Brad McElhinny
@bradmcelhinny.bsky.social
📤 712
📥 190
📝 881
statewide correspondent for West Virginia MetroNews
“A swift ruling clarifying this issue restores normalcy to the public school system and clarifies what, exactly, is required to attend public school in West Virginia,” wrote the lawyers for the state board.
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Notice of appeal kicks off West Virginia Supreme Court review of vaccine exemptions case - WV MetroNews
The West Virginia Supreme Court has already placed a stay on lower court activity surrounding the vaccine exemptions case in anticipation of review.
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about 22 hours ago
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Manchin favors bringing WV National Guard home from D.C. for holidays; Capito says presence in D.C. shouldn't be infinite but she is not sure how end point should be set
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Manchin favors bringing WV National Guard home from D.C. for holidays - WV MetroNews
West Virginia has an estimated 160 to 170 National Guard members who have remained in Washington, D.C., in a response to a call from the governor for volunteers.
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2 days ago
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The U.S. Senate failed to advance two different bills addressing healthcare coverage today as expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire at the end of the month.
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Two different healthcare proposals fail to advance in Senate; Capito had favored healthcare savings accounts - WV MetroNews
Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire Dec. 31. The open enrollment period already began Nov. 1.
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2 days ago
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U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who was fatally shot while on duty in Washington, D.C., was laid to rest with full military honors during a ceremony and interment Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton.
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Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who died after D.C. shooting, laid to rest at West Virginia National Cemetery - WV MetroNews
She died on Thanksgiving after a shooting attack the previous day near a Metro public transportation station in Washington, D.C.
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3 days ago
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Closures were approved across six counties: Barbour, Logan, Randolph, Roane, Upshur and Wetzel.
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State school board approves wave of closures and consolidations across six counties - WV MetroNews
Closures were approved across six counties: Barbour, Logan, Randolph, Roane, Upshur and Wetzel.
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3 days ago
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I'll join
@radiomonroe.bsky.social
at 8:40 a.m. on
watchdognetwork.com
add a skeleton here at some point
3 days ago
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A circuit judge sent lawmakers a message that boils down to this: pass legislation to give local citizens a vote when charter schools are established or risk losing the entire West Virginia charter schools system.
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Judge's order: Legislature and governor should find ways to offer votes on charter schools - WV MetroNews
The order provides time for the Legislature and governor to respond by having special elections to get the consent of voters with charter schools proposed for their communities.
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3 days ago
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The Republican majority in the House of Delegates gathered a month prior to the regular legislative session to lay out priorities, especially in policies aimed at economic growth.
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House majority previews a range of economic development priorities - WV MetroNews
The Republican majority in the House of Delegates gathered a month prior to the regular legislative session to lay out priorities, especially in policies aimed at economic growth. “We know that the…
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4 days ago
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Appeals judges on the circuit that covers West Virginia heard arguments today about whether West Virginia has violated constitutionally guaranteed equal protections by declining to cover surgical treatments for gender dysphoria.
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Appeals judges review whether state Medicaid policies discriminate against transgender people - WV MetroNews
The case focuses on coverage available under the state’s Medicaid plan, the federal-state program that provides health insurance for low-income people.
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4 days ago
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West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey joined counterparts across the country in an appeals court filing to support the continued presence of National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
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West Virginia AG and others file brief in federal appeals court supporting National Guard in D.C. - WV MetroNews
West Virginia has an estimated 160 to 170 National Guard members who have remained in Washington, D.C., in a response to a call from the governor for volunteers.
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9 days ago
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West Virginia’s charter schools system is under a permanent injunction after a circuit judge’s Thursday ruling in a case stretching back several years.
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Permanent injunction on West Virginia charter schools system over constitutional issue of citizen votes - WV MetroNews
The order by Kanawha Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey halts the authorization of new charter schools in West Virginia without voter consent. But it provides some latitude.
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10 days ago
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The state Supreme Court has pumped the brakes on a Raleigh County circuit judge’s recent ruling in a case with statewide implications about religious exemptions to West Virginia’s school vaccination requirements.
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Supreme Court halts lower court ruling to allow religious exemptions to school vaccine requirements - WV MetroNews
The stay would apply as the Supreme Court moves to review what has happened up to now in the Raleigh County courtroom.
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11 days ago
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Gov. Patrick Morrisey said flags have been lowered to half-mast for 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who was killed last week while on duty in Washington, D.C.
