West Virginia

A West Virginia woman died after the vehicle she was riding in crashed Wednesday on Apple Harvest Drive (W.Va. 45) southwest of Martinsburg, according to West Virginia State Police. The woman's name was not immediately released pending notification of next of kin, troopers said. The crash in the 8700 block of Apple Harvest Drive near Loop Road was reported at 5:11 p.m., a Berkeley County emergency communications supervisor said. The woman was thrown from the vehicle, troopers said.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is accepting applications for its 2013 "Birding 101" course for beginning birders. The course will focus on bird species found in the Eastern Panhandle area. The classroom sessions will start Thursday, April 4, and continue April 11, 18 and 25. All of these sessions will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center north of Shepherdstown. The field trips will be at various locations around the Panhandle on Saturdays, April 6, 13, 20 and 27, from roughly 7 a.m. to noon.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. The 13th annual Uniquely West Virginia Wine and Food Festival opened Saturday at American Legion Post 60. West Virginia products are for sale, and samples of West Virginia wines and specialty foods are available for tasting. The festival continues today from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at Post 60, which is at 527 N. Washington St. in Berkeley Springs. Admission is $2.

Byrd appears at fundraiser for Barth SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd made an appearance Thursday night at a private fundraiser at the Shepherdstown residence of Anne Barth, a Democratic candidate for the 2nd Congressional District of West Virginia, according to a press release from Byrd's office. Byrd's visit in support of Barth, who worked in the Democratic senator's state office for 21 years, was not announced to the media. Reva Mickey, Executive Committee chairwoman of the Jefferson County Democratic Party, said Byrd introduced Barth at the fundraiser and urged those gathered to support her candidacy.

The West Virginia State Rail Authority will hold a public meeting in Martinsburg on Tuesday for residents to learn about the development of a statewide rail plan, West Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman Brent Walker said Thursday. The meeting, which is among eight public information sessions planned statewide, will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Berkeley County Council chambers at 400 W. Stephen St., according to the WVDOT. There will be a formal presentation at 6 p.m., followed by a public comment portion of the meeting, Walker said.

More than 4,100 ballots for Tuesday's primary election have already been cast by early voters in the Eastern Panhandle, according to Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant's office. As of Monday, 2,357 people voted in Berkeley County, more Republicans (1,122) than Democrats (956). Another 273 residents with no political party affiliation also voted. More registered Democrats (658) voted early in Jefferson County than Republicans (439) and another 185 voters with no party affiliation cast ballots, according to Tennant's office.

Schools in Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties in West Virginia are operating on two-hour delays Monday because temperatures are expected to remain below freezing, school officials reported Sunday.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Hagerstown Suns lowered the boom in the opening game of a doubleheader with West Virginia on Friday. It was just a little too late to be anything more than noise. Bill Rhinehart hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning, but it just made the outcome more respectable as the Suns dropped a 9-4 decision to the Power. The second game was suspended in the top of the third inning with the Suns leading 3-0. In the opener, West Virginia got to Hagerstown starter Jeff Mandel (2-2)

BUNKER HILL, W.Va. - The United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps will highlight the 11th Annual Big Apple Tournament of Bands at 6 p.m. Saturday on the athletic field of Musselman High School. Known as "The Commandant's Own," the 80-member marching band will take the field after 9 p.m. in its red and white ceremonial uniforms. The band, based in Washington, D.C., performs military and popular tunes for hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. This year's tournament will feature 13 other bands in addition to the Marines.