West Virginia is one of the deadliest states for house fires. A new fire prevention plan is looking to address manpower issues, public education and reporting.
mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/14/f...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialMountain State Spotlight
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.social
Our mission is to help West Virginians improve our state by producing “sustained outrage” journalism that exposes abuses of power by government, business and other institutions.
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.social@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialWe 244 candidates how they felt about issues that mattered to you in the upcoming midterm election. Only 65 of them responded.
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialNEW: We tried to find out where candidates stand on key issues. Most of them didn’t tell us. mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/14/u...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialAfter 50 years, the West Virginia Fire Commission released its plan to control and prevent fires in the state. Staffing rose to the top as a major issue.
mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/14/f...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialNEW: West Virginia Fire Commission says it critically needs firefighters but not how many
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.social“If a West Virginian is willing to work, study and prepare for an in-demand career, the state should help make that opportunity financially attainable,” said Mitch Carmichael, who was Senate president and the lead sponsor of WV Invests. mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/08/w...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialA 25-year-old rule that protects West Virginian’s national forests is on the chopping block as the Trump Administration opens up public lands for more logging.
mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/05/r...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialWest Virginia is last in the nation in college graduates and workforce participation. A 2019 program was supposed to boost both numbers. Has it worked?
mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/08/w...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.social“It would make a huge difference in the availability of wild, natural, relaxing areas that we have that are so valuable to us in West Virginia,” said Dave Johnston, Dolly Sods Stewards Program coordinator. mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/05/r...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialWV Invests helps students graduate from two-year programs without debt. However it's impact on West Virginia workforce participation is unclear. mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/08/w...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialNEW: A West Virginia grant program helps students get free community college education, but its workforce impact isn’t clear mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/08/w...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialOur 2026 midterm voter guide is live! This is your one-stop-shop for candidate information, polling locations, voting times and information about this year’s constitutional amendment. mountainstatespotlight.org/west-virgini...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialThe Roadless Rule was created to protect certain forested areas from cars, logging, road construction and development. The Trump Administration is considering opening it up for logging.
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialThe Monongahela National Forest is one of three national forests in West Virginia at risk for more logging if the Trump Administration repeals a Clinton-era rule protecting parts of its land.
mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/05/r...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialNEW: Millions of people enjoy West Virginia’s national forests. Trump wants to open up logging just down the road.
mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/05/r...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialAs we set out to test if we’d be able to start our own private schools, no one from any of these three states checked our backgrounds.
No one asked what we plan to teach or how we would measure student performance, either. mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/02/p...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialRight now, if we wanted to, @ProPublica and Mountain State Spotlight could enroll an unlimited number of students.
Here’s how a group of reporters was somehow able to establish our own school: mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/10/02/p...
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialNEW w/ @propublica.org: We’re reporters, not teachers. We were able to start private schools anyway.
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialGov. Patrick Morrisey is funneling around $200 million federal dollars into Rural Healthcare Transformation Program projects. However, thousands of West Virginians will lose Medicaid health insurance starting early next year.https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/09/29/medicaid-rural-health/
@mtnstspotlight.bsky.socialGov. Patrick Morrisey announced some of the first recipients of a new healthcare funding initiative. However, this comes at a time when thousands of West Virginians are expected to lose Medicaid eligibility. mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/09/29/m...