Mountain State Spotlight - In West Virginia, public health and economics are especially intertwined. Read the full article. Since the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) was enacted in 2010, the law has funded treatment for substance use disorders, expanded black lung benefits and provided health insurance to 20 million Americans who were previously…
Economy
Mountain State Spotlight - One year ago, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice promised business leaders that the state’s economy was on the verge of a boom. Continued growth in natural gas production was going to spark an industrial renaissance, bringing construction of a giant collection of spinoff factories. Read the full article. Speaking to the West…
White papers detail Appalachian climate investment strategy for lawmakers post-election. For Immediate Release: October 29, 2020 Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV - The ReImagine Appalachia Coalition released a trio of white papers detailing needed infrastructure investments in broadband, for modernizing the region's manufacturing sector, reviving the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and promoting regenerative agriculture. Read the reports here. The…
It's almost Halloween, a spooky time of year with ghosts, witches, zombies, and unemployment claims data. If you love being scared, check out these bone-chilling charts featuring some ghastly trends on West Virginia's economic recovery during COVID-19. But be warned, these blood-curdling bars and spine-tingling lines are not for the squeamish. West Virginia lost 93,900…
Last week, West Virginia’s Bureau for Children and Families released updated state Medicaid enrollment figures. The data revealed that 6,500 additional West Virginians registered for the program in September. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in February – and the subsequent loss of employment and wages – 53,500 additional individuals have gained coverage. This…
WVVA - As part of federal COVID-relief legislation passed in March, West Virginia received $1.25 billion to address the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Read full article. As of October 19, there is still over $969 million remaining unspent with a December 30 deadline for utilizing the funds. Governor Justice’s current proposal would send…
According the latest jobs report from WorkforceWV, West Virginia's jobs recovery -- which had already been showing signs of weakness in recent months -- took another step backward in September, as total non-farm employment fell by 3,000 jobs. Most of September's jobs losses occurred in the public sector, with the state losing 3,200 government jobs,…
West Virginia MetroNews - Gov. Jim Justice continues to push back on criticism that the state isn’t expediting the rollout of federal CARES Act relief. Read full article. “At the end of the day, we’re going to some way, some how, disburse every last dollar of this CARES money before December the 30th,” the governor…
West Virginia MetroNews - Gov. Jim Justice says President Trump should not suspend negotiations on the latest round of federal coronavirus relief. Read full article. “I don’t want him to do that,” Justice said today, “and I do not think that’s the thing to do.” New data out this week shows that two-thirds of renters…
Beckley Register-Herald - Sean O’Leary, senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, reports in a blog post that West Virginia had recovered roughly two-thirds of the 93,900 jobs it lost in March and April. Read full article. “As previous posts have shown, most of those gains occurred in May…