Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Morrisey targeted DEI at colleges. West Virginia’s historically black universities said they won’t change.
June 13, 2025
Founded when officials kept education segregated, West Virginia’s Black universities told the governor that they remain committed to diversity and inclusion.
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West Virginia’s broadband future hangs on aging utility poles. Nobody wants to pay to fix them.
June 12, 2025
As West Virginia prepares for its historic $1.2 billion broadband investment, internet service providers and utility companies still can’t agree on who will foot the bill, forcing state regulators to step in.
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Trump administration proposal would cut nearly 90% of federal funding to West Virginia water and sewer programs
June 06, 2025
The Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds are two key programs that help West Virginia regulators fund water and sewer projects. The White House proposed slashing the majority of their funding.
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We asked West Virginians about Social Security. Here’s what they told us.
June 03, 2025
Retired, disabled and low-income West Virginians told us about how they rely on Social Security to make ends meet, and they share some concerns about federal changes to the program.
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Chemours and environmentalists face off in court over unlawful pollution in the Ohio River. Here’s what to know.
May 30, 2025
Since 2019, Chemours has discharged unlawful levels of forever chemicals into the Ohio River.
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Trump’s EPA blocks effort to reduce toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in West Virginia drinking water
May 07, 2025
Over 700,000 state residents are at risk of serious health problems from cancer-causing pollution in drinking water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency canceled a small grant to start tackling the problem, saying it was eliminating discrimination.
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Trump is dismantling Social Security. Here’s what’s at risk for West Virginians.
May 03, 2025
West Virginia has the highest rate of people, including retirees and people with disabilities, who rely on Social Security payments to get by. Cuts mean those who rely on the program could lose financial assistance they need.
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In DEI purge, Morrisey administration quietly guts office preventing workplace discrimination
April 08, 2025
Gov. Patrick Morrisey and the Legislature have prioritized eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion practices. The state’s Office of Equal Opportunity, which protects public workers from harassment and discrimination, is their latest “victim.”
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The Trump administration just delayed West Virginia’s broadband expansion. Here’s what that means.
April 03, 2025
Gov. Morrisey said it will be three more months until the state submits its application to receive over a billion dollars to connect every household to the internet. For West Virginians, it means more waiting.
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‘Spinning our wheels’: As West Virginia’s housing crisis worsens, lawmakers put solutions on the back burner
April 01, 2025
As rapid growth and tourism drive up housing costs across West Virginia, lawmakers have done little to respond to the escalating crisis — and time has run out for them to take action this session.
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More than 1,000 seniors are waiting for meals as Morrisey charges agencies to cut costs
March 03, 2025
Some seniors across West Virginia can’t cook for themselves or get to grocery stores. State officials didn’t ask for funding to expand Meals on Wheels as the governor charges them to do more with less.
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Trump’s halt on federal spending could cost West Virginia millions to clean up hazardous orphaned gas wells
February 15, 2025
Natural gas wells abandoned by their owners pose a health and environmental risk. West Virginia had earmarked $212 million federal dollars to plug orphaned wells, but Trump’s latest moves puts nearly $90 million of those funds in jeopardy.
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A tech future powered by coal: Five takeaways from Gov. Morrisey’s State of the State address
February 12, 2025
Gov. Morrisey said he would close a $400 million state budget gap, cut taxes and regulation, work closely with the Trump administration and power new tech industries with fossil fuels.
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A case against drug distributors over the flood of pills that ravaged West Virginia is back in court. Here’s what to know.
February 05, 2025
Cabell County and Huntington could get another chance in their fight against opioid distributors. But first, the West Virginia Supreme Court must decide if public nuisance law applies to legal products.
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‘They’re all damaged.’ Despite progress, West Virginia is still failing to get foster kids the mental health help they need
January 28, 2025
A decade after a federal investigation found West Virginia unnecessarily institutionalizes foster kids, our investigation has found the state’s most vulnerable kids are still being left behind.
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