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Governor: Ceremonies for Spc. Beckstrom will be up to family; Wolfe shows positive signs - WV MetroNews
Beckstrom and Wolfe were shot the day before Thanksgiving at the corner of 17th and I Streets NW.
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12 days ago
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Gov. Patrick Morrisey has emphasized in recent days that West Virginia National Guard members on duty in Washington, D.C., including two who were tragically shot the day before Thanksgiving, have been there as volunteers.
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Following tragic D.C. shooting, governor emphasizes that National Guard members had volunteered - WV MetroNews
Morrisey repeated the voluntary aspect of the National Guard mission today during his first briefing with West Virginia reporters since the attack.
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12 days ago
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Justices had before them a set of unusual circumstances: an Amish couple that wanted to take in a mixed-race toddler in long-term foster care with the intent to adopt.
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Mixed race toddler and Amish couple can make a family, West Virginia Supreme Court rules - WV MetroNews
In an opinion issued this month, justices determined that the care the family is offering for the boy, who is now two, outweighs other concerns.
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12 days ago
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West Virginia is honoring the service of 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom "My baby girl has passed to Glory," her father, Gary Beckstrom, posted on social media.
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West Virginia and nation honor National Guard members who were shot in D.C. - WV MetroNews
Following the death of 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, the federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia said the suspect now will face charges upgraded to…
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15 days ago
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West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, has died after being shot while on duty in Washington, D.C., Gov. Patrick Morrisey said.
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Sarah Beckstrom of the West Virginia National Guard has died after D.C. shooting, governor says - WV MetroNews
Beckstrom is from Summersville and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade, West Virginia Army National Guard.
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16 days ago
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Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were identified as the two members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot in Washington, D.C.
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West Virginia National Guard shooting victims identified as Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe - WV MetroNews
The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro identified the two at a news conference Thursday.
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16 days ago
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Two members of the National Guard who were shot in Washington, D.C. were from West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said. Federal and D.C. authorities described the Guard members as in critical condition, receiving treatment in an area hospital
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Two West Virginia National Guard members were shot in D.C., governor says - WV MetroNews
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser called the attack a “targeted shooting.”
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17 days ago
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Two members of the National Guard who were shot in Washington, D.C. were from West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said. The governor said the two died.
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Two West Virginia National Guard members were killed in D.C. shooting, governor says - WV MetroNews
'It is with great sorrow that we can confirm both members of the West Virginia National Guard who were shot earlier today in Washington, DC have passed away from their injuries,' the governor said.
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17 days ago
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In a 74-page Thanksgiving week order, Circuit Judge Michael Froble granted permanent injunctive and declaratory relief to families who want the public school system to accept religious exemptions processed by the state health department.
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Circuit judge's final order: Schools can't block unvaccinated students citing religious exemptions - WV MetroNews
Attorneys for the state and local school boards signaled weeks ago that they would appeal the local judge's rulings to the state Supreme Court.
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17 days ago
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Members of the West Virginia National Guard still on duty in the District of Columbia recorded video messages to send well-wishes for the holiday.
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About 160 West Virginia National Guard volunteers will be in D.C. through Thanksgiving - WV MetroNews
Members of the West Virginia National Guard still on duty in the District of Columbia recorded video messages to send well-wishes for the holiday.
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17 days ago
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Hundreds of Glade Springs Resort lots owned by Senator Jim Justice's family were recently close to a forced auction. Now, the state Supreme Court will review the dispute with oral arguments scheduled for the next term, although no specific date is set.
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Justice's Glade Springs lots, once on the verge of auction, will be focus of Supreme Court review next year - WV MetroNews
A financial dispute between the Justice family business and Glade Springs Village Property Owners Association goes back years.
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19 days ago
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“Well, I’m listening to all ideas,” Senator Shelley Moore Capito said. “I realize that there are tens of thousands of West Virginians that are impacted by this.”
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Senator Capito anticipates vote on ACA subsidies, is open to health savings accounts alternative - WV MetroNews
Part of the bargain to pass stopgap funding for the federal government through early next year included the promise of a Senate floor vote in December on legislation to extend the expiring ACA tax…
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19 days ago
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Gov. Patrick Morrisey has selected Charleston attorney Gerald Titus III to fill a state Supreme Court vacancy.
