Petersburg FFA had a great showing of support at the South Branch Valley Ham, Bacon and Egg Sale March 14, at Moorefield High School.  

The Grand Champion Ham award went to Madison Whetzel of Petersburg High School. It was purchased by ER Excavating (Eugene Rinker Family).  

The Reserve Champion Ham award went Khloe Haslacker of Petersburg High School.

Taking home the Grand Champion Bacon award was Kari Rohrbaugh of Petersburg High School. 

The Reserve Champion Bacon was shown by Khloe Haslacker of Petersburg High School.

Other winners were Gracie Heishman of East Hardy High school, Grand Champion Eggs and Joe Riggleman of Moorefield High School, Reserve Champion Eggs.

The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Company received a donation last week aimed at ensuring the growing number of female firefighters serving in the company have the safety gear they need.

The Burke and Herbert Bank Foundation (previously known as Summit Bank) donated $14,760 to the PVFC to assist in purchasing turnout gear designed for female fi refi ghters.

Recently, the PVFC has discussed the growing concerns around ensuring all their volunteers are fully geared, pointing to rising costs and shrinking financial support from state and federal governments.

This, coupled with the ever-increasing amount of time that volunteers are putting into fundraising has impacted the overall number of volunteers who are able to work with the companies.

This is an issue that causes ripple effects in the community, as these local departments play crucial roles in the safety of the community they serve.

“Poorly fitting gear can compromise safety, reduce mobility, and increase physical strain—particularly during high-stress emergency situations,” said a representative from Burke and Herbert. “Turnout gear made specifically for women offers a proper fit, enhanced comfort, and full functionality, allowing female firefighters to perform at their best and stay protected on the job.”

The current turnout coats and pants are not ideally suited for the department’s five female firefighters, who are essential members of the team. Like many departments across the country, PVFC has faced the challenge of working with gear originally designed with only male body types in mind.

Read more: PVFC receives $14,700 donation to assist in funding necessary turnout gear designed for female...

Multiple community advocates appeared before the Grant County Commission last week to request support from the commission in their effort to reopen the recently closed dialysis center in Hardy County.

The center, provided treatment for patients diagnosed with kidney disorders, such as renal issues. Often times, the patients who require this treatment need dialysis multiple times a week. Previously, there was a dialysis center in Moorefield; however, approximately a year ago the center closed.

However, there is a renewed effort to reopen the center.

Bill Ours, the chair of the Hardy County Committee on Aging explained to the commission that there is an ongoing negotiation with a new company to come in and reopen the center under a 10 year lease.

“This would help Pendleton residents, it would help Grant County residents, it helps Hampshire County residents and it helps Hardy County residents,” Ours said.

However, Ours said that one of the issues being faced by the group is that the previous director offered the company a year of free rent in the facility.

“We are trying to stick to that promise since the company is interested in giving us a 10 year lease,” Ours said. “So what we are doing is going to the surrounding counties and asking for a letter of support and a contribution that they could give to help us survive that first year.”

Ours explained that the facility is owned by the Committee on Aging and that during that year they would remain responsible for the cost of maintenance, snow removal and similar property care. He told the commission that this would create a financial strain on the group.

Read more: County support requested in effort to reopen dialysis center in Moorefield

A Grant County man is facing a felony charge and more than 30 misdemeanor charges after a traffic stop becomes a high speed police chase.

The incident occurred on March 19, when an officer with the Grant County Sheriff’s Department was traveling along Route 42 towards Petersburg. While driving, the officer observed a black Dodge Dart driven by Aaron Scott Ketterman, 24, traveling towards Maysville.

The officer had prior knowledge of Ketterman and knew his license had been revoked due to a driving under the influence (DUI) charge.

Ketterman had been arrested in October 2024 for driving under with a revoked license (DUI) and he had plead guilty to the charge in February.

The officer turned his vehicle around and attempted to pull over Ketterman. Ketterman did not attempt to pull over after the officer had engaged his cruiser’s emergency lights and siren.

The officer’s dash cam showed Ketterman travel across the center-line approximatley 30 times and continued to accelerate to dangerous speeds.

Read more: Grant County man faces 36 charges from high speed police chase

After years of work and collaboration, community leaders from all over the region came together to offi cially cut the ribbon on the completed section of the new Petersburg Hike and Bike Trail.

“This has been a work in progress for about four years,” said Bob McCalley, a community member who has helped to spearhead the project. “This is the new section to be paid with the fi rst section completed over at the city park.”

Once fully completed, the trail will span multiple miles and encompass the entire city.

This section of the trail was completed last August and is 3/4 of a mile.

The trail allows both hikers and bike riders but does not allow motorized vehicles (except for wheelchairs).

“This trail will be the 10th park for Grant County,” McCalley said. “And it’s considered a linear park, which is different than what we usually think of when we think of a park.”

Linear parks are defi ned as being significantly longer than they are wide and are often strips of public land running along a specified landmark, in this case, a river/levee. In total, the project will consist of three phases with this section constituting the second phase. The third phase will run all the way up to the Grant County Airport and the sections will ultimately meet up to form the full walking trail.

Read more: Community leaders from multiple groups come together to celebrate trail

WVU/Grant Memorial Hospital (GMH) has earned several prestigious awards in recent months, starting with a 5-Star Rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in overall quality and patient experience. 

This rating reflects the hospital’s excellence in safety of care, mortality rates, patient experience, readmission rates, and timely and effective care. GMH was among just 381 hospitals nationwide to achieve the 5-star rating from CMS. The hospital also earned 5-star ratings for staff responsiveness and cleanliness. 

The staff responsiveness rating, based on questions from the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey, measures how quickly patients felt they received assistance after calling for help or needing assistance with the restroom or bedpan. 

The cleanliness rating highlights GMH’s commitment to maintaining a safe, hygienic, and welcoming environment for both patients and visitors.

In addition, GMH was recognized as one of the best hospitals in the country by Money Magazine. This distinction is awarded based on the facility’s ability to provide safe, high-quality care and excellent patient experience scores. 

The rankings for 2025 also consider financial transparency and the costs associated with a patient’s stay.

Read more: WVU/Grant Memorial Hospital earns high ratings

Petersburg Presbyterian Church

Palm Sunday, April 13, worship service at 11 a.m. Pizza, prayer and praise, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall. Maundy Thursday, April 17, 6 p.m. Communion service in the fellowship hall with a light meal. Easter sunrise service, 7 a.m. at Maple Hill Cemetery. Worship at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary.

Brake Covenant Brethren Church

Easter Sunrise Service, April 20, 6:30 a.m. Play, children’s program and music followed by breakfast. Morning worship will begin at 9:30 a.m. The church is located at 176 North Mill Creek Rd. at the twin bridges near Dorcas

All churches are invited to have their Easter services printed here. 

Please send a brief description to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., drop by the Press office or call 304-257-1844. No charge.

Petersburg Church Women United and the Ministerial Association are sponsoring the annual Lenten Luncheons in the fellowship hall at Petersburg Presbyterian Church. 

Lunch, is soup, sandwich and dessert, will be served promptly at noon with a message provided by a local pastor, and will end at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $5. Everyone welcome.

Speakers scheduled are:

March 26 - Rev. Cheryl George of Main Street United Methodist Church.

April 2 - Rev. Craig Howard of Brake Covenant Brethren Church.

April 9 - Father Arul of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

April 16 - Rev. David Webb of St. John’s United Methodist Church.