Your daily news brief for the Ohio Valley.

The day in one paragraph

A bigger story than yesterday landed Thursday in Steubenville: an Omaha company called Tenaska told Jefferson County commissioners it wants to build a 1,700-megawatt gas-fired power plant on a 562-acre parcel in Saline Township — and then connect it to the carbon-capture wells the company has already announced for six counties across Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Construction would start in 2028; the plant would come online around 2032. Twenty-five permanent jobs at the plant, several hundred construction jobs at peak. It's the largest energy-infrastructure announcement here in years. Meanwhile, Sen. Capito came to Wheeling and split with the governor on next week's primary; the former Catholic bishop who emptied the diocese's bank account died at 82; and two Bridgeport students hurt in an April 29 crash are still in the hospital, with the school running a pancake breakfast Saturday morning.

We lost this week

Former Bishop Michael Bransfield, 82. The bishop who ran the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston from 2005 to 2018 — and whose tenure ended after a 60-page Baltimore-archdiocese investigation found credible evidence of inappropriate behavior with adults plus extraordinary discretionary spending (alcohol, fresh flowers, $4.6 million to renovate his Wheeling residence, $2.5 million on private travel, and a $187 million aggregate operating deficit drawn from the diocese's endowment and mineral-rights account) — died Thursday in Philadelphia. The funeral and burial will not take place in West Virginia. His successor Bishop Mark Brennan has spent the years since rebuilding both the books and the credibility. The death closes the chapter without resolving it.

What happened this week

Tenaska adds a power plant to its carbon-capture project. The 1,700-megawatt gas plant would supply power to PJM, the regional grid operator, which is begging for new generation as data centers eat up capacity. Tenaska's senior project director Ali Kairys explicitly tied the announcement to PJM. All three Jefferson County commissioners support it. The Saline Township trustee tied it to workers laid off when the Stratton power plant closed. The same project will also drill 30 carbon-dioxide injection wells across Jefferson, Harrison, Carroll counties (Ohio); Hancock and Marshall counties (West Virginia); and Washington County (Pennsylvania). Read it next to a story the Harrison News-Herald ran this week — ProPublica's feature on oilfield injection-well waste — and you can already see the regulatory fight coming.

Sen. Capito splits with Gov. Morrisey on Tuesday's primary. Capito came to Wheeling Thursday and endorsed Joe Eddy in the WV Senate District 1 GOP primary — directly against incumbent Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman, who's endorsed by Morrisey — plus Robert Dobkin in District 2. Capito downplayed the split. Morrisey was in Wheeling earlier in the week announcing a 3% state-worker pay raise and citing $12.5 billion in new West Virginia investment since October. Two endorsements, same city, same week. Wheeling Delegate Shawn Fluharty has already announced he'll challenge whoever wins the GOP primary.

Place reflects on Washington County loss; data-center comments persist. At Thursday's regular commission meeting, defeated incumbent commissioner Eddie Place — who lost to Stephanie Lang by nearly 59% Tuesday — said he has "no regrets" on the data-center deal: "If this data center is negotiated right, it could change this county forever." Tuesday's vote wasn't a referendum against the data center; it was a referendum on negotiation, oversight, and the secrecy agreement (the NDA) the commissioners signed with the developer. The conversation just changed hands.

Hazel-Atlas East Wheeling site approaches a clean bill of health. The old Hazel-Atlas Glass site in East Wheeling — a century of industry stacked on one block: glassworks, hinge factory, chemical works, tannery, gas works, can plant — is finally near the end of a years-long environmental cleanup. City Manager Robert Herron told council this week the cleanup letter could come within weeks. The city plans to market the cleared parcel to private developers.

Bridgeport rallies for two students hurt in an April 29 crash. Algebra teacher Kimberly Harris is running a "Bulldog Strong" fundraiser for two Bridgeport High School students still hospitalized after a U.S. 40 crash. Pancake breakfast 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the district cafetorium. John Marshall and Union Local baseball teams have bought team shirts in solidarity.

Main Street Bank reports record income. Main Street Bank — the Wheeling-headquartered community bank — reported $16.7 million in net income for 2025, a record. CEO Mark Witmer credited the May 2024 merger with Wayne Savings; a new branch opens soon in Canfield. A community bank reporting record income against 15% deposit growth is the kind of regional indicator that doesn't make front pages but shapes who can borrow.

