By Leann Ray | Editor-in-chief
“West Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens deserve a Department of Human Services that is effective, accountable, and focused on results. Carl Ayers has spent his career improving services for children and families, strengthening accountability, and making government work better.” — Gov. Patrick Morrisey
The West Virginia Department of Human Services is located at One Davis Square in Charleston, West Virginia. (Photo by Leann Ray/West Virginia Watch)
By Lori Kersey
Carl Ayers — who previously oversaw the commonwealth of Virginia’s social services program — is West Virginia’s new secretary for the Department of Human Services, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Monday.
NATIONAL
For decades, federal wildlife officials have protected old-growth forests as critical habitat for northern spotted owls. But a new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act issued by the Trump administration removes protections for wildlife habitat. (Photo by Tom Kogut/U.S. Forest Service via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Flickr)
By Alex Brown
The Trump administration is removing protections from the key places where endangered species live, saying states can keep the areas safe.
But experts say states aren’t equipped for the task.
By Sam Gauntt
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Sunday that the Taylor Farms lettuce sample that tested positive for the parasite cyclospora was actually a false positive.
By Jennifer Shutt
WASHINGTON — A D.C. Superior Court judge on Monday encouraged the Trump administration to preserve the sections of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that it says a Maryland man damaged to ensure the case moves forward.
By Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — In the wake of two fatal shootings in Texas and Maine, U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers will wear “at least one body camera” during traffic stops, Tom Homan, the president’s border czar, said over the weekend.
By Ashley Murray
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump ordered 50% tariffs on several Canadian products Monday in response to what his administration describes as retaliatory restrictions on imports of American goods, including alcohol, dairy and automotives.
By Shauneen Miranda
WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Department of Education officials in Republican and Democratic administrations sounded the alarm Monday over the agency’s efforts to outsource its special education programs and civil rights enforcement to other agencies.
COMMENTARY
A Flock Safety license plate reader camera near Casa Grande, Arizona, in October 2025. (Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy/Arizona Mirror)
By Leann Ray
Last week during a Huntington City Council meeting, as council members voted 6-4 to sign a contract to add surveillance devices all over the city, the live feed began to shake. A member asked, “Is that thunder?”
“It’s your tax payers,” someone responded.
ICYMI
Thanks for reading First Watch. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.