In The News

WASHINGTON, DC. — Over 120,000 active and retired coal miners in the United States face loss of their healthcare benefits by the end of the year and loss of pension benefits next year without action in Congress.   West Virginia stands to be one of the hardest hit states if the House and Senate are unable to muster support for the Miners Protection Act and the Coal Healthcare and Pension Protections Acts now pending on Capitol Hill. “If we can’t fulfill this commitment... Read More

Members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation on Wednesday pushed again for a vote on a bill to rescue the troubled United Mine Workers pension and health care program on the eve of what the union is promoting as a major march in Washington in support of the legislation. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., promoted the bipartisan effort during a morning event at the National Press Club, aimed at drumming up more news... Read More

Both the Ohio County Community Impact Coalition and the Advocates for Substance Abuse Prevention, serving Brooke and Hancock counties, have received $125,000 federal grants to support drug-free efforts. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced the Office of National Drug Control Policy has awarded funding to communities throughout West Virginia through the Drug-Free Communities Support Program. This funding will be used to enhance community efforts to combat the... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito is still pushing to reach more areas of the Mountain State more areas of the state with broadband internet access. Capito says she’s sick of the excuses from service providers. “I get tired of the ‘oh, it just takes more time and more money.’ I get tired of that. This is a solvable problem and it’s one that’s essential for us to change,” she said last week on MetroNews “Talkline.”... Read More

West Virginia is in the midst of one of the most challenging economic periods in the state’s history due mostly to the collapse of the coal industry — down 51 percent in the state since 2010 — and the lack of economic diversification to lessen our dependence on that industry for jobs and as a tax base. Certainly, the Marcellus and Utica shale gas reserves offer a long-term opportunity for offsetting the losses from coal and their effect on our state’s economy. But a... Read More

CHARLESTON – U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito will be on hand to support four upcoming Academy Days, giving nominations to students looking to attend a service academy. The West Virginia Republican has announced that she will host four Academy Days in September and October throughout West Virginia. Capito, along with staff, will be on hand to answer questions about the admission process to a service academy as well as the nomination process for entry at the Academy Day events. “What... Read More

Members of the Glen Dale Volunteer Fire Department are able to breathe a little easier thanks to more than $100,000 in federal funding. Earlier this month, Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., announced four fire departments would receive more than $1 million in funds to enhance fire prevention and safety operations through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant. The Glen Dale VFD received $109,837, while the Hundred Volunteer Fire Department received $285,715, the Green... Read More

MARTINSBURG – Both the city of Martinsburg and Berkeley County received over $20,000 worth of grant funding combined meant to control and prevent crime, according to a Monday press release. U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. announced the funding awards as part of The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. The city of Martinsburg received $11,311, and Berkeley County received $16,132. According to the release, Berkeley County plans to use... Read More

Raleigh and Nicholas county sheriff’s offices are two of six law enforcement agencies in the state to receive federal funds for law enforcement equipment. U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Monday a total of $140,878 went to agencies in West Virginia from the U.S. Department of Justice as part of The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. Raleigh County received $26,093 to enhance law enforcement operations and officer... Read More

MORGANTOWN – Despite the continued downward spiral of the demand for West Virginia coal, other natural resources will continue to make the state a major energy producer. That was the consensus of members testifying before a field hearing of a Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee hosted by Chair Shelley Moore Capito and member Joe Manchin Monday in Morgantown. The panel included academics and business leaders from across the state, who spoke of the benefits of energy and natural... Read More

West Virginia's Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire recently joined in calling on the National Guard to change the way it apportions funds to address drug abuse epidemics in U.S. states. The two senators sent a letter to Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen. Frank Grass requesting that the National Guard change the methodology it uses to apportion its Counterdrug Program funds by considering the number of fatalities from drug... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Weirton Fire Department is among those announced Friday to have received fire safety grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced the grants, a total of $1,390,235, from FEMA. The grants will go to Weirton, Mason and Ranson. The grants awarded through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER)... Read More

PHILIPPI — Those attending the dedication of the Sago Mine Disaster Memorial Stone at the Blue & Gray Park in Philippi Saturday listened in silence as Doug Schiefelbein, master of ceremonies, described the events of the morning of Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, the day of the Sago Mine Disaster. "While most of us slept or were just beginning to stir, 13 miners were hard at work at the Sago Coal Mine near Buckhannon when an explosion trapped them far underground," he said. "Twelve of them... Read More

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency has been awarded $960,710 in federal funding to assist volunteer fire departments, U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced Friday. The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency was announced by the senators in a joint news release. The mission of county emergency services is to assist volunteer fire departments in providing fire and... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The state Department of Health and Human Resources is getting a federal grant to help it with the monitoring and reporting of drug overdoses. The offices of U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin jointly announced the $318,000 grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control Thursday. “This funding is coming at a critical time, as the number of drug overdoses continues to skyrocket. Just last week, 28 overdoses occurred within a matter of... Read More

U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., have announced Aug. 25 that the Department of Energy will be awarding nearly $250,000 to West Virginia State University to fund research into environmentally sound coal-fired power plant wastewater treatment. With the $249,999 award, the West Virginia State University Research and Development Corp., based in Institute, West Virginia, will work to find a “technically feasible and cost-effective process for designing... Read More

HUNTINGTON – With more than 26 overdoses in a four-hour time period in Huntington, a letter co-authored by one of West Virginia's U.S. senators urging guidelines for prescribing opioids for acute pain is timely. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R), along with her colleague Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) sent the letter to President Obama and his administration asking that guidelines be developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for prescribing opioids for acute... Read More

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — The Tri-State Airport near Huntington will receive $1.3 million in funding from the Federal Aviation Administration for improvements. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia announced the funding in a news release Friday for improvements to the area where aircraft are parked, loaded, refueled, or boarded. It's part of an ongoing five-year capital improvement plan at the airport. Taxiway resurfacing and lighting, terminal office remodeling, navigational... Read More

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Shepherdstown Fire Department is committed to providing excellent service to the community - and with the award of a grant for a new ladder truck, they will have another tool to do just that. Lt. Daniel Henderson began the lengthy grant-writing process in November 2015. On Aug. 5, he received word that FEMA awarded the Assistance for Firefighters Grant in the amount of $825,000 for the purchase of a new 100-foot ladder truck to replace the 75-foot ladder truck currently... Read More

U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., have announced more than $250,000 in federal funding for the Marshall County Airport Authority. The $269,876 in funding from the Federal Aviation Administration will be used to improve airport drainage, install perimeter fencing and pay for other construction projects. “Keeping our airports updated is important for local businesses and for the convenience of travelers,” Capito said. “As a member of the... Read More