Mountain State Spotlight: West Virginia News and Reporting
5 days ago · Mountain State Spotlight is a nonprofit investigative newsroom that exists to give West Virginians the information they need to make our state a better place. As a nonprofit, we rely on your help to power our journalism. We are committed to lifting up voices that aren’t always heard and spotlighting solutions that are making a difference.
WV State Police scandal: What you need to know
Apr 3, 2023 · Mountain State Spotlight explains: What to know about the West Virginia State Police scandal. The sprawling scandal at the state’s top law enforcement agency has reverberated around West Virginia. As a dizzying number of allegations have emerged, here’s what you need to know. by Dan Lawton April 3rd, 2023 Updated July 7th, 2023.
Report shows West Virginia jail officials knew about SRJ issues
Dec 20, 2023 · In April 2022, public outcry about conditions at West Virginia’s Southern Regional Jail reached a fever pitch. For weeks, media outlets had been reporting serious mistreatment and neglect of people held at the jail. They were deprived of water and toilet paper and forced to sleep on bare concrete floors, the reports said.
Tackling ‘persistent poverty’ in West Virginia
Jan 16, 2024 · In many places around the state, this isn’t a new problem: 11 of West Virginia’s 55 counties are classified as “in persistent poverty” by the U.S. Census Bureau, having a poverty rate of 20% or higher continually for the past three decades. In the past, often lawmakers have passed laws and proposed plans to reduce poverty in the state ...
West Virginia Legislature Archives - Mountain State Spotlight
Aug 27, 2024 · West Virginians get tax cut after lawmakers pull millions from agencies overseeing foster care, Medicaid and child care. by Henry Culvyhouse October 9th, 2024. In mid-September, Gov. Jim Justice told the people of West Virginia he’d be calling the Legislature back into session at the end of the month. “I promised you I’d fight like crazy ...
Why West Virginia’s State Health Improvement Plan matters
Oct 15, 2023 · West Virginia health officials are writing a five-year plan to improve public health. Here’s why it matters. The Bureau for Public Health is in the process of identifying West Virginia’s most urgent health problems and planning how to address them. The document will be used to guide funding and policy decisions in the coming years.
Inside the crisis at West Virginia's Southern Regional Jail
Aug 29, 2023 · Water, toilet paper and mattresses. A person sleeps on the floor of Southern Regional Jail, in a photo included as part of a class action lawsuit against the West Virginia Department of Corrections. By the end of 2022, 13 people would die at the SRJ. The institution was under federal investigation, at least two higher-ups retired and the ...
What are West Virginia’s marijuana laws? - Mountain State Spotlight
Jul 23, 2024 · Non-medical sale, use and possession of marijuana remains illegal in West Virginia. Possession of a controlled substance, including marijuana, is a misdemeanor that comes with either a fine of up to $1,000 or three-to-six months of jail time. First-time offenders can be granted probation instead. The federal government still maintains laws that ...
About Mountain State Spotlight
Formed in the spring of 2020 — just as COVID shut down the economy and our schools, and began stealing the lives of thousands of our neighbors — Mountain State Spotlight is different from any other news organization in West Virginia. We have a different mission. And we are funded by a different business model. Photo by Ellen Allen.
Thousands of West Virginians remain jailed, awaiting their day in …
Feb 18, 2021 · A new Mountain State Spotlight analysis of West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation incarceration data found that of the more than 2,000 people behind bars before trial for felony offenses on Jan. 19, fewer than half could be linked to charges that generally were violent, sexual or involved direct harm to children.