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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

WV: Livable Wages/Working Families

An estimated 16% of coal workers are affected by black lung disease and after decades of improvement, the number of cases of the disease is on the rise again, according to the American Lung Association. (Adobe Stock).<br />

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Black Lung cases rise, as federal benefits stagnate

The benefit payments miners sick with black lung disease receive are not keeping pace with the cost of living, a new analysis showed. Current …

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Across the country, most states offer 26 weeks of unemployment insurance contingent upon the laid-off worker demonstrating their continued eligibility, according to the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. (Adobe Stock)
Critics: Changes in WV unemployment benefits will harm families amid inflation

Critics say a bill passed by West Virginia lawmakers increases the bureaucratic red tape folks who rely on unemployment benefits have to navigate and …

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A survey conducted by Swiftly found 60% of Americans say they're currently struggling to pay for their groceries. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Report: West Virginians’ budgets shrink while corporations rake in profits

As the nation's largest corporations see their profits surge, more West Virginians are relying on assistance to meet basic needs as their spending …

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Nationwide, in the second quarter of 2022, residential solar set its fifth consecutive quarterly growth record, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. (Adobe Stock)
Pressure mounts on WV’s utility regulator to preserve solar net-metering

Residents and advocacy groups will rally in Charleston this Saturday to protect net-metering for solar customers. Two of West Virginia's major …

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Appalachia is home to 26.3 million people and covers 206,000 square miles, encompassing 423 counties in 13 states, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission. (Adobe Stock)
Clean-energy sector manufacturing may jumpstart West Virginia’s economy

Manufacturers in West Virginia employ around 7% of the state's workforce, and advocates say the state's Appalachian region could bolster its economy …

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In 2023, more than 3 million children nationwide lost their Medicaid health coverage, according to data from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. (Adobe Stock)
Concern grows over WV kids losing Medicaid coverage

The federal government has warned nine states about an alarming number of children losing Medicaid health coverage, and West Virginia officials say …

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Four of the five states that enacted the largest personal income tax cuts in the last few years have had slower job growth since enacting their cuts than the nation as a whole, according to the Center for Policy Budget Policy and Priorities. (Adobe Stock)
Report: WV personal income tax cut will cripple communities

A new report singles out West Virginia for the state's costly tax cuts enacted this year, and the drastic lost in revenue expected to exacerbate …

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The Congressional Budget Office projects the total cost of the 2018 Farm Act would be $428 billion over the five-year period between 2019 and 2023. (Adobe Stock)
Farm Bill extension could impact WV farmers

Despite the extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, many federal agriculture programs West Virginia farmers depend on won't be authorized to operate without …

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According to the group West Virginians for Affordable Healthcare, around 30% of  West Virginia residents have medical debt in collections. (Adobe Stock)<br />
WV could lose hundreds of millions in Medicaid funding

Since West Virginia's Medicaid eligibility review began this spring, around 100,000 residents have been kicked off the rolls. Experts have said many …

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Declining college enrollment, increased burnout, an aging workforce with fewer people entering health care fields overall, and the pandemic have all contributed to serious hospital staffing shortages nationwide. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Rural regions bear brunt of nation’s nurse workforce crisis

In rural communities, severe staffing shortages have increased hospital wait times and worsened quality of care. According to the latest report by …

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Research by the Economic Policy Institute finds that unionization leads to better pay and worker safety. (Adobe Stock) <br />
Unions Host Labor Day Celebrations Across West Virginia

Across the Mountain State today, unions are hosting Labor Day celebrations - in Baden City, Charleston, Mannington, Marmet, and Racine. Public …

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Spending in local food systems, such as weekly farmer's markets, leads to thriving communities, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. (Adobe Stock)
Appalachian Region Focus of New Federal Food Business Grant Program

A new $40 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will boost the resources and assistance for farmers and food businesses in Appalachia…

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