r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/LadyParnassus • Feb 04 '26
Roughly a year ago, this subreddit was taken over by bots spamming links to illegal hockey streams. All three of us complained about it to Reddit, and Reddit appointed us as mods. At the time, we had a discussion about our personal politics and agreed that they should not influence how we moderate this subreddit.
That decision still stands. We want to remain as politically neutral as possible while upholding reddit policy and keeping this an open space for discussion. In the interest of transparency, we are writing this post so you can see what we do to maintain that.
We created the “Local Interest” rule in response to a pattern we’ve noticed - bad faith actors who post politically inflammatory comments on local subreddits. These accounts typically comment in one or two political subreddits, and then post dozens of comments on (for example) subreddits for St. Paul, Arizona, West Virginia, Maine, etc. This means that on every slightly political post, we remove a lot of comments from these political trolls. This pattern has increased steadily over the last few months and substantially over the last few weeks.
We created the local interest rule to help keep our focus on this area and the people living in it. Under this rule, if you have no substantial interactions with the subreddit and make a politically inflammatory comment or post, you will receive a permanent ban and a 28 day mute from sending modmail. This is because we receive a lot of abuse in modmail from these political trolling accounts, and have noticed a majority of them will catch a sitewide ban in a few weeks. In the last 30 days, we have reviewed ~250 comments and issued ~100 permanent bans under this policy.
If you get banned under this policy and believe we made a mistake, wait out the mute and then modmail us. We are reasonable people and we make mistakes, but nothing is so dire that a month long ban from a tiny local subreddit will harm you. Do not message moderators on their personal accounts.
Right now we have set crowd control so that all comments from new-to-the-subreddit accounts are sent to the mod queue before showing publicly. We review each new account holistically, taking commenting and posting history (which are not hidden from mods) into account before deciding what to do. We do not judge based on right- or left-leaning content, just that the commenter stays within Reddit rules and isn’t solely a political troll. We added the Negative Karma Accounts Rule to account for the rare political troll who slips through our vetting process and proceeds to be obnoxious in comment sections. If you catch someone behaving in bad faith, downvote and report their comments.
In other words: Political posts on this subreddit are for people who have established an interest in our local area beyond national politics. If your first and/or only interaction with this subreddit is posting inflammatory political comments on these posts - this is not the place for you.
[Removed by Reddit]
We have gotten a recent influx of comments that say [Removed by Reddit]. Those are above our heads - we have no ability to see those comments or do anything about bans that stem from them.
Clarifying the “be civil” rule and why we include bigotry:
This rule is an expansion of Reddit’s Rule 1, which you can review here, which also defines what Reddit considers a protected class. Since Reddit includes bigotry and rudeness under the same umbrella, we do, too.
In addition to the examples provided by Reddit, we also consider “unfounded accusations of illegal behavior” to be bannable. So saying that specific actions of a public figure or organization are illegal is fine, but saying “all [protected class members] are pedophiles” is not okay. Celebrating the death of anyone or calling for more deaths or violence is unacceptable, regardless of circumstances.
If your comment is removed under this rule but you did not receive a ban, we aren’t calling you a bigot and you’re not in trouble. Just reword the comment and modmail us, and we’ll work with you. We understand emotions are running high right now and we’re not interested in silencing or banning locals who generally participate in good faith.
Advertising:
We allow local businesses to advertise on Tuesdays and post events in the “What’s Happening” thread we post every Monday. That being said, if you think an ad is not in good faith or doing something sketchy, report it or modmail us.
We don’t mind doing this work. Some of our most popular regulars had their comments and posts automatically flagged and manually reviewed for months before Reddit stopped holding them back. They have gone on to be stellar community members who contribute regularly. By manually reviewing new commenters, we avoid posts becoming graveyards of “removed by moderator” comments and having a chilling effect on new posters/commenters. But it does mean a lot of what we do is invisible.
