In The News

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

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., says a trip last weekend to sites on the Pacific coast and U.S.-Mexico border helped her better understand how much border enforcement efforts cost and the areas of need of additional funding. Capito, the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, visited numerous points to better understand how to address problems associated with people illegally immigrating into the... Read More

INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State University will receive five years of federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education for its Upward Bound program.The funding, announced by U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., will go toward the school’s Upward Bound program, which provides low-income and first-generation college-bound students with academic and career assistance.The program lost eligibility last year after an application error,... Read More

West Virginia’s U.S. senators declared victory Thursday in their push to restore funding to West Virginia State University’s Upward Bound program, which helps Kanawha County and Logan County students from low-income families or without bachelor’s degree-holding parents attend and graduate college.Krystal Tolliver, the director of the school’s TRIO programs who will be the new Upward Bound director there, said the program enrolls qualifying students in eighth, ninth or... Read More

Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to boost participation in federal programs that detect and treat black lung disease among coal miners.A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health shows cases of black lung are at a 25-year high in Appalachian coal mining states, with as many as one in five underground coal miners in the region having evidence of black lung.In order to address the growing number of cases, U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTRF) - Lawmakers are reacting just one day after President Trump announced his plans to replace the Clean Power Plan. Senator Shelley Moore Capito told 7News she feels it will be a positive change for West Virginia, saying you can see the impact previous efforts had because of the economic downturn. The previous Clean Power Plan enacted by former President Obama was "devastating to coal" according to Senator Capito.  She added that the new plan is a... Read More

CHARLESTON — As President Donald J. Trump was preparing for his visit to West Virginia Tuesday, several officeholders were praising his administration’s move to end the “war on coal.”The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Tuesday it plans to replace the Clean Power Plan (CPP) enacted under the Obama Administration with the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule, which gives states more leeway in power plant emission controls.“The EPA’s proposal... Read More

The National Science Foundation has awarded $1 million in scholarships to the West Virginia University Research Corporation for rural students. The project is a coordinated effort to extend resources to rural students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. It will support high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at West Virginia University.Specifically, the project will provide 20 scholarships to support rural... Read More

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Rural Development has awarded $320,000 for West Virginia communities.The funding, through the Community Facilities Program, will support the purchase of vehicles and other equipment for emergency and non-emergency purposes.“Local officials are on the front lines every day providing basic services that West Virginians depend on,” said U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. “It is important that we help equip them with the... Read More

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has awarded $2,337,373 to support Head Start services at the Fayette County Child Development Center.“Head Start Programs provide the resources for communities to give their students an early childhood education that will support them in the classroom for years to come,” said U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said, “A good education is... Read More