Jesten Richardson

Though most Wayne County students will return to school Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, Wayne High School students will not start back at their school until Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, the district in West Virginia announced.

FORT GAY — Fort Gay's former mayor, Joetta R. Hatfield, and former treasurer and recorder, Sheila K. Bowen, have been granted parole from their respective sentences for convictions of embezzlement from the town. Both women were granted accelerated parole during a hearing on Aug. 10, 2026 and will be released from the Charleston Correctional Center on Aug. 13, 2026.

WAYNE — Wayne water customers no longer owe payment for their water bills for the February and March 2026 billing cycles, and will have credits added to their accounts if

Town of Wayne Mayor Danny Grace lifted, on Feb. 6, 2026, a "do not drink" order that was issued following a "do not use" order for the West Virginia town's water following an oil spill into a nearby creek.

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich offered assistance to Wayne County residents facing water contamination issues following an oil spill Jan. 13, 2026. Brockovich said she is working with experts to address the situation and urging community involvement.

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection announced Jan. 22, 2026, that hydrocarbons were found in the Town of Wayne, Wayne County, water system falling an oil leak that was reported on Jan. 13, 2026.

The town of Wayne, in Wayne County, West Virginia, started flushing the local water system Jan. 20, 2026, after a substation was damaged and led to an oil spill in Twelvepole Creek and other waterways beginning on Jan. 13. During a news conference, local residents expressed concerns for why they were not notified of the spill until 3 days after it was reported. Local and state officials maintain the water is not compromised, but flushing is being done as a precaution.

An oil leak in Wayne County has prompted a "do not consume" order issued Jan. 16, 2026. A damaged substation led to nearly 5,000 gallons of oil to leak in Camp Creek and towards Twelvepole Creek. The Department of Environmental Protection is now leading cleanup efforts, and investigations are ongoing into the cause and impact of the leak.

Former Fort Gay officials Joetta R. Hatfield and Sheila K. Bowen were sentenced to one to 10 years in jail for embezzlement after each being denied an alternative sentence in Wayne County Circuit Court on Nov. 13, 2025. During sentencing hearings for the women before Wayne County Circuit Court Judge James H. Young Jr., Hatfield, the former mayor, and Bowen, the town’s former recorder and treasurer, were also ordered to pay restitution — $245,249.43 for Hatfield and $127,004.41 for Bowen.

The Kenova Pumpkin House, 748 Beech St. in Kenova, Wayne County, West Virginia, will welcome volunteers to gut, carve and scrape approximately 3,000 pumpkins for the 2025 display. Volunteers are welcome from Oct. 18-24, 2025. The display will be up from Oct. 25-31, 2025.