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West Virginia Watch
House moves forward on broadening what ‘scientific theories’ can be discussed in classrooms
A bill that could permit teachers to discuss and answer questions from students about theories, including intelligent design, will head to the House of Delegates for a vote after a tweak Tuesday morning. Senators already approved the bill, Senate Bill 280, early in the legislative session, saying it protected teachers who may face legal challenges […] The post House moves forward on broadening what ‘scientific theories’ can be discussed in classrooms appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Biden, Trump set for massive delegate hauls in 16 nominating contests
WASHINGTON — Voters in more than a dozen states will cast their choice for U.S. president Tuesday in the largest single day of nominating contests on the 2024 election calendar. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the clear Republican front-runner, are chasing more than one-third of their respective parties’ delegates during the “Super […] The post Biden, Trump set for massive delegate hauls in 16 nominating contests appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Transparency bills seek to reveal the true costs of college
University students in Alaska kept asking Republican state Sen. Robert Myers why they were being blindsided with requirements to buy expensive textbooks after they signed up for classes, he said. Students complained to Myers that universities warned them about high tuition but not about the costs of textbooks, lab fees and equipment that also add up. Often, students sign up for […] The post Transparency bills seek to reveal the true costs of college appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
West Virginia Legislature has no empathy for the vulnerable
With less than a week left of the 2024 West Virginia regular legislative session, lawmakers are only ramping up the absurdity. On Thursday, the House Judiciary held a vote on an amendment that could have made twerking at a high school dance a felony. Perhaps someone watched “Footloose” and missed the whole point of the […] The post West Virginia Legislature has no empathy for the vulnerable appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Bill cutting unemployment benefits heads to the House floor for vote
A bill that would cut the duration of unemployment benefits in the state is heading for a vote by the full West Virginia House of Delegates. After a 3.5 hour discussion Monday afternoon, the House finance committee voted 14 to 9 to advance Senate Bill 841 to the floor of the House with a recommendation […] The post Bill cutting unemployment benefits heads to the House floor for vote appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Five months late, Congress is poised to pass a huge chunk of federal spending
WASHINGTON — Congress is on track to approve a staggering $468 billion in government spending this week, finishing part of the work it was supposed to complete by Oct. 1 — including a big boost intended to shore up the federal WIC nutrition program for women, infants and children. Other agencies will see cuts, including […] The post Five months late, Congress is poised to pass a huge chunk of federal spending appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
House Finance narrowly approves bill to ban smoking in cars with kids; bill now on to full House
Following a narrow vote by the House Committee on Finance, the full House of Delegates will soon consider, for the first time in 10 years, a bill that would prohibit smoking in cars with children under the age of 16. Senate Bill 378 passed House Finance on a 9-7 vote on Monday. The bill has […] The post House Finance narrowly approves bill to ban smoking in cars with kids; bill now on to full House appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
‘The lifeblood of the community’: States invest to save rural grocery stores
EMERSON, Neb. — Corliss Hassler rushes in the front door of Post 60 Market and heads straight for the produce case. “I’m back,” she announces. It’s around lunchtime, but it’s already her second trip in today — this time, she’s picking up a few items for the Friday fish fry at the local Catholic church. Hassler […] The post ‘The lifeblood of the community’: States invest to save rural grocery stores appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Failed West Virginia microschool fuels state probe — and some soul searching
This report was first published by The 74, a non-profit national education newsroom. In August, Kelly Romanishan thought she’d found the right school for her son — an innovative startup in a rented two-story house that promised STEM lessons, art activities and “the necessary tools to take on the world.” The West Virginia mom paid the […] The post Failed West Virginia microschool fuels state probe — and some soul searching appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Teachers at Paw Paw Schools, one of WV’s last K-12 schools, form meaningful bonds with students
Wedged in between the hills of the Allegheny Mountains and along the Potomac River, lies the isolated town of just over 400 residents, Paw Paw, West Virginia. Paw Paw Schools is one of the last four K-12 school campuses in West Virginia, due to teaching cuts across all school districts in West Virginia. Even though […] The post Teachers at Paw Paw Schools, one of WV’s last K-12 schools, form meaningful bonds with students appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Alabama passes IVF protections while red states still push ‘personhood’ abortion laws
All but six state legislatures are now in session, and abortion-related bills continue to be introduced, especially in states where the procedure is already banned. It can be hard to monitor them all, so States Newsroom’s Reproductive Rights Today team will track certain bills that could become law in their respective states in a biweekly […] The post Alabama passes IVF protections while red states still push ‘personhood’ abortion laws appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Schools might be on hook to pay for ‘In God We Trust’ display in every classroom, bill says
Public schools and universities would be required to display “In God We Trust” in every classroom, according to a bill that is advancing in the House of Delegates. While the legislation, Senate Bill 152, permits the motto plaques to be donated, it doesn’t come with any funding — meaning that, should it pass, cash-strapped schools […] The post Schools might be on hook to pay for ‘In God We Trust’ display in every classroom, bill says appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Who wants the U.S. Supreme Court to limit abortion pill access? Here’s the list.
