By Leann Ray | Editor-in-chief
“I believe the appropriate course of action is for Del. Pritt to immediately resign his seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates. … While Del. Pritt is entitled to the presumption of innocence and the full protections of due process afforded under our justice system, the allegations have raised serious concerns about maintaining the trust and confidence of the people we represent.” — Del. Evan Worrell, R-Cabell, in a letter to Gov. Patrick Morrisey
Del. Elliott Pritt, R-Fayette, was arrested July 22, 2026, and faces one count of enticement of a minor. (Photo courtesy of Carter County Detention Center)
By Amelia Ferrell Knisely
A leader in the West Virginia House of Delegates has requested that Gov. Patrick Morrisey call lawmakers into a special session to consider how to deal with Del. Elliott Pritt’s seat following his arrest.
Del. Elliott Pritt, R-Fayette, speaks on the floor of the House of Delegates on March 14, 2026. Pritt was arrested July 22, 2026, and faces one count of enticement of a minor. (Photo by Perry Bennett/West Virginia Legislative Photography)
By Amelia Ferrell Knisely
The state Republican Party likely can’t replace Del. Elliott Pritt on the ballot in Fayette County even if he resigns from his seat following his arrest for seducing a 15-year-old girl.
Workers and volunteers haul ruined furniture and clear water from Pop’s Furniture in Buckhannon, West Virginia, on Thursday. (Photo by Lori Kersey/West Virginia Watch)
By Lori Kersey
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — Two people from Upshur County are unaccounted for after storms and flooding hit North Central West Virginia this week, Gov. Patrick Morrisey told reporters on Thursday. Officials have located an overturned vehicle that’s believed to be connected with the missing people, but have not been able to access it due to debris surrounding it, Morrisey said.
NATIONAL
Salad greens for sale at a bodega in Astoria, New York. The number of cases of cyclosporiasis has more than doubled to over 4,173 cases across 41 states this week. (Photo by Shalina Chatlani/ Stateline)
By Shalina Chatlani
The number of cases of cyclosporiasis — a parasitic infection linked to contaminated water or food that causes severe intestinal issues — has more than doubled to over 4,173 cases across 41 states this week, up from the 1,645 confirmed cases in 34 states reported last week by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
By Ashley Murray
WASHINGTON — Members of the U.S. Senate tasked with advancing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to be the nation’s top law enforcer on Thursday pushed the vote one week.
By Ashley Murray
WASHINGTON — One day after President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer of the remains of four U.S. service members killed as a result of the Iran conflict, the two chambers of Congress were at odds over whether to rein in the president’s military powers in the monthslong war.
By Amelia Twyman
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the addition of Republican governors, legislators, utility services and tech companies into his voluntary pledge aimed at keeping data center construction and operation costs off the shoulders of American consumers.
COMMENTARY
The 2026 NCSL Legislative Summit will bring together state lawmakers and legislative staff from the 50 states and U.S. territories from July 27-29 in Chicago. (Photo by Leontura/Getty Images)
By Tim Storey and Sue Urahn
Like two sides of a coin imprinted with the nation’s motto, “e pluribus unum” — out of many, one — America’s political factions are cast in opposition, but they are intrinsically bound together as parts of a larger whole.
ICYMI
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