By Leann Ray | Editor-in-chief
Happy Sunday! Here's a roundup of this week's stories in case you missed them.
NEWS
The historic Norton House (left) and Hale House (right) in Malden, West Virginia. West Virginia State University has received a nearly $400,000 federal historic preservation grant to preserve the structures, built in the 1800s. (Photos courtesy of West Virginia State University)
COMMENTARY
Gov. Patrick Morrisey speaks at a news conference about foster care on May 28, 2025. (Photo courtesy of the West Virginia Office of Gov. Patrick Morrisey)
Stories from the States
All Utah voters have automatically received a mail ballot since 2020. The reliably red state had championed universal mail voting. However, with voting under greater national scrutiny, Utah legislators rolled back universal mail voting.
Although he’s recently urged voters to cast their ballots by mail, President Donald Trump has long attacked mail voting, claiming without evidence that it is a source of election fraud.
Utah Republican Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, the state’s top election official, has recently spoken out about concerns over the Trump administration’s ‘gamesmanship’ with voting, saying it keeps her up at night. Democratic Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman says those same fears have woken her up at 3 a.m. in a panic.
In Episode 49, you’ll hear from Chapman, whose office serves a third of Utah’s total voting population. According to Chapman, 90% of people who participate in any given election in the county use their mail ballot. Her priority each election is to have safe and accessible voting, and the 2026 midterms are no different.
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