Articles by John Raby and Leah Willingham

Coal Country Voices Say Closure of MSHA Offices Endangers Mine Safety

Retired coal miner Stanley “Goose” Stewart questions whether it’s safe for anyone to work in the industry right now. The Department of Government Efficiency, created by President Donald Trump and run by Elon Musk, has been targeting federal agencies for …

New West Virginia Governor Axes DEI and Enacts Vaccine Exemptions on Day One

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued a slew of aggressive executive orders on his first full day as West Virginia’s chief executive Tuesday, including one enabling families to receive religious exemptions from required school vaccinations — a …

Union Rep Says WV Governor Still Late on Greenbrier Bills

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family is millions of dollars behind on payments to employees’ health insurance fund at their financially beleaguered hotel, putting workers’ coverage at risk despite the U.S. Senate candidate’s claims otherwise, a …

WV Governor Scrambles to Halt Foreclosure of His Greenbrier Hotel

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, deep in the middle of a U.S. Senate race, is also in a mad-dash legal fight to keep a historic West Virginia hotel at his luxury resort before it’s auctioned off …

Miners’ Union Head Calls House Effort to Block Silica Dust Rule an Attack on Workers

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The head of the national mine workers’ union on Friday condemned what he characterized as an effort by House Republicans to block enforcement of a long-awaited federal rule directed at curbing workers’ exposure to poisonous, deadly …

Coal Miners Getting New Protections Against Black Lung Disease

Coal miners will be better protected from poisonous silica dust that has contributed to the premature deaths of thousands of mine workers from a respiratory ailment commonly known as black lung disease, the Labor Department said Tuesday as it issued …

West Virginia Bill Would Allow Teachers to Carry Guns at School

West Virginia’s Republican-dominated Legislature pushed forward a slate of contentious bills Wednesday that would arm teachers, allow people to sue libraries over books that offend them and restrict where transgender kids can use the bathroom at school. Described by conservatives …

Board Overseeing West Virginia’s $1B Opioid Fund Adds State Health Officer

West Virginia`s state health officer was selected Wednesday to represent one of the hardest-hit regions of the state for drug overdoses on the board of a private foundation that will be distributing the majority of the state`s more than $1 …

West Virginia House Backs Cap on Workers’ Damages in Deliberate Intent Cases

Republicans in the West Virginia House passed a bill last week that would cap some of the damages workers and their families can receive if their employer deliberately puts them in harm’s way on the job. The 52-45 vote was …

Mississippi Lawmakers Hold Hearing on Medical Marijuana

Two prominent Mississippi physicians urged lawmakers Monday to put “guardrails” in place if medical marijuana is legalized in the state, warning that officials should be careful about making a product available that has not been thoroughly tested by the FDA …