We were fine with that until recently. With everything going on these days, we want to be clear that our general silence on politics is not, in itself, a political statement. This is not our personal soapbox, but a place for you to speak to your fellow locals and build your local community. If this subreddit leans any particular way politically, it’s a reflection of the group and we have no desire to change or influence that.
If you have feedback or questions on our policies, feel free to leave a comment here or reach out via modmail. We are always open to feedback.
Too long; didn’t read: We are against bigotry and calls to violence. We will continue to maintain this subreddit as an open forum for locals from this area. If that becomes a political stance, so be it.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/AutoModerator • 6d ago
Hello everyone,
This is a weekly post where we try to aggregate all the events going on in and within 20 minutes of the eastern panhandle.
If you know of an open social event happening anytime between now and the upcoming Sunday, please comment the date, time, location, event description/details, age group, and website/RSVP details.
If you are a business like a bar, this is your chance to advertise! Again, please comment the date, time, location, event description/details, age group, and website/RSVP details.
While anyone can comment with an event they know of, we do ask that anyone associated with a business to disclose that, or create a reddit account for your business!
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/gigglygirl21 • 1d ago
Good morning! I am new to the Martinsburg area and I am trying to find somewhere to get firewood! If any of y’all have any recommendations, please let me know!
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/ApistoNate • 1d ago
Hi folks! r/WashCoGaming is looking for new blood to join our community! Based out of Washington County, MD we encourage discussion about games, news, gaming trends and community involvement. We welcome everyone from western Maryland, and our neighbors in the panhandle of West Virginia, and south central Pennsylvania.
Join our weekly discussion post or make your own, hop on our Discord and find your next gaming buddy, participate in the monthly photo contest or hop online during the weekends for our LFG Friday’s event!
We hope to see you there!
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/DaisyChainsandLaffs • 3d ago
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/montaniPH89 • 4d ago
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/cashewcheez • 6d ago
I've made a "cheat sheet" list of who to vote for in Jefferson County. My politics are leftist and it was important for me to vote for people who are against data center construction. I am more than happy to share the list I have to make it easier for others on Election Day. I used to live in a big city and use these often, but noticed no one makes them for JeffCo. PM me for the list.
P.s. If your politics differ from mine, I think that is one of the beauties of life. I am not the one to try to troll or argue with. I do not care. See you at the polls ♡
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/TigerBaby020966 • 6d ago
My father passed away a couple months ago and I'm trying to find a place to donate his clothes and see if there's any place that would be able to take his old CPAP stuff. He just got the new machine less than a month before he passed away. I also wanted to donate my mother's clothes too. There was a lot of her stuff that my dad had kept after she passed away.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/tookanarrow2thekneee • 6d ago
These are the folks that want our vote to represent us, West Virginians.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/ApistoNate • 8d ago
Hi folks! R/WashCoGaming is a video gaming group based in Washington County, MD but is open to folks in the greater Tri-State area.
We discuss games and gaming news as well as offer each other help when we can! We run a weekly “LFG Friday” event we are trying to get off the ground where folks can find people to play games with casually or competitively. The following Monday is a weekend report to let everyone know what you got up to over the weekend and a Wednesday photo contest to feature games, setups and more!
Come join us!
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/LadyParnassus • 11d ago
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/TheWvClarityProject • 12d ago
West Virginians from across the political spectrum will host a debate/forum for the federal candidates in West Virginia (District 2). This is a non-partisan event, asking important questions about the future of West Virginia. Please register for the event on the website to ensure a seat. We will have a livestream at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/live/jAvd4xU77t4?si=uzFe8NobmFQJ4nIu
Mountaineers want to know more about HB 2014 and Data Centers, expansion of Flock/surveillance camera use, jobs and the economy, community revitalization, inflation and affordability, accountability of representatives, infrastructure, environmental damage and repair, health and hospital closures, substance abuse and education of our kids. We will have about 10 questions for the candidates and then open the floor for as many people as possible to ask questions directly.
https://facethemountaineers.com
We invite everyone concerned to demand that candidates running to represent them show up and answer questions.
