Members of the West Virginia State Bar will consider a resolution next week to affirm the independence and integrity of the judiciary branch, reports @amelianews.bsky.social.

The state Department of Human Services needs $175,000 in emergency funding to hire an outside company that can help address a backlog of delayed payments to vendors, including companies working with foster children, reports @amelianews.bsky.social.

The state of West Virginia is asking a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit brought by a Charleston-based overdose prevention organization over the state’s moratorium on new methadone clinics, reports @lorikerseywv.bsky.social.

In the eight states that expanded Medicaid after 2018, the number of people receiving prescriptions for the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine increased dramatically, according to a paper that researchers will present next month, reports @chatlanis.bsky.social.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday he plans to use the complex reconciliation process to fund immigration enforcement for the next three years, though it wasn’t immediately clear if House Republicans were on the exact same page, reports @jennifershutt.bsky.social.

The Department of Justice’s stated reason for obtaining sensitive personal data on millions of voters masks the Trump administration’s true intention for obtaining state voter lists, Michigan’s top election official asserted in federal appeals court Monday, reports @[email protected].

As states enact stricter work requirements for the federal food stamp program, a new analysis suggests those requirements won’t enhance employment and will push more people off of food assistance, reports Kevin Hardy of @stateline.org.

WASHINGTON — Republicans in Congress are once again looking toward the complex budget reconciliation process as a way to achieve some of their policy goals without Democratic votes, reports @jennifershutt.bsky.social.

The West Virginia Department of Human Services is spending more than $800K on an artificial intelligence program meant to help decrease the number of mistake payments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, records show. @lorikerseywv.bsky.social reports.

Tucked into President Donald Trump’s new budget request is a plan that could dramatically change — and, critics say, slash — how much money and help states provide to people needing jobs and training, reports David Lightman.

Spikes in energy prices caused by the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran drove up inflation for Americans in March, according to the latest consumer price index figures released Friday, reports @ashleymurray.bsky.social.

Three Democrats are running for the chance to unseat Republican Congressman Riley Moore in West Virginia’s second congressional district, reports @lorikerseywv.bsky.social.

More states are piling up gold bars, or encouraging residents to use gold-backed debit cards, to hedge against inflation, reports Kevin Hardy of @stateline.org.

Four members of Congress — two Democrats and two Republicans — could face expulsion from the House in the coming weeks, an extraordinarily rare rebuke from their colleagues, reports @jennifershutt.bsky.social.

President Donald Trump lashed out at Pope Leo XIV Sunday night following the pontiff’s sharp criticism of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and wider Middle East conflict, reports @ashleymurray.bsky.social.

More than 20,000 West Virginia students have applied for the Hope Scholarship, the state’s education voucher program, to use next school year. It’s an increase from the 15,000 students currently using the program, reports @amelianews.bsky.social.

As gas prices remain high amidst the United States’ war in Iran, West Virginia Democrats and a group of conservative Republican state lawmakers have separately called for the state to pause its excise tax on fuel, reports @lorikerseywv.bsky.social.

At least 2.5 million low-income people quickly lost help affording groceries under a Republican-passed law that added new requirements for the nation’s largest nutrition program and shifted hundreds of millions of dollars in costs from the federal government to states, reports @fischler.bsky.social.

Implementation of a previously approved federal rule meant to help prevent black lung in the nation’s coal miners has been delayed indefinitely, according to an update posted this week in the Federal Register, reports @caitycoyne.bsky.social.

COMMENTARY: This year was not the “start of a different path” that I had hoped for the West Virginia Legislature, writes Quenton King.

A federal judge in Louisiana upheld telehealth access to abortion medication in a decision issued Tuesday afternoon, pausing the case until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration completes a safety review of the drug, mifepristone, reports @kelciemmorris.bsky.social.

Millions of women could face new challenges to voting under President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act, which would require voters to prove their citizenship before casting a ballot, reports @[email protected].

House Democrats on Capitol Hill Thursday slammed President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on Iran as “beyond the pale” and urged House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to reconvene Congress and rein in the president’s war powers, reports @ashleymurray.bsky.social.

Trump’s threats to destroy power plants and bridges in Iran and saying he was prepared for a “whole civilization” to die have renewed questions about what constitutes an illegal order and what, if any, repercussions officials could face for committing war crimes, reports @jennifershutt.bsky.social.

First lady Melania Trump said Thursday she was “never involved in any capacity” with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and that “baseless lies” about her are being circulated, reports @ashleymurray.bsky.social.

