By Leann Ray | Editor-in-chief
“West Virginia citizens have a right to know whether this company can deliver on their promises, and our state agencies should uphold their responsibilities.” — Jim Kotcon, conservation chair for the West Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club
An anti-data center yard sign sits on the side of the road outside of the Billy Motel & Bar outside of Davis in Tucker County, West Virginia, on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Photo by Caity Coyne/West Virginia Watch)
By Caity Coyne
Tucker County residents are, once again, seeking more information regarding the massive data center and natural gas power plant complex proposed between the mountain towns of Thomas and Davis.
Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia, is covered in smoke from Canadian wildfires the morning of Friday, July 17, 2026. (Photo courtesy of the Monongalia County Health Department)
By Lori Kersey
Health officials in Monongalia County are recommending that outdoor pools close and camps and daycare facilities keep children inside while air there remains “very unhealthy” due to wildfire smoke from Canada.
Taco Bells in West Virginia and four other states have been linked to a multistate outbreak of cyclospora, a parasite that causes diarrhea. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising people not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell in those states, including the Patrick Street location of Taco Bell in Charleston, West Virginia on Friday, July 17, 2026. (Photo by Lori Kersey/West Virginia Watch)
By Lori Kersey
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising people not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell locations in West Virginia and four other states after it’s been linked to a multistate outbreak of cyclospora, a parasite that causes diarrhea.
NATIONAL
A dog walks along a wooded trail in a Maryland park. Ticks are commonly found in wooded and grassy habitats, and the lone star tick has expanded well beyond its historic range in the Southeast. (Photo by Amanda Watford/Stateline)
By Amanda Watford
As ticks spread into new parts of the country and emergency room visits for tick bites climb higher than usual, states are scrambling to monitor where the pests are showing up, what diseases they may be carrying and how to warn residents before a bite turns into something far more serious.
By David Lightman
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision makes it easier for political parties to put their stamp on the most important campaigns, just as the struggle heats up for control of Congress in the midterm elections.
By Jacob Fischler and Sam Gauntt
The nation’s election infrastructure is vulnerable to cyberattacks by foreign actors, President Donald Trump said during a primetime address Thursday night, citing a batch of documents he declassified — but providing no proof broad interference actually occurred or affected an election outcome.
By Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on July 13 killed 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national with legal work authorization, in Maine, making him the 22nd person shot at by federal immigration officers during President Donald Trump’s second term.
By Sam Gauntt
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin threatened on Friday to prosecute election officials in Democratic states that don’t “participate in securing the elections” ahead of the November midterms.
COMMENTARY
Gov. Patrick Morrisey announces a plan to expand programs in public schools aimed at helping children before they need the child welfare system in an effort to improve the state’s overburdened foster care system on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026 in Charleston, West Virginia. (Photo courtesy of the West Virginia Office of Gov. Patrick Morrisey)
By Jennifer Trippett
If childcare is next on the chopping block, do not expect West Virginians to quietly accept it. Childcare is not just another government program. It is economic infrastructure.
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.