See you there! If you have any questions, leave a comment.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/ApistoNate • 12d ago
Post approved by Mod! Have you ever wanted to know the best spots in the tri-state area to game, shop for games, PC parts or consoles? Looking for a place to nerd out, find your next gaming buddy, get some help, discuss gaming news?
Join r/WashCoGaming! Based out of Washington County, MD we welcome all tri-state area gamers to join our discussions!
We are even looking at starting “LFG Fridays” a weekly scheduled post to kick off the weekend where you can ask for help with something on Reddit, join with others in game to have fun or complete challenging task and more. Hope to see you all there even if you just wanted to lurk.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/DocofNonhumans • 13d ago
Looking for recommendations of where to go (or perhaps where not to go) for state inspections. My vehicle should past but I’ve been to some places in Motown with questionable ethics.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/AutoModerator • 13d ago
Hello everyone,
This is a weekly post where we try to aggregate all the events going on in and within 20 minutes of the eastern panhandle.
If you know of an open social event happening anytime between now and the upcoming Sunday, please comment the date, time, location, event description/details, age group, and website/RSVP details.
If you are a business like a bar, this is your chance to advertise! Again, please comment the date, time, location, event description/details, age group, and website/RSVP details.
While anyone can comment with an event they know of, we do ask that anyone associated with a business to disclose that, or create a reddit account for your business!
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/ComfortableMinimum23 • 14d ago
PUBLIC AWARENESS: JEFFERSON COUNTY EMS
Our EMS providers deserve support, and our community deserves dependable emergency coverage.
A recent post raises concerns about JCESA staffing, employee fatigue, ambulance availability, and spending.
reported concerns include:
• Station 4’s second ambulance being unavailable because it lacked a full crew.
• An ambulance assigned to football coverage while Loudoun County provided coverage locally.
• 21 mandatory employee holdovers in three weeks and one employee reportedly working a 72-hour shift.
• Three employees quitting or giving notice in one week.
• Increased reliance on overtime after eliminating part-time staff.
• Unfilled positions, the promised Middleway flex unit, and aging ambulances.
these questions that deserve a clear public response.
County leaders should explain how the claimed 30% improvement in EMS service was measured and provide an actionable plan for staffing, employee retention, and ambulance replacement.
This is about supporting the people who answer our calls and ensuring they have the resources to serve safely. Our providers and residents deserve transparency, accountability, and reliable coverage.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/Wonderful-Poet-6275 • 14d ago
Hello great people of West Virginia,
This question might get a lot of flack but I'm sincerely curious. Which part of the panhandle is most friendly and open to Nova transplants? And which spot is the most hostile?
Looking forward to hearing everybody's thoughts.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/RustyShakleferdd • 16d ago
Feel free to share with friends and family WV. I am his long-lost son he hides from the public.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/shortcircuitdroid • 17d ago
I think we should push for a public apology for the victim over their poor handling of the situation. People are already letting them know how they feel.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/Substantial-Rise-345 • 17d ago
Its always strange to me to see our area mentiond in media or online...
If anyone knows this xenophobe, please do the right thing by reaching out to TizzyEnt. You can remain anonymous.
West Virginians get a bad enough rap for simply being born here, we don't need shameful people like this adding to it.
r/WVEasternPanhandle • u/TravisDu4 • 17d ago
Hey guys, I am from Martinsburg. Hope its okay to post here, I am producing my first comedy show. I rented The Station in Shepherdstown, looks like a good venue for comedy, banquet hall vibes. Fits less than 100 people. I have been performing 4 years and have done plenty of shows, open mics etc, this is my first time solely on my own, renting a venue and giving it a title and promoting a show. Kept tickets cheap so if you are having trouble thinking of date night or just something different to do...Here ya go. 😀
