By Matthew Young For HDMedia It’s been just over a month since Senate Education Committee Chair Amy Grady, R-Mason, while speaking as part of the West Virginia Press Association’s Legislative Lookahead panel in Charleston, told a room filled with reporters, “The graduation requirements that we have for our high school students are assuming every one of those students is going to a four-year institution.” At that time, Grady said she wanted to revisit the state’s high school graduation requirements. Now with the legislative...

By Lizzy Karsten For Strongrapport Charleston —Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and hopefully Cupid’s arrow can help warm hearts after weeks of cold weather in West Virginia. Everyone knows the classic Valentine’s Day gifts: flowers, chocolate, stuffed animals and jewelry. It may feel too late to do anything but order something quickly on Amazon Prime. But downtown Charleston’s oldest family jewelry store, Delfine’s, has released a special 2026 Valentine’s Day Collection that you can check out with a...

By Mike Tony For HDMedia West Virginia’s decision-makers are further rolling out a welcome mat for data center developers. But they’re keeping confidential to West Virginians what developers might be knocking on the state’s door — and what environmental baggage they might bring inside. A panel of West Virginia lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a rule that would keep basic information about proposed “High Impact” data center projects confidential and hidden from public view, casting aside transparency concerns from West Virginians...

By Steven Allen Adams For The Inter-Mountain CHARLESTON — Two bills dealing with West Virginia’s participation in the federal Rural Health Transformation Program passed the House of Delegates Tuesday. House Bill 4740, setting statutory commitments for the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), passed the House Tuesday in a 92-1 vote with six members absent or not voting. The bill now heads to the state Senate. HB 4740 exempts the Department of Health from state purchasing restrictions as it manages RHTP,...

By Charles Owens for Bluefield Daily Telegraph ATHENS — The government funding bill signed into law earlier this week by President Donald Trump included $7.5 million in federal funding to help convert a former student dormitory on the campus of Concord University into expanded classroom and lab offerings for students enrolled in health care courses. The goal of the project, which was backed by U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and U.S. Senator Jim Justice, R-W.Va., is to help address...

By Charles Owens For The Bluefield Daily Telegraph Bluefield — City leaders are hoping to issue a notice to proceed later this year on a far-reaching transportation improvement plan for Bluefield involving both roads, streets and sidewalks. The city signed the final grant agreement last week, and officials are now waiting on the U.S. Department of Transportation to approve the same document, according to City Manager Cecil Marson. Marson said the short-lived partial government shutdown, which ended Tuesday when President...

By Abby Ayes for The Parthenon Access to clean water is a fundamental resource that often goes unnoticed, especially in parts of the world where it is not only expected, but necessary. From drinking to bathing, water is used in more ways than most realize, but for residents of Wayne County, West Virginia, the sense of security has been replaced by uncertainty. An issued “do not consume” order has turned into a full-scale investigation involving vandalism, leaving many residents asking...

By Steven Allen Adams For The Intelligencer CHARLESTON – A bill prohibiting the distribution and prescription of abortifacients to West Virginia residents now heads to the floor of the state Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended an amended committee substitute for Senate Bill 173, prohibiting abortifacients, for passage to the full Senate Thursday evening after nearly three hours of questions of counsel, testimony by pro-life advocates and debate over proposed civil penalties in the bill. SB 173 targets the out-of-state...

By Steven Allen Adams The Parkersburg News and Sentinel CHARLESTON — With cryptocurrency and real estate scams growing in scope and sophistication, AARP West Virginia is calling on the state Legislature to consider passing legislation to provide protections for consumers and vulnerable populations. The organization held a press conference Thursday morning to present polling data that West Virginians want to see stronger consumer protections against fraud, including the targeting and regulation of cryptocurrency kiosks and real estate fraud.“ Fraud is...

Screenshot By Tom Markland The Journal MARTINSBURG – Andrew Wolfe, a West Virginia National Guard member from Berkeley County who was critically injured in a shooting in Washington, D.C., shared his first public message on Tuesday, thanking supporters and expressing determination as he continues his recovery. “I’m grateful to be alive. Thank you for your prayers and support,” Wolfe wrote. “It’s all been overwhelming and I’m trying still and determined. It’s been hard to go through something like this. Thank...