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Governor announces attorney Gerald Titus III to fill Supreme Court vacancy - WV MetroNews
The appointee serves until the next general election, at which point they can run to fill the remainder of the unexpired term.
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22 days ago
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Senator Shelley Moore Capito expressed relief that the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history ended last week, and she would like to avoid another shutdown when a continuing resolution ends Jan. 30.
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Capito is glad the shutdown is over, and she'd rather avoid another one Jan. 30 - WV MetroNews
The continuing resolution that wound up passing expires now in just a little more than two months.
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22 days ago
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A federal judge ruled that deployment of the National Guard from several states, including West Virginia, has been unlawful.
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Federal judge rules against deployment of National Guard to D.C. without local consent - WV MetroNews
On August 11, President Donald Trump declared a “crime emergency” for the District of Columbia, and five days later Gov. Patrick Morrisey deployed 300 to 400 members of the West Virginia National…
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23 days ago
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The West Virginia National Guard announced participation in patrols in Washington, D.C., until the end of the year. However, the mission is being scaled back.
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Much of West Virginia National Guard returns from D.C., with volunteer members remaining - WV MetroNews
Gov. Patrick Morrisey said the state will re-evaluate extending the mission every quarter through the end of fiscal 2026.
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24 days ago
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Riley Moore and Carol Miller, West Virginia’s congressional representatives, supported a bill urging the Department of Justice to disclose more details on federal investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and accused sex trafficker.
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Moore and Miller vote for bill to compel release of files from Epstein trafficking investigation - WV MetroNews
The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration, where Senator Shelley Moore Capito says 'I would vote to release the files.'
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25 days ago
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Bluestone Coal, a company owned by Senator Jim Justice’s family, has had more than $3 million in liens filed against it for unpaid severance and special reclamation taxes over the past few years, according to public records on file in McDowell County.
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State tax department files $3 million in liens on Justice's Bluestone over three years: McDowell County records - WV MetroNews
The liens were filed by the West Virginia Tax Division between 2023, when Justice was still governor, and this past summer.
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26 days ago
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West Virginia Supreme Court justices are being asked to halt — sooner, rather than later — a lower court’s actions that could allow hundreds of students to go to public school without required vaccinations.
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Supreme Court is asked to halt judge's final ruling while reviewing religious exemptions class action - WV MetroNews
Lawyers for school boards are asking the court to pause action in the Raleigh County court and examine the class certification issues on an expedited basis.
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26 days ago
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Gov. Patrick Morrisey expressed excitement about several economic development initiatives. Speaking at an energy summit in Charleston, Morrisey described private sector investments adding up to $4.2 billion.
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Governor praises energy projects in West Virginia, saying more are to come - WV MetroNews
Speaking at an energy summit in Charleston, Morrisey described private sector investments adding up to $4.2 billion.
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about 1 month ago
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West Virginia benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are nearly ready to go out in full following the conclusion of the federal government shutdown, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said today.
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SNAP benefits will start to flow again, governor says - WV MetroNews
About 275,000 West Virginians — 16% of the state’s population — are supported by SNAP benefits.
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about 1 month ago
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West Virginia schools have lost 2.5% of their students in the past year, state Superintendent Michele Blatt said today. The ongoing loss of student population has been a major factor in a wave of school closures across the state.
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West Virginia student enrollment is down 2.5% since last year, state superintendent says - WV MetroNews
The state's student enrollment is now 234,957 students, Blatt said during a state Board of Education meeting.
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about 1 month ago
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The state Supreme Court is being asked to halt class certification in a case about religious exemptions to West Virginia’s school vaccination requirements.
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Supreme Court is asked to halt class certification for vaccine exemption cases - WV MetroNews
More than 570 families around the state so far have sought and received religious exemptions to school vaccination laws.
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about 1 month ago
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Kanawha Circuit Judge Richard Lindsay denied a preliminary injunction and dismissed a case over whether the governor has been within his authority to deploy the West Virginia National Guard to patrol Washington, D.C.
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Judge concludes that governor was within bounds to send West Virginia Guard to patrol D.C. - WV MetroNews
Judge Richard Lindsay's ruling weighed the unique federal oversight of the District of Columbia as a significant factor.
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about 1 month ago
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A court hearing culminates Monday over whether Gov. Patrick Morrisey is operating within his authority to deploy the West Virginia National Guard to patrol Washington, D.C.
