Mountain State Spotlight

10/08/2026

WV Invests is a program designed to provide eligible residents with a pathway to earn an associate degree or technical certificate in a career field in which the state needs workers without paying tuition out of pocket.

The state’s consistently low rate of people working and applying for jobs prompted the legislature to declare it a human capital crisis in 2019. They passed a law creating the WV Invests Act and appropriated more than $10 million for the program.

Residents of the state can attend any of the state’s nine community and technical colleges, file financial aid forms to get federal grants and scholarships, and the state will pick up the tab for any tuition or mandatory fees the other financial aid doesn’t cover. It is what is known as a last-dollar-in program.

As long as the program’s participants stay in West Virginia for two years after they are no longer enrolled, they don’t have to pay the money back.

But much work remains to be done when it comes to tracking whether the program’s goals — to train and maintain skilled workers to fill workforce gaps in West Virginia — are being met.

WV Invests has subsidized since 2019, college degrees for students who stay and work here. The state isn’t measuring what alumni are doing.

10/06/2026

The Monongahela National Forest is one of three national forests in West Virginia at risk for more logging if the Trump Administration repeals a Clinton-era rule protecting parts of its land.

The Roadless Rule was created in 2001 to protect certain forested areas from cars, logging, road construction and development. These roadless areas also serve as an extra layer of protection for wilderness areas, which are more harshly protected areas of land.

Activists worry that repealing the Roadless Rule will allow development to encroach on forests enjoyed by millions every year.

The public comment period for the proposed rule on the Federal Register ends today.

Over 180,000 acres of protected West Virginia national forests are being considered for logging and construction use.

10/02/2026

We have no business running a private school.

We’re reporters, not teachers. Inexperience has hardly been a barrier for those who want to start their own schools, as we have reported this year. And it didn’t stop us, either.

We learned that in West Virginia, the state’s Education Department has no authority at all over a specific type of private school: microschools. A spokesperson told us the department “does not approve or deny the operation of microschools for any reason.”

Over the last few months, we partnered with ProPublica to establish our very own school: the ProPublica-Mountain State Spotlight Curiosity Academy.

Spoiler alert: It took only a scrap of notebook paper and some emails.

Our reporting has shown how easily people — some with questionable backgrounds — have founded their own private schools in barns, strip malls and other places. That led us to an experiment: If the hurdles to open a school are so low, could we do it?

09/29/2026

Over the last month, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced some of the first recipients of millions in federal Rural Health Transformation Program funding meant to improve the state’s rural healthcare system.West Virginia received this funding, which lasts five years, as part of last year’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

However, early next year, tens of thousands of low-income West Virginians who use Medicaid stand to lose their health insurance.

“This money’s coming in, but it’s not going to make up for the loss of coverage,” said Adam Searing, research professor at the Georgetown Center for Children and Families. “Medicaid cuts are going to mean ultimately there are going to be fewer people who can pay their bills.”

Many West Virginians will stop qualifying for Medicaid. A new rural healthcare fund won’t help them pay for care.

09/25/2026

Under the West Virginia Constitution, the state school board has wide powers to determine educational policy, from curriculum to the proper way for students to board a bus.

However, the school board’s authority has been consistently challenged by lawmakers. In April 2025, the West Virginia Legislature passed a law that would give itself power over state Board of Education regulations.

Voters have twice defeated constitutional amendment proposals that would have given the Legislature control. Lawmakers proceeded anyway, saying at the time they intended to trigger a lawsuit, so the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals would have to decide.

Here’s what to know.

WV Board of Education and lawmakers battle for control over education policy.

09/24/2026

Mountain State Spotlight is pleased to announce that Kat Ramkumar has returned to the organization as audience manager, a role where she will work with reporters to grow our audience and broaden the newsroom’s efforts to incorporate the experiences and perspectives of all West Virginians into our work.

Kat worked with Mountain State Spotlight last summer as a Reynolds Journalism Institute Innovation Fellow. She helped the organization launch new products to better serve West Virginians, including audio stories, an SMS story alert line and a reader-curated West Virginia reading list.

We're pleased she chose to bring her talents back to the Mountain State.

Welcome back, Kat!

Mountain State Spotlight is pleased to announce that Kathambari “Kat” Ramkumar has returned to the organization as audience manager.

09/21/2026

As police departments across West Virginia rapidly deploy Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers, state lawmakers are raising concerns about digital security, accuracy, and data privacy. So far, Flock has sidestepped the questions.

Lawmakers asked Flock for details on digital security, accuracy and data sharing. So far, the company has sidestepped most of those concerns.

09/19/2026

Three months ago, the Chemours Company settled legal challenges with state and federal governments and citizen groups over drinking water contamination. Now, neighbors of the chemical giant’s Wood County plant have proposed a class-action lawsuit alleging Chemours has polluted their homes for years.

Aimee Cross and Jason Goff live near the plant’s landfill. In a class-action complaint, they say that hazardous chemicals, including PFAS, were released from the Washington Works Plant’s nearby landfill, draining into their land and the Ohio River. They say their homes have lost value, and that they are no longer able to fully enjoy their land. They want the pollution cleaned up and to be repaid for damages to their properties.

Now residents are proposing a class-action lawsuit focused on residents’ property damage and health concerns.

“The families who call this community home deserve to know their property is safe and that those responsible for any contamination will be held accountable,” Ben Ware, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a press release.

As the government and citizen groups settle their cases against Chemours, residents are taking the fight against PFAS contamination into their own hands.

09/17/2026

If you believe in the power of sustained, dogged reporting to make West Virginia a better place, we think you should consider donating to Mountain State Spotlight.
Why? Well, it’s our birthday! 🎂 🥳

Need more convincing?

In 2020, we were founded with a simple mission: To help West Virginians get the information they need to make our state a better place. six years later, we’ve kept that promise.

Whether you’re new to Mountain State Spotlight or have been with us from the beginning, you know that our in-depth journalism fills a critical need in West Virginia. We want to continue to produce journalism that you can depend on for years to come, but we can’t do that without your support.

Please help us celebrate our birthday — and continue producing in-depth journalism you can trust — by making a donation today.

Thank you for your support. We couldn’t do it without you!

Mountain State Spotlight is supported by people like you. Support Mountain State Spotlight today.

09/16/2026

Gov. Patrick Morrisey has made attracting data center developments a key component of his economic development strategy. So, what does that mean for West Virginians?

https://buff.ly/DQNdh7I