Ohio Valley Digest — Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Your daily news brief across the Ohio Valley.

Ohio's primary is in the books and the November ballot is mostly settled — locally and statewide. Down on the river, Steubenville renewed two income-tax levies at 75% support, Belmont County swapped out an auditor and a commissioner, and Wheeling Council quietly approved $1.2 million worth of historic-preservation contracts. In Washington County, early voting more than doubled from 2022. And the Iran war is still showing up at the gas pump — DeWine said no to a tax holiday yesterday, and West Virginia's primary is now six days out.

What happened this week

Brown vs. Husted, Ramaswamy vs. Acton, Rulli vs. Kirtley. Sherrod Brown — who lost his Senate seat in 2024 — won the Democratic primary 628,437 to 75,445 and will face Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was unopposed. Vivek Ramaswamy took the Republican governor's primary by a wide margin and will face Amy Acton, the state's pandemic-era health director, in November. Closer to home, U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli of Salem rolled in OH-6 (79–21 over Jullie Kelley) and will face Democrat Elizabeth Kirtley of New Philadelphia. Defenders of Husted's seat have already pledged $79 million.

Belmont County swapped three offices. Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan won the Republican primary for common-pleas judge and will replace Judge John Vavra at year's end. Pizza-shop owner Dominic DeFelice won the commissioner primary by 57 votes over former ODOT administrator David Schafer. The day's surprise: former commissioner Josh Meyer beat sitting Auditor Cindi Henry by about 500 votes. Voters also passed the 2.5-mill bus levy. The Union Local schools levy passed by a 27-vote margin. St. Clairsville Memorial Park renewal and the Martins Ferry police levy passed, but voters turned down a 1.35-mill general-fund levy in Shadyside Village.

Steubenville's two income-tax levies cleared at 75%. That's about $6.6 million a year — most of it for police, fire, and paramedics, with the rest going to street paving, parks, and grant matches. Both run through 2031. State Rep. Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) also held off former Sen. Frank Hoagland by about 2,800 votes across Jefferson, Belmont, and Monroe; Ferguson will face Democrat Charrie Foglio in November.

Wheeling rededicated the 1908 B&O Building yesterday after a more-than-$2-million exterior restoration. It started as the Baltimore & Ohio's Wheeling rail terminal, became — at one point — the "Blue Caboose" disco, and is now the western anchor of West Virginia Northern Community College. Gov. Patrick Morrisey held a ceremonial signing for the 3% pay raise state workers will get. Council also approved $680,000 to replace the historic Lower Market House roof at Centre Market and $519,000 to upgrade the 10th Street Parking Garage.

Brooke County is trying again for state Courthouse Security Grant money — last year's $50,000 application went unfunded across the whole program; commissioners voted to apply again on Tuesday.

A Marietta woman is lobbying for the Medical Aid in Dying Act. Shara Baumgartel of Marietta is pushing HB 835 — modeled on laws in 13 states — after watching her grandfather, given six months, last eight with leukemia. The bill hasn't been assigned to committee yet.

Washington County's commissioner primary was the local marquee race. Incumbent Eddie Place faced former Fort Frye school-board member Stephanie Lang. Full results to come.

What might cost you more this week

Gasoline. Brent crude eased from Monday's $114 spike back to about $110 on Tuesday and bounced toward $100 mid-week on de-escalation hopes; WTI sits near $102. Across the Valley, pumps are still in the high $4 range — Harrison and Carroll at $4.87, Jefferson at $4.82, Belmont at $4.79, Marshall at $4.30, Ohio County at $4.31. Gov. DeWine yesterday rejected a Republican proposal to suspend Ohio's 38.5-cent gasoline tax for three months.

Your AEP electric bill — the long version. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Monday that PUCO acted within its authority allowing AEP to keep $74.5 million in OVEC coal-plant subsidies the Ohio Consumers' Counsel had asked it to refund. The OVEC subsidy structure was at the heart of the House Bill 6 corruption case. A separate study put 2024 OVEC charges to AEP customers at roughly $200 million.

Henry Hub natural gas ticked down to about $2.82 per MMBtu Tuesday, still near a four-week high. Marcellus-Utica is holding at 37 active rigs for the sixth straight week. PJM — the regional grid operator that covers all of eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia — is reviewing 800-plus new generation projects for the first time in four years; what clears that queue will determine where new gas, wind, solar, and storage projects land.

Names to know this week

• Sherrod Brown (D, U.S. Senate primary winner) and Jon Husted (R, U.S. Senate incumbent)
• Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy — Ohio governor general election
• Michael Rulli (R, OH-6) and Elizabeth Kirtley (D, OH-6)
• Ron Ferguson (R, OH-96) and Charrie Foglio (D, OH-96)
• Eric Timmons (R) and Brent Nemeth (D) — Jefferson County Commission
• Kevin Flanagan, Dominic DeFelice, Josh Meyer — Belmont County's three new Republican nominees
• Talea Guntrum — Steubenville High School junior, finished 45-0 and earned a third state title
• Tim Rockwell — the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival president honored last week, services pending

This weekend in the Valley

• Pepperoni Roll Festival, Saturday May 9 — Wheeling Park, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Cooking demo at 1, cook-off at 2, eating contest at 4:30. Free admission. Live music from the Road Hogs, MSM, and Casinos & The Divas.
• Rendezvous on the River — Parkersburg's Blennerhassett Island, Tuesday through Saturday. 18th- and 19th-century re-enactors, period buckskins, open-fire cooking, tomahawk and knife throwing.
• Steubenville spring clean-up — Friday, residents south of Sunset Boulevard.
• Memorial Day weekend ahead — Marietta's Castle Tour of Homes May 23–24 (preview the lineup at mariettacastle.org).
• Wheeling Heritage Fido Fest — May 16 at Garden Park, Warwood (one to mark down).

In the longer view

• Fort Steuben Mall has 21 days until the city's April 27 condemnation letter expires. The owner has been in touch with the building department but hasn't said whether it will comply. If condemnation moves forward, most interior tenants will close; the stand-alone businesses — Walmart, J.C. Penney, 7 Ranges, Texas Roadhouse, Eat 'n Park, Aspen Dental, Dunham's, the Shoe Department — would stay open.
• ARC POWER applications for coal-community projects open this week. Letters of intent are due May 22. Every OV county on both sides of the river qualifies — the kind of money that built the Bellaire recreation complex.
• WV's primary is May 12. Ohio County's Fulton precincts (20 and 31) have moved from the Wheeling Masonic Center to Generations.

Got a tip, an obituary, or something we should know about? Reply to this email or contact 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).