By Leann Ray | Editor-in-chief
“When we think about apprenticeships, they can last a lifetime. So the idea is, we’re hoping that this relationship really kind of launches into something that’s long term and kind of benefits the community as a whole, rather than just the pair.” — Jennie Williams, folklorist
Old-time fiddler Ben Townsend (right) leads his apprentice Bodhi Gibbons-Guinn on a tune performed at Arthurdale Heritage for a West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Showcase hosted in November 2025. (Photo by Michael Keller)
By Lori Kersey
Despite federal funding cuts affecting state humanities councils across the country, the Folklife Apprenticeship program by the West Virginia Humanities Council will go on this year.
NATIONAL
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled earlier this month that the state of Idaho cannot regulate abortion when a pregnancy threatens a person’s physical or mental health. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador has appealed the decision. (Otto Kitsinger for the Idaho Capital Sun)
By Kelcie Moseley-Morris
A federal court ruling out of Idaho has potential implications for exceptions in abortion bans nationwide and could eventually end up before the U.S. Supreme Court to decide.
By Ashley Murray
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has not slowed his pursuit of central policy goals and personal pursuits, even after major setbacks at the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts.
By Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump can continue building a White House ballroom for now, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday, reversing a federal judge’s order that barred above-ground construction on the grounds of the former East Wing.
By Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — Fentanyl seizures decreased by 39% during the first year of the second Trump administration after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shifted the Department of Homeland Security’s criminal investigations arm to conducting immigration enforcement, according to a report government investigators published Friday.
ICYMI
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