Gov. Patrick Morrisey didn’t join an initiative launched by a bipartisan group of governors in states sharing a regional power grid with West Virginia, which plans to address the rapidly increasing power costs facing their residents. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/09/p...

State lawmakers have yet to address the shortage of affordable and accessible housing for seniors and retirees. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/10/h...

11 state leaders plan to push reforms that ensure the regional electric grid, which West Virginia is part of, can reliably meet the region’s growing energy demand and address the rapidly rising power costs. But West Virginia isn’t part of the effort.

Across West Virginia, seniors and retirees on limited incomes are being squeezed by the state’s ongoing housing crisis. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/10/h...

Help Mountain State Spotlight report on health insurance by sharing your experience. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/07/a...

Seniors and older West Virginians are struggling with rising housing costs while living on limited fixed incomes. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/10/h...

Help Mountain State Spotlight report on the costs of health insurance by sharing your experience. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/07/a...

“When did utilities become a luxury in this state?” a Raleigh County resident asked the PSC earlier this year. West Virginians have one of the fastest-rising customer electricity rates in the country. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/09/p...

NEW: West Virginia’s seniors and retirees face rising costs and little help as they struggle to find affordable housing mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/10/h...

In September, a bipartisan group of governors in states sharing a regional power grid with West Virginia launched an initiative to address the rapidly increasing power costs facing their states. West Virginia’s Patrick Morrisey wasn’t one of them.

West Virginians like April Sauls, Ron Cicicolini, and Sean Carlton are stepping up to help their communities, providing food and resources during the crisis. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/06/s...

Help us report: Share your experience with getting meals delivered to your home through Meals on Wheels or similar programs.

NEW: A bipartisan group of governors joined together to address rising power bills in the region. Morrisey didn't join them.

Lawmakers gathered for interim meetings, but the food stamp crisis was not on the agenda. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/06/s...

Mountain State Spotlight is reporting on the challenges faced by West Virginians who receive or want to receive Meals on Wheels. Share your story.

Despite having funds, West Virginia officials have been reluctant to tap into reserves to cover the food stamp shortage, unlike neighboring states. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/06/s...

Are you a Meals on Wheels recipient? Have you helped with the Meals on Wheels program as a cook, delivery driver or senior center worker? Do you, a relative or a neighbor need home-delivered meals but can't get them? We want to hear from you. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/04/16/m...

200 volunteers helped 500 people at a recent free health care event, and still couldn’t serve everyone who asked for help. Federal cuts mean the lines could get even longer. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/02/v...

In 2017, the Hundred Volunteer Fire Department's newly built fire hall was flooded. It’s one of nearly 200 stations facing a significant flood risk. Now, their emergency generator now sits four feet higher than before. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/29/f...

Food pantries in West Virginia are seeing a significant increase in demand as food stamps are delayed, with one reporting a 50% uptick. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/06/s...

270,000 West Virginians are without food assistance due to a government shutdown, leaving charities and everyday citizens to fill the gap. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/06/s...

NEW: With SNAP benefits delayed, state officials steer thousands of West Virginians to overwhelmed food banks mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/06/s...

Kami Graves has had a stressful few years, in and out of work as she tried to find child care that took children with autism and developed a heart condition that causes fainting. A free dental cleaning might seem small, but it boosted her confidence. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/02/v...

Sarahi Prince sat four months into a high-risk pregnancy in the waiting room at Health Right in Charleston for a free eye appointment. She had to wake up at 4 a.m. to get there from Chapmanville, and her husband and two kids were waiting in the car. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/02/v...

In Mingo County, the Delbarton Volunteer Fire Department has never flooded before. But both their main and substations are among the most vulnerable of the 186 fire stations in West Virginia that face a significant risk of flooding. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/29/f...

500 people came to a recent, free health care event at West Virginia Health Right. CEO Angie Settle said she doesn’t know what the free clinic will do when Medicaid cuts take place over the next several years. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/02/v...

After staffing shortages, rising costs and longer waiting lists, West Virginia child care providers say the change will erase payrolls, triggering layoffs and closures. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/30/c...

Mona Barrow, 80, worked from age 16 to 75. She couldn’t afford the eye care she needed, so she scheduled a bus to get to a rare free health care event. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/02/v...

Today and every day, our nonprofit newsroom is ready to cover the stories that need to be told. If you rely on our independent news, will you contribute during our year-end campaign? Thank you! Donate here: mountainstatespotlight.fundjournalism.org/join/?campai...

NEW: Pregnant, working and already insured: Meet the West Virginians who wait hours for free dental and vision appointments mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/11/02/v...

Today kicks off our year-end fundraising campaign! There’s never been a more critical time to stand up for nonprofit newsrooms like ours. Through 12/31, the impact of your donation is DOUBLED! Will you show your support today? Give: mountainstatespotlight.fundjournalism.org/join/?campai...

Jennifer Trippett runs the largest child care facility in the state, Cubby’s Child Care Center in Bridgeport, and is expecting to lose at least $35,000 per month. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/30/c...

State officials said the change was a clarification to comply with federal regulations and guidelines, and did not expect many impacts to providers. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/30/c...

In June, the Triadelphia Volunteer Fire Department was flooded during the deadly floods that devastated West Virginia’s northern panhandle. It’s one of almost 200 fire stations in West Virginia that face a significant risk of being flooded each year. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/29/f...

A Place to Grow in Oak Hill is expected to lose $12,000 a month, forcing owner Melissa Colagrosso to consider ending her after-school program altogether. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/30/c...

Multiple child care providers are expecting to lose thousands of dollars per month after the state changed how it pays centers with children in after-school programs. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/30/c...

Multiple child care providers are expecting to lose thousands of dollars per month after the state changed how it pays centers with children in after-school programs. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/30/c...

A quarter of all essential facilities in West Virginia face a moderate-to-significant risk of flooding each year, including one in three fire departments in the state. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/29/f...

NEW: West Virginia child care providers say state funding change will trigger more closures mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/30/c...

Fire departments, police stations, schools, hospitals and nursing homes are the state’s essential facilities. A quarter of all essential facilities in West Virginia face a moderate-to-significant risk of flooding each year. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/29/f...

Share your story: Have you struggled to pay rent or afford a home? Do you work in real estate, whether as a realtor, landlord, builder or some other facet of the industry? If you’ve been affected by the state’s housing crisis, we want to hear from you. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/03/h...

In a wide-ranging interview, the retiring UMWA leader spoke about President Trump, coal’s decline and efforts to bring it back. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/27/c...

NEW: From fire departments to hospitals, hundreds of first responder stations face a serious flood risk mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/28/f...

Special report: Mountain State Spotlight talked with retiring UMWA President Cecil Roberts about a life leading the nation’s coal miners. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/26/c...

Read part 2 of Mountain State Spotlight’s interview with retiring UMWA President Cecil Roberts mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/27/c...

NEW: Huntington and Cabell County opioid lawsuit revived by federal appeals court mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/28/h...

West Virginia has collected $34 million in medical cannabis revenue since 2021. State law says it should help with addiction, health research and police training — but not a dollar has been spent.

Read part 1 of Ken Ward’s interview with retiring UMWA President Cecil Roberts mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/26/c...

Retiring UMWA President Cecil Roberts talks about where the coalfields have been and where they might be going. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/27/c...

Retiring UMWA President Cecil Roberts looked back on his career in an interview with longtime coal reporter and Mountain State Spotlight founder Ken Ward Jr. mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/10/26/c...