Welcome back to EP Digest. Every Thursday morning, the best local news, events, and happenings from Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties — tailored to what you actually care about. No doom-scrolling, no algorithm. Just the stuff that matters in the Eastern Panhandle. Let's get into it.

Your Power Bill Is Going Up — Twice.

West Virginia regulators have signed off on the rate path Mon Power and Potomac Edison were after — a two-step increase that lands on nearly every Eastern Panhandle household. Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson all buy their electricity from Potomac Edison, so this one touches the whole region. The Dominion Post covered the decision.

Here are the numbers. The average residential bill goes up about $4.12 a month — roughly 3% — starting August 1, then another $4.11 a month, about 2.9%, on June 1, 2027. The companies say the money funds reliability work: replacing aging equipment and cutting the number and length of outages. In return for spreading it over two steps, they've agreed not to come back for another rate review until 2028.

The Public Service Commission turned down the bigger ask. The utilities had floated a single base-rate jump of roughly $188 million; regulators instead chose the smaller, staggered “Inflation and Investment” path — about $76 million split across two $38 million steps. For your household, that's the difference between one large jolt and two smaller ones across two summers.

What to watch: the first step hits your August bill — right as the air conditioning is running hardest. If you're on a fixed income, it's worth a call to FirstEnergy about payment-assistance options before the increase lands.

A 1,000-Home Community for the 55-and-Over Crowd Is on Ranson's Table.

A developer wants to build a 1,002-lot active-adult community — age-restricted, 55-and-over — on Ranson's Bane Farm, between Wiltshire Road (WV Route 8) and War Admiral Boulevard, near the Oak Lee Drive shopping center. The plan, from Providence Shenandoah (building under its Shea Homes brand), went before the Ranson Planning Commission on June 1. Spirit of Jefferson has the drawings.

The two requests on the table are technical — approval to build a private road system and cul-de-sacs — but the scale isn't: drafts show 12 neighborhoods. It would be one of the bigger entries in a building wave that's been reshaping Ranson for years — the D.R. Horton rezoning near Cranes Lane, the Sleepy Hollow project, and the new public works building the city just unveiled. A 1,000-home age-restricted community is a different kind of growth, though: retirees rather than commuters, with its own pull on roads, water, and services. Worth watching as it moves forward.

What Local Government Is Working On

Jefferson County Commission, this morning (June 4): the commission meets at 9:30 a.m. at 393 N. Lawrence St., Charles Town, and the packet is full. On the list: a 4.37-acre annexation near Shepherdstown, a bonding-waiver request for Lot 1 of Burr Business Park, the emergency-services agency's “Next Generation Investment Strategy,” a plan to hire a broker to sell off excess county property, a presentation from WV Secretary of State Kris Warner's new Office of Entrepreneurship, and a “West Virginia Goes Purple” substance-awareness resolution. The commission is also set to certify the 2026 primary results. June 4 agenda packet.

Town of Bath cut property taxes 10%. Berkeley Springs' town government approved a 10% property-tax cut alongside funding for sidewalk improvements — helped along by the town's new 1% municipal sales tax, which has driven its seventh budget revision of the fiscal year. The Journal and Morgan Messenger.

School budgets are landing. Jefferson County's Board of Education approved its FY27 budget for the coming school year; Morgan County's board passed a $34.7 million plan last month.

Shepherdstown voted Tuesday. The Town of Shepherdstown's municipal General Election was June 2 — and with no contested races, the slate is set: James Gatz for mayor, Harriet Pearson as recorder, and a five-member council (Ashleigh Sanders, Jim Auxer, Marcy Bartlett, Joe Yates, Cheryl Roberts). The town canvasses June 8; new four-year terms begin July 1. Spirit of Jefferson.

Ranson's race actually moved the council. The same night, Ranson held the Eastern Panhandle's one genuinely contested municipal election — and unofficial results show a shake-up. Christopher Tarvin (104 votes) and Dan Strickland (90) took the two open at-large seats, while sitting councilman Herbie McDaniel (42) fell short, edged for third by Matthew Kenney (45). Wildrick won the Ward 2 race, and Andy Colandrea ran unopposed in Ward 1. The result lands just as the city weighs that 1,000-home active-adult community above — the council that votes on Ranson's growth just changed shape. Spirit of Jefferson.

Three Hard Springs in a Row for EP Farmers.

Two freezing nights in April hit Eastern Panhandle orchard crops hard — the third straight rough start to the season for the region's orchardists, vegetable growers, and livestock farmers, Panhandle News Network reports. After last year's drought, it's been a stretch of bad luck for an industry that shapes a lot of the EP's character.

On a brighter note: Memorial Day weekend finally brought rain — 3.5 to 7 inches across Morgan County over five days, enough to dent the drought that's been hanging over the region. And the farm stands are open regardless: Orr's Farm Market is into strawberry season, and the Saturday markets are back in rotation. If you've wanted a reason to buy local after three tough springs, this is the summer to do it. Orr's events calendar.

Got a tip? Send it over.

Story, event, business, government, school, neighborhood, weird-and-wonderful — if it's local, we want to hear it. Saw a new sign go up? Heard about a meeting no one's talking about? Know of a shop opening, closing, or expanding? Spotted something on your street that turned out to be interesting? Send us a note at [email protected] — tips of every kind keep the Digest sharper than any source list could. We protect our sources, and we verify before we publish.

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