By Thomas Harding    
Each New Year the Jefferson County Assessor sends notices to local property owners informing them of any increase in their real estate assessments. This year’s letters have been mailed, and they bring with them good news for most homeowners. Of the 30,000 parcels in the county, only 800 will see an assessment increase this year. The vast majority, perhaps as much as 80 percent, will see a dramatic decrease.
 Angie Banks, in her second year as assessor, says it has been a tough few months. “It has been a …

By Thomas Harding
It appears that some in the state government are beginning to recognize that there is a foreclosure crisis in the Eastern Panhandle, but there are many who continue to keep their head in the sand and are committed to doing little or nothing about the massive devaluation of home values in the area.
During a visit to Martinsburg on 8 September, The Observer asked Governor Joe Manchin about the foreclosure crisis in the Eastern Panhandle, and specifically, why the county assessors were not including foreclosures in their appraisals. The Governor …