By Leann Ray | Editor-in-chief
“It would make common sense to improve the communication between public schools and Hope to know what’s going on, but I've heard a lot of commonsense guardrails that would help kids with the Hope Scholarship, so I don't know if this would have any success or not … In the Legislature, common sense is rarely seen.” — Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia
The West Virginia state Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia. (West Virginia Legislative Photography)
By Amelia Ferrell Knisely
A Kanawha County child abuse case involving students using the Hope Scholarship poses questions about how public schools can follow up on thousands of students using the program, including children missing school and in potentially dangerous situations.
West Virginia Health Right hosted #WeCareWV Day Saturday, Oct. 1, 2026. During the one-day event, clinic volunteers provided free vision, dental and medical care to people with no income requirements. (Photo by Lori Kersey/West Virginia Watch)
By Lori Kersey
More than 400 people got medical, dental or vision care at a one-day free health care event in Charleston, West Virginia on Saturday.
A sign telling people to register to vote sits outside of West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner’s office on Feb. 10, 2026, in the state Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia. (Photo by Leann Ray/West Virginia Watch)
By Henry Culvyhouse
The Republican Party has a little more than 200,000 registered voters as it heads into the 2026 general election, according to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office.
NATIONAL
Bears rummage through garbage at a dumpster in Whitefish, Montana. Wildlife officials nationwide have received a record number of calls about human-bear conflicts this year. (Photo courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)
By Alex Brown
Bears are having a very bad year.
Across much of the United States, a warm winter and persistent drought have decimated the natural foods that black and brown bears rely on. With nearly every station at the buffet in short supply, the adaptable eaters are turning to human food.
By Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON —Immigrants living in the United States with humanitarian status from Ukraine and Sudan will retain their deportation protections and work authorizations for now, the Department of Homeland Security said over the weekend.
By Shauneen Miranda
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday establishing a Women’s Health Division within the National Institutes of Health.
By Jacob Fischler
Democrats have used President Donald Trump’s unpopularity to expand the midterm map, and analysts project the party carries momentum heading into the final two weeks of the election cycle, even as Democrats are expected to flip fewer U.S. House seats than wave elections this century.
ICYMI
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