By Leann Ray | Editor-in-chief

“I think the whole system is broken. There’s all kinds of things that need to be changed. The quality of the employees that they’re having to go out here and look after the welfare of these children, some of the manner in which they do these interviews and document things, they have to take these calls seriously.” — Dante’ diTrapano, the lawyer who represented five children in Sissonville who were kept in a shed by their foster parents

On Oct. 2, Kanawha County Sheriff deputies responded to a 911 call about children locked in a shed in Sissonville, West Virginia. (Photo by Rafael Barker/ West Virginia Watch)

By Amelia Ferrell Knisely

Child victims in a gruesome abuse case have been awarded $4.4 million in a settlement with the state Department of Human Services due to Child Protective Services failures in the case.

cutline (Photo by Name/Newsroom)

By Lori Kersey

The state of West Virginia will allocate $1.1 million of its federal Rural Health Transformation program funds to Community Care of West Virginia, a federally qualified health center, and another $3.2 million for other investments to rural hospitals in the state, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Wednesday.

NATIONAL

Students leave William H. Wells Community High School at the end of the school day in Chicago. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest national survey of high school students focuses on diet, physical activity, sleep, digital behavior and mental health. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

By Amanda Watford

For more than 35 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has surveyed American high school students every two years about their health and behavior.

But the CDC’s latest national report, a full-color publication with photos, graphics and high school success stories, offers a markedly different portrait of adolescent health than the one it published two years ago.

By Jacob Fischler

A federal grand jury indicted 10 noncitizens for unlawfully voting in Minnesota, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday, highlighting the administration’s effort to keep election security a top issue, in line with President Donald Trump’s longstanding unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

By Ashley Murray

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans did not gain any support Wednesday from Democrats as they attempted to advance a bill that mashed together two hot-button midterm issues: requiring voter ID in federal elections and limiting stock trading for members of Congress.

By Jennifer Shutt

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated Wednesday that should Democrats regain control of the chamber following the elections, they plan to block judicial nominees sent up by President Donald Trump, including for any possible vacancies on the Supreme Court.

COMMENTARY

During the 2022-23 school year, West Virginia’s average per-pupil expenditure was $14,909 — a total that includes state, local and federal money. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)

By Eli Baumwell

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia announced a lawsuit last week over the unconstitutional underfunding of public schools. I’m not exaggerating when I say this may be the most important case we have filed in my 10 years with this organization.

ICYMI

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