Our Future West Virginia

10/12/2026

Reminder!!!

Visit this site to register, update your registration, or verify that you are registered!

http://www.govotewv.com

10/10/2026

Did you know Mary McKendree Johnson was the first woman to be nominated for federal office from West Virginia?

She was the Democratic nominee in 1930 for a special election to represent the Fourth Congressional District, following the death of the incumbent.

She lost a close election to Robert L. Hogg, who received 53.77% of the vote, while Johnson took 46.23%.

She was:
-a public school teacher in Huntington
-a faculty member at Marshall University
-an author and historian
-wife of US Representative George Johnson (D-WV), who served in the US House from 1923-1925 and 1933-1943 (who beat Hogg, the victor against Mary Johnson in 1930).
-a civic champion who served in leadership positions with countless community and state organizations

Mary McKendree Johnson's papers are held at the West Virginia and Regional History Center at West Virginia University.

Marshall University also has a few items relating to her life.

10/10/2026

We're just 29 followers away from an even 7,000!

Follow us and invite your friends to do likewise to track our advocacy for food security, water security, voter registration, childhood and adult literacy, and West Virginia's rich culture and history.

10/08/2026

A great program for young readers around West Virginia! All details are in the original post.

Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries are proud to announce that we're participating in the West Virginia State Library's Dolly Days Read-A-Thon!

From October 1 through December 31, 2026, West Virginia youth in grades K-5 can participate in this exciting statewide reading challenge by:

📚 Reading 25 age-appropriate books
📝 Recording their reading progress on an official Reading Log
💻 Submitting their completed Reading Log by January 5, 2027

All completers will receive a commemorative sticker. Additional randomly selected winners may receive other prizes including Dolly Parton suncatchers by Blenko Glass, butterfly bookends from Blenko, and a literary-themed gift basket.

Stop by any library in Berkeley County to register and pick up a reading log!

10/08/2026

Did you know approximately a quarter of West Virginia's population lives in a food desert? Here's a brief rundown.

Thanks to the West Virginia Science and Technology Policy Initiative for their valuable research and data. Read their note about food deserts here:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6716b5940fc62461a05ba6e5/t/68f1233bb8a6d00468d02cff/1760633659917/FoodDeserts.pdf

The West Virginia Department of Health created the shown map, as well, with data from 2023.

10/07/2026

The last day to register to vote and still participate in the November General Election is October 13th!

Register, update, or check your registration at this link:
https://ovr.sos.wv.gov/Register/Landing

Share with everyone you know to ensure they are registered and able to participate!

10/06/2026

It's Banned Books week and our friends at the American Library Association compiled a list of the most challenged books for 2025.

West Virginia's own Jennifer Armentrout made the list this year.

See the full list here: https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10

10/05/2026

How much do you know about food insecurity in West Virginia?

Thanks to the hard work of Feeding America, we have an idea of the number of West Virginians in each county facing food insecurity as of 2024.

We've created this map to show the percentage of residents in each county facing food insecurity.

See more of Feeding America's data about WV here: https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2024/overall/west-virginia

If you or someone you know is facing food insecurity, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture has information about food banks at this link:
https://agriculture.wv.gov/divisions/food-distribution-program/

10/03/2026

A weekly reminder that YOUR Vote is Powerful! Here's a brief rundown of the nation's second closest Congressional election ever.

The 2020 race for Iowa's Second Congressional District was decided by just six votes out of nearly 400,000 votes cast!