May 14 Democracy & Civic Life A Pandemic Voter Guide For West Virginia’s 2020 Primary West Virginia officials moved the state’s primary election from May 12 to June 9 out of safety concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, and have expanded options for mail-in voting. Registered voters can vote in person during early voting or on Election Day at a polling location, or by absentee ballot. The last day to […] By Brittany Patterson May 14 Democracy & Civic Life A Pandemic Voter Guide For West Virginia’s 2020 Primary Brittany Patterson
May 14 Economy Ohio Valley Making Progress On Unemployment Backlog Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia are making progress on unemployment claims filed in March as states begin a phased-in reopening. New unemployment insurance claims are still reaching unprecedented levels across the Ohio Valley region. At least 125,459 people in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia joined those seeking help during the economic downturn caused by the […] By Becca Schimmel May 14 Economy Ohio Valley Making Progress On Unemployment Backlog Becca Schimmel
May 12 Agriculture “Will It Be Enough?”: Meatpacking Workers Fear For Safety As Coronavirus Cases Mount It’s the uncertainty that gets to Darlene Davis. The uncertainty of when she’ll see her 87-year-old mother in person again. The uncertainty of her co-workers’ health. The uncertainty that comes with the novel coronavirus. When a co-worker of hers at the JBS Swift meatpacking plant in Louisville died from COVID-19, she said that uncertainty turned […] By Liam Niemeyer May 12 Agriculture “Will It Be Enough?”: Meatpacking Workers Fear For Safety As Coronavirus Cases Mount Liam Niemeyer
May 7 Economy Are Ohio Valley States Ready To Reopen? Analysis Finds More Coronavirus Testing Needed An analysis by Harvard scientists and NPR finds that most states — including Kentucky and Ohio — are not testing enough residents for coronavirus in order to meet recommended benchmarks to safely begin to reopen their economies. That analysis by Harvard’s Global Health Institute found that West Virginia is roughly meeting the minimum targets for […] By Jeff Young and Becca Schimmel May 7 Economy Are Ohio Valley States Ready To Reopen? Analysis Finds More Coronavirus Testing Needed Jeff Young and Becca Schimmel
May 7 Economy How Ohio Valley States Are Reopening Their Economies The coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the Ohio Valley Region. But stay at home orders and social distancing restrictions reduced the number of cases modelers projected without them. Now there is pressure to ease the restrictions and open states’ economies back up as the businesses that were closed struggle to find relief and record […] By Aaron Payne May 7 Economy How Ohio Valley States Are Reopening Their Economies Aaron Payne
May 7 Economy Ohio Valley Hitting Plateau Of Unemployment Claims New unemployment insurance claims are starting to reach a plateau but are still hitting unprecedented levels across the Ohio Valley region. At least 154,102 people in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia joined those seeking help during the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. That surge in claims is in addition to the more than […] By Becca Schimmel May 7 Economy Ohio Valley Hitting Plateau Of Unemployment Claims Becca Schimmel
May 5 Economy West Virginia Small Businesses Face Tough Decisions As State Reopens West Virginia is among the states beginning to loosen restrictions meant to reduce the spread of coronavirus, allowing for some non-essential businesses to reopen beginning this week. On Monday, May 4, West Virginia entered the second week of Gov. Jim Justice’s six-week reopening plan, which he calls “the comeback.” During week two, businesses with fewer […] By Brittany Patterson May 5 Economy West Virginia Small Businesses Face Tough Decisions As State Reopens Brittany Patterson
May 4 Energy & Environment Coal and COVID-19: Lung Impairment Makes Miners Especially Vulnerable To Coronavirus Underground coal miners start their shifts getting changed in closely packed changing rooms. They ride rail cars to their worksite, shoulder-to-shoulder, sometimes for more than an hour. And once they’re underground, ventilation designed to tamp down coal dust blows air through the mine. All that makes a coal mine the kind of place where the […] By Sydney Boles May 4 Energy & Environment Coal and COVID-19: Lung Impairment Makes Miners Especially Vulnerable To Coronavirus Sydney Boles
Apr 30 Economy Ohio Valley Addressing Backlog Of Unemployment Claims But Some Are Still Waiting For Benefits New unemployment insurance claims in the Ohio Valley began to taper off this week as states make their way through the backlog of applications amid business closures forced by the coronavirus pandemic. But local economies still face a staggering number of unemployed, and many of those who are out of work are still awaiting help. […] By Becca Schimmel Apr 30 Economy Ohio Valley Addressing Backlog Of Unemployment Claims But Some Are Still Waiting For Benefits Becca Schimmel