WASHINGTON — Anti-abortion groups, attorneys general from 25 states and more than 140 members of Congress have signed on to dozens of briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court during the past two weeks, encouraging the justices to revert use and prescribing of the medication abortion pill mifepristone to what was in place prior to 2016. […] The post Who wants the U.S. Supreme Court to limit abortion pill access? Here’s the list. appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Telehealth abortions on the rise since Dobbs, new report shows
Researchers studying national abortion trends found that in the 15 months since Roe v. Wade fell, abortion rates remained elevated despite more limited access throughout the U.S., according to the Society of Family Planning’s latest #WeCount report published Wednesday. Partially explaining this is a rise in people having abortions via telemedicine, Ushma Upadhyay, co-chair of […] The post Telehealth abortions on the rise since Dobbs, new report shows appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Foster parent ‘communication portal’ passes House as lawmakers acknowledge child welfare crisis
Two West Virginia House of Delegates members who are foster parents successfully led the push for a bill that would create a centralized communication tool for a number of individuals involved in a child’s case. During bill debate on Wednesday, lawmakers acknowledged that it was a good idea to help tackle pervasive communication problems in […] The post Foster parent ‘communication portal’ passes House as lawmakers acknowledge child welfare crisis appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Potential $465M hole due to schools’ COVID-19 funds complicates budget
As the end of the 2024 regular session approaches, lawmakers are under pressure to agree upon and pass a budget for the upcoming year before March 11, but an unexpected challenge in the form of a potential $465 million budget hole is complicating things. During a meeting for the House Committee on Finance on Thursday, […] The post Potential $465M hole due to schools’ COVID-19 funds complicates budget appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
A day ahead of shutdown, Congress works on advancing stopgap spending bills
WASHINGTON — Congress passed a short-term funding extension Thursday intended to give lawmakers a bit more time to wrap up work on the annual spending bills — dodging a shutdown despite election year politics and narrow margins. The stopgap spending bill, sometimes called a continuing resolution, or CR, would keep funding mostly flat for programs […] The post A day ahead of shutdown, Congress works on advancing stopgap spending bills appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Senate Health considers, passes bill to ban smoking devices in syringe service programs
The Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources advanced a bill Thursday to prohibit syringe service programs from distributing safe smoking supplies to people who use drugs. House Bill 4667 passed the House on Tuesday, and was the first order of business in front of Senate Health following Crossover Day on Wednesday. Lawmakers there spent […] The post Senate Health considers, passes bill to ban smoking devices in syringe service programs appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
WV bill poses legal challenges for faith-based immigrant services
This article was originally published by 100 Days in Appalachia, a nonprofit, collaborative newsroom telling the complex stories of the region that deserve to be heard. Sign up for their weekly newsletter here. Religious leaders say that a bill passed by the West Virginia House of Delegates this week could criminalize faith-based groups that provide assistance to undocumented […] The post WV bill poses legal challenges for faith-based immigrant services 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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