Observer Weekly October 29, 2026 Jefferson County, WV news & events Even with the upcoming elections dominating the headlines, we still have other news to cover, including the long-running plans to develop a solar project at the southeast edge of Charles Town (our lead story below). Earlier this week I attended a candidate forum in Middleway hosted by the Gateway Republican Women. The Jefferson County Republican candidates for County Commission, Prosecuting Attorney and House of Delegates...
4 days ago • 10 min read
Observer Weekly October 28, 2026 Jefferson County, WV 2026 voter guide Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Here's what Jefferson County voters need to know about when and how to vote. Click on the link at the bottom to see our full guide to the candidates and Amendment 1. Key dates Saturday, Oct. 31: Last day of early voting, 9 am – 5 pm. Monday, Nov. 2: Last day to hand-deliver an absentee ballot to the County Clerk. Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls are open 6:30 am – 7:30 pm. Mailed...
5 days ago • 1 min read
Observer Weekly October 22, 2026 Jefferson County, WV news & events Early voting has started in Jefferson County, until October 31. With less than two weeks to go before Election Day, it seems like the calm before the storm — as long as you stay off of social media. The barrage of attack ads and mailers make us wonder why some folks feel they need to “flood the zone” with nonsense. On a lighter note, even if political yard signs are popping up everywhere, there are even more ghosts, goblins...
11 days ago • 15 min read
Observer Weekly October 15, 2026 Jefferson County, WV news & events People regularly ask me where they can go to learn about this year’s candidates. This week, I spent Tuesday and Wednesday morning at WRNR/TV10’s annual candidate forum, asking questions of the candidates running for state legislature and county commissions. The Tuesday session featured Jefferson County Commission candidates (view here). The Wednesday session featured House of Delegate candidates (click on each district number...
18 days ago • 16 min read
Observer Weekly October 8, 2026 Jefferson County, WV news & events Election Day is only a few weeks away. If you know anyone who hasn’t registered to vote (or has changed addresses), remind them that the deadline to register for the upcoming election is Tuesday, October 13. The West Virginia Secretary of State has an online portal that makes it easy to register. There are a few more candidate debates on the schedule (see below for this week’s schedule). If you’re up for a marathon session,...
25 days ago • 14 min read
Observer Weekly October 1, 2026 Jefferson County, WV news & events The story about the Governor’s nuclear campus ambitions didn’t stick around very long, but it certainly got a lot of attention. We do applaud the Governor for changing course. Whether willingly or unwillingly, he did listen to the people on this issue. Beyond the headlines, the story highlights some other important themes. Chief among them is the importance of FOIA — this was a clear example of journalists doing the research...
about 1 month ago • 17 min read
Observer Weekly September 28, 2026 Jefferson County, WV news & events The Observer has been investigating a story that broke late last week about a West Virginia proposal to the US Department of Energy that outlines the state’s intent to develop one or more nuclear innovation campuses. The documents include a site in Jefferson County. We’ve summarized our initial research in the story below. Governor Morrisey has scheduled a press conference at 10 am this morning with the US Department of...
about 1 month ago • 8 min read
Observer Weekly September 24, 2026 Jefferson County, WV news & events The weather turned chilly this week, and so did the Ranson City Council’s relationship with its City Manager. Listening to the discussion at the special meeting this week, it’s pretty clear that a majority of the Council wanted Wilt to leave, citing a loss of trust (story bel0w). What’s not clear is how much trust the Council members have in each other as they move forward from this decision. Across town, the Charles Town...
about 1 month ago • 17 min read
Observer Weekly September 17, 2026 Jefferson County, WV news & events At some point the excuses grow thin. The Jefferson County Commission’s record of not responding to FOIA requests as required by state law has drawn complaints and now a lawsuit. When The Observer looked at this problem in August, the County had 20 unanswered FOIA requests from 2026. Now it's up to 34. The County says it hired an outside attorney to assist, but the Commission does not seem to have tasked that person with any...
about 2 months ago • 16 min read