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Question of West Virginia Guard's deployment to D.C. is focus in court again - WV MetroNews
The court case in Kanawha County has challenged the governor’s power to deploy the West Virginia National Guard to the streets of America’s capital.
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about 1 month ago
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The Senate voted 60-40 late Sunday to move forward with a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government through Jan. 30.
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Senate vote is first step toward ending longest-ever shutdown - WV MetroNews
The Senate voted 60-40 late Sunday to move forward with a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government through Jan. 30.
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about 1 month ago
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Asked in a national news interview, about the latest directive to states on SNAP funding, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey praised the Trump administration.
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Morrisey, in national interview about SNAP disruption, praises Trump administration's handling of shutdown - WV MetroNews
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has told states that they must not issue full benefits to people under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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about 1 month ago
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This month, for the first time, the food assistance program has come to a halt. About 275,000 West Virginians — 16% of the state’s population — are supported by SNAP benefits.
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Needs hit West Virginia as shutdown drags on: 'Usually I have food' - WV MetroNews
About 275,000 West Virginians — 16% of the state’s population — are supported by SNAP benefits.
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about 1 month ago
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@heyspirits.bsky.social
I am curious about the lineup of PK takers and how they are chosen. They all did great, but *respectfully* I was having some wishful thinking about a couple of Known Quantities spontaneously and immediately coming back from leave
about 1 month ago
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“This is very painful,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said during a briefing with West Virginia reporters.
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Capito on shutdown effects: 'This is very painful' - WV MetroNews
Capito said talks are continuing in Washington, D.C., but she can't say when there will be positive movement.
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about 1 month ago
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Gov. Patrick Morrisey said the state is ready with its Rural Health Transformation Program application for five-year funding of up to $100 million annually to support rural healthcare.
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Governor outlines proposal under Rural Health Transformation Program - WV MetroNews
The state aims to attract and train healthcare professionals, enhance telehealth and transportation and promote preventive care.
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about 1 month ago
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Nine families seeking religious exemptions from mandatory vaccinations in Berkeley County schools have asked for dismissal of their court case to join a class action lawsuit in Raleigh County instead.
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Families in Berkeley County religious exemptions case want to join class action in Raleigh County - WV MetroNews
The judge expressed a hope that such cases, which have popped up in courtrooms around the state, are eventually headed for a higher authority like the state Supreme Court.
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about 1 month ago
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The deployment of members of the West Virginia National Guard to Washington, D.C., could extend into early next year.
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National Guard deployment to Washington, D.C., may be extended into next year - WV MetroNews
Guard members on active duty in D.C. have been paid so far during federal shutdown.
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about 1 month ago
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As federal aid remains uncertain, Governor Patrick Morrisey described continued financial support for food banks while also relying on the National Guard's service. The state is ready to boost assistance if necessary, he said.
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about 1 month ago
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A judge again held off on determining whether Gov. Patrick Morrisey is operating within his authority to deploy the West Virginia National Guard to patrol Washington, D.C.
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Judge holds off again on deciding whether West Virginia National Guard deployment to D.C. was lawful - WV MetroNews
The court case in Kanawha County has challenged the governor’s power to deploy the West Virginia National Guard to the streets of America’s capital.
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about 1 month ago
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October General Revenue Fund collections exceeded estimates by nearly $42 million, representing a 6% increase from the previous October, according to monthly numbers released today.
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State revenue collections are ahead again for most recent month - WV MetroNews
Cumulative year-to-date collections are also significantly above estimates and ahead of the prior year's figures, a trend Gov. Patrick Morrisey attributed to growth in consumer spending and personal…
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about 1 month ago
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“The central issue to this court is whether or not the what the governor did is in compliance with West Virginia law.”
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Court case explores basis of West Virginia National Guard deployment to D.C. - WV MetroNews
A court case in Kanawha County has challenged the governor's power to deploy the West Virginia National Guard to the streets of America's capital.
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about 1 month ago
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The League of Women Voters West Virginia is siding with the state Board of Education in a lawsuit over who has the final authority over education regulations — saying a new law giving that power to the Legislature defies the will of the voters.
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League of Women Voters says citizens already rejected legislative authority over education rules - WV MetroNews
Three years ago, West Virginians rejected a constitutional amendment that would have given the legislature authority to review and approve the state Board of Education’s rules and policies.
https://buff.ly/7Zr7CR2
about 1 month ago
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