Ohio Valley Mall job fair packs the place. Roughly 115 employers showed up for the OhioMeansJobs fair Thursday — biggest turnout in nearly two decades. CDL drivers, mining, oil and gas, food service, banking, healthcare. School districts bussed students. Whiteside Chevrolet's Shawn Crow said his dealership found four or five hires.

What might cost you more (or less) this week

At the gas pump: Oil is sitting at about $95 a barrel because the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz Thursday. President Trump called it "just a love tap" but paused the Navy's escort mission. About 20% of the world's oil moves through that strait. If a clean ceasefire holds, expect a $10-15-a-barrel drop within days, which would translate to lower diesel prices for Valley school-bus garages — exactly the budget squeeze yesterday's brief covered.

On your electric bill (looking ahead 18 months): PJM's 2027/2028 capacity auction cleared at the maximum price the federal government allows — $333.44 per megawatt-day. That's the wholesale wire that feeds your residential rate; expect upward pressure starting summer 2027. The driver: 5,100 megawatts of new data-center demand.

At the grocery store: Cleveland-Cliffs raised its May steel spot price by $75 a ton — that's a downstream cost on appliances, vehicles, and construction materials over the next 90 days. It's also a tailwind for steel jobs at Mingo Junction and Weirton.

Names to know this week

• Tuesday's WV primary: Joe Eddy (Capito) vs. incumbent Laura Wakim Chapman (Morrisey) in Senate District 1; Robert Dobkin in District 2; Mark Zatezalo (incumbent) vs. Tony Viola in House District 2; Eron Chek (incumbent) vs. Ronnie Jones in Hancock County Commission.
• Ron Ferguson defeated former state Sen. Frank Hoagland 63-37 in the OH House 96th District GOP primary; faces Democrat Charrie Foglio in November.
• Ohio AG Dave Yost resigning June 7 to take a position at Alliance Defending Freedom; Gov. DeWine will appoint a replacement.
• Sheriff Mark Warden announced $454,000 in federal money for a six-county sheriff's coalition (Washington, Morgan, Athens, Meigs, Monroe, Noble).

This weekend in the Valley

• Saturday, May 9 — Bridgeport High School pancake breakfast for Bulldog Strong, 8 to 11 a.m., district cafetorium. Proceeds to the families of two injured students.
• Saturday — Wheeling Symphony Orchestra closes its season at the Capitol Theatre with electric violinist Tracy Silverman, a new commissioned piece featuring eight community members in a "Town Hall Cadenza," and Dvorak's New World Symphony. Tickets from $22; college students free.
• Saturday — Wheeling Nailers playoff hockey, Game 1 of the ECHL Kelly Cup North Division final, 7:10 p.m. at WesBanco Arena vs. Maine. The Nailers swept their first-round opponent.
• Saturday — Bethany College commencement with retired CBS News correspondent Bob Orr ('75) giving the address.
• Saturday — Victoria Jamboree's 31st annual Mother's Day show, 7 p.m., 1228 Market St., Wheeling.
• Tonight (Friday) — Pennyroyal Opera House in Fairview hosts bluegrass band Authentic Unlimited; doors 5 p.m., $30, kids 12 and under free.
• Sunday — Mother's Day. Cemetery cleanup volunteers are needed in Wellsville at Spring Hill Cemetery.

In the longer view

• Tuesday's WV primary is the visible test of whether Capito's federal coalition or Morrisey's state coalition controls candidate recruitment in West Virginia.
• Greyhound racing ban in the U.S. House Farm Bill heads to the Senate. Wheeling Island Casino has 500-700 jobs riding on the Senate keeping or stripping the language. Senate recess starts May 23.
• Letters of intent for the FY26 ARC POWER Initiative — federal funding for coal-impacted counties — are due May 22. Every county we cover qualifies.

Got a tip, an obituary, or something we should know about? Reply here or send an email to tips@ohiovalleydigest.org — it goes straight to Jeremy.

The Ohio Valley Digest covers Belmont, Jefferson, Harrison, Columbiana, Monroe, Noble, Morgan, Guernsey, and Washington (OH) counties; Marshall, Wetzel, Ohio, Brooke, and Hancock (WV).