Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin painkillers, recently pleaded guilty to criminal charges and has reached a $8.3 billion settlement with the Department of Justice for its role in the opioid crisis.It’s one of a host of lawsuits that the pharmaceutical company is facing in light of the ongoing opioid epidemic that has hit West Virginia hard. The settlement is part of Purdue’s bankruptcy restructuring plan so it’s unclear just how or if this money will reach communities.WVU Law Professor Patrick. McGinley is familiar with the role pharmaceutical companies have played in this crisis. On behalf of the Charleston Gazette-Mail, McGinley was part of a team that forced the federal government to unseal documents that revealed that 100 billion prescription opioid pills flooded the U.S. from 2006-2014.
Emily Allen
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Appalachia Health News
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With election day just one week away, Wednesday is the deadline to submit requests for an absentee ballot. For it to be accepted, county clerks must also receive the application no later than tomorrow, Oct. 28.
ELECTION 2020
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This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia is about fierce women — something we have no shortage of here in Appalachia.We’ll hear about the folk music collaboration between Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn. Their new album combines the tones of Appalachia with the melodies of China. We’ll also hear a story about the first transgender person elected to political office in West Virginia, and a 90-year-old newspaper publisher who is still hard at work each week.
Peter Frank Edwards
The show will be recorded without an audience on November 8, with guest host Kathy Mattea, featured performers will be Ranky Tanky, Rene Marie, Susan Werner and The Sea The Sea.
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An annual festival for West Virginia "Rocket Boys" is being held online this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. -
Book explores the murder conviction and subsequent hanging of John Morgan in West Virginia, a crime that marked the last public hanging in the state.
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View NPR's maps and graphics to see where COVID-19 is hitting hardest in the U.S., which state outbreaks are growing and which are leveling off.
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Gov. Jim Justice announced Monday there are 215 West Virginians hospitalized with the coronavirus. Of that figure, 71 of those patients are in an intensive care unit, and 23 are on ventilators, according to data from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
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Doddridge County was the last in West Virginia to report a confirmed case of the coronavirus. A surge in cases earlier in October has upended the lives of the roughly 8,400 residents living here.
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A 51-48 cloture vote in the Senate on Sunday sets the stage for a final confirmation vote Monday evening — just over a week before the general election.
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