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West Virginia Watch
On to November: Trump win in New Hampshire sets up 2024 rematch with Biden
WASHINGTON — Leading Republicans — and the Biden presidential campaign — on Wednesday rushed to identify former President Donald Trump as the presumptive GOP nominee after he won decisively in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary. Trump bested Nikki Haley, his former United Nations ambassador, by more than 10 percentage points in a moderate state with an open […] The post On to November: Trump win in New Hampshire sets up 2024 rematch with Biden appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
House committee passes controversial plan to build facility for patients with disabilities
Citing “no real solutions,” House lawmakers are moving forward with a plan to build a new facility for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The proposal has been met with sharp criticism from those who advocate for and serve patients with disabilities; they say the bill will further trap individuals in institutions without proper support. […] The post House committee passes controversial plan to build facility for patients with disabilities appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Wastewater tests show COVID infections surging, but pandemic fatigue limits precautions
Although it’s spotty and inconsistent in many places, wastewater testing is pointing to a new wave of COVID-19 infections, with as many as one-third of Americans expected to contract the disease by late February. With pandemic fatigue also in full force, and deaths and hospitalizations well down from peaks in 2021 because of high vaccination […] The post Wastewater tests show COVID infections surging, but pandemic fatigue limits precautions appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Biden, Harris vow to restore protections for abortion rights as 2024 campaign launches
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris moved abortion access to the forefront of their reelection bid Tuesday by making it the centerpiece of their first joint campaign rally of the 2024 election cycle. “With your voice, with your power, with your vote, we can restore the protections that have been around for over […] The post Biden, Harris vow to restore protections for abortion rights as 2024 campaign launches appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Bill decriminalizing drug testing strips passes Senate, moves to introduction in the House
As the West Virginia House of Delegates placed its version of the bill on its inactive calendar Tuesday, the Senate approved a bill that would exempt all drug testing strips from being categorized as drug paraphernalia in state code. Senate Bill 269 passed the chamber 32-1, with one member absent and not voting. Sen. Eric […] The post Bill decriminalizing drug testing strips passes Senate, moves to introduction in the House appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
ACLU reaches agreement with city of Wheeling over camping ban, withdraws suit
The city of Wheeling has agreed to exempt a site and allow unhoused people to build a camp near Catholic Charities Community Center. (Nathan Jobalia | The Hudson Editorial) The post ACLU reaches agreement with city of Wheeling over camping ban, withdraws suit appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Senate OKs bill protecting teachers who discuss intelligent design despite lawsuit concerns
Public school teachers wouldn’t be penalized for speaking about scientific theories, including intelligent design, with students, according to legislation approved by the Senate on Monday. While the bill, Senate Bill 280, doesn’t mention intelligent design by name, the legislation would prevent public school boards or administrators from prohibiting a teacher “from discussing or answering questions […] The post Senate OKs bill protecting teachers who discuss intelligent design despite lawsuit concerns appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
House committee advances biomarker testing bill
A bill advancing in the House of Delegates would expand access to testing the head of the WVU Cancer Institute described as the standard of care for oncology patients. The House Committee on Banking and Insurance signed off on House Bill 4753, which would require insurance companies, the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency and […] The post House committee advances biomarker testing bill appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Legislation would bolster elementary teachers’ ability to remove disruptive students
Elementary teachers would have greater authority to remove students for disruptive, aggressive or violent behaviors, according to a piece of legislation moving in the House of Delegates. The bill is the first piece of legislation this session focused on student discipline as lawmakers indicated it will be a key issue this year amid a teacher […] The post Legislation would bolster elementary teachers’ ability to remove disruptive students appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Critics say public universities are spending too much outside the classroom
Spending on administrative expenses at U.S. public universities has outpaced spending on academic roles in recent years, leading some students and alumni to question how wisely schools are allocating student tuition money and scarce state dollars. A conservative-leaning group that tracks higher education dollars found that administrative spending — which it defines as including such things […] The post Critics say public universities are spending too much outside the classroom appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Medicaid unwinding, enhanced subsidies contribute to ‘significant’ increase in ACA plan enrollment
