In The News

A new bipartisan Senate bill aims to streamline the permit process for the outdoor recreation industry to boost access to public lands. The "Public Land Recreational Opportunities Improvement Act" would help for-profit commercial outfitters, mountain guides and nonprofit youth groups by eliminating some of the federal red tape associated with enjoying and doing business on public lands and directing agencies to issue permits faster. New Mexico Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich and West... Read More

Legislation was introduced last week in the U.S. Senate which would change the New River Gorge’s designation from the “New River Gorge National River” to the “New River Gorge National Park.” The designation currently includes more than 70,000 acres of land along 53 miles of the New River. The legislation, aims to encourage tourism and boost the region’s economy. “The New River Gorge is a special part of West Virginia and a real source of pride... Read More

WEST VIRGINIA - Senator Capito says she is in favor of America's Water Infrastructure Act because she believes it improves water infrastructure all over the country. Those improvements include increasing water storage and maintaining inland waterways.  Sen. Capito also hopes that the improvements will ensure clean drinking water for the eastern panhandle. Now that the bill has passed, she says everyone's focus should be directed at funding the future... Read More

Here is a troubling statistic to consider when discussing the opioid crisis. Of the 800 open child abuse and neglect cases in Mercer County, almost 600 of those investigations include a level of associated drug abuse. Besides that, more than 50 percent of the 700 monthly managed supervised visitations between parents and children in the county have drug endangerment issues. That amounts to more than 350 visitations each month in the county that have to be supervised, according to Mercer... Read More

HUNTINGTON - In an act of bipartisanship, Congress has sent a comprehensive opioid legislation package to the desk of President Donald Trump. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act is a combination of several smaller pieces of legislation sponsored by hundreds of lawmakers, including pieces sponsored by West Virginia's delegation. The bill passed the House of Representatives 393 to 8 last week and the Senate 98-1 Wednesday. A major aspect of the bill, as reported by the... Read More

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., applauded the final passage of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which was approved by the U.S. Senate Wednesday afternoon in a 98-1 vote. The bill will now go to the White House for the president’s signature. The bill includes a wide range of legislative solutions that aim to strengthen efforts to fight the opioid epidemic. “The SUPPORT Act is a meaningful step in our... Read More

HUNTINGTON — In an act of bipartisanship, Congress has sent a comprehensive opioid legislation package to the desk of President Donald Trump. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act is a combination of several smaller pieces of legislation sponsored by hundreds of lawmakers, including pieces sponsored by West Virginia's delegation. The bill passed the House of Representatives 393 to 8 last week and the Senate 98-1 Wednesday. A major aspect of the bill, as reported by... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WVNS) - A bill was introduced to the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018 to change the designation of the New River Gorge.  U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) presented the legislation. If passed, the New River Gorge National River would become New River Gorge National Park.  It includes more than 70,000 acres of land along 53 miles of the New River.  The area extends from Bluestone Dam to Hawk's Nest Lake. "The New River Gorge is a special part... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed on Wednesday a legislative package with multiple measures aimed at combatting the opioid epidemic. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act includes efforts to improve communication between medical personnel and patients, support for developing non-opioid pain treatment, funding for programs that offer trauma-informed care for youth and new policies on Medicaid and Medicare. Medicaid payments can go toward covering... Read More

The New River Gorge National River would become New River Gorge National Park, under a bill introduced on Tuesday by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. The re-designation as a national park would not change the way the 72,808-acre preserve of canyons, cliffs, forested plateaus and whitewater rapids is currently managed, with hunting, rafting, fishing, bicycling and Bridge Day BASE-jumping permitted as “traditional” uses of the land. The New River Gorge National River has been a... Read More

Legislation was introduced Tuesday in the U.S. Senate which would change the New River Gorge’s designation from the “New River Gorge National River” to the “New River Gorge National Park.”  The designation currently includes more than 70,000 acres of land along 53 miles of the New River, stretching from the Bluestone Dam to Hawk’s Nest Lake. The legislation, introduced by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., aims to encourage tourism... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, both members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Monday, announced $5,583,112 for West Virginia through the U.S. Department of Justice. Funding will support services for children adversely impacted by the opioid crisis and its related crime, as well as for those currently struggling with addiction. It will also support the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault crimes, and improve engagement with... Read More

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport south of Martinsburg was awarded $22,500 in federal funds to complete an economic-impact study for the airfield, U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Monday. The purpose of the study is to assess the economic value that the airport has on the local and regional economy of the Eastern Panhandle and surrounding area, the senators said in a news release. The funding award was among... Read More

NORTHFORK — A McDowell County fire department is among more than a dozen departments across West Virginia that are sharing more than $3.2 million in grants through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency, a senator announced Monday. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, said $3,258,095 for several fire departments in West Virginia. Funding comes through the Assistance... Read More

President Donald Trump has signed into law an important bipartisan amendment that aims to increase coal miner participation in a national program that detects black lung disease. The hope is that by improving outreach efforts, more miners will be screened thus improving the chances of doctors catching cases of black lung early. The bipartisan measure — a rarity nowadays in Washington — was backed by a number of lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito,... Read More

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded grants for rural economic development projects in Lewisburg and Talcott. Specifically, the Greenbrier County Health Alliance in Lewisburg will receive $50,000 for the development of the Local Foods Skill Center and Waste Not Produce Market. Funds from this grant award will be used to support personnel costs, supplies and contractual expenses. The project is expected to assist a minimum of three businesses/farmers and create... Read More

WOOD COUNTY, West Virginia (WTAP) - Several fire departments in West Virginia will be getting thousands of dollars from a grant. The Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department is one of them. It's one of the 22 departments that will get funds from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito made the announcement Tuesday. She's part of the committee that helped secure the money. In all, over three million dollars will be distributed to the... Read More

PRINCETON — Child Protect of Mercer County has been awarded $750,000 in federal funding, according to two West Virginia lawmakers. U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Monday announced $5,583,112 in federal funding for different agencies across West Virginia through the U.S. Department of Justice. The funding awards will support services for children adversely impacted by the opioid crisis and its... Read More

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - High school students and their families headed to University High School to attend the last of four Academy Day events hosted throughout the area.Senator Shelley Moore Capito hosts the fall events as a way to offer students the chance to learn more about the opportunities available through United State Service Academies and ROTC scholarships.  West Point Field Force Representative Diane Kinney said the event is a great way for students to make first impressions and... Read More

FAIRMONT — Hoping to rename the NASA Independent Validation and Verification Facility in Fairmont after legendary mathematician Katherine Johnson, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., have helped pass a bill in the United States Senate. The bill, which as of Friday awaits approval from the House of Representatives, would add Johnson’s name to the facility, something that’s long overdue, according to Capito. “We’re one step... Read More