There are notable changes for West Virginia voters in the upcoming May primary election, including new voter identification rules and a closed Republican primary, reports @amelianews.bsky.social.

Though states are missing out on billions in unpaid tax dollars, few have any mechanism to measure how much is being lost, according to a new report. Kevin Hardy of @stateline.org reports.

Journalist Estefany Rodríguez was arrested and detained by ICE agents and held in custody for 15 days. In Episode 23, you’ll hear from Tennessee Lookout senior reporter Anita Wadhwani. She’s been covering Rodríguez’s case and how members of the Tennessee media community are reacting.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled against a West Virginia family who challenged the state’s strict school vaccination requirements on religious freedom grounds, reports @lorikerseywv.bsky.social.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey is wading into the primary races for the West Virginia Legislature, which is overwhelmingly Republican, reports @amelianews.bsky.social and @lorikerseywv.bsky.social.

Tomorrow is the inaugural Local News Day, a new nationwide day of action dedicated to connecting people with trusted local news. West Virginia Watch is proud to be a founding partner of this event, and we hope you’ll participate. Please share this post to support local journalism. More tomorrow!

The U.S. and Iran both claimed victory Wednesday, a day after agreeing to a two-week conditional ceasefire, though doubts loomed following continued strikes across the Gulf nations and an indication by Iran that it will continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, reports @ashleymurray.bsky.social.

COMMENTARY: West Virginia is one of 31 states that permit absentee ballots to be counted if received within a reasonable time after Election Day. West Virginia’s choice reflects a balance of the need for finality in elections with the particular needs of our citizens, writes Neal Barkus.

A study published in March found that applications to medical residency programs in states with abortion restrictions have declined compared to states where abortion remained mostly legal, reports @elishabrown.bsky.social.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey vetoed a bill that would have expanded West Virginia programs that help children aging out of foster care with independent living, finding employment, continuing their education and more, reports @amelianews.bsky.social.

OB-GYN shortages and labor and delivery units closing continue to make getting care harder. Last year, more than two dozen hospital labor and delivery units across the nation closed, reports @nhassanein.bsky.social.

Congress will look considerably different next year, after dozens of its members move on to other political offices or retire, a number that’s likely to grow as some of those hoping to stay lose their reelection bids, reports @jennifershutt.bsky.social.

As the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last week about the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, Justice Sonia Sotomayor seemed skeptical, reports @[email protected].

President Donald Trump on Monday declined to rule out bombing certain types of civilian infrastructure in Iran, including schools and hospitals, and said that any agreement to end the war must include free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, reports @jennifershutt.bsky.social.

The West Virginia Supreme Court is considering a mother’s appeal to regain physical and legal custody of her children, which includes allegations of her using Bible verses to abuse the children, reports @amelianews.bsky.social.

The West Virginia Watch 2026 Primary Election Voter Guide is live now! westvirginiawatch.com/voter-guides...

President Donald Trump continued to escalate his rhetoric against Iran Tuesday, even as some Republicans in Congress began to back away from his declarations, threatening that “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," reports @ashleymurray.bsky.social.

Expired subsidies, higher premiums create more obstacles for people trying to find affordable health care options, reports Anna Saker for @stateline.org.

Haley Burns may be one of the last women to deliver a baby at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center. The hospital will close its delivery unit April 24 as it transitions to a critical access hospital. Burns, of Lewisburg, is scheduled for labor induction on April 20. @lorikerseywv.bsky.social reports.

The Trump administration released its fiscal 2027 budget request Friday, asking Congress to increase spending on defense programs by 43% and decrease funding for non-defense accounts by 10%, reports @jennifershutt.bsky.social.

WV Watch reporter Amelia Ferrell Knisely talks about Raylee's Law on the newest episode of Stories from the States, a @statesnewsroom.com podcast.

At every turn, DHS has faced pushback from Republicans in its drive to quickly scale up immigrant detention to 92,600 people by September, a pillar of the president’s mass deportation plan, reports @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social.

Trump’s executive order restricting mail ballots faced a fresh challenge on Friday, as a coalition of Democratic states filed a lawsuit seeking to block an order that experts say is an extraordinary attempt by the president to assert authority over elections, reports @[email protected].

Two miners in West Virginia died in separate mining incidents between Thursday evening and Friday morning at mines facing dozens of federal citations for safety violations since the beginning of the year, according to information from MSHA, reports @caitycoyne.bsky.social.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey has signed legislation that cuts the state’s income tax by 5%, reports @lorikerseywv.bsky.social.