Chuck Schumer Earns Progressive Ire With Joe Manchin Promotion

Jake Johnson / Common Dreams Dec 12, 2018 Activists warn that placing a champion of Big Coal atop a crucial energy committee is "at odds with any plans for real climate action." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Blight of Fracking Seeps Into America’s Foundations

Erika Howsare / LARB Oct 26, 2018 Based on years of immersive reporting, Eliza Griswold’s “Amity and Prosperity” follows the legal battle that ensued when a single frack site began to affect three neighboring families. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

Collins, Manchin Back Kavanaugh; Confirmation Appears Certain

LISA MASCARO and ALAN FRAM / The Associated Press Oct 5, 2018 The announcements by Sens. Susan Collins and Joe Manchin are expected to deal a fatal blow to the opposition, but Democrats are still pressing the fight. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Court Rules Against W.Va. Pipeline, Then an Effort to Change Rules

Ken Ward Jr. and Kate Mishkin / ProPublica Oct 4, 2018 A federal appeals court has revoked a key approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Now, state regulators are working to change the rules—again—so the project can proceed. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

‘Jobs Alliance’ Tries to Block Job-Creating Gas Plants in West Virginia

By Ken Ward Jr. / ProPublica Sep 28, 2018 Murray Energy, one of the nation’s largest coal producers, is paying for lawyers trying to block natural gas plants that would support a growing industry. Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )

A Million Told to Flee S. Carolina Coast as Florence Menaces

JONATHAN DREW / The Associated Press Sep 10, 2018 The Category 4 hurricane is packing winds up to 130 mph and water that could wreak havoc over a wide stretch of the eastern United States later this week. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

High Court Says States Can OK Sports Betting

JESSICA GRESKO and WAYNE PARRY / The Associated Press May 14, 2018 Despite opposition from the major sports leagues and the administration, the Supreme Court strikes down a law barring betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Lawmakers Blame W. Va. Opioid Fiasco on Drug Distributors

ALAN FRAM / The Associated Press May 8, 2018 Legislators from both parties point the finger at distributors who missed signs of suspicious activity that resulted in millions of prescription pills being shipped to West Virginia, a state ravaged by opioid deaths. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

State Election Systems Still Waiting for Security Checkups

CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY / The Associated Press May 7, 2018 With the midterm elections approaching, the Department of Homeland Security says it has completed on-site risk assessments of election systems in just nine of 17 states. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Arizona Students Back in Class After Six-Day Teacher Strike

MELISSA DANIELS and TERRY TANG / The Associated Press May 4, 2018 The state's educators win a 20-percent pay raise by 2020 after a walkout that was part of a bubbling national uprising over low pay and school funding. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Arizona, Colorado Schools to Close as Teachers Protest

MELISSA DANIELS / The Associated Press Apr 26, 2018 The walkouts are the climax of an uprising that began weeks ago with a grass-roots movement that spread from West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Teaching America a Lesson

Steve Fraser / TomDispatch Apr 18, 2018 The teacher strikes, rallies and walkouts in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky and elsewhere are a stunning reminder that socioeconomic class has always mattered in our public and private lives. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )