrests are expected as individuals are located and investigations are completed.

Friday, November 16, 2012 PREP FOOTBALL Martinsburg 50, Musselman 7 MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Martinsburg returned a Musselman onside kick attempt for a touchdown on the opening kickoff, setting the tone as the Bulldogs cruised to victory in the West Virginia Class AAA quarterfinals at Cobourn Field. The Bulldogs (11-1), seeded second in Class AAA, led 22-0 less than five minutes into the rematch of a regular-season game played less than a month ago. Martinsburg won that game 73-0.

Police in Martinsburg have confirmed a pedestrian died after being struck by a vehicle along Foxcroft Avenue on Sunday. Additional information is expected to be released this evening, Martinsburg Police Lt. Terry Stanley said.

The ROCS convenience store in the 1600 block of West King Street outside Martinsburg was robbed at about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, a Berkeley County Emergency Services supervisor said. The supervisor said West Virginia State Police was handling the investigation. State police said Tuesday morning that further details were unavailable.

City officials are reminding motorists about street paving projects that will be occuring in Martinsburg over the next several weeks. Michael M. Covell, the city engineer and planning director, said in a news release that all cars will need to be removed from work areas. No-parking signs will be posted in the affected areas in advance, according to the release. Starting Thursday, portions of East Burke and East Race streets will be roto-milled and then repaved. It is possible that delays will occur.

The West Virginia Division of Highways said Monday that a stop sign will be installed on Athletic Street at the intersection with East Road during the week of Oct. 24. A study has shown that making this an all-way stop will significantly increase the safety for pedestrians, according to a news release from the Division of Highways. The intersection is near North Middle School and Opequon Elementary School.

The city of Martinsburg is scheduled to formally announce today the completion of street improvements in the city's north end that are part of economic development efforts there. Mayor George Karos said Monday in a news release that the announcement would be made at 11 a.m. in the vicinity of Schewel's furniture, where representatives of the city will provide an overview of the project. A $1.7 million construction contract included the extension of Lutz Avenue to Meridian Parkway, along with a traffic circle at the new intersection of the roads.

A trial for two defendants accused in the fatal stabbing of one man and the wounding of another began Tuesday in Berkeley County Circuit Court in a case that will see about a dozen witnesses take the stand. Thomas A. Grantham, 36, of Martinsburg and James G. Cross, 33, of Kearneysville, W.Va., face multiple charges of murder, attempted murder, malicious assault and conspiracy in the fatal stabbing of Andre Jackson, 21, and the wounding of Jacques Taylor on April 23, 2011. The victims, both of Martinsburg, were attacked on Rock Cliff Drive near Polo Green Drive.

The Eastern Panhandle's second ALDI grocery store is expected to open near Martinsburg in the summer of 2012, according to the privately held grocer. Plans for a 17,886-square-foot store along Edwin Miller Boulevard are pending final review and approval by Berkeley County officials, according to county records and the company.There are six other ALDI stores in West Virginia, including the Charles Town, W.Va. store, according to the company.ALDI also has locations on Dual Highway in Hagerstown, in Frederick, Md., and Chambersburg, Pa. "ALDI is experiencing significant growth, and we've added approximately 80 new stores each year, expanding our ability to bring grocery savings to more people every day," Jeff Baehr, ALDI Frederick division vice president, said in an emailed statement.ALDI operates more than 1,000 stores in 31 states, primarily from Kansas to the East Coast, and claims more than 20 million customers each month.

Mary E. Woodward, 86, of Hedgesville, W.Va., died Sunday, June 16, 2013. The family will receive friends Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home, Martinsburg, W.Va. A graveside service will be Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Jeffersonton, Va., with Pastor John Lines officiating.  

Mildred I. "Bobbie" Swope, 81, of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Saturday, June 15, 2013, at Berkeley Medical Center. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home. The service will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at the funeral home with Pastor Brent Markee officiating. Burial will be in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Morgan County, W.Va.

A Martinsburg man is accused of stabbing another man multiple times in an altercation Thursday, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court documents. Glenn Phillip Culbreath, 63, of 114 W. Martin St., Apt. 4, was arraigned Thursday night by Magistrate Robert L. Lowe II on one count of malicious wounding, the documents said. Martinsburg police Officer Teresa Gibbons said in a complaint against the defendant that he confessed to stabbing the man. Medics indicated that the victim suffered multiple stab wounds to his right arm and one stab wound in his back, the documents said.

The city of Martinsburg announced Friday that it will sponsor a Fourth of July fireworks display next month. Set to begin at 9:30 p.m., the fireworks show will be launched from the same location near War Memorial Park as previous years. But the park will close at dusk, and no special music or entertainment is planned there for the holiday, city officials said. The park's amenities, including public swimming, mini-golf and concessions, will be open on July 4, but the pool area will not be available for viewing the fireworks display as in previous years, officials said.

A microbrewery was among the most popular redevelopment ideas pitched Friday for the Matthews Foundry, a dilapidated 19th century stone building located in Martinsburg's historic industrial core. Built before the Civil War, the building at 420 N. Queen St. was one of five projects in Main Street communities across the state that the West Virginia Redevelopment Collaborative chose earlier this year to receive technical assistance that could help spur revitalization. “We're really excited about this project,” Carrie Staton, the collaborative's coordinator, told community stakeholders invited to a kickoff for the Benedum Foundation grant-funded project.

A Martinsburg man accused of selling $3,000 in crack cocaine to a confidential informant was arraigned Friday on one felony count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, according to court documents. James Willard Johnson, 37, of 325 Athletic St., is accused of selling 2.5 ounces of crack cocaine to the informant on Monday in a deal that was orchestrated by members of the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, the documents said. Martinsburg Police Department Sgt. Matt Zollinger said in a complaint against the defendant that the drug transaction was recorded, the documents said.

Zachary and Holly Fraker of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., formerly of Williamsport, announce the birth of their first son, Elias Wayne Frake r, May 6, 2013. Maternal grandparents are Terry and Deborah Allen of Big Lake, Minn. Paternal grandparents are Dan Fraker of Greencastle, Pa., and Tammy Fraker of Williamsport. Maternal great-grandparents are Bart and Jan Skafte of Rockford, Minn. Paternal great-grandparents are Gary and June Fraker of Greencastle and Kenneth Anderson of Hagerstown and the late Virginia Anderson.

Robert William Blair, 88, of Hagerstown, died Wednesday, June 12, 2013, at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Martinsburg, W.Va. The family will receive friends Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Rest Haven Funeral Chapel, Hagerstown. The service will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow in Cedar Lawn Memorial Park.

A Falling Waters, W.Va., man  wanted on allegations of soliciting a minor for sex in October 2012 was captured Thursday by the Mountain State Fugitive Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service announced. Peter Stankiewicz, 29, was captured in Martinsburg through a joint effort by the Marshals Service, and Maryland and West Virginia state police, according to a news release. Authorities believed that the defendant fled to Salisbury, Md., shortly after the alleged criminal act occurred, according to the news release.

Alice Runion VanLeuvan, 73, of Martinsburg, W.Va., went to be with her Lord on Tuesday, June 11, 2013, at Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown, Md., from complications after surgery and while surrounded by her loving family and friends. Alice was born May 30, 1939, in Timberville, Va., to Myraveve Jones Runion and Ivan "Doc" Runion.  She graduated from Broadway High School in Broadway, Va., and attended Shenandoah College in Dayton, Va. While working in Washington, D.C., she met her husband, Harry VanLeuvan.