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World War I: Lessons and Legacies, a traveling micro exhibit, is now on display in the main room of the Moomau Library in Petersburg.  

Displayed on eight panels, this exhibition examines how the Great War accelerated major changes already underway in the lives of Americans—changes that continue to impact the world today. 

Developed for middle and high school students, the eight posters feature historical photographs, documents, graphics, educational text, and a design that reflects the modernity the war’s end brought to the 20th century.

The topics explored on the panels are:  World War I: Lessons and Legacies (an overview), Selling the War, Over There, Over Here, Women in the Great War, A World Safe for Democracy, Medicine and War, and A World Transformed.

Last week, Grant Memorial Hospital (GMH) celebrated its first anniversary as part of the West Virginia University (WVU) Health System. 

GMH is a not-for-profit critical access facility in Petersburg that serves the valley of the Potomac Highlands, which includes citizens of Grant, Hardy, Pendleton, Hampshire, and Mineral counties. 

Last year, the hospital entered into an operating agreement with WVU, which has enabled them to expand local services offered to patients in the area. 

During an event held on July 15 to commemorate the partnership, Elaine Geroski, AVP of Patient Services, and Tammy Kesner-Martin, GMH Board President, reflected on the hospital’s transformations over the past year. 

Geroski and Martin also introduced two new awards that will be given out at a later time.

A Petersburg man was indicted earlier this month by a Grant County Grand Jury for intentionally catching fire to an apartment on South Main Street after allegedly breaking into the residence with a knife.

The investigation into the incident, began on Feb. 12, the day after one of the apartments located on 26 South Main Street in Petersburg had been damaged by a suspicious fire.

The West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office (WVSFM) headed the investigation into the fire, including sending an investigator to perform a fire scene examination.

During this examination, the WVSFM determined that the apartment bathroom had been the origin of the fire. However, they also identified two separate and distinct non-communicating fire patterns, one on the left side of the bathroom near a shelving unit and another to the right of the bathroom door where a bath  room rug had been located. 

This investigation was being conducted in coordination with additional police investigations headed  by the Grant County Sheriff’s Department. During this investigation, officers discovered that surveillance footage from outside the apartment showed Cody Michael Van Meter, 33, of 88 Romero Dr., Petersburg, enter and leave the apartment multiple times and showed him even allegedly breaking into the apartment using a knife to defeat the door lock.

The footage allegedly shows VanMeter exit the apartment for the last time at approximately 9:06 a.m. on Feb. ll. 

Approximately three minutes later, officers saw a noticeable color and lighting change to the surveillance camera footage, indicating smoke was emanating from the apartment. A call for emergency responders went out at approximately 9:36 a.m. and firefighters arrived at the scene soon after.

According to the police report, the apartment VanMeter allegedly targeted was inhabited at the time but the report indicated the victim was not at the home during VanMeter’s visits on the day of the fire.

VanMeter was indicted on one count of first degree arson and one count of burglary. 

Other indictments returned earlier this month by the Grant County included: 

Ferdinand Othelo Battle, 67, of 72 Beagle Boot Ln., Maysville, was indicted one count of first degree arson and one count of burning of insured property. 

Battle’s charges stem from an incident in May 2022, when he allegedly  intentionally caught fire to a one-story, wood framed, single family house in Maysville.

Grant County Ambulance director Jeffrey Teter appeared before the Grant County Com- mission last week to provide an update to the county on ambulance operations.

According to Teter, calls went up during the last month by 16. Of these, all ran through the Petersburg location with no current increase in calls at the Mount Storm location. Of this increase, nine calls were transports.

“Transports is the big thing I wanted to hit on really quick,” Teter said. “We went up nine transports last month, that said, we are already up to 12 with scheduled and HealthTeam calls. We have taken three already from the hospital back home in county.”

Teter said the number of requested transports is continuing to climb, with three scheduled each week at a minimum.

“I’m not 100% sure why they are increasing like that, but they are,” Teter said. “It’s getting busy.”

 South Side Studios, the new art galleries located on the second fl oor of the South Side Depot in Petersburg, is having their offi cial grand opening this weekend, as they invite the community to come out and explore the beautiful art Grant County has to offer.

The approximately 1.4 mile Art Walk is set to begin this Saturday at 1 p.m. and will include artists, businesses and activities from all over the city. 

Locations that will be featured include:

• Beginning at Judy’s Drug Store (24 North Main St.) - to feature the mural “Pollination” by Kelson Thorne and include a mural and butterfly art activity.

• Next, to The Landes Arts Center (20 Mountain View St.) - to feature an exhibit of local artist Robert Nelson.

 First responders from Petersburg, Maysville, Upper Tract and members from West Virginia State Forestry Service joined forces to handle a brush fire that was related to a hay baler that caught fire. 

When the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Company arrived on the scene at approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday. It was determined that the fire had spread and was getting close to a structure.

Maysville Volunteer Fire Company and the Upper Tract Volunteer Fire Department were alerted and quickly arrived at the scene.

 A Maysville man charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of musical instruments and selling them at a Keyser Pawn shop for $20 each has been indicted by a Grant County Grand Jury for grand larceny.

The indictment stems from an incident in March, when the alleged victim called to report that Mack R. Crawford, 35, of 84 Gabes Beagle Ln., Maysville, had stolen six guitars from him, including two Rogue Madeleines, two Remo Weather King/Odessa banjoes, one Rogue Dobro Guitar and one Johnson electric guitar.

According to the police report filed on the incident, the caller reported that Crawford had taken the instruments a week before and that he had purchased the instruments 20 years ago, each costing approximately $500 at the time of purchase. The victim told officers that the instruments were in “decent condition” and had been locked in their cases in his room of the shared residence.

The victim told officers that Crawford had taken the instruments to J&S Pawn and Gun Shop in Keyser, where he sold them for $115, equaling out at less than $20 per instrument.

The store later confirmed that Crawford had brought the instruments to the shop and provided officers with a receipt totaling approximately $115 pending interest for each day they were there. As of the time of his arrest, the interest total for the instruments was $143.

According to the report, Crawford admitted to taking the instruments and pawning them. He told officers he “needed the money in order to purchase a hotel room to stay in” and told police that he had taken the instruments and then told the victim after he had already went to the pawn shop. 

Other indictments returned last week by the Grant County Grand Jury included: 

Elizabeth Lafollette, 29, of 166 Dusty Apple Ln., Maysville, was indicted on one count of battery of a law enforcement officer and one count of battery of an emergency medical service (EMS) worker.

Lafollette’s indictment stems from an incident in April, when she was allegedly seen yelling and exposing herself to passersby on Virginia Avenue in Petersburg.

 Domestic violence is one of the most common violent crimes that passes through Grant County’s court system.

Over the past few months, one dangerous charge that has been appearing multiple times is strangulation. This is charged anytime a person “strangles, suffocates or asphyxiates another without that person’s consent and thereby causes the other person bodily harm or loss of consciousness.”

One of the more recent charges stem from an incident on June 14, when officers with the Grant County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to a dispute at Shobes Trailer Drive in Petersburg.