As of last month, more than 46,000 West Virginians had signed up for health insurance plans on the federal government’s marketplace Healthcare.gov, an increase from the approximately 27,000 who enrolled in the same time period last year. The increase is driven partly by the more than 100,000 people who were removed from the state’s Medicaid […] The post Medicaid unwinding, enhanced subsidies contribute to ‘significant’ increase in ACA plan enrollment appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Bills, bills, bills: Taking a look at what bills are making progress through the WV Legislature
We’re not quite two weeks into West Virginia’s 60-day legislative session, and hundreds of bills have already been introduced. It’s important to remember that many bills will die in committee or get rewritten, amended or, in some cases, gutted and replaced by a completely different bill. It’s good to keep an eye on bills that […] The post Bills, bills, bills: Taking a look at what bills are making progress through the WV Legislature appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
On Roe anniversary, abortion opponents look to White House to fast-track national ban
Falling snow and flight delays thinned this year’s anti-abortion March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Friday, but did not deter the most impatient activists in the movement, those unsatisfied until the entire U.S. map is red with abortion bans. “I’m not OK with abortion states and non-abortion states. I want an abortion-free America,” said […] The post On Roe anniversary, abortion opponents look to White House to fast-track national ban appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Florida’s DeSantis withdraws from Republican presidential race, endorses Trump
WASHINGTON — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew from the Republican race for the presidential nomination on Sunday, less than two days before Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. DeSantis, who came in second in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 15, released a nearly five-minute video on social media announcing that he had suspended his campaign and […] The post Florida’s DeSantis withdraws from Republican presidential race, endorses Trump appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
For a 10th year, West Virginia lawmakers are trying to curb smoking in cars with kids
In West Virginia, where nearly a quarter of residents report using tobacco — the highest rate in the nation, per the Centers for Disease and Prevention — and lung cancer diagnosis rates outpace that of every other state, lawmakers have attempted for a decade to limit exposing children to secondhand smoke in vehicles. Despite bipartisan […] The post For a 10th year, West Virginia lawmakers are trying to curb smoking in cars with kids appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Kids are flooded with social media and news. Some states want to help them question it.
Young people may be digital natives, but many of them aren’t equipped to deal with the increasing onslaught of disinformation and deepfakes appearing in their social media feeds. A growing number of states think they have an antidote: media literacy education. The goal of media literacy, sometimes called digital citizenship or information literacy, is to […] The post Kids are flooded with social media and news. Some states want to help them question it. appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson rallies with anti-abortion advocates at March for Life
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson pledged to continue pressing for the core values of the anti-abortion movement during a speech to the March for Life on Friday. The Louisiana Republican didn’t commit to bring any legislation instituting a nationwide ban on abortion to the House floor during his tenure, though he advocated support […] The post U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson rallies with anti-abortion advocates at March for Life appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Patients struck by long COVID plead with U.S. Senate panel for more research funding
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators pledged Thursday to press for more funding to research long COVID-19 during a hearing that highlighted patients suffering from the diagnosis as well as experts studying its impacts. “Long COVID stripped away my daughter’s life as she knew it,” said Nicole Heim, the mom of a long COVID patient in Winchester, […] The post Patients struck by long COVID plead with U.S. Senate panel for more research funding appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
Teachers need student discipline support. State lawmakers will try to address a complicated issue.
Thomas Warner has spent nearly two decades in public education, finding happiness in watching young students discover they can play an instrument — maybe something they didn’t think they could achieve. He teaches in Cabell County, an area deeply impacted by the state’s drug epidemic and foster care crisis. More than a decade into those […] The post Teachers need student discipline support. State lawmakers will try to address a complicated issue. appeared first on West Virginia Watch.
‘Shell game’: When private equity comes to town, hospitals can see cutbacks, closures
Peggy Malone walks the quiet halls of Crozer-Chester Medical Center, the Pennsylvania hospital where she’s worked as a registered nurse for the past 35 years, with the feeling she’s drifting through a ghost town. The sprawling hospital serves the diverse and densely packed Philadelphia suburb of Upland, and a large proportion of its patients earn […] The post ‘Shell game’: When private equity comes to town, hospitals can see cutbacks, closures 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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