🌱 Patch AM: What kids can explore at the Wild Kratts ocean exhibit here

Morning Charleston! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• What kids can explore at the Wild Kratts ocean exhibit here
• How a Charleston-area raid helped bring down a multistate meth ring
• How the Auditor’s new website lets you track West Virginia’s spending

Also on today's calendar: WALK-IN WEDNESDAYS at Holistic Inc and 6 more events.

Today's riddle: What did one tuna say to the other after getting caught stealing files from work? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
Today's Charleston Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. Everyone deserves to be connected. That's why T-Mobile and UScellular have joined forces to connect people from big cities to small towns and everywhere in between. UScellular is now a part of T-Mobile. Find out more at T-Mobile.com/Better-Together.
Find a T-Mobile store near Charleston.

Weather forecast:

• Thursday: A.M. flurries; cloudy, colder, with a high of 34 and low of 29 degrees.
• Friday: Cold with snow, 1-2", temps: high: 37, low: 30.
• Saturday: Low clouds and cold, with a high of 36 and low of 15 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!

📰 News we're reading

1. Wild Kratts: Ocean Adventure exhibit opening at the Clay Center Jan. 17, 2026 (wchstv.com) — Families in Charleston can look forward to the Wild Kratts: Ocean Adventure exhibit opening at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences on January 17, 2026. Aimed at kids ages 3 to 9, the hands-on experience will immerse young visitors in ocean habitats and run through May 10, giving local families months of weekend and after-school fun.
   

2. Michigan man sentenced for committing federal drug crimes in West Virginia and Montana (wvnstv.com) — A Michigan man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after law enforcement seized more than 14 pounds of meth in the Charleston area and linked him to trafficking in southern West Virginia and Montana. Investigators say a Charleston co-defendant has already pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in January, following a multi-agency probe involving local police departments and federal authorities.
   

3. West Virginia State Auditor's Office announces launch of new official website (wvnews.com) — State leaders in Charleston are rolling out a fully redesigned website for the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office, aimed at making it easier to track how public money is spent. The new wvsao.gov site, launched December 3, 2025, centralizes financial documents, audit reports, fraud reporting tools, and updates so residents statewide can quickly find information and monitor state spending.
   

4. West Virginia Tourism recognized internationally for consumer brand campaign (wvnstv.com) — From its Charleston-based tourism office, West Virginia has earned a prestigious international Gold Adrian Award for its “Screen Free Summer” marketing campaign, which promotes unplugged travel across the state. The Department of Tourism also picked up state PR honors for its Paranormal Trail, which has drawn thousands of visitors using a free mobile passport.
   

5. Waiver to restrict SNAP benefits on soda purchases effective Jan. 1 in West Virginia (wchstv.com) — Charleston-based state officials have secured federal approval to restrict the use of SNAP benefits for buying any kind of soda, starting Jan. 1, 2026. While milk, juice, water and energy drinks remain eligible, the state will survey residents after the change and is inviting questions by phone or email. Charleston residents using SNAP should prepare now for this shift in grocery options.
   

📸 Around Charleston

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Charleston

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Saturday December 13

• Charleston Ballet & West Virginia Symphony: The Nutcracker
  Clay Center, 1 Clay Square, Charleston
  2:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Friday December 12

• Holiday Village
  Capitol Market , 800 Smith St , Charleston
• Holly Jolly Market
  South Charleston Farmers Market , 4006 Maccorkle Avenue S.W. , South Charleston
  1:00 pm

Saturday December 13

• Christmas Market Festival
  South Charleston Farmers Market , 4006 Maccorkle Avenue S.W. , South Charleston
  6:00 am
• Charleston's Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl
  Adelphia Sports Bar & Grille , 218 Capitol St , Charleston
  4:30 pm
• Do The Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl in Charleston
  Adelphia Sports Bar & Grille , 218 Capitol St , Charleston
  4:30 pm

Monday December 15

• Cookies With Santa
  Ruffner Elementary School Charleston, WV 25311
  7:30 am

Tuesday December 16

• Winter Performance
  Ruffner Elementary School Charleston, WV 25311
  6:00 pm

Wednesday December 17

• WALK-IN WEDNESDAYS at Holistic Inc
  4815 MacCorkle Ave SE , Charleston
  9:00 am

📣 Charleston Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Friday December 12

• Holiday Village
  Capitol Market , 800 Smith St , Charleston
• Holly Jolly Market
  South Charleston Farmers Market , 4006 Maccorkle Avenue S.W. , South Charleston
  1:00 pm
• Spring Valley Girls Varsity Basketball @ South Charleston
  South Charleston High School , 1 Eagle Way , South Charleston
  7:00 pm

Saturday December 13

• Christmas Market Festival
  South Charleston Farmers Market , 4006 Maccorkle Avenue S.W. , South Charleston
  6:00 am

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Does anyone happen to know whose baby this is?
  I've seen her a couple times at my house and I've had a very prominent neighbor move out recently so I wanted to make sure no one including him and… (Nextdoor Edgewood)
• The 500 Block of Campbells Creek Dr has been reopened.
  10:31AM on Dec 9: The 500 block of Campbells Creek Dr is shut down due to a vehicle fire. (Nextdoor )

• Kanawha County Commissioner Natalie Tennant was on WCHS TV with Anchor Hannah Cline discussing fun events this week like the Charleston Christmas... (X: kanawhaus)
• Tuesday meetings of the December Interims are underway - Watch/Listen Live or come in person -... #WVLegis (X: wvlegislature)

• Michael Baker International, Inc. posted a job opening for Transportation Director in Charleston. Apply here.
• Snowshoe Mountain Resort posted a job opening for Groomer - Snowshoe Mountain Resort in Charleston. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Charleston here.

Ok Charleston! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I could get canned for this!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

• Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
• Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
• List items for sale or services offered

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook