In The News

MORGANTOWN — The Green Bank Observatory recently received funding from the National Science Foundation and other entities that will pay for new equipment and increase its annual use by researchers. The National Science Foundation, along with National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Associated Universities Inc., provided $1,345,903 for the observatory in Pocahontas County. Employing 100 people year-round, along with an additional 40 staff during the summer, the Green Bank Observatory... Read More

CHARLESTON — U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., will host four "Academy Days" this fall for West Virginia students interested in learning more about admission to U.S. service academies and available Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) scholarships. Members of Capito's staff will be available at each event to provide information on nominations to the following academies: Air Force, Coast Guard, Military/Army, Naval and Merchant Marine. "These events are great... Read More

WASHINGTON D.C. - The Senate is expected to vote on the Opioid Crisis Response Act, a large bill targeting multiple aspects of the opioid epidemic in the nation. West Virginia Senator, Shelley Moore Capito has had a total of 24 provisions in the act including the STOP act to halt the flow of fentanyl through the postal service and the CRIB act that provides care for drug addicted infants. Capito says this bill has been worked on by more than 70 senators from both parties and is a joint... Read More

CHARLESTON — Under representation of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math was the driving force behind the 2018 Women and Technology Conference held in Charleston Monday, according Anne Barth, executive director of TechConnect WV. “The word is starting to spread,” Barth said of the 25 percent growth in attendance this year. “I also think we’re reaching some critical mass from the private sector.” The day-long conference... Read More

CHARLESTON — Leaders in the West Virginia Senate and House of Delegates are calling on the state’s senators in Washington, D.C., to quickly confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. The press conference, held Friday morning in the Senate President’s Conference Room at the state Capitol, was put on by Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative non-profit group focused on judicial reform. Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson, and... Read More

ELKHORN — The next phase of a remedy to chronic water woes in some McDowell County communities is on the way. A $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Rural Development was announced Thursday by U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The money will go to the McDowell County Public Service District toward Phase II of the Elkhorn Creek water project,... Read More

WASHINGTON D.C. (WTRF) - Questioning for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was still underway Thursday evening by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Wednesday's marathon confirmation hearing stretched late into the evening.   The federal judge was pushed on issues ranging from executive power to abortion.   Like nominees before him, Judge Brett Kavanaugh was careful to avoid disclosing his personal feelings about controversial cases. It appears the vote... Read More

WASHINGTON D.C. (WTRF) - West Virginia Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, along with members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, have announced more than $1 million for West Virginia University. The money is provided through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  Funding will support research intended to help reduce health disparities among West Virginians and analyze the effectiveness of... Read More

WELCH, WV (WVNS) - A grant of $1,180,000 is headed for McDowell County thanks to a rural development grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The money will be used to fund Phase II of the Elkhorn Creek water project.  When complete the project will improve the potable water for Kimball, Northfork and Keystone. "The people of McDowell County and southern West Virginia helped build our nation.  We owe it to them to ensure they have reliable access to basic... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C.- (WTAP) A bill addressing the opioid crisis appear to be near passage in the U.S. Senate. The Opioid Crisis Response Act has been supported by senators from both political parties in both West Virginia and Ohio. It's a comprehensive act designed to address the addiction death rate, on which West Virginia and Ohio lead the nation. Senators we spoke to Wednesday see signs local officials are working to solve the problem as well. "Huntington has lowered... Read More

WEIRTON — An area organization is among those receiving a portion of $1 million awarded to West Virginia communities through the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Drug-Free Communities Support Program. The Brooke Hancock Family Resource Network received $125,000 on behalf of the Advocates for Substance Abuse Prevention coalition. The funding, aimed at assisting in efforts to prevent substance abuse, was announced by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and U.S. Sen.... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Tuesday confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was raucous at points. Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee interrupted the hearing multiple times to question proceedings moving forward, noting the late release of documents detailing Kavanaugh’s time serving with the administration of President George W. Bush. Protesters frequently disrupted the hearing to raise concerns about Kavanaugh’s possible impact on... Read More

The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) recently awarded $899,927 to the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services (FRIS). This funding, authorized by the Violence Against Women Act, is through the Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Grant Program (Arrest Program), which supports local efforts to create a quick, holistic response to these crimes and... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCHS/WVAH) — U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, announced almost $2.5 million to an organization that aids students majoring in STEM fields. Senators Capito and Manchin, both members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, helped secure $2,497,534 for members of the First2 STEM Success Alliance in West Virginia. The program focuses on increasing retention and graduation rates among first generation, rural undergraduate students majoring in the... Read More

WASHINGTON — Nearly $2.5 million has been awarded to an organization dedicated to providing help to students studying in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields at higher education institutions in West Virginia. The First Two Network is a project that focuses on retention of rural, first generation undergraduate students in the state studying in those fields. Several higher education institutions and other groups are participants in the program. The four groups... Read More

CHARLESTON — When members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives return from their late-summer break, they will be asked to consider a Senate appropriations bill passed early in August that contains $2.5 billion in funding for Amtrak that would restore a human ticket agent at Amtrak’s passenger station in Charleston and continue excursion service for the annual New River Train. The appropriations bill, passed by the Senate on Aug. 7 by a vote of 92-6, contained... Read More

Fairmont, W. Va. -  Katherine Johnson, the woman who hand-calculated numbers for America’s first trip to space, turned 100 on August 26th. Before the arrival of computers in the 1960s, humans — mainly women — comprised the workforce at NASA known as the “Computer Pool.”  Last week Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. introduced a bill to rename the NASA Facility in Fairmont after Katherine Johnson. "She's an amazing woman and... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — West Virginia will receive more than $8 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to assist with local security and enhance disaster response. U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced $8,365,298 will support the preparation and implementation of strategies to assist with disaster response and help local governments and nonprofits in the state enhance security to keep West Virginians safe. “Recent events have shown us... Read More

Four area lawmakers have co-sponsored an important bipartisan measure that seeks to boost participation in federal programs that detect and treat black lung disease among coal miners. The legislation co-sponsored last week by U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., seeks to identify barriers that deter miners with black lung from... Read More

“Where do I go from here?” It’s a question I’ve heard far too often as a hospice and palliative care provider for more than 30 years. After being diagnosed with a serious or life-limiting illness many people are left wondering what to do next. It’s a tremendously scary prospect when modern medicine runs out of answers, or a person decides it’s time to stop fighting. I feel very fortunate that my job allows me to offer families a little peace, as well... Read More