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West Virginia Watch
Missed care, fewer patients: Rural families and clinics feel Medicaid cuts
Rural children and families are having to skip vital health treatments and even ending up in the emergency room, while already struggling rural clinics are losing more patients, as states cull their Medicaid rolls. The process began in April 2023, when pandemic-era rules that prohibited kicking people off Medicaid coverage expired and states again began […] The post Missed care, fewer patients: Rural families and clinics feel Medicaid cuts appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
WV has the nation’s lowest rate of women lawmakers. Here’s how primary results could affect that.
West Virginia has the nation’s lowest rate of women lawmakers in its Statehouse, where legislators consider bills on access to child care, reproductive rights and equal pay. The state has just 16 women in its 134-member Legislature. Following May primary election results, the number could fluctuate with more or less women in the Senate and […] The post WV has the nation’s lowest rate of women lawmakers. Here’s how primary results could affect that. appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Funding for people with disabilities in WV Senate’s fast-tracked bills Sunday evening
Suspending constitutional rules that a bill be read on three separate days before passage, the state Senate fast-tracked and unanimously approved eight bills on Sunday as the West Virginia Legislature convened for its long-awaited special session. Gov. Jim Justice issued the proclamation for the special session on Friday. All but two of the 15 items […] The post Funding for people with disabilities in WV Senate’s fast-tracked bills Sunday evening appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Justice: Special session to start on Sunday; child care initiatives not included on call
Gov. Jim Justice on Friday announced that the long-awaited special legislative session to amend the state’s budget for fiscal year 2025 will begin at 5 p.m. on Sunday in Charleston, the day before monthly interim meetings are scheduled to take place. The special session call includes 15 pieces of legislation. All but three of those […] The post Justice: Special session to start on Sunday; child care initiatives not included on call appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
More than half of states sue to block Biden Title IX rule protecting LGBTQ+ students
WASHINGTON — Twenty-six GOP-led states are suing the Biden administration over changes to Title IX aiming to protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination in schools. Less than a month after the U.S. Department of Education released its final rule seeking to protect against discrimination “based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics,” a […] The post More than half of states sue to block Biden Title IX rule protecting LGBTQ+ students appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Biden celebrates ‘the power of an education’ on Brown v. Board 70th anniversary
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday echoed his commitment to advancing racial and educational equity while celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Biden has spent this past week commemorating the anniversary of the landmark ruling in which the nation’s highest court ruled racial segregation […] The post Biden celebrates ‘the power of an education’ on Brown v. Board 70th anniversary appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Farm bill text released in U.S. House, setting up fight with Senate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Agriculture Committee Friday released the draft bill text of the long-awaited $1.5 trillion farm bill, which is likely to face opposition in the Senate from Democrats due to disagreements over federal anti-hunger programs and climate change requirements. The chair of the committee, GOP Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, said […] The post Farm bill text released in U.S. House, setting up fight with Senate appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says
WASHINGTON — Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene told reporters Friday that ballot questions on abortion access, which will go before voters in several states this November, can help vulnerable Democratic candidates in swing districts — potentially increasing the odds the U.S. House flips from red to blue. “We’ve seen huge turnout as a […] The post Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Housing boom in most of the US could ease shortage, but cost is still a problem
Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the country are trying to create more affordable housing. The United States has added almost 5 million housing units since 2020, most heavily in the South and most of them single-family homes, making a housing shortage look conquerable in much of the nation. Still, even more homes need to be built — […] The post Housing boom in most of the US could ease shortage, but cost is still a problem appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Four West Virginia Senate incumbents lose seats during Republican primary
West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair was among four senators who lost their seats to opponents in the Republican primary election Tuesday. Blair, R-Berkeley, lost to Tom Willis, an attorney in Martinsburg. Willis brought in 44% percent of the vote to Blair’s 32%. A third candidate, former Del. Mike Folk, took 23% of votes. Folk […] The post Four West Virginia Senate incumbents lose seats during Republican primary appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
U.S. House rebukes Biden administration over pause in heavy bomb shipments to Israel
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed legislation Thursday rebuking President Joe Biden’s decision to withhold some military assistance from Israel amid its ongoing war in Gaza. The 224-187 vote approved a bill released over the weekend by a handful of Republicans that, in part, “calls on the Biden Administration to allow all previously approved arms […] The post U.S. House rebukes Biden administration over pause in heavy bomb shipments to Israel appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Brown v. Board litigants, family mark anniversary as Biden decries ongoing school inequality
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education this week while recognizing that the full potential of the decision “remains unfulfilled.” Friday marks 70 years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional in […] The post Brown v. Board litigants, family mark anniversary as Biden decries ongoing school inequality appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Medicare should include dental coverage, dentists tell U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — Dentists from throughout the country urged Congress to include dental coverage in Medicare during a hearing Thursday, saying that fewer than half of beneficiaries visit a dentist each year. The panel of four dentists told the U.S. Senate Help, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that other changes are needed as well to reduce […] The post Medicare should include dental coverage, dentists tell U.S. Senate panel appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal
WASHINGTON — Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections — even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal. “American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep […] The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Salary set at $230,000 for West Virginia First Foundation executive director
With a $230,000 annual salary secured, Jonathan Board on Thursday attended the West Virginia First Foundation’s monthly meeting for the first time as the organization’s executive director. Board previously held a seat on the organization’s board but in March suspended a run for state Senate to accept the position as the foundation’s executive director. Matt […] The post Salary set at $230,000 for West Virginia First Foundation executive director appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections
Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain. In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But […] The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from […] The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Kris Warner ‘not in position’ to say if 2020 election was stolen in other states
West Virginia’s outgoing Secretary of State Mac Warner has said that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. His brother, Kris Warner, who won the Republican nomination for the seat Tuesday night, says he’s not in a position to know. Kris Warner said the race was not stolen in West Virginia, where […] The post Kris Warner ‘not in position’ to say if 2020 election was stolen in other states appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts’ worries grow
Louisiana Republican state Rep. Kathy Edmonston believes no one ought to be required to vaccinate their children. So, she wants schools to proactively tell parents that it’s their right under Louisiana law to seek an exemption. “It’s not the vaccine itself, it is the mandate,” Edmonston told Stateline. “The law is the law. And it […] The post As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts’ worries grow appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
In West Virginia, the media cannot be played
Does journalism have a fourth wall? The fourth wall is a concept usually reserved for film, theater, and fiction — a convention that imagines a wall between actors and their audience. Performers act as if we, the audience, are not there. They leave the viewer to become a kind of voyeur, observing the story. For […] The post In West Virginia, the media cannot be played appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
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West Virginia Watch is an independent, nonpartisan news service based in Charleston. Our journalists will hold public officials and agencies accountable, and inform West Virginians of what’s going on behind closed doors. We focus on issues that affect our state every day – such as poverty, access to health care, the foster care system – with an aim of filling the gaps in coverage caused by shrinking newsrooms. The Watch is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit network supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. We retain full editorial independence. West Virginia Watch is free to read without paywalls or subscription fees.
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