WVCBP in the News

September 30, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Policy Forum Outlines Child Poverty Issues

Charleston Daily Mail and Beckley Register-Herald - Five years ago, Dick Wittberg and his staff at the Parkersburg-based Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department organized a massive dental operation. Read Wittberg, director of a department that serves six West Virginia counties, had become aware of what he calls the "unbelievable need for dental services in West Virginia."…

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September 24, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Group Trying To Find Solution To Children Living In Poverty

WCHS-TV - One group is trying to combat the fact that more children are living in poverty. Read A coalition led by families, congregations, businesses, advocates and unions are gathering at the West Virginia Capitol trying to find strategies to fight the issue. Three in 10 West Virginia children under age 6 live in poverty…

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September 23, 2013 by Ted Boettner
EPA Taking Comments on Emissions Limits for New Coal-Fired Power Plants

West Virginia Metro News - Comments are now being accepted on the federal Environmental Protection Agency's proposed emissions limits for new coal-fired power plants which are designed to reduce carbon pollution. Read Jeri Matheney, Communications Director for Appalachian Power, said the proposal will make building a new coal-fired plant difficult.  "It really effectively eliminates coal…

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September 21, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Most West Virginia Leaders Slam Obama Coal Limits

Charleston Gazette - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposed regulations that would cap carbon emissions from new coal-fired power plants generated outrage from some over the new rules, and hope from some that West Virginia might be spurred to action to plan for a decline in coal production. Read

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September 20, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Poverty, Stagnant Incomes Still Prevalent in West Virginia, Census Report Shows

Charleston Gazette - More than five years after the start of the great recession, West Virginians' incomes continue to stagnate and poverty is still pervasive, despite soaring corporate profits nationwide and 41 consecutive months of job growth, according to new Census data released Thursday. Read Median household income for West Virginians rose by about $900 to…

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September 18, 2013 by Sean O'Leary
Panel Decries Food Stamp Cuts

Charleston Gazette - One in five West Virginians gets money to buy food from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as the Food Stamp program. Read Nearly 40 percent of SNAP beneficiaries are children. Another 27 percent are elderly or disabled adults, while 22 percent are adults living with needy children.

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September 15, 2013 by Ted Boettner
After Coal, W.Va. Push For Natural Gas Trust Fund

ABC News, Associated Press, NPR, Charleston Gazette, Daily Reporter, Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, Louisville Courier-Journal, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Las Vegas Sun - For decades, coal from West Virginia's vast deposits was mined, loaded on rail cars and hauled off without leaving behind a lasting trust fund financed by the state's best-known commodity. Big coal's days are waning,…

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September 6, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Not Your Grandfather’s Economy Anymore

Charleston Daily Mail - NUMEROUS presenters spoke about diversifying West Virginia's economy this week during an economic forum highlighting the future of the Mountain State. Read ? Ted Boettner, director of the Center on Budget & Policy, a sponsor of the forum, said the state needs to diversify to a more sustainable economy, less susceptible…

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September 5, 2013 by Ted Boettner
McDowell Residents Tell Stories of Struggles, Successes

Charleston Gazette - McDowell County residents brought their stories to Charleston Wednesday evening, to highlight one coalfield community's struggles and successes in dealing with economic decline, population loss and a host of other challenges. Read Participants in the interactive documentary "Hollow" appeared to close out a day-long forum aimed at encouraging more discussion and action…

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September 5, 2013 by Ted Boettner
Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Policy Experts Meet at Economic Conference

West Virginia Public Broadcasting - With coal industry jobs dwindling and many young people leaving the state to find work, speakers at the Bright Economic Future for the Mountain State Conference in Charleston outlined many of the challenges for the state's economy. Despite these obstacles, many entrepreneurs, policy experts, and grassroots organizations who gathered at…

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