In The News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday evening, West Virginia’s congressional delegation, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and members hosted the annual lighting ceremony for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C. The tree, a 63-foot Norway Spruce, was harvested from the Monongahela National Forest in Randolph County, West Virginia, on Nov. 1. “It is with great pride that we light a beautiful Norway Spruce from the Monongahela National Forest as this year’s U.S. Capitol... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCHS) — A little piece of the Mountain State is playing a big role in holiday celebrations in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was officially lit. The ceremony was livestreamed Tuesday evening. Every year for the holiday season, a huge Christmas tree is displayed outside the nation's capitol and this year. West Virginia was selected to provide that tree. "If you don't know, this tree has traveled more miles through West Virginia than many of us have all over the... Read More

A 63-foot-tall West Virginia superstar is the center of attention in the nation’s capital. On a cold and blustery evening with the U.S. Capitol as a backdrop, a majestic Norway spruce from West Virginia’s mountains lit up the night. “You West Virginians are pretty tough folks. This is pretty cold out here,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., during remarks at a ceremony for the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree. The marching band from Richwood High School serenaded a gathered crowd with Christmas... Read More

WASHINGTON (WV News) — Ethan Reese, a fourth-grader from Randolph County, helped light the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree on Tuesday evening. Reese joined U.S. Reps. Carol Miller and Alex Mooney and U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin and other officials for the ceremony featuring a 63-foot Norway spruce harvested from the Greenbrier District of the Monongahela National Forest. Reese earned the honor of serving as youth tree lighter after his essay was selected as the winner out of... Read More

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va.  — Gov. Jim Justice is telling U.S. Postmaster General that West Virginians are deeply concerned with the Postal Service’s review of the Charleston Processing and Distribution Center with the possibility of moving the operations to Pennsylvania. “The potential closing or downsizing of the distribution center in South Charleston strikes at the heart of not just our state’s postal services but also the livelihoods of hundreds of hardworking West Virginians,” Justice wrote... Read More

HUNTINGTON — The Huntington Police Department has been awarded a little more than $1.8 million in U.S. Department of Justice grants to help fund innovative programs and continue to support the police department. The $1,872,987 will fund initiatives such as the Turn Around program to reduce injury and death of missing people with dementia and developmental disabilities and to support community policing endeavors such as tactical medicine training for surrounding agencies. “Law enforcement is not... Read More

A federal grant will support a high-tech manufacturing facility and bring jobs to the Northern Panhandle. The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Boston Metals a $50 million grant to build a chromium plant in Weirton, one of seven sites nationwide selected as part of the Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Program. The factory, which will employ 200 workers, will produce ultra-pure chromium and high-temperature alloys needed across various clean energy technologies. The department awarded... Read More

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - The Huntington Police Department is receiving four grants totaling $1,872,620, U.S. Attorney Will Thompson announces on Tuesday. Police Chief Phil Watkins explained the impact the grants will have on the police department and community. Below is a summary of the four grants awarded to HPD: Improving Adult & Youth Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Program ($650,000): This award will fund a project called the Huntington Police Department’s Turn Around... Read More

Senate Republicans are vowing to block the passage of President Biden's $106 billion national security package out of the upper chamber unless it includes increased security and asylum reforms at the southern border. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., urged Democrats to negotiate with Republicans on stricter border policies to stop the influx of migrants into the United States. Republicans have been arguing for weeks that the current national security package lacks a proper... Read More

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has expressed concern over the potential closure or downsizing of the Charleston Processing and Distribution Center. In a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, Justice emphasized the impact such a move would have on the state's postal services and the livelihoods of hundreds of workers. The center, which employs 800 people, is currently under review as part of the Postal Service's "Delivering for America" plan, aimed at transforming the organization's... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  West Virginia’s congressional delegation will be present for the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony this evening. The lighting of the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, which was harvested in Randolph County, will take place today during a ceremony on the West Front Lawn beginning at 5 p.m. It will then be lit from dusk until 11 p.m. each evening through Jan. 1. This year’s tree is a 63-foot Norway spruce from the Greenbrier Ranger District in the Monongahela... Read More

The day before Thanksgiving, the Biden administration announced a new emissions rule that will effectively force states to set greenhouse gas reduction targets in order to receive federal highway funding. The Biden administration’s Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration published a press release declaring that the finalized performance measure will provide a national framework for tracking and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The department noted that the new rule grants... Read More

The Biden administration unveiled a massive set of highway emissions regulations on Wednesday as Americans were settling in for the holiday weekend. The finalized rule, announced by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), effectively requires state and local transportation agencies to establish greenhouse gas reduction targets for federally-funded roadway projects. Critics of the rule assert that it is an attempt to use federal highway funding as a cudgel to impose climate policies on state... Read More

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, along with other bipartisan lawmakers, has proposed a bill focused on improving transparency and accountability in high-risk Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications. This bill, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research, Innovation, and Accountability Act of 2023, aims to differentiate between human and AI-generated content. Its goal is to ensure citizens know when they are interacting with AI instead of a human. Capito, together with Senators... Read More

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is the latest lawmaker to tackle the issue of Artificial Intelligence. Capito has joined a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in introducing a bill that seeks to increase transparency and accountability of high-risk AI applications. Called the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research, Innovation, and Accountability Act of 2023, the measure has several goals, including providing a clearer distinction between human and AI-generated content and a requirement... Read More

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is once again calling on President Joe Biden to enforce congressionally-mandated sanctions on Iran. Capito has joined 17 other Republicans in the U.S. Senate in calling on Biden to immediately enforce oil sanctions on Iran as mandated by Congress. The lawmakers also are demanding that Biden permanently freeze the $6 billion funding mechanism established in September’s hostage agreement with Iran. Capito said Iran will not use that $6 billion to help... Read More

Area lawmakers are protesting a decision by the Biden administration to once again delay the IRS reporting threshold requirement for online purchases. Prior to the passage of the American Rescue Plan, 1099-K forms were issued by the IRS to taxpayers who exceeded 200 transactions totaling $20,000 in a tax year. However, the American Rescue Plan drastically changed the reporting requirements, and now any electronic payments and transactions from online platforms, apps, or payment card processors... Read More

WASHINGTON (WV News) — The members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation have weighed in on a recent decision by the IRS to delay implementation of a new reporting threshold requirement for third-party payment organizations. The IRS recently announced the new $600 Form 1099-K reporting threshold requirement for third-party payment organizations for tax year 2023 would not be put in place, and is instead planning a threshold of $5,000 for 2024 to phase in the new law. The move to delay the... Read More

HUNTINGTON — Motorists are encouraged to drive safely while traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday. As people travel to visit family and friends throughout the week, more people on the roads and people driving after drinking cause increased risks. Safety organizations throughout the state and the Tri-State region are encouraging people to practice safe driving policies, such as wearing a seat belt, driving the speed limit and refraining from driving after drinking or consuming other items that... Read More

Motorists are being urged to keep safety in mind this Thanksgiving as holiday travel puts millions of vehicles on the nation’s highways starting today and continuing until Sunday. The West Virginia Parkways Authority is expecting the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday to be the busiest two travel days on the West Virginia Turnpike during the Thanksgiving holiday period from today to Sunday, Nov. 26. An estimated 715,000 total transactions are expected to take place at... Read More