USA Today - Jessica Smith lives with her family in the small town of Belle, about six miles from a high school where nonprofits provide free meals to families in need. Read full article here. But, like several other families who qualify for the program, Smith, a 39-year-old mother of two, does not own a car, making…
WVCBP in the News
Mountain State Spotlight - Jennifer Boyle-Hempel eats just once a day so she can save her limited food for her kids. She and her husband run an art studio in Elkins, but they are out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. At times, she hasn’t had enough food to feed everyone in her house,…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - What happens to someone's health insurance when they lose their job during the coronavirus pandemic, and what does it mean for their health care? We'll discuss these questions with Kelly Allen, Interim Executive Director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. View the Facebook Live video here.
West Virginia Public Broadcast, Ohio Valley Resource - A coalition of progressive policy and environmental groups has released a “blueprint” that provides a framework for how Ohio Valley communities could reap the benefits of federal action to address climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Read full article here. The plan, titled “Reimagine Appalachia” envisions a future economy for…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - Hopeful that a nine-year, one-man campaign to remove the statue and bust of Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson from the West Virginia Capitol grounds is coming to fruition, Charleston realtor Howard Swint on Tuesday called for a special meeting of the Capitol Building Commission to remove what he called symbols of…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - A group of 30 organizations across West Virginia is calling on the Capitol Building Commission and Gov. Jim Justice to take down a statue of Stonewall Jackson from the state Capitol grounds. Read full article here. In an open letter, the groups including the ACLU of West Virginia, the NAACP…
Public News Service - A ban on West Virginia utility shutoffs during the pandemic has ended this week, leaving many customers scrambling to pay overdue bills to avoid disconnection. Read full article here. In March, the West Virginia Public Service Commission had ordered electric, water and gas providers to halt service disconnections, as so many…
Charleston Gazette-Mail, Huntington Herald-Dispatch, The Logan Banner - A general order issued earlier this year by the West Virginia Public Service Commission urging utilities to halt service disconnections for unpaid bills was to expire Tuesday night. Read full article here. The order was put in place in March, as the financial hardships brought on by…
Popsugar - Rosemary Ketchum is the first openly transgender elected official in West Virginia. She is associate director of the Greater Wheeling National Alliance on Mental Illness and serves on the boards of several organizations, including the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy. Ketchum will begin her first term on the Wheeling City Council…
Huntington Herald-Dispatch - To slow the spread of the virus no one in the world has immunity to, thousands of West Virginians had to lose their jobs. Read full article here. Now, as people head back to work, some low-earning West Virginians are realizing they may have been better off without a job. The federal…